THE PRESIDIO OF JANOS. 317 
tleman of high character and fine feelings, with whom 
I became acquainted at Ures, would irterest himself 
for his young countrywoman, I addressed him a letter 
at length, requesting his interference on her behalf. 
Dr. Webb was called upon to-day to visit many — 
sick families—also the Polish officer who had been 
wounded in the fight with the Apaches, and Captain 
Murphy, the officer in command at this place. The 
town appeared to be very sickly, fevers being the pre- 
vailing form of disease. Of the troops here, which 
numbered a hundred men, thirty were disabled by 
illness. The prevalence of fevers arises from the prox- 
imity of a large marsh between here and San Lazaro, 
In walking into town, I met parties of the inhabit- 
ants promenading. The women were neatly dressed, 
mostly in white, with dark rebosos over their heads ; 
while the men who accompanied them were armed 
With muskets or lances, without which they never ven- 
ture beyond the walls. Even at the distance of our 
camp, which was within a mile of the town, our visitors 
Were invariably armed: So with those immediately 
under the walls tending cattle, or in the fields plough- 
‘ing, all had their fire-arms at hand. Such is the state 
of things in this place. Of course, agricultyre is neg- 
lected, and the people, being confined to that portion’ 
of the valley near the town, are able to raise barely 
enough for their own subsistence. 7 ; 
On one occasion last winter, a party of Apaches 
actually entered the town during the day, and drove 
off a number of mules, These robbers were within 
§un-shot of the garrison, from which they were per- 
celved by a sentinel. Yet such was the terror they 
