Santa Fe, Texas - Narrative of the Texan Santa Fé Expedition, Comprising a Description O (part 2 of 9)

The climate of San Antonio is pure, dry, and healthy ; so much so, that the old but rather hyperbolical saying, " If a man wants to die there he must go somewhere else," appears specially to apply to the place. During the summer months, a cool and delicious breeze is almost continually blowing, bringing health and comfort. But little rain falls ; and to supply this defect the rich and fertile bottoms of the river are intersected in almost every direction by irrigating ditches, which carry the limpid waters in every direction. Whenever the ground requires a moistening, the water from the canals is let over it at once ; so that even should the summer pass without a drop of rain, the crop is invariably abundant. Peaches and melons arrive at great perfection, and I have little doubt that many other species of fruit could be cultivated with success. The prairies in the vicinity afford the finest pastures for cattle and horses to be found in the wide world, and so mild is the climate that they thrive at all seasons.

By far the greatest curiosities in the neighbourhood of San Antonio are the missions. Before I describe these immense establishments it is necessary to observe that early after the conquest of Mexico a main object of the Spaniards' policy was to extend the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. The conversion of the Indian and the promulgation of Christianity were as eagerly sought by them as the gold and silver which first lured them to the Western World ; and this missionary zeal produced some of the most remarkable incidents in the history of the country. The new doctrines were first inculcated by force and cruelty, but subsequently in a more humane temper, by allowing the superstitions of the Indian to mingle with the rites introduced among them; and to this day, the anomalous consequences of this policy are to be seen in the Indian ceremonies, some of which I will describe when I shall hereafter speak of our journey through the Mexican country. For the purpose, however, of affording protection to the Roman Catholic missionaries, there were established, at various times, settlements which still bear the name of Missions. They are very numerous throughout California, and in Texas there are several. The Alamo, at San Antonio, was one of much importance, and there were others, hardly of less consideration, in the neighbourhood, called the Missions of Concepcion, of San Juan, San Jose, and La Espada. They were all most substantially built ; the walls are of great thickness ; and in their form and arrangement they were frontier fortresses. They have generally, though not always, a church at the side of a square having one entrance. Seen from without, they present the form of a blank wall surrounding a square enclosure ; within is a large granary, and the wall forms the back of a series of dwellings in which the missionaries and their converts lived. There was a large appropriation of the surrounding district for the support of the mission, through which small canals were made for the purpose of irrigation. Such, at least, is the case with the missions which I have mentioned. The Alamo is now in ruins, only two or three of the houses being inhabited. The VOL. I. - E gateway of the church was much ornamented, and still remains, though deprived of the figures which once occupied its niches. But there is enough still to interest the investigator of its former history, even if he could for a moment forget the scenes which have made it celebrated in the history of Texan independence. The exact spot where the eccentric but brave Crockett fell, surrounded by a ring of Mexicans whom he had killed, is shown, as also the quarter where the heroic Bowie breathed his last. About two miles lower down the San Antonio River is the Mission of Concepcion. It is a very large stone building, with a fine cupola, and, though plain, magnificent in its dimensions and the durability of its construction. It was here that Bowie fought one of the first battles with the Mexican forces, and it has not since been inhabited. Though not so well known to fame as other conflicts, this fight was that which really committed the Texans, and compelled those who thought of terms and the maintenance of a Mexican connexion to see that the time for both had passed. The Mission of San Jose is about a mile and a half down the river. It consists, also, of a large square, and numerous Mexican families still make it their residence. To the left of the gateway is the granary. The church stands apart from the other buildings, in the square, but not in the centre ; the west door is surrounded with most elaborate stone carving of flowers, angels, and apostles. The interior is plain. To the right is a handsome belfry tower, and above the altar a large stone cupola. Behind the church, and in connexion with it, is a long range of rooms for the missionaries, opening upon a covered gallery or portaks of nine arches. Though the Texan troops were long quartered here, the stone carvings have not been iiir jured. The church has been repaired, and Divine service is performed in it. About half a mile farther dowi? is the Mission of San Juan. The church forms part of the side of the square ; it is a plain, simple edifice, with little ornament. The adjacent buildings are poor and out of repair. The granary stands alone in the square, and on the northwest corner are the remains of a small stone tower. The other mission, that of La Espada, is also inhabited, as well as the last. The church, however, is in ruins. Two sides of the square consist of mere walls ; the other sides are composed of dwellings as in the other instances.

The church at San Antonio was built in the year 1717 ; and although it has suffered much from the ravages of time and the different sieges which the city has undergone, is still used as a place of public worship. When San Antonio was attacked and taken by Colonels Cooke and Milam, in 1835, General Cos made the belfry of this church his headquarters. A well-directed cannon-shot from the Texans struck just above his head, inducing him to evacuate the place with his staff* immediately. The hole made by the ball is still visible, and, in fact, all the houses in the principal square of the town are marked more or less by shot.

San Antonio is laid out and built with some little regularity. The houses are all of one story only, with few windows and thick walls. The town probably contained, at one time, a population of some twelve or fifteen thousand ; but the different revolutions, the many bloody battles which have been fought within its walls, and the unsettled state of the frontiers, have combined to lessen this number materially. It is still, however, a place of no inconsiderable trade, and should peace be concluded with Mexico, will regain its former standing. While I was there a company of Mexican merchants from the other side of the Rio Grande arrived, who were allowed to trade and depart in peace ; and had the expedition to Santa Fe been given up, as was at one time anticipated, I should have joined one of these companies and entered Mexico by way of Loredo.

After spending some six or eight days very agreeably at San Antonio, I set out on my return to Austin. Two days before I left, a number of wagons, loaded with goods by the merchants of San Antonio and destined for the Santa Fe market, left the former place ; these we overtook at the Guadalupe, and thence journeyed towards Austin in company.

While " nooning" on our third day's march from San Antonio, or in plain terms, while stopping a couple of hours in the heat of the day to rest, I set off, in company with an original named Tom Hancock, in the hope of being able to kill a deer. This fellow Hancock was a perfect " character," as much so as the celebrated Leather Stocking of Cooper's novels. In person he was spare and gaunt, with a loose, shambling carriage of body that ill betokened the firm-set muscles and iron powers of endurance he really possessed. When standing erect, his height may have been five feet seven or eight inches ; but he had a lazy, listless stoop, which shortened his stature two or three inches and gave him the appearance of being misshapen and round-shouldered. His limbs were anything but symmetrical, and seemed to hang dangling about him - this on ordinary occasions ; but when the muscles were nerved, and the body straightened in the excitement of adventure, it was then that Tom appeared in his true light, a wiry, knotted imbodiment of action, power and determination.

The Prairie Ranger

Decidedly the best point about him was his eye, a small twinkling orb, of no definable colour, but which never allowed any object within the farthest reach of human vision to pass unnoticed. And yet, one might journey with him for days, might be in his company even for weeks, and never suppose that he was looking at or for anything. But not a footprint, not a trail, escaped the notice of that quiet-rolling eye - Tom could tell you the animal that made it, the direction in which it was going, and the time that had elapsed since it was impressed upon the surface of the prairie.

In every species of backwoods, border, and prairie strategy Hancock had his gifts, and they were such as have been vouchsafed to but few. An Indian he could circumvent and outmanoeuvre at his own games, and at killing every kind of animal known in the woods or on the prairies, at fishing, or at " lining" bees, the oldest and best hunters acknowledged Tom's supremacy. He could lie closer to the ground, creep farther, expose less of his person and get nearer a deer, bear, buffalo or enemy's camp, than any other man, and these qualities made him invaluable not only as a mere provider of meat for a camp, but as a spy. He had been in frays innumerable with the Mexicans, as well as Indians, and invariably performed some exploit that would furnish his companions with a topic for conversation. He had been a prisoner among the Camanches, but had got away from them - in short, had made hair-breadth 'scapes innumerable. Yet he never, on any occasion, boasted of his feats - never even adverted to them. Such is a rough and imperfect picture of Tom Hancock - of one nurtured amid the solitudes of the woods and prairies - whose days had been spent in the excitements and dangers of the chase or of Indian frays, and E2 whose nights had passed amid serenades of prairie wolves and owls. He had been hired at San Antonio by Mr. Falconer - not as his servant, for Tom would scorn being the washer of dishes or brusher of clothes for any man - but simply to accompany the Santa Fe Expedition. His obligations to Mr. F. extended this far - he was to find him if lost, and to keep him in provision should other supplies fail. Such was the singular contract.

