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Show • [ 23] 90 and that Major Gilpin had already arrived within a few miles of us. There was also a rumor that General Wool would march to Chihuahua, but that he hau gone by the way of Monclova. December 10.-This .morning I went up to "Parida," in order to purchase provisions. Th.e river. was full of floating ice, and for some distance from the shore It was yet unbroken. We were obliged to get logs and break a road for the wagons, and even then it was with considerable difficulty that we succeeded in urging the mules into the river. When we arrived at the opposite shore, we found Major Gilpin and his command. The men were without tents, and constant exposure to the cold and snow, on the high sierras of the Navajoes country, have given them a pretty ragged looking exterior. After we had proceeded five miles, we met Colonel Doniphan and his staff. He said that he should march for Chihuahua, as soon as the artillery should arrive from Santa Fe. We recrossed the river at San Pedro, and at dark reache~ "Parida," where we stoJ?ped at the house of the alcalde, Don Miguel Baca. He asked me If" El Seiior Don St. J ago Polk, no esta el Presidente de nuestra republica." I found out that he considered himself a citizen of the United States. December !I.-Everything has just doubled in. value, beeves are now worth $20 a head, and corn $6 the fanega. December 12.-The . kindness of these people was remarkable; ~~ey. ~ave us numerous presents of "ponche," or tobacco, and chih colorado." At 9 o'clock we started, after having embraced the whole household. We were struck with their politeness; "th e.y al.w ay"s uncovered their heads when offering a light for our Ciganto;. and, when they mad.e any movement, prefixed it with "con su hcencea Senor." When an old patriarch of the village entered, they all rose and uncovered their heads· he too was a :Baca. ' ' ' About dark we reached our camp at Valverde, when I received several le~ters;. and amongst them an order from the adjutant general, duectmg me to repair immediately to Washington city. I had already two orders to the same effect one from General Kearny, and the other from Colonel Donip!lan ·and' as it was not known which way C?lonel Doniphan would proce~d after reaching Chihuahua, I ~term~ned to return at once to Santa Fe, and thence proceed to . e U~uted States, which was the only route open to me. Manyof my fnends represented the undertaking as almost impossible, but th~re was one trader who had crossed the prairies in the winter; an ~ as he had done it, I did not see why it might not be done agam; moreover, my orders to return had to be obeyed. December 13.-I obtained five beautiful specimens of the "ortix ~quamosa;-" as the arsenic that· we had obtained in St·. Louis had een taken to California, I was obliged to fill the skins with corn meal. . In ~he afternoon we saw Ca.ptain Walton's picket guard return· mc g··' Itb had b een re l'I eved by Major Gilpin who was now at Fr ay nsto al, from which place he would prqc~ed to San Juan, as soon • 91 [ 23] as hts animals had rested a day or two, preparatory to crossing the terrible "Jornada d ~l Muer~o." December 15.-This mornmg, at 9 o'clock, we left Valverde fo r Santa Fe. On the opposite sid~ of the river, ~t the cro.ssing, ;ve met Colonel DoniphaiJ. He said he had been htghly gratified with his march into the country of the N avaj oes. From what I could learn they build in a style similar to the people of Acoma, Santo Domi~go, and the other Pueblos of New Mexico. They belong to the great Apache nation, together with the Cyotleros and Mezcaleros, of the southern regions, all of which tribes are said to speak th~ Apache language. S_~me of Colonel D~niphan's. c~m mand v.is1ted the people of Zum, and succeeded m estabhshmg peace between them and the· N avajoes. Before we had gone more than half the day's journey from Valverde, we overtook a party of eighteen men, w~o had left the employment of some of the traders, and were now on their way to the United States. I at once took them in my employment, considering myself most fortunate in thus obtaining ~ party in complete readiness for the intended journey, which would obviate the necessity of delaying in Santa Fe. Continuing our route on the west side of the Rio del Norte, we encamped this evening near the little town of San Antonio, which is fourteen miles north of Valverde. · Although our mules have had nothing to do for the last four weeks, yet the cold and the insufficiel}t nourishment to be derived from the grama grass had left them in a poor plight. One of the~ gave out to-day, and the men I left to drive it up, coul-d 11ot get It to camp. December 16.-This morning I represented to the men I had en~ aged yesterday, ·the tria]s and difficulties that we would most hkely encounter, and I insisted particularly that they should - purchase~ ne~ set of mules, as those they then had were poor, and woul~ mevit~bly die before they could get across the prairies . . Thts mornmg we passed Major Mitchell's command. Although this men ~ere mounted on mules, still they presented a fine appearance, owmg to the good discipline and regularity observed on the march. They had just passed us, when we heard a rustling of sables, and looking round, saw the men all on foot, leading their ~u es. The movement was performed with such perfect unity , . atdo~e must necessarily judge them to be well drilled. I recog-mze In th k . . th e ran s somfl brave fellows who had been , with us 18~~ug~ the country of the Kioways and Camanches in the fall of n th f \noon we reached Socorro, which is by this route 27 miles c~~ ~ alverde. Passing four miles beyond the city, we en- We on the bank of the river. reache. ha;e now a journey of 136 miles to accomplish before W mg anta Fe, where we will be in nine days. left : passed to-day a deserted town, which we were told had been Th'n acco~nt of the continued depredations of the Navajoes. had c 1 0 8 mor1n1mg I started off and walked as far as Limitar, for I unse ed m .. lk h . . Y men to wa as muc as possible, m order to |