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Show 498 Ex. Doc. No. 41. men, had had a fight V:ith a party of .Navajoc Jndiaus. ~t appears that while the compamcs were on thetr ma.rch (lown the nver, s~mc Mexicans rushed hurriedly up to tht'm, crymg out that the NavaJOes bad just been into the village, mur<~ering. th~ p opl.e, an<l carry.i~g off their lloclcs and hcnls. Captam Gncr Immc<hate1y set o~ tn pursuit, and soon came in sight of the bold maraud('rs. In a .It~tle while the Indians b<•gan to abandon the cattle they were dr1V1ng oif, until at lasl100 brad had been left along the route. So warm and <'X citing was the r has<', that l he officers, who were well mounlc<l heeded not the want of their men who were \lnable to kct'P padc with thrm, but they prc~secl on, ~nxious to rccov~r. the immense "cavalgada" of shc<'P that the lnd1ans WPre yet dnv1ng. Suddenly they sav. thry had 1 ushe(l into an : mbuscaclr, for. the ~nd ian s, rising up from t Ia· i r con ccalm en t, su rroun dcd Ca pta m G ncr and his three brave companions. With horrid nics and shouts of ''NavHhor, Navahoe," thr Indians sprang forwanl to the combat; thry were dr<•ssecl for war, being ornamentf'd with paints and plume~, and m ountccl on good hor. <· ~, and arm cd with bows and arrow , and lances; but, fortunal(•ly, they werr so crowd<•cl that they fcarrd lc::~t they should shoot ca<'h other. At ](~ngth one of the chiefs ramr along side of Lic•utcnant Wilson; their horses wer<> on the gallop, each one waiting until th horses should jump together, whrn, at th amc moment, Lieutenant Wil~on and the Indian fired; the officer's pistol did not go ofl', an<l tla· arrow of the chief only cut off a coat button, and lodged in 1he saddle blanket of Captain Grier. As the Indian turne(l his ho1 se, a Mexican, who had started at full peed, came in contact with him, and rolled horse and rider in the du. t; thr Indian was immc1liat •ly upon his feet, and ru ·hed up to a drngoon .·oldier, who hrtd a patent carbine, such as loaded at the brea<'h, and had, unseen by the Indian, reloaded it, and the Indian coming up within two or three feet, the soldier shot him dead: One other Intlian was killed, when Captain Grier ordcrecl a retreat, and the four, drawing their sabres, cut their way out and rejoined their company, while the Navajoe· succeec~ cd in carryi~g olf 3,000 hc.ad of hccp. L1eutcnant Wtls~n wa~ agam fortunate; being out on a patrolE\ he captured a couner wtlh letter· to Chihuahua whid1 had been written by some of the principal men in New M'c ico and manifested a pirit of rcal!inc~ f~r any insurrectionary mov~ment. November 13.-Tht.· mornmg I nosscd the river at "llosque<'ito," ~ncl went lo the en cam pm en t of the dragoons. Ca plain J~ urgwin mform~d me that the traclers were well prepared to defend themse! vcs m case ~f an • ttack; that they had construclc(l quite a for J~ l<~a?lc fort o.f wagons at Valverde, and that the country in the vlcnuty of t~eu eamp afforded plenty of wood and grass, and, I therefore, clctcrm111cd t?, move down .the river on the 11cxt morning. November 14.-l he Jay prov1ng very faYorablc we made a much longer marrh than we had at fnst intended as ~e proceeded at least 10 milrs below 1 an P('cfro, which plac~ is 41 miles south of ]losquccito. Tl~e road for m.any miles? in the latter p~nt of our mar~h, was covered w1th a d pos1tc of salme substances, which Jay hke • |