Tom's ordinary weapon, and the one upon which he most " prided" himself, was a long, heavy, flint-lock rifle, of plain and oldfashioned workmanship, for he could not be made to believe in percussion caps and other modern improvements. In the adventure I am about to describe he was armed with one of Colt's repeating rifles, which he had borrowed, his own being out of order. The spot where we had stopped to pass the heat of the day was a little prairie on the eastern side of a small branch, the borders of which were skirted by a narrow fringe of timber, running nearly north and south, and ranging in width from one hundred yards to a quarter of a mile. Tom and myself skirted along the eastern side of the trees until we had travelled nearly a mile, without seeing a living thing save two or three large prairie rabbits, which would suddenly jump up and leap off as we approached.

Thinking we might meet with deer on the opposite side of the timber, Tom noiselessly led the way through while I followed closely upon his heels. We put up two or three turkeys near the branch, but the underbrush was so thick it was impossible to get a shot at them. When through the timber, Tom descried a couple of deer quietly feeding in the prairie. He attempted to get a shot, and laid his plans for that purpose with great judgment and every prospect of success ; but the animals appeared extremely shy, and discovered him before he was within reach of them. A little farther up the prairie another deer was discovered ; but like the others, it was timid and on the look-out for danger, and ran off before my companion was within two hundred yards. " There's been Injuns round here lately, I know by the way the critters work," said Tom in his quiet way, at the same time pointing to the last deer we had started, which was rapidly bounding away in the distance.

The hunter now hesitated a moment, took a hurried but careful survey of the surrounding scene, and then kept on his course up the prairie, in an opposite direction from that in which our party were encamped. We had not proceeded a quarter of a mile, and were within about the same distance of the wood on our left, when an abrupt roll of the prairie brought us suddenly in sight of a large, and, to all appearance, recently deserted Indian camp, for the embers of some of the fires were still smouldering. " I knew it," said Tom, and pausing a moment, and circling the prairie with his eye, finished the sentence with " and some of 'em are close by, now." I said not a word, but watched every movement of the hunter. That danger was lurking near I was well aware, and if any one could combat it successfully I felt equally confident it was my companion. Although the movement appeared singular enough to me, Tom kept directly on nearly in the same direction, only so far varying his course as to leave the Indian camp fires on the right. We had advanced but a few steps before the footprints of men were plainly visible on the prairie grass. That they were footprints, and of five men, I could see myself; but which way they had gone, and what time had elapsed since the prints were formed, were matters to me of the most profound mystery. My first impulse was to hasten immediately to our camp, keeping on the same side of the wood until opposite, or nearly so, to our party ; but I said not a word. Tom hastily threw himself upon his hands and knees, bent his head close to the ground, and attentively examined one of the footprints. As he rose to his feet he quietly remarked, " The grass ain't done risin' yet," his eye in the mean time following the fresh trail until it was lost in the wood at a point directly opposite where we then stood. That the Indians had but just passed was a fact brought home to my senses by the superior craft of my companion, and eagerly did I watch his farther movements. He ran his eye along the line of timber in either direction, lifted his rifle from the ground and hastily examined the lock and caps, and then, as if his mind was fully made up for any emergency, started at a fast walk for a point of the timber still farther from our camp. I followed him in silence, and I must say in astonishment, for to my understanding there was the utmost danger in the course he took ; but with all my astonishment I still felt the utmost confidence in Hancock, for there was a decision in his movements that gave assurance he fully understood the nature of the dilemma in which we were placed, and had adopted the wisest measures to extricate us from it.

At a long, steady stride, and without apparently turning his eyes either to the right or left, Tom kept a straight line for the timber. The wood was soon gained, and at a pace even increased we struck directly through. I had not noticed the circumstance before, but now that we were among the trees I saw that at this point the belt of timber was much narrower, more open, and presented fewer facilities for an ambuscade. Arrived on the eastern side, Tom did not slacken his pace until we had left the woods some three hundred yards in our rear, when placing the breech of his rifle upon the greensward, giving one long breath, and casting his eye along the thicket we had just passed, he quietly remarked, " We needn't be afraid of 'em now - five foot Injuns ain't goin' to attack us in gunshot hearin' of camp, 'specially when there ain't no place for 'em to hide." Not another word did he utter, but lifting his rifle from the ground with a slight jerk, and catching it as it fell with his right hand, he leisurely took the direction back towards our camp. This little adventure, which certainly would have been fraught with some danger had it not been for the craft of Hancock, impressed me more fully than ever with a belief in his superior skill. Another fact I ascertained from our little hunting trip : the Indian camp we had discovered was the same from which ascended the different smokes that we saw while journeying from Austin to San Antonio, and undoubtedly was the general rendezvous of the large party who had killed Moore and wounded Hunter near the St. Mark's. Where the main body was, when Hancock and myself visited their premises, it is impossible to conjecture, but it was probably engaged in some marauding expedition. We were certainly fortunate in not falling in with it, and some of the warriors who composed the party were unfortunate so far as the missing a couple of scalps may go.

We arrived in camp as our companions were saddling their animals and preparing for departure, so that we had no time for rest after the fatigue of a two hours' march in the hot sun. Our nags, however, had enjoyed a rest, if we had not, and were fresh and ready for the journey. That night we spent at the St. Mark's, and after enjoying a bath in its cool waters, I had a sound and refreshing sleep. In the early part of the ensuing afternoon, some three or four of us who were ahead descried three Camanches ascending a distant roll of the prairie on horseback. We gave chase at once; but finding, after a race of some ten minutes, that they were going at least three yards to our two over the hog-wallow* prairies, we reined up and returned to the trail.

On arriving at the spring where we were to encamp that night, we found two of our young men, who had gone out early in the morning in quest of game, busily dressing a fat buck they had been lucky enough to kill. We told them the circumstance of our having given chase to a small party of Camanches, and after we described to them the route the Indians were taking when we first discovered them, our hunters at once said they were following on their trail. They also stated that in their morning hunt they had noticed fresh Indian "sign"f in many places, and had little doubt the Camanches we had chased had been hanging upon their path and waiting an opportunity to cut them off. They even deemed our appearance providential in saving their lives, as they had exhausted all their ammunition, and must have been massacred if the Indians had overtaken them.J

* So called from the roughness of the prairie in many parts. In some places the ground has every appearance of having been torn up by hogs - rooted, I believe, is the expression - and hence the name. The Indian horses are early trained to run over these rough places with freedom.

t Any evidences seen upon the prairies of the appearance, whether recent or otherwise, of animals or men, is called " sign." If the marks appear recent the term is " fresh sign" - if otherwise, " old sign." The term will very likely appear often in this work, and I have therefore given this short explanation.

Prairie Learning

By the time our main party reached the spring where we had come up with our hunters, it was near six o'clock in the afternoon. As I had eaten nothing since daylight, and had had no little exercise in the way of riding and walking in the interim, the reader will readily imagine that I had a tolerably sharp-set appetite. At all events, I ate venison enough to satisfy a half-famished wolf; there were no other accompaniments than red pepper and salt - but at that time I thought it the most delicious meal I had ever swallowed. Since then I have made a meal of the flesh of a poor, broken-down horse with far keener relish.

The next morning, after a brisk ride of some three hours, we reached Austin again in safety, having been absent nearly a fortnight. More than half of this time I had " camped out" upon the prairies, with no other bed than the ground, no other covering than the sky - blue or black, according to the state of the weather - and a Mexican blanket. I had already made considerable advancement, practically, in the science of astronomy, being able to tell the north star with much accuracy after first occupying some ten minutes in arranging the " pointers" so as to bear upon it. A friend had also promised to hunt up and make me acquainted with the " big bear" some fair night. Farther than this, I could now easily distinguish the howling of a prairie wolf from

Sanla Fe Expedition reached the settlements of New Mexico, met a violent death. One of them, a young man named Lockridge, shot himself on Little River - whether by accident or not was never ascertained. He was a native, I believe, of Louisiana, a lawyer by profession, of good manners, excellent education, and modest, retiring deportment. He was much beloved by all who knew him, and was buried with military honours near the spot where he breathed his last. The other, Doctor Bell, was an assistant surgeon, and a brother of his is said to be a captain in the United States army. The doctor was killed by Indians on the Grand Prairie, and his loss was deeply regretted by those who knew him best.

the screeching of an owl, points upon which I was sorely puzzled the first time I heard one of their concerts. But to speak seriously, I had found no bad effects from exposure so far, and was every day growing more and more reconciled to the long tour which still lay in prospect before me.

