166 RECENT INCIDENTS. 
savages on the regular route, and but few ani- 
mals stolen from the caravans. On the whole, 
the rates of insurance upon adventures in this 
trade should hardly be as high as upon marine 
adventures between New York and Liverpool. 
While I declare, however, the serious dangers 
and troubles to have been in general so slight, 
I ought not to suppress at least an outline of 
the difficulties that occurred on the Prairies 
in 1843, which siege attended with very seri- 
ous consequence 
t had been eed in Banik Fé as early 
as November, 1842, that a party of Texans 
were upon the Prairies, prepared to attack 
any Mexican traders who should cross the 
Plains the succeeding spring; and as some 
Americans were accused of being spies, and 
in collusion with the Texans, many were or- 
dered to Santa Fé for examination, occasion- 
ing a deal of trouble to several innocent per- 
sons. Than this, however, but little further 
attention was paid to the report, many believ- 
ing it but another of those rumors of Texan 
invasion which had so often spread useless 
consternation through the country. 
So little apprehension appeared to exist, 
that, in February, 1843, Don Antonio José 
Chavez, of New Mexico, left Santa Fé for In- 
dependence, with but five servants, two wa- 
gons, and fifty-five mules. He had with him 
some ten or twelve thousand dollars in specie 
and gold bullion, besides a small lot of furs. 
As the month of March was extremely incle- 
ment, the little party suffered megeelahy 
* 
3 
