Ex. Doc. No. 41. 469 



V 



according to their accounts, have preceded us more than a few- 

 hours. We congratulated ourselves that we had not encountered 

 those Indians. I asked them why the Navajoes did not trouble 

 them. They replied, that they were good friends to the Navajoes. 

 October 20.— Again we 'started, leaving our 'kind friends at Mo- 

 qumo, intending to camp at Laguna. After a short march of three 

 miles, we halted at the town of Pojuate; here we saw several laro-e 

 flocks of sheep and goats. Continuing down the Rio Pojuate, we 

 passed through fields of corn and pumpkins, over which large flocks 

 of cranes were whooping, so that hill and valley rano- with the 

 echoes of their cries. After proceeding nine miles, we got upon a 

 iine road that led ofi" in a southwest direction, and six miles farther 

 ,ljrought us to the Pueblo of Laguna. We had heard the most 

 romantic accounts of the village of Laguna and the lake in its 

 vicinity; we Bad heard that this lake was full of water, clear as 

 chrystal, that it was surrounded by small villages, and that the 

 neighboring country.smiled in the profusion of the luxuriant pro- 

 'ductions of this region; that the hill sides were covered with fruit- 

 ful vines, and the plains loaded with delicious melons: and we were 

 most sadly disappointed. The lake consisted of a little pool 

 scarce worthy of notice, and the highest cultivated grounds was at 

 the distance of six miles. The houses of this "Pueblo," or Indian * 

 Tilhage, are built of stone and are plastered over with mud (the 

 number of inhabitants is seven hundred,) they are generally two 

 stories in height, and have ladders by which one ascends to the 

 second floor in order to gain admittance. There is a chapel here, 

 ^hich has the interior painted with curious In(!ian ornaments, in 

 -^hich they have usednhe pure red, blue, and yellow. The town is 

 situated on a limestone bluff, that is about thirty feet in height; 

 the country around consists of high masses; a valley runs off. 

 towards the north to a distance of thirty miles, In this valley the 

 town of Covero is situated,- pretty good place for grass and water j 

 •^<-oIonel Jackson's command is at this moment encamped there, but 

 as It would require two days to go there and to return again, we 

 concluded to proceed without any escort, as we had already passed 

 over the most dangerous country that we would haTc'to examine. 

 _ On the road we saw many wooden crosses, held firmly in an up- 

 right position by heaps of stones piled around their bases. These 

 «acred symbols were not erected by the road side to mark the place 

 of graves of bloody deeds, but to remind the traveller to pray for 

 ^e soul of the person by whose friends these symbols were erected. 

 The road sides, throughout the province of New Mexico are, ia 

 i»any places, lined with these crosses. Near St., Phillipe, we saw- 

 one with a piece of board nailed near the top, on which was the 



following inscription: "Passer-by, pray for the soul of Dona 

 Maria." 



In the evening we were gratified with a visit from some Ame- 

 ricans, amongst whom were several old friends. They came from 

 Covero," and were on their way to Santa Fe. 

 To-day I killed a beautiful snow-white goose, ("anser hyfer-_ 