The evening after my return to Austin, however, an accident occurred which not only came near preventing me from leaving for Santa Fe, but for any other place in this lower world. The day had been hot and sultry, threatening rain, and when night came the sky was shrouded in clouds of pitchy blackness. A man's hand could have been seen as plainly had it been in Kamschatka as when held before his face at arm's-length ; but notwithstanding the darkness, some four or five of us made up a little party for the purpose of bathing, and started for the Colorado with that intention. As the river is approached, the traveller meets with a fork in the road, one trail leading directly down a cut- way excavated in the high steep bank, while the other conducts to the bluff and then turns abruptly off along its edge. I happened to be ahead, and unfortunately took the wrong trail ; yet so confident was I that I was right, that I walked directly up to and over what may emphatically be called the " jumping-off place" of the Rio Colorado. It was no stumble, no pitching head first over a steep precipice, but on the contrary I walked directly off the giddy height - to use a common expression, went over " all standing."

It is to be presumed that a man's feelings are by no means pleasant when he suddenly finds that his feet have no footing, and that his gravity is carrying him, with a velocity absolutely uncomfortable, to say nothing of the attendant danger, from a third or fourth story window to a sidewalk, with every brick in which he is perfectly familiar ; but his feelings border upon dissatisfaction and distrust when he ascertains that he is standing upon nothing, with an unknown destination before him, and has time to reflect, while descending, upon the distance he has already come and to indulge in speculations as to the distance he has yet to go. My experience in, falling from high places is limited to one or two flights of this kind, and that the world may have the benefit of it, I will return to the height from which I first started, and give a plain recital of the fall and the injuries I sustained in consequence.

The distance through which I passed I have never been able to ascertain, but it was far from inconsiderable. I was fortunate in retaining an upright position while falling, and had presence of mind to brace myself strongly, thinking that I should be better enabled thereby to meet the shock of striking the bottom, whether of earth, or stone, or water, I was at the time ignorant. My right foot reached terra firma first, the concussion shattering the ankle badly, and, as I then thought, breaking every bone in my body. My back, in particular, was so severely injured by the shock, that I was entirely bereft of the power to move. My friends hurried back as fast as the darkness of the night would permit, groped their way until they had found the road I had unfortunately missed, and were finally successful in reaching me. I was excessively faint, and called for water. One of the party soon returned from the river with his hat full, sprinkled my face and neck, and gave me a draught. They next lifted me, with as much care as possible, to their shoulders, and carried me back to the hotel we had left but a few minutes before in high and buoyant spirits ; but it seemed as though every faculty of my body was paralyzed. Doctor Brenham, who was boarding at the same hotel, immediately called upon me and did everything in the power of a physician or surgeon. The next morning I was enabled to ascertain the extent of my injuries, which, though severe, were not so bad as at first supposed. My back was still weak, and pained me so much that I was unable to move without assistance ; my ankle, in the mean time, was extremely swollen and entirely useless, and in addition gave me much pain. Yet my friends, one and all, said that I should be on my feet again in three or four weeks, as well as ever, and able to ion down a buffalo bull on an open prairie. I could not feel quite as sanguine, but still thought that six weeks, or two months at farthest, would restore my bruised and shattered limb to its original strength. But even my expectations were wide of the mark, for some two months elapsed before I could even bear the least weight upon my lame foot, and it was three before I could walk without much pain.

Even to this day, and some two years have slipped away since I sustained the injury, the ankle is weak and far from being cured. Time was when I was able and willing to essay a cotillon with the sprightliest - when I could cut pigeon- wings and extras, and perform the double shuffle with no inconsiderable precision and activity ; but those days are over now - the " jig is up." I still have one consolation, however, and one which I freely recommend to all who may be similarly situated ; when a man breaks his leg he should always be thankful it is no worse - for instance, not his neck.

Visit From General Lamar

Visit from General Lamar. - Preparations for a Start. - Pleasant Anticipations. - Northers. - Bright Side of the Picture. - Speculations as to the Reception of the Expedition at Santa Fe. - No Thoughts of Fighting the New Mexicans. - Senor Navarro. - A Jersey Wagon provided. - Departure from Austin. - Adieu to Civilization. - A modern Athens. - Its sudden Rise, and more sudden Fall. - President Lamar in Camp. - Arrival at the Brushy. - General Joy among the Pioneers. - Reviewed by the President. - Order of March. - Tricks of young Oxen. - Upsets. - Arrival at the San Gabrielle. - Camp Stories. - Opossum Creek. - Scene of a Fight with the Camanches. - Anecdote of two Brothers. - A night Storm. - Buffalo in Sight. - Petrifactions. - Stories of Buffalo. - A Youngster caught. - Methods of Hunting the Buffalo. - A regular Chase. - Buffalo on every Side. - Fitzgerald, and his Zeal. - Falconer among the Buffalo. - Returns of Killed and Wounded. - Arrival at Little River. - Buffalo Calves in Camp. - Manner of taking them.

THE day succeeding my unfortunate accident, I was visited, at my room, by crowds of friends, among whom was the President, General Lamar. The only topics discussed had some relation to the expedition. Preparations were going on in every quarter. The merchants were packing their goods, and mending and strengthening the heavy wagons upon which they were to be transported. Volunteers were cleaning and preparing their arms, as we were to enter an Indian and buffalo range almost immediately - in a word, all was hurry, bustle, and excitement. Every one was anticipating an exciting, a glorious frolic, the wild gossiping tales of old hunters and campaigners tending, not a little, to increase the fever of impatience to be upon the road. Not a word was said of the hardships, the dangers, the difficulties we were to encounter - the biting "north- ers,"* the damp and dreary bivouac, the intolerable thirst, the gnawing hunger - these were the dark sides of the picture, and were never exhibited.

As to our reception on reaching Santa Fe but little was said. Texas claims, as I have before stated, to the Rio Grande ; and as Santa Fe is situated some fourteen miles from that stream, on the eastern or Texan side, no invasion of the territory of Mexico was thought of. It is true Texas had never been able to exercise jurisdiction over that section, because of its isolated position and the immense wilderness that separates it from the other portions of the Republic ; but this was no reason why she should not, at some time, assert her claims. The universal -impression in Texas was, that the inhabitants of Santa Fe were anxious to throw off a yoke, which was not only galling, but did not of right belong to them, and rally under the " lone star" banner ; and events which have since transpired, and which I shall refer to hereafter, have convinced me that such was the feeling with the larger part of the population. Should any opposition be made to the peaceable entry of the Texan pioneers, it was thought it would come from the few regular troops always stationed at Santa Fe by the government of Mexico ; and this force would easily have been put down if a large majority of the residents were in favour of such a course. As for having anything like a regular battle, or forcibly subduing the country should the inhabitants be found hostile, such events were neither intended nor talked of. Invading armies, when hard fighting is anticipated, seldom take merchandise with them to sell to their enemies. The

* The prairies of Texas are visited, every season, by cold rains and winds from the north, called " northers." The winds have full sweep directly from the mountains, and not only animals, but men have frequently perished during their continuance.

Objects Of The Volunteers

merchant, who sends a " venture" to some distant and barbarous shore, anticipates, on reaching his destination, either losing all or reaping a rich harvest of profit. The Texans looked for danger on the road across the prairies - nothing more. Safely arrived in New Mexico, their perils were all passed - they had, with the hopes and expectations offered them, no farther risks to incur. But adverse circumstances stepped in to thwart their bright dreams of commercial success - they were robbed of all, property and liberty - and after drinking thus deeply of the bitter cup of misfortune, have been held up, by those who knew neither the men nor their intentions, as a " gang of marauders," a " horde of land pirates."

But what, the reader will ask, induced so large a body of young men to start upon an expedition of this kind ? What objects could they have in view ? The answer is easy enough. They were actuated by that love of adventure, which is inherent in thousands of our race ; they were anxious to participate in the excitements ever incidental to a prairie tour. What induced Washington Irving and his companions to make a trip to the prairies west of the Osage hunting-grounds? Why did the Honourable Charles A. Murray spend a summer with the buffaloes and the Pawnees ? And why does Sir William Drummond Stewart, year after year, leave wealth and title, to say nothing of the comforts and honours in their train, and pass his summers among the Indians high up on the waters of the Missouri and its tributaries ? To our party, the incentives were unusually strong and exciting. We were to pass over a portion of country entirely unknown to the white man, and might reasonably expect to meet with a larger share of adventure than usually falls to the lot of the F 2

Western travellers. We felt confident that we should meet with large bands of Indians, known to live directly on our path, who were hostile alike to Texas and Mexico, and with whom we should have an occasional " skrimmage." We should see the American Indian, too, in his primitive and unhunted retreat. Thus fraught with adventure, the tour promised to be one of unusual interest.

