HISTORY OF CALIFOIINIA. 461 



rice and tobacco in a house some three hundred yards 

 down the main street, I determined upon an effort to 

 obtain them, and sallied out with thirty men : these 

 were immediately fired upon from several different 

 quarters, and some fighting ensued, resulting in the 

 death of one of my volunteers — shot through the 

 heart. We charged down the end of the street, and 

 drove the enemy to the cover of a cornfield at the 

 outside of the town, where they were considerably 

 reinforced, and recommenced a hot fire ; but we were 

 enabled to save a part of the articles which we were 

 in search of, though we found that the enemy had an- 

 ticipated us in this object, having forced the building 

 from the rear. On the afternoon of the following 

 day, Ritchie's schooner, having provisions for us from 

 La Paz, came in sight and anchored, but a canoe 

 which was enticed toward the shore by a white flag 

 displayed by the enemy, was fired upon, and the 

 schooner immediately got under way. 



On the 10th the enemy had entire possession of the 

 town : they had perforated with port-holes all the ad- 

 jacent houses and walls, occupjang the church, and, 

 hoisting their flag on Galindo's house, ninety yards dis- 

 tant, held a high and commanding position^ which ex- 

 posed our back yard and the kitchen to a raking fire, 

 which from this time forth was almost incessant from 

 all quarters upon us, the least exposure of person creat- 

 ing a target for fifty simultaneous shots. The enemy 

 appeared to have some excellent rifles, among other 

 arms ; and some of them proved themselves tolerably 

 sharp shooters, sending their balls continually through 

 our port-holes. On the 11th the fire was warm, but 

 on our part it was rarely that we could get a sight of 

 them. In the afternoon of this day we had to lament 



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