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Show ~ 28 JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE '' would be necessary to our country or ourselves. I am '' now here, on a visit to this man's wife; attend ed by a " corporal of dragoons as a guard, who answers very w ·ll " as a waiter guide, &c. in my excursions through the coun" try; but I will immediately return with you to Malgares." Thus ended Robinson's rdation, and I in return related what had occurred to the party and n1ysclf. We agreed upon our future line of conduct and then joined my old captain in the house; who had been persuaded to tarry all night, provided it was agreeable to me, as our host wished Robinson to remain until the next day; with this propo· sition, I complied in order that Robinson and myself might hav.~ a further discussion before we joined Ma1garcs, who I suspected would watch us close. The troops proceeded on to the village of Tousac, that evening. 8tb March, Swulay.-March~d after taking breakfast and halted at a little village, three miles distance, called Tousac situated on the west side of the Rio del Norte. ' The men informed me that on their arrival over night, they had all been furnished with an excellent supper, and after supper, wine, and a violin, with a collection of the young people to a dance. When we left this village the priest sent a cart down to carry us over, as the river was nearly four feet deep. When we approached the villilgc of St. Fernandez, we were met by lieutenant Malgares, ac~ companied by two or three other ofliccrs ; he received me with the most manly frankness and the politeness of a man of the world. Yet my feelings were such as almost over, powered me and obliged me to ride by myself for a short period in order to recover myself: those sensations arose fr01n my knowledge, that he had now been absent fro~n Chihuahua ten months, and it had cost the king of Spam n1orc than 10,000 dollars, to dlcct that which a mere ac, ddent and the deception of the governor had efFected. THROUGH THE INTERIOR PROVINCES, &c. 229 Malgares finding I did not feel myself at case took every means in his power to banish my reserve, which made it impossible on my part not to endeavor to appear chearful ; we conversed as well as we could and in two hours were as well acquainted as some people would be in the same nmnber ?f.mont?s. Ma1garcs possessing none of the haughty Castdhan pnde, but nlllch of the urbanity of a Frenchman'· and_I will add my feeble testimony to his loyalty, by de: clanng that he was one of the few oflicers or citizens whom I found, who was loyal to their king, felt indignant at the degraded state of the Spanish n1onarchy; who de .. precated a revolution or separation of Spanish America, from the mother country ; unless France should usurp the government of Spain. 'fhese arc the men who possess the heads to p~an, the hearts to feel and the hands to carry this great and Important work into execution. In the afternoon our friend wrote the following notification to the Alcaldes ~f ~everal.small villages around us. " Send this evening SIX or e1ght of your handsomest young girls, to the vil:: :ge of St. Fernande~, where I propose giving a fan" a~go, for the entertammcnt of the American officers arnved this clay." (Signed) DoN FACIENDo. This order was punctually obeyed, and pourtrays more clearly than a chapter of observations, the degraded state .of ~he common people. In the evening when the company arnved, the ball began after their u, ual manner and there was reall~ a handsmnc display of beauty. ' It Will be proper to n1ention here, that when my small pap:r trunk was brought in, Lt. Malgares struck his foot agamst it d ·d . ,, h . . . ,, . 'an sa1 . t c governor mforms me this IS a pnsoner of war, or that I have charge of it but sir only " ass ure me, that you will hold the papers th'e rein' con' tain- |