While lying confined to my bed at Austin, I received, from Mr. Roberts, then acting Secretary of State, a letter written at the request of General Lamar, inviting me to join the expedition as a " guest." I was to be subject to no control, civil or military ; I was free to remain with the expedition so long as it suited my convenience, and to leave it when I pleased - in short, I had no connexion, other than that of a stranger who happened to be travelling the same road, with the men whom I accompanied, or with the objects in which they were engaged. In the same letter I was kindly invited to mess with the commissioners, or civil branch of the expedition, an invitation I gladly accepted. This letter, with my passport, and other papers of importance as defining the relation in which I stood to the expedition, I placed in a secure parcel, and always kept about my person. I was determined, by no act of mine, to forfeit my claim to American protection any farther than by accompanying the expedition across wild and unknown prairies ; and considering these papers the best proofs I could have to sustain me should difficulties, which I certainly did not anticipate, arise on my reaching New Mexico, I was careful in preserving them. The obligations I considered myself under to the officers of the expedition were these : to obey all general orders for the well-being and safety of the men, and if we were attacked by Indians on the march, or met with any opposition from them, to take an active part with my friends. Here my obligations ceased. I had started with the intention of making the entire tour of Mexico, and could not compromise myself so far as to take any part in the events which might occur on reaching the settlements of New Mexico, whether these events should be pacific or hostile. But to continue my narrative of the movements of the expedition.

The 18th of June arrived, and with it the time for the departure of the pioneers. It was now three days since I had met with my unfortunate accident, and I was still unable to move without assistance. A few of my friends endeavoured to dissuade me from going ; but I was blessed, or cursed, as the case may be, with stronglydeveloped organs of self-will, obstinacy, and " go-aheadity," and made up my mind to go even if I had to be carried. " I will go it if I lose a leg," is a common yet not very classical remark among a 'certain class of Western men, when they have fully made up their minds to do a thing. I determined upon starting for New Mexico although I had already as good as lost a leg, at least for all present purposes, and it is now too late to regret that I did so.

Among the Texan Commissioners was Jose Antonio Navarro, Esq.,* who, like myself, was unable to walk. For our accommodation, General Lamar provided a neat Jersey wagon, drawn by two mules, and covered so as to protect us from the sun and rain during the long marches.

* Mr. Navarro is the only member of the Santa Fe pioneers still retained a prisoner. He is a Mexican by birth, was once a senator in the Congress of that Republic, is a man of no inconsiderable abilities and influence, and has been punished with unusual severity. I found him a kind-hearted, gentlemanly man, and regret that he was not liberated with the rest of the prisoners.

As I have stated above, it was on the 18th of June that the last detachment of the expedition left Austin. This was at least one month later than it should have been, on account of both water and grass ; but unavoidable delays had arisen in getting everything in readiness, and even as it was, General McLeo.d, the commander of the military portion, was obliged to march unprovided with many necessaries. The main body of the expedition had been lying encamped for some time on the Brushy, a small stream about twenty miles from Austin. As far as this point General Lamar accompanied the last party. I was assisted into the wagon on leaving, but still bade adieu to civilization, its comforts and enjoyments, in good spirits.

At Austin we left the last tokens of a settlement - beyond, all was in a state of wild, uncultivated nature. Singular as it may appear, the then capital of Texas was ,the extreme frontier town, and what may appear still more strange, daring bands of hostile Indians have frequently been known to enter the principal streets, run off with horses tied to the very doorposts of their owners, and in some instances have even murdered the inhabitants within a few hundred yards of the government-house.

From Austin to the Brushy the road - for here there is an old military road - runs over rolling and beautiful prairies, occasionally relieved by the slight skirting of timber which fringes the margins of the small streams, or by a small grove of timber so regularly planted by nature that it would almost seem the hand of man had assisted in its production.

To the left of the road, at the distance of some mile and a half or two miles, is a high and delightful situation, which some visionary speculator, years since, endeavoured to convert into a stirring: town.

A City On Paper

In the first place, he purchased a beautiful site for a city - lacking only all the essentials to support a large population. Highly-coloured plans were got out, and on paper, at least, a more flourishing place never existed. There were colleges and squares, city halls and penitentiaries, public walks and public houses - and, looking at the engravings, so well were they executed, a man could almost imagine he heard the carriages rattling over the pavements, and the busy hum which denotes the large and thriving city.

The name by which it was known on the plans - it cannot be found on the map of Texas - was Athens ; and so firmly did the visionary who planned it believe in his speculation, that he built a house and made some other and expensive improvements on the premises. While engaged in digging a well, assisted by some two or three negroes, he was attacked by a roaming party of Camanches and driven off, narrowly escaping with his life. The person who gave me this information said that the man never returned, and that everything remained just as he had left it. Thus fell a modern Athens.

We made a short stop, during the heat of the day, at a cool grove. Near it was a fine spring of water, and under the shade of the over-arching boughs a plain dinner was prepared. Every man appeared to be his own cook, President Lamar as well as the rest. I also observed that his excellency unsaddled and staked his own horse on a small plot of grass near by. There was a specimen of Republican simplicity - the chief magistrate of a nation cooking his own dinner and grooming his own horse ! In all my intercourse with General Lamar I ever found him a courteous and honourable gentleman, possessing a brilliant intellect, which has been highly cultivated ; and if Texas ever had a warm and untiring friend, it was and is Mirabeau B. Lamar.

It was late in the afternoon when we reached camp, a beautiful and romantic situation on the Brushy, near several large springs of cool and most delicious water. The camp was all animation on our arrival, as it was a token that the expedition was soon to be on the march. Many of the volunteers had been stationed at this place three or four weeks, and had become impatient of the delay ; now that it was rendered certain that they were soon to be on the move to Santa Fe, all was joy, activity, and life.

General Lamar was accompanied by the Honourable Mr. Chalmers, Secretary of the Treasury, and several other gentlemen, who all " roughed it" upon the ground at night with the volunteers - a single blanket forming each man's bed. The next morning the different companies were reviewed, a neat and appropriate address was delivered by the President, after which himself and party returned to Austin.

Two days were now passed on the Brushy in reloading the wagons, and making the necessary arrangements for the long journey we had before us. Here I would state, that never since the discovery of America had such a journey been undertaken. Years before the first wagon started from St. Louis for Santa Fe every inch of the country was well known and the route that was to be taken clearly defined ; all that was known in our case was, that Austin was in such a latitude and longitude and Santa Fe in another - of the principal part of the country between the two points not a man among us knew anything. That deep rivers were to be crossed, that ravines were to be encountered, that salt and dry prairies were to be met - in short, that innumerable obstacles would be found in our path, were tilings that every one expected : of the nature and ex- tent of these obstacles all were alike ignorant. Yet in the face of difficulties which seemed almost insurmountable the expedition started, and after toil almost incredible they were overcome - twenty-four wagons were taken in safety over nearly a thousand miles that never had been trodden before except by the savage. At starting it was known that the direct course was almost northwest ; but as it was feared there might be a scarcity of water by taking a straight line, it was deemed prudent to follow the course of the Brazos, cut through the celebrated Cross Timbers before reaching Red River, and then follow up that stream, the course of which was supposed to be nearly east and west. By this route we made nearly a right angle, and the journey was much longer, and probably more difficult.

On the morning of June 21st, the expedition finally took up the line of march from the fertile valley and cool springs of the Brushy. Two companies, numbering some eighty men, were detailed to go forward as an advanced guard ; then came the wagons, in single file, and the beef cattle that were to furnish us with meat. One company was also detailed for fatigue duty - driving the cattle and cutting away the banks of creeks, or removing any obstacles that might obstruct the passage of the wagons. This was the most irksome and laborious duty of all, and was performed by the companies in turn. The rear-guard brought up the long procession, and consisted of three companies, there being six in all. These companies were commanded by Captains Caldwell, Sutton, Houghton, Hudson, Strain, and Lewis, the latter commanding the artillery company, which had one brass six-pounder. The number of volunteers doing duty was two hundred and seventy. In addition, there were about fifty persons attached to the expedi- tion in some way, being General McLeod and his staff, the commissioners, merchants, tourists, and servants. None of these, except the first named, did military or guard duty.

The long train of wagons moving heavily forward, with the different companies of volunteers, all well mounted and well armed and riding in double file, presented an imposing as well as an animating spectacle, causing every heart to beat high with the anticipation of exciting incidents on the boundless prairies. On the first day many of the young oxen, " critters" that had never been yoked before, performed divers unseemly antics, diverting enough to themselves in all probability, but by no means pleasing to the drivers. The consequence was that a number of the wagons were upset, occasioning delays which made it near night before we reached our camping ground on the San Gabriel. The road this day was over beautiful rolling prairies, the land rich, and susceptible of cultivation.

The San Gabriel is a picturesque stream running into the Brazos. A few miles above our camp, on its banks, a settlement had formerly been made by one or two families ; but they had been attacked by Indians, and those who were not killed driven off. The stream abounds with trout, perch, and catfish, as do nearly all the watercourses in this section of Texas. Some of our party, who were first in, amused themselves by fishing, and shooting alligators, the latter being too plentiful for any useful purposes.

