568 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



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ered _with prickly cactus. The village of Sandia is an Indian 



ptiebloj and they appear to own large herds of cattle; but from the 



genuine Indian yells which proceeded from one of their dances, it 



is plain they have retained many of their customs since, as they 



have their color, in becoming Catholic in their faith. Some mules 



were bought at forty dollars, and some^Jine horses exchanged for 



mules at our camp, one mile below Sandia; grass goodj water from 



Sicaj a fine copper mine a few miles east of this camp in the hjlls; 



ieard that the Navajoes had committed some more mischief on the 



frontiers^j volcani^c sijns, dykes, strata .of lava, &c.^2 ' 'i 



;^ Septembef^^. —Remdiined^ia camp until noon, *a waiting W 



jival of jt,he ox teams*which had fallen behind. Many^water 7o"wl 



wire fired at about camp, and few killed; soldiers are generally bad 



^hots;;the game was tame, and showed that the Yankees had not 



gften been among them, Beaver slides, and their work on the 



cotton-wood^on the banks of the Del Norte, were' seen in several 



acesj they, too, will not rejoice at the change of government. 



The Spanish or Indian population have never turned their furs to 



advantage, else they would not have lived for hundreds of years in 



such a close neighborhood. The volcanic appearance is less at 



.^.^'"PJ but the hill east is seamed with some igneous rock. Broke 



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-»9,*n™P at three o'clock, and marched three miles^^to the vicinity of 

 the ranches of Albuquerque, through the deep §^nd on the banks of 

 Jlie Del Norte; one ox team did not get up until in the night; one 

 iOf them broke the hounds, and was left. 

 ,Sepfemh)sr 29.— Marched at 8; passed the ranch of Albuquerque 

 when the people ^were just coming out of church; the womeri'were 

 carrying some saint in process'on to his home; some of them held 

 a canopy over the santa,and four carried the image; the procession 

 BQoyed to the sound of a drum. The general's staff partook of some 

 refreshment at two of the houses.. It was remarked how delightfuliy 

 coot the houses were, after being in the hot s'm.. The process of 

 building houses, make brick, dry them in the sun, build with mud 

 ifiorlar, hy over the^ ropfs beams which come from the distant hills, 

 then^ boards or poles, then earth and spouts, whitewash with gyp- 

 sum, smear the walls outside with mud, also the floors; the houses 

 being hun^ with looking-glasses and images, floors carpeted, no 

 pain in walking about— mode of building peculiarly adapted to 

 ,the country and climate. Passed Albuquerque, and the general 

 was .pressed to stop, but declined all further hospitality; cross- 

 ed the Del No^te at Albuquerque, the ford being about two and a 

 lialt Uet deep, sandy, but not quicksand; marched eight miles be- 

 low Albuquerque, and encamped on an open plain where the Nava- 

 joes crossed the Del Norte at the time of their depredations a few 

 dcys since; after three companies of volunteers crossed the Tiver 

 to go to Cibolleta, aparty of Navajoes crossed at this point and 

 inlled eight Mexicans on the east of the Del Norte. ^At this point 

 llVcVJ ""?' f tree growing within reach of us: the troops had to . 

 fn hlu S-^ ^^' sand .irifts in various places had accumulated 



of coveV.nrt? '''""; *° ^^^r" f " \'^ °^" kindred material instead 

 t>! covering the surface of the land. It is fortunate it is so; thi« 



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