512 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



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Vrain about the practicability of going to the United States by the 

 way of the Canadianj the route I followed in 1845.- He cautioned 

 me not to attempt itj as he had been warned by the Kioways of a 

 settled determination of the Camanches to kill all the whites who • 

 should attempt to go through their country, and therefore he had 

 not sent any persons to his trading houses on *^E1 Rio Canadiano." ' 

 This hostile feeling on the part of the Indians has been proJuced 

 by the great mortality which has this year prevailed among their 

 children, which these superstitious people attribute to sorcery, 

 saying, the whites have made a great medicine, and have blown an 

 '€vil breath upon our children, and they vow to wreak vengeance 



upon the white man. 



Becemher 25. — As to day is Christmas, we endeavored to make 

 our time pass as pleasantly as possible. During the day Captain 

 Fischer's company of Germans paraded in the plaza'j they were 

 in excellent discipline and excellent order, and have w^orthily been ^ 

 dignified by the soubriquet of the ^^star company.'' They are re^ 

 garded with pride by all Americans and with awe by the Mexicans. 

 We w^ere quite anxious with regard to the safety of Lieutenant 

 Walker, Colonel Price's adjutant. He had been sent to arrest 

 Diego Archilet; in the evening, while we were at Colonel Price's' 

 quarters, he entered; he had not been able to capture the Mexican, 

 and said that while searching his house, the people of the vicinity 

 'collected and manifested the most decided disapprobation; " in fact, 

 they assumed quite a threatening attitude, and seemed half inclined 

 to attack him and his party. 



A second detachment was sent off to capture Salezar, that infa- 

 mous man who cut off the ears of the Texan prisoners who died 

 on the route from San Miguel to Chihuahua. 



In the evening two other prisoners were brought in; they had 

 been exciting the Indians of Santo Domingo, and had succeeded in 

 organizing a body of 300 Pueblos, when the plot reached the ears 

 of some officers, who immediately started with a company of meri) 

 and appearing suddenly before the town^ they got hold of one of 

 principal chiefs and threatened to bring the artillery from Santa 

 Fe and level the town with the ground, unless the two Mexicans 

 were given up, and they were instantly surrendered. 



At night we walked through the city; patrols were marching ii^ 

 all directions. During the night the countersign was changed, 

 which caused us to be arrested by one of the sentinels. Fortu- ' 

 nately, the officer of the day, Captain Weightman, was near, and 

 relieved us from our predicament. 



Decemher 26. — I spent the day in preparations for my journey. 

 As the wagon that I had brought had beeh much wracked by the 

 rough roads over which it had passed, I therefore exchanged it for 

 another, and procured some tools that would be useful in case of 

 any breakage. 



This evening Governor Brent gave an entertainment at the pal- 

 ace, which had formerly been occupied by ex-governor Don Man- 

 uel Armijo. We had all the luxuries of an eastern table, and de- 

 lightful champagne in the greatest abundance. Indeed, we con- 



