TO PARRAS. 469 
estate, that 1t was said, the proprietor had once offered 
to sell the whole establishment, simply for the consider- 
ation of fifty cents for each head of cattle found on it; 
but that no one could muster sufficient capital to take 
up the offer. Mr. Kendall,* who stopped here on his 
way to Mexico with the prisoners from the Santa Fe 
expedition, says, that when this estate was at the ze- 
nith of its prosperity, a regiment of dragoons arrived 
from Spain and landed at Tampico. This regiment 
was one thousand strong, and of course the men did 
not bring their horses with them. ‘The Colonel hap- 
pening to be a friend of the family of the proprietress, 
then a widow, she immediately sent him a thousand 
white horses as a present, for the use of his regiment. 
There was hardly a month’s difference in the ages of 
these horses, and every one of them had been raised on 
her estate. 
November 16th. The same open table-land con- 
tinued to-day. On leaving, we descended gradually for 
about six miles, when we found good water ina laguna 
by the road side. We then ascended again toa higher 
level for about twelve miles, by an easy slope. The 
whole plain was here covered with grass, but entirely 
destitute even of the smallest bushes. An occasional 
cactus or yucca rose now and then, to break the mono- 
tony of the broad plains: Sometimes they appeared 
in groups, and at a distance resembled men on horse- 
back or on foot. Often were scouts sent ahead to in- 
spect these mysterious-looking objects. 
Passed several large droves of horses, which rushed 
* Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition. Vol. ii. p. 111. 
