PERSONAL ACCOUNT CONTINUED. 



25 



At Cantonment Blake, on the Devil's river, they waylaid and killed a couple of soldiers ; at 

 Live Oak they drove oflf, in open day-light, all the animals of the military p^H temporarily 

 estahlished at that point. At Fort Davis, we found they had attacked a party and killed a 

 sergeant and musician ; just beyond, at Dead :Man's Hole, they attacked the mail party, and 

 would probably have handled them severely, had not another party coming in the opposite 

 direction, joined them at the critical moment. 







directions to proceed slowly up the river, while I went to make such arranprments with tlie 

 Mexican commissioner as would enable mo to move the parties directly on the new line, and 

 commence operations. 



I accomplished this with the Mexican commissioner satisfactorily; although winter had 

 now set in with severity, and the 8mall-pi)x showed itself iu our '-nmp, and we had just accom- 

 plished a jour-ey of sixteen hundred miles, every a'^'^i^tant and man took 'he field as cheerfully 

 as if he had just left his barrack!=!. 



Each one of the principal assistants was selected upon the estimate of his professional 



from 



QQ, and I had no reason to make any cbangcs of 



importance from the beginning to the end of the work. My own expectations, and 1 hojKj 

 those of the government, were entirely fulfilled in the manner in which the wurk Was accom- 

 plished. Under all circumstances— during the cold winter exposed upon tlie bare ground of 

 the bleak plains, and in the summer to the hot sun blazing over the arid desert— everv order 



was executed with fidelity, and the work was completed within the time, and largely within 

 the amount appropriated by Congress. We passed the entire width of the continent and 

 returned with the loss only of two men, and without losing a single animal, (except those worn 

 out by service,) or suffering a stampede by the Indians ; at the same time that our co-operators 

 on the Mexican commission were twice robbed of every hoof by the Apaches, and extensive 

 losses were sustained by other detachments of United States troops, and by our citizens 

 traversing this region. 



I close this short personal account by giving the journal of the joint commission, composed 

 of Senor Salazar and myself. It will be seen, that throughout the whole expedition the utmost 

 harmony prevailed, and I take this occasion to express, not only for myself, but for the whole 

 American commission, the pleasant recollection of the agreeable intercourse which existed 

 between ourselves and the Mexican commissioner, and the officers under his command. Senor 

 Salazar failed to receive from his government means to carry on the work with the rapidity 



depredations of the Indians. 



by 



Yol. 1 i 



