PREPARING FOR THE EXPEDITION. 
7 
of Mexican territory, but a definite bound¬ 
ary, easily established by surveys. 
The Mexicans were on the ground and 
knew just what they were doing when 
they arranged for selling us this narrow 
strip; while, as usual, we did everything 
from Washington, and knew just about 
as little concerning it as we possibly 
could and be sure we were purchasing a 
part of Mexico. The Mexicans ran this 
flat-topped peninsula far to the north, 
inclosing lakes, rivers, and springs, and 
waters innumerable; while, as a gener¬ 
ous compensation, they gave us more 
land to the west, but a land where a 
coyote carries three days’ rations of 
jerked jack rabbit whenever he makes up 
his mind to cross it. There is no more 
comparison between the offset of Mexico 
that projects here into the United States, 
