Ex. Doc. No. 41. : 449 



■we entererl a very sandy countryj here lay huge masses of sand- 

 stone and fragments of immense petrified trees. We soon com- 

 xneneed clambering up the mountain side, and r.t last reached the 

 <* plpf-ero" or "real viejo;" here we made diligent inquiry for a 

 Mr. Waters, at whose house we wished to stay, as we understood 

 he was the only American in the village. We found he had gone 

 off on a hunt. We endeavored to get some of the people of the 

 house to admit us, but they did not seem to like our appearance, 

 and refused to let us stay with them. It was now quite late, we 

 were very hungry, and our mules had had nothing to eat since 

 early this morning, and the country around was as sterile a piece 

 of ground as one could wish to see. "Siempre dija la ventura, una 

 puerta abierta." So, after a great rfeal of persuasion on our part, 

 they put our mules into a corral, and gave them some corn. Ko 

 fodder was to be had here; in fact, there was scarcely anything to 

 he had in the village. The houses were the most miserable we had 

 ytt seen, and the inhabitants the most abject picture of squalid 

 poverty, and yet the streets of the village are indeed paved with 

 gold. All along the bottom of the stream and in the heart of the 

 town you see holes scooped out by the gold diggers. After doing 

 ©ur best to make ourselves agreeable to the people, they consented 

 to let us spetid the night in a hovel, nextloor to a mill, in which 

 a burro was busily at work grinding gold ore. Some Indians now- 

 entered the town, with trains of burros loaded with musk melons.- 

 As we began to feel the cravings of hunger, we purchased some 

 melons and bread, on which we tried to make our suppers. We 

 got our saddles and saddle blankets, and endeavored to form them- 

 mto a bed on the earthen floor of our luxurious ** posada." At 

 length we received the news that a certain Senor Don Ricardo had 

 arrived, who was an American, so we at once repaired to his house. 

 Conceive our delight in meeting with a countrymen, Mr. Richard' 

 Dallum, the Alguacil of New Mexico. He immediately invited us 

 to come and stay at his house, and gave us an excellent supper. 



trom the "portail" of his house we notice<l holes dug in the 

 sides of a hill of sand in front of usj these were the vestiges o^ the 

 gold diggers. The mountains of sand were based on masses of 

 granite, specimens of which we collected. 



Ttiis village contains about 200 inhabitants, who raise great num- 

 bers of sheep and goats. In the neighboring valleys they eraze 

 5,000 sheep, "^ ' P . "^ J . J h ^ 



stant depredat 

 tion in their flocks. 



Some years ago they raised many more, but the con- 

 ions of the ''Kavajoes" have caused a great diminu- 



ocks. • • 



September 30.— In company with Mr. Dallum, we started this 

 morning on a tour of exploration. One-fourth of a mile higher up 

 the ravine we entered another little town; our way WiS on all 

 sides full of holes, and sometimes deep wells that had been sunk in 

 search of the precious metal. We saw many miserable looking 

 Wretches, clothed in rags, with an old piece of iron to dig the 

 «arth, and some gourds, or horns of the mountain goat, to wash the 

 sand. They sit all day at work, and at evening repair to some 



29 



