south and east, a steep bank, twenty-five or thirty feet high, shut us from the contiguous plain.
While here, we kept strict and constant guard, in view of anticipated movements of the enemy, as, from certain information previously obtained, we knew him to be quartered in full force at the nearest settlements.
Our daily and hourly expectation was to meet a detachment of the Mexican army, then out for the purpose of reconnoitering; and, weak as we were in point of numbers, we felt quite equal to a hundred such soldiers, and were anxious for a trial of arms.
Our stay was prolonged for three or four weeks, and the abundance of choice buffalo meat that continued to grace our larder, with the rank growth of fresh grass for the sustenance of our animals, imparted an air of cheerfulness and thrift both to man and beast.
Nothing occurred worthy of note during the interval, save the following incident. One day, late in the afternoon, our sentinels announced the appearance of a small party of Mexicans at the crossing, and immediate preparations were made for an attack. Before these could be completed, however, our expected enemy was reported as having raised camp and being likely to escape by a precipitate retreat towards the Arkansas. Six men, mounted upon fleet horses, were immediately detached in pursuit, —of whom I was one.
The chase continued for several miles, and terminated in our overhauling three persons, —but, instead of Mexicans, two of them were Americans, and the other an Englishman, on their way to the United States with two pack mules heavily laden with gold and silver.
On receiving from them information of the disposition and probable whereabouts of the Mexican forces, they were permitted to depart unmolested, —a circumstance not likely to have happened had we been the gang of "lawless desperadoes," so hideously depicted in several of the public prints of the day, as I have since learned.
An item of the intelligence received through them, gave us mingled sensations of pain and pleasure.
An European Spaniard, —who had made one of the Texan army in its unfortunate expedition against Santa Fe, in the fall of 1842, and had been retained a prisoner of war for a number of months subsequent, having effected his escape to the Indian country, — on hearing of the recent movements of the Texans under Col. Warfield, had come and reported himself ready again to enlist.
On the strength of this assurance he was partially admitted to confidence, — a thing rarely to be reposed in any one of Spanish extraction. The result was, that, after gleaning all the information circumstances would admit of, he proceeded, post haste to Santa Fe, and laid the whole affair before Gen. Armijo, the Mexican Governor, in hopes of a handsome reward.
The old Governor, however, had received more exact intelligence, with the names and number of volunteers composing the party under Col. W., (furnished him through the medium of certain Americans, base enough in principle and sordid enough in motive, to act as his spies, for a paltry bribe in the shape of stipulated remissions of tariff duties on imported goods, etc.,) and treated the traitor to his cause quite cavalierly, — not hesitating to tell