On the arrival of the beef cattle, one of them was selected, shot, and dressed with the greatest expedition, and then followed the cooking and eating of both dinner and supper. We had made no stop during the day, which necessarily brought both meals together and good appetites to do them justice.

Extensive Lodgings

Our fare was simple enough - roasted or broiled beef, cooked on sticks or ramrods before the fire, with salt, coffee, and sugar. No breadstuffs were provided, unless*, small quantity of rice can be dignified with that title ; but the appetites we contracted during our long ride across the high, dry, and bracing prairies served us instead of bread and dessert, and a more hearty meal it has seldom been my lot to partake of.

Our meal over, knots of the volunteers would congregate, here and there, around the camp fires, telling stories of the marvellous and spinning long yarns about border forays, buffalo hunts, and brushes with the Indians of the prairies. The stories of buffalo hunting, in particular, were eagerly listened to, as it was known that in ten days we should be in the best range for these animals in Texas.

An hour or two would be whiled away in this manner, and then preparations would be made for retiring to sleep - a very simple process upon a campaign. A person has only to pick out a soft place upon the ground, roll himself up in his blanket, and take immediate possession of his bedroom ; and though people who have never lived " out of doors" may picture anything but comfort with such lodgings, sounder, sweeter, and more refreshing sleep never visited the downiest couch than can be found upon the earth on one of our western prairies. Should any of my readers ever undertake a tour of the kind, and find any difficulty in getting to sleep, I can recommend a plan to bring about that desirable object which has never been known to fail in a single instance : just count the stars.

As the days were now extremely warm, early morning starts were recommended and adopted. Accordingly, at daybreak on the 22d of June, we were awa- kened by the cheering notes of the reveille. We had a small but tolerably well-organized band with us, including some two or three clarionets, a horn and bugle, besides fifes and drums. To the latter instruments was assigned the task of waking us in the morning ; and at first there was something so inspiriting in the lively notes of the reveille breaking the deep stillness of the early dawn, that with me farther sleep was uncared for. I was heartily tired of it before the campaign was half over.

Notwithstanding our early start, we made but twelve miles this day, encamping on Opossum Creek, as there was no water beyond within several miles. During this day we passed the scene of an Indian fight which took place a year or two previous, and in which Major Howard, having drawn a party of Camanches into an ambuscade, gave them a severe drubbing. His men were fortunate enough to discover the Indians before these had seen their white enemies, giving the latter every advantage. Knowing, full well, that he never could come up with the Camanches in a chase, or provoke them into an open fight on the prairies, for in numbers the two parties were nearly equal,* Major H. resorted to a stratagem. Secreting his men in a thick grove of timber, he started off alone, well mounted, in the direction of the enemy. The moment the Indians saw him they considered his scalp as certain as though it was already hanging at their saddle-skirts, and with frightful yells gave chase. The gallant officer trusted to his steed, at a time when a stumble would have been inevitable destruction to both. The Texans, in their covert, could plainly hear the distant whoops of the savages, and hugged still closer the trees behind which they were sheltered. With almost lightning speed the pursued and pursuers scoured across the prairie, the former leading the savages directly within range of his own men. When at a point opposite the Texans, and within a few yards' distance, a well-directed volley tumbled seven of the Camanches dead from their horses. So sudden and unexpected was this reception, that the Indians turned their horses and made a precipitate retreat. One only remained behind, whose heroic conduct deserves a passing remark. Among the dead was his brother, and in endeavouring to save the body from the hands of the Texans the savage lost his own life. He dismounted, and absolutely succeeded in packing his lifeless brother upon his horse amid a shower of bullets ; but while mounting, a well-directed rifle-ball pierced him to the heart, and the brothers came together to the ground. Not one of Major Howard's men was injured.

In the night we passed at Opossum Creek we were visited by a tremendous storm of thunder, lightning, and wind, although but little rain fell ; our tent had been pitched, and, as we thought, securely ; but the first heavy gust of wind carried it completely from its fastenings, and the rest of the night, to quote the expression of one of our men, we " took plain without kiver."

Our next day's travel carried us across rolling prairies, not a tree being in sight in any direction. Here and there, in the distance, small gangs of buffaloes could be seen scampering off, the scouting parties, it would seem, of the immense herds we were soon to encounter. Several of the huge animals were run down and killed during the day by some of our hunters, and that night, for the first time, I made a meal of buffalo meat - one of those killed being a fat cow, and her flesh of fine texture and delicious sweetness. Two buffaloes had also been killed on the previous day ; but they were old and poor, and nothing but their tongues was brought in.

Large numbers of petrifactions, some of them uncommonly perfect, were found in the vicinity of our camp on Deer Creek. Although the distance must be some three hundred miles from the seacoast, we still found fossil specimens of oysters and other shell-fish in abundance, and in good preservation. I remember one oyster, in particular, the shell of which, on being forced open, displayed the edible part of that delicate luxury in form and colour so natural that I could not help thinking of pepper, salt, vinegar and a fork, at once.

The stories this night in camp were all in relation to buffalo, the abundance of " sign" in the shape of tracks, and places where the grass had been eaten close, plainly denoting that we were in the vicinity of a large herd. The old campaigners, and there were many among us, told stories of the immense number they had seen at a time, while the harum-scarum youngsters of the camp would listen eagerly to their tales, manifesting, at the same time, a restless impatience to be among the huge monarchs of the prairies.

" How many buffalo did you ever see at one time ?" asked a young man, whose greatest achievement had been the bringing down a fat buck, addressing one of the oldest backwoodsmen in camp.

"Can't say, exactly - probably between two and three million !" replied the old one. with a cool, matterof-fact indifference, as much as to say that he was keeping as near the truth as possible.

Incredulity Op A Youngsteh

countenance of the young man. At first, he partially closed his left eye, and opening his right to its utmost width, gazed intently in the face of the old hunter with a look half comic, half incredulous. Then, as if thinking he might not have fully understood the answer to his question, he turned his head to one side, somewhat after the manner of a hog in an oak grove listening for the fall of an acorn, and curving his left hand into the form of a half-moon and placing it behind his ear, so as to be certain of hearing every word, he again addressed his older and more experienced friend with " Perhaps I mistook your answer - what number of buffalo did you say you had seen at one time ?"

" Y-e-s," drawled the youngster, with that peculiar tone and expression which signify that one neither believes nor disbelieves a story, or in other words, intimating that while he did not wish the old campaigner to think he altogether discredited the number, he was at the same time anxious to avoid being considered over credulous by entirely swallowing a story which might possibly be intended as a quiz. As for myself. I did not believe a word the old hunter said, but rather thought he was indulging an appetite for which all of his class are notorious, that of " stretching" their stories far beyond the line between the probable and incredible. Since then, however - in fact the very next day - I " saw sights" which induced me to alter my mind, and to give the aged borderer more credit for keeping within the bounds of probability than I was at first willing to accord him. I do not say that I have seen " between two and three million" at the same time ; but G2

I have stood upon a high roll of the prairie, with neither tree nor bush to obstruct the vision in any direction, and seen these animals grazing upon the plain and darkening it at every point. There are perhaps larger herds of buffalo at present in northern Texas than anywhere else on the western prairies, their most formidable enemies, the Indians, not ranging so low down in large parties, on account of the whites ; but I was told that every year their numbers were gradually decreasing, and their range, owing to the approach of white settlers from the east and south, becoming more and more circumscribed. It would seem almost impossible, especially to one who has seen them, numerous as the sands of the seashore, on their immense natural pastures, that the race can ever become extinct ; but when he reflects upon the rapid strides civilization is making westward upon the domain of the buffalo, he is brought to feel that the noble race will soon be known only as a thing of the past.

The whites have two ways of hunting these animals. One is to creep up within a short distance, and shoot them with a rifle carrying a heavy ball, or with a musket - a mode of hunting seldom resorted to except by those who are in want of meat. The other way is to sally out after them on horseback, armed with heavy holster-pistols, run alongside, while under full speed, and shoot from the saddle. Of all hunting in the world this is probably the most exciting, at the same time involving the sportsman in no little danger. The horse that has been trained to it soon gets as fond of the sport as his master, will run directly up within three or four yards of the immense animal, and is always ready to sheer off and get out of the way in case the buffalo shows a disposition to fight. When the hunter wants meat he rides in among the animals, and singles out a fat cow or young bull, which he marks for his own - if he is merely hunting for the sport, or for " grandeur" as it is called in the West, he attacks the oldest and largest bull he can find, and continues to blaze away at him with his pistols until he brings him down. He may possibly secure the tongue of the animal - the carcass is soon sought and preyed upon by the legion of buzzards which are ever on the scent.

