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Show [ 23 J 84 town and the river valley .b:yond, filled with c_otton trees; the h' h fl t "mesa " covered wtth a sheet of volcamc rock, and the •g a' a capp'ed s1· erra that rises in the distance . This valley gran snow- ' · · f b · · f . of Val verde has been very highly spoken o , ut 1t IS o narrow limits and its soil is sandy· . . . , No~ ember 19.-While paym~ a -ytsit to one of the traders camps, I th I ndian method of gnndmg corn. A large slab of val-sa ·w ek had been obtained from t h e nei. g hb on. ng " mesa; " t h'1 s came roc d 1 1 · · 1· was then worked into a level surfa ce a? · p acec m an me med ·t· to form the "metate" upon which the corn, that has been pos1 10n, · · 1 d d d previously parchfd to render it more cnsp, IS p ace an groun with an oblong stone. Last night a Mr. Phelps, who had left ~is ho~e to try_ the ~ealth toring climate of the Rocky mountams, died . Bemg m the r::t stage of consumption' he had hoped th~t the ~ure air of the rairie might ameliorate his disease. N otwtthstandmg the benefi~ ial effects that pure air may produce, ye_t the exposu:e under the thin canvass walls of a tent; the long JOUrneys d.uru~g days of beat and cold; the ueleter_io.u~ effe.cts of the deJ?nvation of ~he various conveniences of C1v1hzed hfe; the necessity of travelhng daily whether the patient be sick or well, more than cancel the good 'influences of the healthful climate. .November 20.-We have a great deal of ice in the R.io del Norte· at one place it was sufficiently strong to bear the we1gl1t of a man'. We found some of our friends making a tole,* which is a very dilute kind of mush made of the flour of parched corn. . We learned that Colonel Doniphan had not yet c.oncluded h1s treaty with the Navajoes, and was expected in eight days, and several companies were already at Socorro. November 21.-We were delighted by the arriv~l of s~veral Americans, who confirmed the report that two compames of Colonel Doniphan's regiment were at Socorro. One can never ·believe the New Mexicans; not that the·y are wilfully liars, b~t they are so ignorant that they see nothing clearly, but judge as If looking through a glass darkened, and give word to the concep· tion thus derived, which generally proves false. . The Mexicans are ·remarkable for their ceremonious pohtenes~; in meeting each other they generaily embrace and uncover t.h~Ir heads, after which each runs through a long formula of i~qumes after friends and relations, and ends with good wishes and mv.oca· tions of the protecting care of God, the virgin, and the samts. To-day some one greeted a Mexican who appeared with the c?m· mon salutation of "Viva ustecl mil aiios;" he instantly replied, "and God grant, sir, that you may live to see the last year of the thousand." · From what I have been informed, the profits of the Santa. Fe traders are in this proportion: Goods, such as calicoes or pnnts that are bought for 10 cents, sell for 37~ cents; ancl cazinets and • The " atolle" of Cla.vigera. 85 [ 23] cloths, costing about 25 cents, sell for $2. A wag?n contains from two to three thousand dollars worth of goods. . November 22.-We have had some news to-day that ~a used qmte an excitement. The people of Chihuahua hav:e had spieS out, far a~vanced in the direction of the route by wh1c~ General yY ool w1ll hav·e to approach, and they now say ·that he IS not commg at all. This has so encouraged the Mexicans that they have determined to send a force here and capture the wagons and valuable goods of the traders. November 23.-A cold wind, that continued to blow all day, obliged us to gather around our ca_mp fires; but even then it was almost impossible t~ be comfortable; one must keep constantly revolving in order to have all sides warm. . While sitting by the fire last night, we heard the sound of hor&es' hoofs on the frozen gr0und; hailing those who approached, we found that they were from a trader below, who was sending to Socorro to procure medical aid for a sick man, and to inform us all that he had received most positive information with regard to an intended march of the Mexicans from below, and ur_ged all to join in an application for the volunteers at Socorro to come down and encamp where they would be ready to assist us. November 24.-When we first arose, the river was frozen across, but by breakfast time the ice was floating down the rapid current in great quantities, with a constant murmuring sound as the fragments grated together. The river is here full of sand bars. At one place we plucked a reed, "arundo phragmites," and without difficulty threw it across the river, which at that place was not more than 50 feet wide to the bar, but the water is now very low. As one of the axe helves had been broken, we were forced to s,upply it w~th a piece of " mezquit ;" it was very difficult to get a stra1~ht ptece of sufficient length. Dunng the day, we sent up an express to the volunteers, desiring them to move down the river. November 25.-This morning we walked gown to a trader's ~amp below us. We found he had made preparations for remainmg here some time. His men had constructed a log house, which tfhey had thatched with poles and rushes, so that it was quite com-ortable. d 0~ our r~turn to cam·p,. we found that the volunteers had come ~wl n the nver, and had encamped on the opposite side, about two m1 e~ above us. · J(ovember 26.-The weather is still extremely cold; the river was ;gam running full of ice, and the water in the camp buckets had V rozen to the thickness of three inches; still, the midday sun feels ery warm. · daT his morn· 1 . 1 h mg got a sparrow-hawk, "Falco sparvenus." To-in Ys. ;ar? an anecdote . that ~c.coun ts for one of. o~r common sayan~ f tIs related that a white man and an Indian went hunting· man a t~Jw,~rds, when they came to diYide the spoils, the whit~ sai ' You may take the buzzard 'and I will take the turkey, |