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nothing but the pine stakes of a corral. The dragoons were sadly 

 disappointed; they evidently expected either a fight or a chase. 

 Six miles brought us to the first settlement we had yet seen in 775 

 miles. The first object I saw was a pretty Mexican woman, with 

 clean white stocking?, who very cordially shook hands with us and 

 asked for tobacco. In the next ht)use lived Mr. Boney, an Ameri- 

 can, who has been some time in this country, and is the owner of a 

 large number of horses and cattle, which he manages to keep in 

 defiance of wolves, Indians, and Mexicans. He is a perfect speci- 

 men of a "generous -ppen-hearted adventurer, and in appearance 

 what, I have pictured to myself, Daniel Boone, of Kentucky, must 

 have been in his day. He drove his herd of cattle into camp and 

 picked out the largest and fattest, which he presented to the army. 



Two ijciiles below, at the junction of the Moro and Sapillo, Js 

 another American, Mr. Wells, of North Carolina; he has been here 

 but six months, and barring his broad-brimmed sombrero, might 

 have been taken for a sergeant of dragoons, Avilh his blue panta- 

 loons with broad gold-colored stripes on the sides, and his jacket 

 trimmed with lace. I boilght butter from him at foufbits the pound. 



We halted at the Sapillo, distance nine and a half miles from our 

 last night's encampment, in a tremendous shower of rain; the grass 

 was indifferent, being clipped short by the cattle from the ranche- 

 ria. , Wood and water plenty. 



At this place a Mr. Spry came into camp, on foot, and with 

 scarcely any clothing. He had escaped from Santa Fe on the night 



, previous, at Mr. H -'s request, to inform Colonel Kearny that 



Armijo's fqrces were assembling"; that he might expect •\''igorous 

 resistance, and that a place called the Cafion, 15 miles from Saijta 

 Fe, was being fortified; and to advise the Colonel to go round it. 



The canon is a narrow defile, easily defended, and of which we have 



heard a p;reat deal. War now seems '^inevitable:'' and the advan- 



tages of gfound and pumbers will, no doubtj enable the Mexicans 



to make'the fight interesting. The grass was miserable, and the camp 



ground inundated by the shower of to-day,— which was quite a 

 rarity. 



* Barometric height 6,395 feet* 

 August 14. — The. order of march to-day was that which could 

 easily be converted into the order of battle. After proceeding a 

 few miles we met a queer cavalcade, w^hich we supposed at first to 

 be the looked'for alcalde from Moro town, but it proved to be a* 

 messenger from Armijo; a lieutenant, accompanied by a sergeant 

 and two privates, of Mexican lancers. Tlie men were good looking 

 enough, and evidently dressed in their best bib and tucker. The 

 creases in theiir pantaloons w^ere quite distirfct, but their horses 

 "Were mean in the extreme, and the contempt with which our dra- 

 goons were filled was quite apparent. The messenger was the 

 bearer of a letter from Armijo. It was a sensible, straightforward 

 missive, and if written by an American or Engli^shman, would have 

 meant this: "You have notified me that you intend to take posses- 

 sion of the country I govern*. The people* of the country have 

 tisen, en masse, in my defence. If you take the country, it will 



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