‘ 
25 ee [7] 
notuing but the pine stakes of a corral. The dragoons were sadly 
disappointed; they evidently expected either a fight or a chase. 
Six miles brought us to the first settlement we had yet seen in 775 
miles. The first object I saw was a.pretty Mexican woman, with 
clean white stockings, who very cordially shook hands with us and 
asked for tobacco. Inthe next house lived Mr. Boney, an Ameri- 
can, who has beén some time in this country, and is the owner of a 
large number of horses and cattle, which he manages to keep in 
defiance of wolves, Indians, and Mexicans. He is a perfect speci- 
men of a generous open-hearted adventurer, and in appearance — 
what, I have pictured to myself, Daniel Boone, of Kentucky, must 
have been in his day. He drove his herd of cattle into camp and 
_ picked out the largest and fattest, which he presented to the army. 
Two miles below, at the junction of the Moro and Sapillo, is 
another American, Mr. Wells, of North Carolina; he has been here 
but six months, and barring his broad-brimmed sombrero, might 
have been taken for a sergeant of dragoons, with his blue panta- 
loons with broad gold-colored stripes on the sides, and his jacket ~ 
trimmed with lace. I bought butter from him at four bits the pound. 
‘We halted at the Sapillo, distance nine and a half miles from-our 
last night’s encampment, in a tremendous shower of rain; the grass 
was indifferent, being clipped short by the cattle from the ranche- 
ria. Wood and water plenty. 
At this place a Mr. Spry came into camp, on foot, and with 
scarcely any clothing. He had escaped from Santa Fé on the night 
_ previous, at Mr. H ’s request, to inform Colonel Kearny that 
- Armijo’s forces were ‘assembling; that he might expect vigorous 
resistance, and that a place called the Cafion, 15 miles from Santa 
Fé, was being fortified; and to advise the Colonel to go round it. 
The caiion is a narrow defile, easily defended, and of which we have 
heard a great deal. War now seems ‘‘inevitable;” and the advan- 
tages of ground and numbers will, no doubt, enable the Mexicans 
to make.the fight interesting. The grass was miserable, and the camp 
ground inundated by the shower of to-day,—which was quite a- 
rarity. 
Baromettic height 6,395 feet. : 
August 14.—The order of march to-day was that which could 
easily be converted into the order of battle. After proceeding a 
few miles we met a queer cavalcade, which we supposed at first to 
be the looked for alcalde from Moro town, but it proved to bea 
messenger from Armijo; a lieutenant, accompanied by a sergeant i 
and two privates, of Mexican lancers. The men were good looking 
* enough, and evidently dressed in their best bib and tucker. The 
creases in their pantaloons were quite distinct, but their horses 
were mean in the extreme, and the contempt with which our dra- 
= were filled was quite apparent. The messenger was the 
bearer of a letter from Armijo. It was a sensible, straightforward — S 
missive, and if written by an American or Englishman, would have 
meant this: ‘‘ You have notified me that you intend to take posses- 
sion of the country I govern. The people of the country hav 
have 
risen, en masse, in my defence. If you take the country, it will 
ee 
ee tat 
kal 
