Ex. Doc. No. 41. " HI 



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terapted to transport them would have required one half of our 

 -fighting force, and it was decided most expedient to wait until they 

 could be carried on horseback. At night, Lieutenant Beale, of the 

 navy, Mr. Carson, and an Indian, volunteered to go to 'San Diego, 

 29 miles distant— an expedition of some peril, as the enemy now 

 occupied all the passes to that town. 



The observations made to-night give, for the latitude of this 

 camp, 33^ 03' 42", andthe longitude 117° 03' 29". 



Don Antonio Robideaux, a thin man of fifty-five years, slept next 

 to me. The loss of blood from his wounds, added to the coldness 

 of the night, 28° Fahrenheit, made me think he would never see day- 

 light, but I w.as mistaken. He woke me to ask if I did not smell 

 coffee, and expressed the belief that a cup of that beverage would 

 ^ave his life, and that nothing else'would. Not knowing there had 

 been any coffee in canjp for many days, I supposed a dream had 

 carried him back to the cafes of St. Louis and New Orleans and 

 It was with some surprise I found my cook heating a cup of c'offee 

 over a small fire made of wild sage. One of the most agreeable 

 iittle offices performed in my life, and I believe in the cook's, to 

 whom the coffee belonged, was, to pour this precious draught into 

 the waning body of our friend Robideaux. His warmth returned, 

 and with it hopes of life. In gratitude he gave me, what was 

 then a great rarity, the" half of a cake made of brown flour, almost 

 black with dirt, and which had, for greater security, been hidden 

 in the clothes of his Mexican servant,a man who scorned ablutions. 

 J tat more than half without inspection, when, on breaking apiece* 

 . jne bodies of several of the most loathesome insects were exposed 

 my view. My hunger, however, overcame my fastidiousness, 

 *nrt the morceau did not appear particularly disgusting till after 

 our arrival at San Diego, when several hearty meals had taken off 

 ne keenness of my appetite, and suffered my taste to be more del- 



Last night the brave Sergeant I ox died of his wounds, and was 



■iried to-day deep in the ground, and covered *ith heavy stones, to 



v^r^h^}^^ wolves from tearing him up. This was a gallant feUow, 



^10 had, just before leaving Fort Leavenworth, married a pretty 



th ^^^^^^ ^^- — y^^ enemy attacked our camp, driving before 

 em a band of wild horses, with which they hoped to produce a 

 th "^^1 *^- P^^ ^*^" behaved with admirable coolness, turning off 

 kin^ •'^ ^"'mals dexterously. Two or three of the fattest were 

 ao- vl *^^ charge, and formed, in the shape of a gravy-soup, an 

 on"^^? u ^"^^^^^^^^ ^o'" tlie poor steaks of our worn down brutes, 

 * J^hich we had been feeding for a number of days, 

 hut t^*^-^^'^ Griffin gave the welcome information that all the sick, 

 _ wo, were able to get in the saddle, and orders were given to 

 "idrcu the next morning. 



Wo U^ ^^^ ^^"^^ expectation that Garson and Lieutenant Beale 

 Out K ^p^*^^^^ '^"' reaching San Diego; the hiding place pointed 



h^* r^ Burgess was examined, and the lett^-s from San Diego were 

 "Ot tound. 