Early on the morning of June 24th we left our encampment on Deep Creek, intending to reach Little River before night. We had travelled but a few miles before the cheering cry of " Buffalo ! buffalo !" was heard along the line. Directly ahead, on the right and left of our road, innumerable small black objects could be seen, more resembling stumps than aught else. As we slowly approached them, the objects became more distinct, gave signs of life, and appeared to be slowly moving about on the interminable prairie. When within half a mile it was evident, even to those who had only seen badly-executed woodcuts of the animal in " picture-books," that they were buffalo, spread out over the immense space, and in countless numbers.

Notwithstanding orders had been given the volunteers not to break their double-file ranks, nothing could restrain the youngsters from leaving the command and sharing in the exciting chase. The merchants, and others not attached to the military, were at perfect liberty to go when and where it might please them, as a matter of course. We were soon surrounded by buffalo, and every two minutes a Texan malecontent would leave the ranks at full gallop, and dash off after some huge animal, which chance, or a more clumsy gait, had left behind his fellows. Never have I beheld a scene so full of excitement. Such of the command as did not join in the hunt continued steadily along, myself and Mr. Navarro, in our Jersey carry-all, keeping in line with . them, while all around us was hurry-scurry and confusion. We had not advanced a mile, after reaching the outposts of the immense herd, before we were in their midst, seeing nothing in any direction save the immense animals speeding along at a heavy, lumbering gallop, the larger ones more resembling loads of hay in motion than anything else I can liken them to. In the distance, far as the eye could reach, they were seen quietly feeding upon the short prairie grass, and apparently unconscious of the wild riot and danger so near at hand.

Unable to mount a horse, I could not join the exciting chase ; yet I could plainly see and enjoy the animated scene. At times, I could discern one of our men, apparently hemmed in on all sides by the frightened and infuriated animals, and running the greatest risk of being run over and trampled to the earth. Anon, the smoke of a pistol would rise, followed quickly by the report, and then succeeded a general and confused scattering. Perchance a bull - for the " green-horns" generally select the largest of the herd as affording a better mark - would be seen to totter, his tail lashing the air in furious circles, and then to tumble headlong to the earth ; at another time, one of the animals, wounded and rendered furious by pain, would rush blindly and madly at his pursuer. The largest number of horses were entirely unused to the sport, and " fought shy" of the unsightly animals ; others, again, had been regularly trained, and would eagerly carry their riders up to the buffalo, and allow them to " bang and blaze" away, pistol after pistol, without starting, or even moving a

A Regular Madcap

Among the merchants was a wild, frolicking Irishman, named Fitzgerald, one of the best fellows that ever the sun shone upon. Fitz, as he was universally called, was descended from one of the best families in Ireland, nearly every member of which has been distinguished as an officer in the British service. His mother was a daughter of the celebrated Archibald Hamilton Rowan, who acted so conspicuous a part in the Irish rebellion of '98, and one of his uncles, a major-general in the English army, has recently returned to England from Bombay, where he was governor. As several of Fitzgerald's brothers held commissions in the British service, his family thought it expedient to make a clergyman of him, although nature had intended him for anything but that. To carry out their plans successfully they sent him, when only some eight years of age, to a school near Boulogne, in France. There he learned the usual amount of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, and, according to his own statements, an extra amount of mischievous practices generally. At the age of eighteen he returned to Ireland, and on his peremptorily refusing to take holy orders his father ordered him to Jamaica, to fill a lucrative station he had procured for him in the customs. He set off for that island, but on getting as far as London, he saw the walls covered with handbills calling upon volunteers for General Evans's Legion, then about to embark for Spain to the assistance of Isabella. Here was just the thing that suited Fitzgerald's wild temperament and ardent impulses, and to enlist, leaving the customs at Jamaica to regulate themselves, was his first movement. Arrived in Spain, he was promoted, step by step, for his gallant conduct, and finally, for skilfully and successfully leading a forlorn hope, received a captain's commission, and was also created a knight of the Order of St. Ferdinand. The return of the Legion to England left Fitz without employment ; but hearing that he could obtain a commission in the Persian army, he pushed for that country to join the service. Finding, on reaching his new and singular destination, that there was little fighting and less pay, he returned to England. He next visited the Cape of Good Hope, either with or in search of his father, and from that point went to Van Diemen's Land and the parts adjacent. Thence he returned to England, taking Brazil in his route. A life of inactivity he could not endure ; so hearing that there was not only fun but fighting in Texas, he embarked for that Republic by way of New-Orleans. We next hear of him selling dry goods at San Antonio de Bexar. This business, however, did not prevent him from joining the different expeditions against Mexicans and Indians that were continually fitted out at that place, and in this way he became enamoured of a prairie life - a feeling which induced him to join the Santa Fe Expedition. Educated in France, he spoke the French language, and his three years' sojourn in Spain had given him a smattering of Spanish - enough, at all events, to carry on an ordinary conversation.

Always willing, ready, and among the first to enter into any madcap, daring, or break-neck scrape, as a matter of course Fitz led off the chase after the buffalo. He was mounted on a game and untiring Mexican pony, loaded down with saddlebags, water-gourd, blankets, and the miscellaneous equipage which constitutes the fit-out of a campaigner ; but all this did not deter him from starting off at once. Away he went in neck-or- nothing style, riding up to the first buffalo he met, and banging away with his pistols as fast as he could load and fire. In all his wanderings he had never met with buffalo before, and so exciting was the dangerous sport of riding among them that he could not command himself. In the mad chase he lost first his hat, then his blanket, and finally his saddlebags and water-gourd ; but these were mere trifles when such game was in sight, and as Fitz never stopped to pick them up, they are probably now lying on the prairie in the exact places where he dropped them,

My friend Falconer, too, was seized with a fit of excitement. His horse, however, unlike that of Fitzgerald, was a sedate, quiet, slow-and-easy kind of animal, holding a gallop or canter in such special abhorrence that neither whip nor spur could induce him to indulge in either. Still Falconer must needs have a trot after the buffalo, as he could not chase them in a gallop ; and it was droll enough to see a gentleman, who had started upon the expedition in search of strange weeds, stones, and the picturesque, now jogging along after buffalo, with a glass raised to his right eye. As he was armed only with a double-barrelled gun, loaded, probably, with bird shot, he did not essay the killing of any of the huge monsters by which he was at times surrounded.

The number of buffalo killed during the day, in our immediate vicinity, was twenty-eight ; the number of prisoners taken in the shape of young calves, some ten or twelve. As to getting the number of wounded, that would have been impossible.

In the afternoon we reached Little River, where we encamped for the night, and where we had a feast of choice buffalo meat, tongue, and also the marrow bones of that animal ; some of the calves also were killed, and furnished us with delicious veal. The simple things followed our men into camp without the least trouble. It was only necessary to blind their eyes with the hands for a moment, push their noses to the ground, and hold them in that position until their dams were out of sight. On raising their heads they would stare about, and the first object that caught their gaze, whether man or horse, they would follow like dogs. Thus ended our first day among the immense buffalo herds of the Western Prairies.

Sending back for more Cattle. - Rations of Beef for each Man. - Idle Hours in Camp. - Annoying Insects. - ISight Alarms. - Death of LockriJge. - A Dutchman shot at. - Improvident Waste of Provisions. - Game in our Vicinity. - Sickness of General McLeod - Once more on the Road. - Bird's Battle-ground. - A Visit from Mustangs. - The "White Sleed of the Prairies." - Stories in relation to this Horse. - Cow Creek. - Plenty of Buffalo. - Repairing Wagons. - Profanity of the Teamsters. - Out of Water. - Fourth of July on the Prairies. - Celebration among the Clouds. - A troublesome Visiter. - Rattlesnakes and Tarantulas. - Death of Flint. - Crossing the Bosque. - The Antelope, or Mountain Goat. - Simplicity of this Animal - Another Branch of the Bosque. - Difficulty of crossing. - More Swearing. - A Stampede ! - Singular Effect of Fright upon Horses and Oxen. - Falconer's Horse at his Eccentricities. - A Private Stampede. - Laughable Antics. - Falconer's Philosophy

BEFORE the main body of the expedition left Austin, in May, it was thought by those most familiar with the subject that the journey to Santa Fe would not occupy more than six weeks, or two months at the very farthest, and a supply of beef on the hoof was purchased, amply sufficient for that length of time. On arriving at Little River, our commissary stated that it would be impru- dent to go farther without sending back for more beeves, as in the long delay on the Brushy the volunteers had consumed a large portion of those originally furnished. Had the expedition started at the time originally proposed, there would have been no necessity for a fresh supply ; but inasmuch as it had been delayed three weeks, the wants of the men, admitting that the journey would occupy two months, would require some thirty head of cattle more. The regular ration to each person was three pounds of beef a day, a quantity amply sufficient for an ordinary man even when he has no breadstufFs or vegetables, as was our case. In addition to the beef, coffee enough to give each man two pints a day, with the needful sugar, was served out. Instead of breadstuffs, for which transportation could not be provided, a quantity of tobacco was served to each man.

