e 
. 70 
which from time yee oe has roved and is yet roving over the Bolson 
de Mapimi. I had already heard in Chihuahua of this discovery, and 
was panes enough ei to secure a skull that a gentleman had taken, 
m the cave. . At present, I was told, the pr is pilfered of everything; 
nevertheless, had I been at leisure, I would h e made an excursion to it. 
enzo is a town of about 1,000 opel tion, and lies on the right 
bank of the Nasas; but the waters of the river had here so far disappeared 
that only some pools were left, and in the dry sandy bed of the river some 
wells had been dug. . In these wells, from 10 to 20 feet deep, I saw below 
the sand a layer of clay; Artesian wells might therefore succeed here 
Such PREPERERS: ane reappearance of a river in the sand is a very 
common occurrence in Mexico, and seems to depend mostly upon the 
greater or less absorption by the soil. ‘The course of the river is not inter- 
rupted thereby; it runs Pas deeper tugven the sand—perhaps, too , frou 
crevices, instead of on the surface; and with the rising of the r the 
water returns as Sig as it has baie Most of the caper a San 
fame belongs to a Sehor Sanchez, a rich Mexican, who received us well 
and seemed to be favorable to the Americans. While we were encamped 
at San Lorenzo, a rumor reached us that the Mexicans at San Sebastian 
had cut off some of the American traders in the rear of the army. A party 
at once started back; the more willingly, as an interesting and in ac 0 
American lady, sharing all the hardships and dangers of such a expedi- 
tion, sae her husband, were concerned in it; but fortunately, all desea to 
be am. Some other rumors were spread, about a Mexican arm 
g against us from Duran We gave, then, very little credit to 
the Pe a) but ascertained afterwards from the public papers that they 
really had sent a force against us; but being informed that we turned, in- 
stead, to Durango, in the direction of Saltillo, they presumed, of course, 
that their unknown and distant presence had frightened us out of the State 
of Durango, and published a gasconading report. about their bloodless vic- 
tory. Some su spicious Mexicans, prowling about our camp fedayy were 
made prisoners 
May 12 — Starting this morning for San Juan, our vanguard ‘Bissoveded : 
three armed Mexicans running from us. After a short steeple-chase 
through the chappar4l, the Mexicans were made prisoners, and, as no plaus- 
ible account could be elicited from th em, taken along to our ye cep 
San | 
Paks: ealled San Nicolas; from there it runs yet about eight or ten 
ues, till it spreads out at last into the Laguna de Tlagualila, a lake of 
water, but without outlet. In the dry season, this lake often con- 
while in others it forms a sheet of water of thirty and more 
atest dimensions, from south to ae 4 ae —— 
ees de San icolas, de las as, 
is lake Tlagualila. “The de 
leagues di us t; and ‘starting from haste 
