Chap. . THE AUTHOR'S DIARY. 449 
begins to fall. One of our Mexicans, an old man, who 
had suffered for a week from dysentery, sent for me last 
night with a message that he was dying. I went to him, 
when he declared that he was at the point of death — not 
however from illness, but from want of food (" por falta de 
alimento"). I had forbidden his eating dried beans (frijoles). 
"I must have my little beans" (" mes frijolitos "), said he, 
in a mournful tone which I could not resist. I allowed 
him to eat as many beans as he pleased, a permission of 
which he availed himself fully : from that moment he got 
better. 
7th. — Continued storm from the north, with sleet, still 
prevent our travelling. Several mules are missing, which 
have run away from the drove to seek shelter from the 
inclement weather. Several of our people are gone out in 
quest of other animals, which from the same cause ran 
away some days ago. We have no men and saddle 
animals left to send in search of the draught cattle. 
8th. — The north wind has passed ; the storm has ceased. 
The night has been calm, and the country was covered 
this morning with ice and hoar-frost. We start, and travel 
without intermission the whole day until we come to a halt 
near a group of dwellings, belonging to some Mexican 
Texans, about a thousand paces from the Kio de San 
Antonio. In the vicinity is a lagoon, covered with thou- 
sands of wild-geese, and on the shore of which are large 
flocks of cranes. Last night I had a violent attack of 
fever, but to-day I am quite well again, and we are sitting 
this evening round a large camp-fire, in the best spirits 
possible. Don Guillermo has shot two wild turkeys, 
which, cooked with rice, make an excellent meal. 
9th. — A pleasant and quiet night, although in the 
morning the ground was thickly covered with hoar-frost. 
2 Q 
