112 
_ We were all reposing quietly, but not sleeping, waitnig for the 
break of day, when we were to go down and give the enemy an- 
other defeat.” One of the men, in the age of the camp assigned to 
wy 5 hi reported that he heard a man speaking in English. In 
we heard the tramp of a column, followed by the 
hail of the sentinel. It was a detachment of 100 tars and 80 ma- 
rines under Lieutenant Gray, sent to meet us by Commodore Stock- 
_ton, from whom we learned that Lieutenant Beale, Carson, and the 
Indian, had arrived safely in San Diego. The detachment left San 
Dieoo on the night of the 9th, cached themselves during the da 
of the 10th, and joined us on the night .of that day. These gallant 
fellows basred themselves till day distributing their proyidipne and 
clothes to our naked and hungry people. 
December 11.—The junction of our forces was a cuallpiete sur- 
prise to the enemy, and when the sun rose, but a small squadron 
of horse was to be seen at Stokes’s rancheria. They had fled pre- 
cipitately, leaving most of the cattle behind them, for which we 
had been contending for the last three days. None of our men 
were mounted—theirs were all mounted; and why they should have 
left their stock is inconceivable. t wis certainly not incompati- 
ble with their safety to have carried them all away. The only way . 
of accounting for it, is, by supposing our night attack had "all ed - 
them with the unnecessary fear of being surprised. We drove por 
cattle before us. 
‘Our march was in close order, over a road leading shrough a 
rotling country of light black soil; destitute of trees, and without 
sie cand with oats indigenuous to the soil, now fallen to de- 
e grass in protected places was sprouting, but. not in suf- 
ferent quantity to afford grazing to our stock. After marching 
twelve miles we arrived at the rancheria of Signor Alvarado, a 
sevson who was in the fight against us. The women and children 
had fled to the mountains, leaving plenty of turkies, chickens, goats 
and sheep behind; also two casks of wine, the produce of the 
country. The Haver committed on the comestibles was immense; 
the sheep not killed were driven by us into San Diego. The owner 
_ taken the oath of allegiance to the United States and broken 
the navy took a prisoner at this house as they marched to meet 
%.: e gave us much information, and was then liberated. He 
a that Pico’s force ow oe 160 men, 100 of which were 
rawn from the Pueblo, balance from the surrounding 
cou ntry. We subsequently received authentic accounts that his 
number was 180 men engaged in the fight, and that 100 additional 
= men were sent him from the pact who reached his camp on the 
| There was a feng at this rancheria, and another two miles 
pe hill, befate reaching the rancheria, the Pacific opened for 
the first time 45 our view, the sight producing strange | but agreeable 
— One of the mountain men who had never seen the ocean 