The sending back to the settlements for an additional number of beeves occasioned a delay of five days, the time being passed in fishing and hunting by some, lounging and sleeping by others, and heavily enough by all ; for the desire to be on the move was a serious drawback upon the enjoyments even of those most fond of buffalo hunting. The place where we encamped abounded with a small insect called, I believe, the seed tick, which penetrates under the skin in great numbers, raises small sores or pimples, and causes a burning and continual itching. I was completely covered, or rather filled, with these annoying visitors, and lost many an hour's sleep in consequence.

We had two alarms the second night we passed on Little River. The first was about ten o'clock, and was caused by the sharp report of a rifle directly in the centre of the camp. A circumstance so unusual started every man to his feet, and the alarm was far from inconsiderable until it was ascertained that the young man Lockridge, of whom I have spoken elsewhere, had shot himself. Some two hours after, the camp was a second time thrown into excitement by the startling " Who goes there ?" of one of the guard, followed by the heavy report of a musket. The hands of every man were instantly upon his gun, and every preparation was made to resist an attack from Indians, for in the hurry and alarm we could think of nothing else ; but on inquiring into the affair it was ascertained that an honest Dutchman, a servant of Colonel Cooke, was returning late into camp, with a horse he had found after a long search, and that not answering the sentinel promptly, he had been fired upon. Fortunately he was untouched, although badly frightened. This second alarm satisfactorily explained, we again returned to our blankets, and the rest of the night was passed in quiet and sleep.

While encamped upon Little River, and I may say during the whole of the time we were in the buffalo and game country, there was a most improvident waste of beef, the regular rations being served out to each man. Those who could obtain choice portions of the buffalo and deer, which were now killed in immense numbers, of course threw away the coarse and tougher parts of the beef given them. These, however, soon found customers ; for clouds of buzzards were immediately hovering over and lighting within the lines, playing the part of most excellent scavengers. Could we but have anticipated the horrible sufferings we were then bringing upon our heads, or rather stomachs, by this prodigality ; had we thought the time was near at hand when the poorest morsels we were throwing away so lavish- ly would be absolutely necessary to sustain life, a more provident course would have been adopted. Some of the old campaigners spoke of this waste at the time, remarking that the buzzards were fattening upon meat of which we should all feel the want before we got to our journey's end ; but by far the greater portion of us were inexperienced, and went on the principle of taking special good care of ourselves to-day and letting to-morrow look out for itself. We gained experience and wisdom afterward, but we bought it at an enormous price.

The place where we encamped on Little River was the site of an old picket fort, garrisoned, some years previous, by a detachment of Texan soldiers, who were stationed there to keep a look-out for Indians. The location is one of exceeding loveliness, healthy, and combining every advantage for a flourishing settlement. A growth of heavy timber, some two miles in width, covers the fertile bottom, while the rich prairies afford the best of grazing for the immense herds of buffalo and deer always to be found in the vicinity. Bears and Mexican hogs, the latter a ferocious animal, are found in great numbers in the bottoms, fish of different varieties are caught in the stream, and many of the trees are filled with delicious wild honey.

While encamped at this place, General McLeod was attacked with fever, and was carried in a wagon to Bryant's Station, some twenty miles to our right, near the Brazos. Major Howard took the command of the expedition during his illness. On the evening of the 29th of June the order was given for an early march next morning - an order received with joy by all. The next morning, therefore, saw us again on our road, crossing prairies on which buffalo could be seen in almost every direction. In the afternoon we passed the scene of Bird's celebrated battle with the Indians. With thirtythree Texans only he fought some two hundred and fifty Indians several hours, killing large numbers of them. Bird himself was killed, towards the close of the battle, which was a drawn one, both parties retiring after sustaining great loss.

At sundown a drove of mustangs, or wild horses of the prairie, paid us a flying visit. They were first seen ascending a hill at the distance of half a mile, and as they were coming towards us were taken for Indians. When seen on a distant hill, standing with their raised heads towards a person, and forming a line as is their custom, it is almost impossible to take them for anything but mounted men. Having satisfied their curiosity, they wheeled with almost the regularity of a cavalry company and galloped off, their long thick manes waving in the air and their tails nearly sweeping the ground. They are beautiful animals, always in excellent condition, and although smaller than our American horses, are still very compact, and will bear much fatigue.

Many were the stories told that night in camp, by some of the older hunters, of a large white horse that had often been seen in the vicinity of the Cross Timbers and near Red River. That many of these stories, like a majority of those told by gossiping campaigners, were either apocryphal or marvellously garnished, I have little doubt ; but that such a horse has been seen, and that he possesses wonderful speed and great powers of endurance, there is no reason to disbelieve. As the camp stories ran, he has never been known to gallop or trot, but paces faster than any horse that has been sent out after him can run ; and so game and untiring is the

A Fruitless Chase

" White Steed of the Prairies," for he is well known to trappers and hunters by that name, that he has tired down no less than three race-nags, sent expressly to catch him, with a Mexican rider well trained to the business of taking wild horses. The latter had nothing but a lasso or lariat with him - a long rope made either of hemp or horse hair, but generally the latter. One end of this rope is made fast to the pommel of the saddle, while the other is formed into a noose : the Mexican carries it coiled up in the right hand, and throws it with astonishing dexterity and precision, casting it directly over the head, feet, or even tail of the animal he may be pursuing.

The Mexican who was sent out to take the wild steed, although he mounted a fresh horse as the one he was riding became tired, was never near enough the noble animal to throw a slip-noose over his head, or even to drive him into a regular* gallop. . Some of the hunters go so far as to say that the white steed has been known to pace his mile in less than two minutes, and that he could keep up this rate of speed until he had tired down everything in pursuit. Large sums had been offered for his capture, and the attempt had been frequently made ; but he still roamed his native prairies in freedom, solitary and alone.* The fact of his being always found with no other horse in company was accounted for, by an old hunter, on the ground that he was too proud to be seen with those of his class, being an animal far superior in form and action to any of his brothers. This I put down as a rank embellishment,

* Since my return, I have been informed, by a Texan gentleman, that a horse in many respects answering the description of the " White Steed of the Prairies" has been caught, after a hard chase, between the head waters of the Trinity and Brazos. He lived but a short time, however, the excessive fatigue of the race causing his death.

On the 1 st of July we reached Cow Creek, killing large numbers of buffalo during the day. The 2d we halted to repair some of the wagons which had been upset and injured. The gullies and creeks we were compelled to cross were many of them impassable until much time had been spent in cutting and digging away the steep and lofty banks. With all the cutting and digging, however, hardly a day passed in which we escaped an upset ; and then the expressions made use of, by the drivers and fatigue-men, sounded so much like swearing of the most forcible kind that there was no mistaking it. It appeared to be the only study of some of our teamsters to invent the most blasphemous oaths ; and the cool, slow, and decided manner in which these imprecations were uttered showed that they wished all within hearing to' have the full benefit of their studies. I asked one of them, just as he had finished a long and most horrid oath which I would not dare to put on paper, why he uttered such profanities. His answer was, they saved much whipping, and that his oxen drew much better than with the common kind of swearing. Be this as it may, I believe that if the unfortunate animals had possessed the powers of understanding they would have run away in the middle of one of the long list of blasphemies. I have heard swearing in many quarters, but for originality, deliberate utterance, and deep wickedness, I have never heard that of some of the drivers on the Santa Fe Expedition equalled.

Our route from Cow Creek led us over high and dry prairies, and after travelling some twenty miles - a long distance for wagons - we were finally obliged to encamp without water. The day had been insupportably hot, without a cloud, or hardly a breath of air stirring, and all the water in our canteens was consumed before noon. As a consequence, we suffered extremely that night ; and had there been a glass of water up at auction, I should certainly have bid high for it. Visions of sherry cobblers, soda, and other cooling drinks haunted me the whole night, and when I awoke it was to the painful reality that there was no reality in my dreams. Since that time I have gone ten miles for a cup of water.

An early start the next morning, which was the Fourth of July, enabled us to reach a cool and delicious spring early in the afternoon, and here we slaked our intolerable thirst. A few seconds after, we had forgotten our sufferings. A man may endure the most torturing thirst for thirty-six or forty-eight hours - thinking of water, and nothing but water the while - but the moment he has reached it, and swallowed a sufficiency, all thoughts of past suffering are at once banished.

