Chap. I. FROM NEW YORK TO SAN ANTONIO. 431 
CHAPTEE I. 
From New York to San Antonio — New Orleans — Galveston and Port Lavaca 
after the Epidemic — Journey to San Antonio — News from the Camp — 
Sickness among the Mules — Rattlesnake Bites, and a poisonous Caterpillar 
— A Fight, and American Opinion on it — Neighbourhood of San Antonio 
— Climate in the Winter — The River and its Sources — Subterranean 
Water-courses in Western Texas — Changes in the Physical Geography 
of the Country — Adventures of a young German — ■ Prince Bonaparte — 
Reminiscences of Texan Desperadoes. 
Late in the summer of 1853, my friends, Messrs. Mayer 
and Co., had finished their preparations for a new trading 
expedition to Chihuahua, and at New York they made me 
the offer of accompanying the caravan a second time. To 
give a general idea of the management of such a trading 
business I must observe, that one partner of the firm gene- 
rally resides as purchaser in New York, whilst the other 
accompanies the transport through the prairie, and super- 
intends the sale of the goods at Chihuahua. Mr. Kauf- 
mann, who had hitherto been engaged as the New York 
resident of this nomadic firm, was desirous, in order to 
learn from personal observation the relative state of the 
markets, to make the journey on this occasion; and, as he 
urged my accompanying him, I accepted the invitation. 
The expedition was to start this time from Texas, where 
the remainder of the former equipment was waiting to join 
us with twenty new waggons. These had been ordered at 
one of the celebrated manufactories in Pittsburg, sent 
by the steam-boat down the Ohio and Mississippi to New 
Orleans, and thence to Port Lavaca, on the coast of 
Western Texas. To that harbour the goods had been for- 
warded from New York ; and on the 10th of October I 
