136 ALAMO MUCHO TO 
On the table-land or plain of the desert the vege- 
tation is scanty, consisting of dwarfish mezquit and 
larrea. In the basin near us were patches of grass, 
which, with the young twigs of the mezquit bushes, 
formed the food of our animals. In certain portions 
of the desert it is extremely annoying to travellers 
when the wind blows, as clouds of sand then fill the 
atmosphere. When one of our parties crossed it in 
January, they were overtaken by one of these storms, 
from which they suffered greatly, particularly as their 
animals had perished, and they were forced to traverse 
it on foot. 
Within two hours after my arrival, others of the 
party who were mounted came in, and among them 
Mr. Malcolm Seaton, who reported to me that about 
break of day the train had fallen in with the two 
deserters of whom Lieutenant Sweeney was in pursuit ; 
that Colonel Craig, having at once recognised them by 
their dress and muskets, spoke to them, and asked 
them where they were going. They replied, to Valle- 
cito. The Colonel told them he knew they were 
deserters from Fort Yuma, and advised them to return 
with him. After parleying a while, they told him they 
would not return; that they were desperate, and 
would shoot any one who attempted to arrest them. 
Colonel Craig called for Sergeant Quin, of his com- 
mand, and Sergeant Bale, the non-commissioned officer 
sent with the men furnished by Colonel Magruder. 
Mr. Seaton then left, under the impression that Colo- 
nel Craig would succeed in persuading the deserters 
to return with him. Besides the soldiers with the 
train, there were twenty or more men on whom the 
