• 



ms 



Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



the road was rough; passed through a canon; the canon was wide^ 

 hut we had to climber along the edge of the hills; in many places^ 

 the road was insecure, from its heing a long declivity. After leav- 

 ing this canon, w^e found ourselves in a bottom which lay to the 



*^ 



which proved to be the delta between the Gila and 

 Colorado; We marched about twenty-one miles, and found our- 

 selves near the 



the 



greatest abundance of 



junction of those rivers. 



W 



discovered - 



recent 



signs 



of horses, and 



began 



to think in truth th t General Castro may have returned from 

 Sonora with a large mounted force, to regain possession of Califor- 

 nia. TJje signs proved to be very fresh, and indicated that to whom 

 they belonged they were notm^re than half a day off. The specu- 

 lations of course were various, and all the knowledge of sign- 

 studying put in practice, Carson went down the river and discov- 

 ered fresh signs of fires of half a dozen messes, with no military 

 regularity, and a trail coming from the crossing, half a mile wide, 

 indicating a great number of loose animals. No trail could be dis- 

 covered leading away from this place; the signs of very few men 

 could be seen, a woman's track was found, a dead colt, colt tracksj 

 and finally, straggling men were seen. Fires were discovered in 

 the bottom up the Gila, and Lieutenant Emory went with 20 men to 

 reconnoitre thf-m, and found the camp of a party of Spaniards from 

 California, with 400 or 500 animals, going to Sonora; he brought 

 some/)f them to camp, and, as usual, they lied so much that we 

 could get very little out of them. One of them told 

 ^ence, that we would find 800 men in arcns at the Pueblo' opposed 

 to the Americans, and that a party was at'San Diego friendly to the 

 United States of 200, and that three ships of war, he heard, were 

 at San Diego, and advised us to be on our guard as we advanced. 

 One of the others said the Mexicans were quiet at the Pueblo, and 

 that the Americans had quiet possession of afl the country. They 

 were dismissed for the night; and the general determined not to 

 lose so good a chance to get fresh animals. Camp on dry grass^ in 

 the sand hills. ' / " 



JSTovemher 23— -Monday. — The Mexicans came to camp on poor 

 animals, and said tfcey haW no very good ones; they evidently are' 

 disposed to be shy and uncommunicatirej one of them, who re-' 

 ported in confidence about the 800 men at Angelos, tells us that' 

 they had^ killed several Americans at the Pueblo. They say the 

 Jornada is 50 miles without water; that they were lost upon it, and 



us, in confi- 



Mountains— Mouth of Gila and Colorado. 



found water half way by accident. One of them was caught by 

 Lieutena^nt Emory with a bundle of letters, some of which were to 

 General Castro j one giving an account of the rising of the 

 Mexicans, and placing one Flores at their head", at the Pueblo de 

 los, Anffelosj another letter, to a different persoB,was to the eSect 





■■I 

 t 



i 

 1 



1 





1 



I 



1 



i 



^^■. 



i- 



