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Show JO t Hl\'AL OF A VOYAG E <:>Gtl; !VIa}', T uc.rday.-Made prrparations for march. ing tbc lll'>.. .. Jay. I arose early before any of our people w. n.' np ,md " all· ed nearly ro 1nd the t~wn ; and from the hill took a small survey, with rny penctl and a pocket compass which I always carried with me-returned and found them at breakfast, they having sent three or four of my men to ::;carch for me. The Spanis~ troops at ~his place were remarkably polite: always front~ng and salutmg " hen I passed. This I attnbuted to their commandant, li, ut' nanl AJams. 27t b May, H'cclncsday.-l\1archecl at seven o'clock, aftt'r taking an afF,ctionate leave of Don Ilymen, and at half past twelve arrived at the I-hciendo of Don Melcher, situalul on the ::;ame stream of Montdovez. J)on Melcher was a man of very large fortune, po· ljtc, gcwTous and friendly. lie had in his service a man who had dcsertcJ frorn captain Lockwood's company, first rc,run ·nt of inf~mtry by the name of Pratt. From this h ' . 1nan lw had acquir 'd a considerable quantity of crude 111· dir·csted information P'lativ ~ to the UniteJ States, and wl~cn he met with us his thirst afler knowlcJge of our laws and institutions appeared to be insatiable. He caus· ed a fine large sheep to be killed and presented to m~ men. 2~ tb May, 'fbursday.-Marched early anJ arnved at Eucina llaciendo at ten o'clock. This place was owned by l)on tiarego. \Vhcn we arrived at the Ilacicndo ofEncina, I found a ) o 1t h of 1 8 sitting in the house quite gentecly dressed, whom l immediately recogniz •d fron1 his physiognom~ to b , an American, and entered into conversation with hJm. Ilc expressed great satisfaction at tneeting a countryman, and we had a great deal of conversation._ lie s~t ~t a ta~ blc with u ~ and partook of a cold collation of f1 UJtS an confectionary, but I was much surprised to learn shortly THROUGH THE INTEHIOR PROVINCES, &c. 2 59 after we quit the table, that he was a uescrtC'r from our army, on which I questioned him., and hC' replied, that his name was Griffith, he had enlisted in Philadelphia ; arrived at New Orleans and deserted ~~s soon as pos~iblc ; that the Spaniards had treated him much better than hi!; own countrymen, and that he should never r eturn. I w ;1s extremely astonished at his insolence, anJ mortified that I should have been betrayed into any polite conduct towards the scoundrel. I told hin1 " that it was astonishing he " should have had the impertinence to adJress him~ ·1f to "me, knowing that I was an American oDic •r." 1 1~ muttered something about being in a country \\here he \Vas protected, &c. on which I told him, " If he arrain O})~ncJ " h' h . b IS mout to n1e, 1 would Instantly cltastizc him, Jh)t- " ·withstanding his supposed protection." 1 fc was silent and I called up one of my soldiers and told him in his hear: ing, that if he attempted to tnix with them to turn him out of company, which they executed by leadin r- hi1n tn the door of their ro01n ~l short time after, when l;e entered it. Whe~ dinner was nearly ready, I sent a mcssJgc to th-.! propnctor, that "we assumed no right to say whom h<' " h ld . ~ ~ ou mtroduce to his table, but, that we should thi1~k '' It a great m· d1 · gn1· ty orure rcd to a Spam· sh ofl1-cer to attcm 1 )t "to set h1' m d own at the same board wi· th a deserter h. om (( h . ~ e1r army; and that, if the man who wa•; at tl1~ tab!~ "m the mornm· g, was to make h1·s dppear.mct: ~wain, " we sh o u ld d ec I1' ne eatm· g at l·t ." lie rcplt·e d, '; t Ln at it ''wa s acc1' d ent w h.1 ch produced the event of. the mornino· · "that h . b ' ;, c was sorry our feelmgs had been inj urcd, and that ., he wohul d take cure he did not appear a0rr ain whilst we Were t ere." Our good friend Don 1\tlelcher herr ov.crtook u , and. passed tho evening with us. |