We had no opportunity of keeping the birthday of American Independence as many of us could have wished ;. but the heavens got up a private celebration, in the shape of a thunder-storm, and seldom have I heard such continued, heavy, and rattling peals. It always seemed to me that in the early part of summer the thunder was louder, the lightning more vivid, and the storms generally were more severe on the prairies than anywhere else. They are not, perhaps, attended with as much rain, but the accompaniments are altogether on a grander and more magnificent scale.

We had a troublesome and unwelcome visiter in camp on the night of the Fourth of July. The storm had induced the mess to which I was attached to pitch a tent. The wet grass without probably drove a prai- rie rattlesnake to more comfortable quarters within our canvass, the first intimation we had of the vicinity of his snakeship being his crawling over one of us in an attempt to effect a lodgment under some of the blankets. A more disagreeable companionship cannot well be imagined, even if one has his choice from among all living, moving, creeping, flying, running, swimming, and crawling things ; and to assert that any of us felt perfectly easy and at home with such a neighbour among us would be saying what is not true. For myself, fearing to move lest I should molest the reptile, I rolled myself, head and all, under my blanket, and lay perfectly quiet until daylight. Where the intruder went no one could tell, and we had the very great satisfaction of seeing no more of him.

Very frequently, on the great prairies, a man wakes up in the morning and finds that he has had a rattlesnake for a sleeping partner ; but there is one excellent trait in the character of these reptiles - they never bite unless disturbed, and will get out of the way as soon as possible, except in the month of August, when they are said to be blind, and will snap at any and everything they may hear about them. The ordinary prairie rattlesnake is of small size, seldom being seen over three feet in length ; but those living in the holes of the prairie dogs, mention of which I shall make hereafter, grow to an immense magnitude. The former, I believe, are considered not only the most vicious, but the most poisonous.

In addition to the rattlesnake, the tarantula is frequently met with on the Texan prairies, is also often found under the blanket of the campaigner, and is said to be as poisonous as the former. They are large, black, venomous-looking insects, with bodies about the size of a dove's egg, although their long and strong legs make them appear much larger. When attacked with a stick, they will rear up on their hind legs and attempt to bite, and are extremely ferocious in every respect. The least scratch from their long fangs throws a person into convulsions, and will produce death unless immediate remedies can be procured. The ballet of Le Tarentvle, in which Elssler gained so much applause, is a beautiful creation, although founded upon an idle superstition of the Italians. The bite of the real tarantula drives a person to anything but dancing, subjecting him rather to fits and strong nervous excitement. The opinion prevails, among the ignorant and superstitious of many countries, that music will cure the individual who has been bitten by one of these venomous insects. What effect it might have in soothing the nervous system I am unable to say ; but were I bitten by a tarantula I should certainly prefer hartshorn, taken inwardly and outwardly, for the purpose of procuring a safe and speedy cure.

It is deemed an easy matter to keep the rattlesnake from sharing your bed while sleeping upon the prairies. It is said that they will never cross a hair lariat, so that by circumscribing the ground you occupy with one of these instruments, you enjoy an exemption from their more sociable visits ; but this is no guard against the poisonous tarantula. Few persons, however, are bitten by either, not an instance occurring on the route, although we saw great numbers of each.

On awaking the next morning, after the adventure with the rattlesnake, we found that there had been another visitor in camp, and one from whose insatiate fangs there is no escape. Death had carried off a poor fellow named Flint. He had eaten freely of unripe grapes or berries during the previous day, which brought on a colic that no medicine could reach. He was buried at an early hour, and a volley was fired over his grave, after which the march was resumed.

We had already, and with no inconsiderable difficulty, crossed one branch of the Bosque, and on the evening of the 5th arrived at another fork of the same stream, where we encamped for the night. It abounds with excellent trout and soft-shell turtle. This day, for the first time, we saw the antelope, or mountain goat, an animal somewhat resembling both the deer and the goat, but with flesh preferable to that of either. It runs with great speed, and has a stride like a horse. How fast the animal can run when in possession of four legs is a question I am at a loss to answer, but one with a fore leg broken by a rifle ball made out to escape from one of our best horses after a long chase. On the table-lands at the foot of the Rocky Mountains they are met with in great numbers, and many are seen on the Upper Brazos and Colorado. Although a shy, they are still a very inquisitive animal, and are frequently lured within gunshot by simply hanging a red handkerchief upon a ramrod or stick, and moving it aloft. The hunter keeps his body out of sight as much as possible, when the antelope, seeing nothing but the handkerchief, approaches, with head erect and by slow degrees, until within rifle-shot, and then pays the penalty of its curiosity with its life.

The early part of the 6th of July was spent in cutting a road through the thick belt of wood which skirts either side of the main branch of the Bosque, and in partially digging away the high, steep banks of the stream. The labour of crossing the river was incredible. In descending the abrupt banks which led to the channel, it was necessary, not only to lock the wheels, but to hold back the wagons with ropes to prevent them from pitching down, " head first" as it were ; the greatest difficulty, however, was in ascending on the other side. The ascent was nearly perpendicular and some forty feet high, with no better footing than a deep sand. Some twenty yoke of oxen would in the first place be hitched to a wagon ; then ropes would be attached wherever there was a place to make them fast, manned by about fifty or sixty of the fatigue party ; finally, all the drivers would be called in requisition, and when all was ready for a start such a jumping, whipping, cracking, yelling, pulling, cursing and swearing would arise as to set all description at defiance. Bedlam itself, with five hundred Indians as an accompaniment, seemed let loose in a body. I will not pretend to say that had Bonaparte met with the Bosque while crossing the Alps he would have been compelled to return ; but he would have found a serious detention at all events. Yet difficult as was the crossing, everything was safely over before the middle of the afternoon, and we still made a march of a few miles to a spring a short distance from the River Brazos. At this camp we were favoured for the first time with the magnificent but much-dreaded sight of a stampede among our horses.

As there was no wood near our camping-ground, some half a dozen men pushed on to a small piece of timber in search of it. One of them had a wild, halfbroken, Mexican horse, naturally vicious and with difficulty mastered. His rider found a small, dry tree, cut it down with a hatchet, and very imprudently made it fast to his horse's tail by means of a rope. The animal took it unkindly from the first, and dragged his strange load with evident symptoms of fright ; but when with- in a few hundred yards of camp he commenced pitching, and finally set off at a gallop with the cause of all his uneasiness and fear still fast to his tail. His course was directly for the camp, and as he sped along the prairie it was soon evident that several of our horses were stricken with a panic at his approach. At first they would prick up their ears, snort, and trot majestically about in circles ; then they would dash off at the top of their speed, and no human power could arrest their mad career.

" A stampede /" shouted some of the old campaigners, jumping from the ground and running towards their frightened animals ; " a stampede ! look out for your horses, or you'll never see them again !" was heard on every side. Fortunately for us, the more intractable horses had been not only staked, but hobbled before the panic became general, and were secured with little difficulty, else we might have lost half of them irretrievably.

It is singular, the effect that sudden fright has, not only upon horses, but oxen, on the prairies. The latter will, perhaps, run longer and farther than the former, and although not as difficult to "head," because they cannot run so fast, their onward course it is impossible to stay. Oxen, so I was informed, have been known to run forty miles without once stopping to look back ; and when they did finally hold up, it was simply because exhausted nature would allow them to go no farther. Not one in fifty of them had seen the least cause for fear, but each ran simply because his neighbour did. Frequent instances have occurred wThere some worthless but skittish horse has caused the loss of hundreds of valuable animals. In the instance I have above alluded to, we did not lose one, but on a subsequent occasion, no less than eighty-seven were irrecoverably lost by one stampede.

Horses In The Flight Of Terror

Nothing can exceed the grandeur of the scene when a large cavallada, or drove of horses, takes a " scare." Old, weather-beaten, time-worn, and broken-down steeds - horses that have nearly given out from hard work and old age - will at once be transformed into wild and prancing colts. When first seized with that indescribable terror which induces them to fly, they seem to have been suddenly endowed with all the attributes of their original wild nature. With heads erect, tails and manes streaming in air, eyes lit up and darting beams of fright, old and jaded hacks will be seen prancing and careering about with all the buoyancy of action which characterizes the antics of young colts ; then some one of the drove, more frightened than the rest, will dash off in a straight line, the rest scampering after him, and apparently gaining fresh fears at every jump. The throng will then sweep along the plain with a noise which may be likened to something between a tornado and an earthquake, and as well might feeble man attempt to arrest either of the latter.