Mexico to the Mountains 95 



June 2d. [?] Again we have been through 

 swamp-like country, crossed the dry bed of a river, 

 with white sand glaring painfully in our faces, and 

 found acres of wild sunflowers, and patches of what 

 looked like horehound, then we came to a cotton- 

 wood bottom, gradually changing to a golden 

 willow, which grew so luxuriantly on both sides of 

 the road that I was reminded of the rich bottom 

 lands of Ohio. 



At noon we came to Alamito, a large rancho, or 

 small village of scoundrels. In bargaining for 

 water, which is only to be had from wells, we found 

 the men who had it for sale were making their 

 own terms with our rascally guide, and Simson 

 stepped up and began talking to them. They pre- 

 tended they could not understand, but on my tap- 

 ping my revolver they instantly became most 

 intelligent. 



Here we had the first attempt at a "stampede" 

 made upon us. Those intending to run off the 

 "cabalgada"^ of a travelling party, take a strong 

 horse, cover him with the skin of an ox which has 

 been newly killed, putting the fleshy side out, tie 

 all the bells they have to the horse, and fastening 

 an enormous bunch of dry brush to his tail, set fire 

 to it, and start him off w^ith yells and shouts through 



^ Cabalgada is properly a troop of mounted men or cavalcade. 

 The word is here applied to the animals upon which the men 

 are mounted. 



