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Show 2Gtb Jl.1ay, Tucsday.-Madc preparations for marching the next day. l arose early before any of our people wPr up and walked nearly round the town ; and from the hill took a small survey, with nty pencil and a pocket compass which I always carricJ with Inc-returned and found them at brcakf~1st, they having sent three or four of my 1ncn to search for me. The Spanish troops at this place were remarkably polite, always fronting and saluting when I pa sed. This I attributed to their commandant, lieutenant Adams. 27th May, Tif"cdncsday.-Marchcd at seven o'clock, after taking an affectionate leave of Don llymen, and at half past twelve arrived at the IIaciendo of Don Melcher, situated on the same stream of Montelovez. 1 on Melcher was a man of very large fortune, polite, generous and friendly. lie had in his service a man \\ ho had deserted from captain Lockwood's company, fir"t regiment of infantry, by the name of Pratt. From this n1an he had acquired a con idcrablc quantity of crude indigested information relative to the United States, and when he met with us his thir~t after knowledge of our laws and institutions appeared to b,.. insatiable. lie caused a fmc large sheep to be killed and presented to my men. 28tb May, T!Jursdoy.-Marched early and arrived at Encina I iacicndo at ten o'clock. This place was owned by Don Barcgo. \ ¥ hen we arrivcJ at the llacicndo of Encina, I found a youth of 18 sitting in the house quite gcntcely dressed, whmn 1 immediately recognized frmn his physiognomy to be an American, and entered into conversation with him. lie expressed great satisfaction at n1ecting a countryman, and we had a great deal of convcrs:ltion. lie sat at a table \'rith us and partook of a colJ collation of fruits and confcctionary, but I was much surprised to learn shortly THROUGH TilE INTERIOR PHOVINCES, &c. 259 after we quit th table, that he was a d 'Sertcr from our army, on which I questioned him, and he replied, that hi.s name was GrifTith, he had enlisted in Pbiladelphia; arrived at New Orleans and deserted as soon as po:.siblc ; that the Spaniards had treated hin1 1nuch better than his own countrymen, and that he should never return. I v;L extremely astonished at his insolence, and morti licd that I should have been betrayed into any polite conduct towards the scoundrel. I tolJ. hin1 " that it was astoni~hing he " should have had the impertinence to address himself to " me, k nowm. g t h at I was an Amen.c an officer." lJ c Inut-tercd something about being in a country where he was pro~ccted, &c. on which I told him, " If he again opened " h1s mouth to me, I would instantly chastize him, not" withstanding his supposed protection." J l~ was sill·nt, and I called up one of n1y soldiers and told him in ltis hearing, that if he attempted to mix with them to turn him out of company, which they executed by leading him to th, door of their roo1n a short time after, when he entered it. Whe~ dinner was nearly ready, I sent a Ine 'sagc to the propnetor, that "we assmncd no right to say whom h · " should introduce to his table, but, that we should think " it a great indignity oficred to a Spanish ofTicer to attempt " to set him down 'lt the same board with a d scrtcr frmn " their army; and that, if the 1nan who was at the tah l ~ " m. th e mornm. g, was to n1akc his appearance again, " we should decline eating at it." lie replied, " that it " was accident which produced the event of the morning · " t ha t hc \.vas sorry our feelincr~ had been inJ· Ul\.:J and tha't "I1 c would take care he d1. d b not appear again w' hilst we "' were there." Our good friend Don l\Iclchcr her<' overtook us, an,~ pasc;ed the C\'<:'lling with us. . |
