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Show • [ 23] 92 prepare for the arduous journey before us. I wished now to en-· force what I had so strenuously advised by my own example. Besides I knew that this exercise would be of great personal benefit, as my c~nstitution had not yet e~tirely . recovered from the severe shock it had sustained from my 11lness m August. On our road we saw great numbers of redwinged flickers, shore larks, wild geeseand brant; also many varieties of ducks, among which were the mallard the merganier, and the teal. We saw also many cranes, the "g/ulla" of the Mexicans, but they were not so numerous now as they were when we came down the river: Although o~nitholo· gists have determined. that t.he blue cran~ 1s only .the whtte cr~ne in its first plumage, still we dtd not see a smgle whtte crane dunng our exploration of J\' ew Mexico. Arrived at the town of Limitar, the peopl.e came out in great numbers, bringing us mules to sell. I bought two fine ones, and exchanged a horse for a beautiful "macho," which, although a little wild, was indeed a valuable mule; he had never had a scar on his back, and was large, fat, and beautifully formed. Before the day's march was over we placed the "macho" in the wagon, and he worked as if he alone would drag the whole load. I found among my new men one named James Dobson, who had at one time been a soldier in the at my, and had had the advantage of having crossed the prairies several times. I am but too glad to have one who has served in such a good school for acquiring per· severance and fortitude. December 17.-Before we had proceeded far, we met a party of Colonel Doniphan's men with flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, on their route to join the army. In a little while we entered "Sa· bino," having cross.ed the mouth of the "Rio Puerco," which was petfectly dry. On our way we shot several mallard ducks," anas boschas," and brant geese. In the evening we encamped near "~oralles," at the hacienda of El Senor Jose Chavez, having ob· tamed the permission of el Senor. In an acequia that lay near our camp we saw several "muskrats," "ondatra zibethicus," but they were beneath the ice, and we did not shoot for fear of the ball glancing. December 18.-Before starting we called. on Senor Chavez to pay for the "zacate" that we had taken to feed our mules. He told me th.at he had lately lost a son, who had been carried off by the N~vaJoes, and that several of his peons had lost their wives and ch1ldren. I was introduced to the ladie of the household; they had their faces covered with a thick coating of some whit~was? that concealed every feature except the eyes. This preparation IS not put on because they consider it ornamental but as I have been told, to protect the delicacy of the skin from bein~ spoiled by.ex· posure; for these ladies seem to think the " reboso" an insufficient guard to their beauty. .The females of the lower class love to ornament their cheeks W1 lth paint.o·r pokeberry' juice; the latter, when dry, makes thelll oowk abommable. ... . e made a long march, encamping at "Lentes," and passing 93 [ 23] through the towns of Corales, .Belen, Saucillo, Galvadones, and Lunes. At Belen I obtained some beautiful specimens of selenite, such as the people of this region use to glaze their windows. They also calcine it and mix it with water, and with this mixture whitewash the facades of their dwellings and churches. December 19.-Starting at daylight, we reached Isletta at noon. Here we saw ·a beautiful antelope," di cranoceros furcifer." It had been wounded so that the pueblos had captured it, and it had now become perfectly domesticated. At Padillas we tried to purchase corn, but the people wished to receive $4 the cestal, (a bag ! vera wide by I! veras long.) W e passed through "Pajarito " and in the evening crossed the Rio de Norte and encap1 ped at Albuquerque. We found the west side of the river to be much the best for loaded wagons; one thus avoids those terrible sand hills at Joyeta at Socorro, and at Bosequecito; however, one must be cautious i~ crossing the Rio del Norte with wagons containing such immense loads as the trader's wagons, for some of the traders told me that the. bottom of the river is not sufficiently firm to b ear great weights. .At Al~uquerque we found Captain Burgwin and Captain Grier, w1th thetr troops quartered in the adobe houses. They find the place .very h.ealthy, and the surgeon, Doctor Simpson, tel1s me that there 1s no st.ckne~s except amongst the Mexicans, who have lost many of their cht!dre,n by the measles and the who.oping cough. . Aro.und the soldiers quarters the sentinels were stationed in all duechons, even on the tops of the houses, and the strictest vi ila~ ce was observed? no one being allowed to pass with the counfersign unless recogmzed by the men on post. December 20.-W e now bade adieu to our brother soldiers who l;e!lle~ only to regret that they were not also going back to the mte States. On our road we found much snow, which had a _ r~re~tly been on the gro.und several days; it was thawing fast a~d e an was extremely chdl. At Alemeda we stopped to 't corn 0 f purc11ase ten b nle o my men c~me and told me that he had just been bit-y a 1 og. I told him to shoot it, which he did Wh th ~;oi~ wo:u~n ,~eard !he rep.ort of the pi~tol, s~e came· immedf:te] e afier~il. ' morteron IDI ~erro~ ~orteron IDI perro," and look[J to have t·ept Indc~d, ~ hea.rttly pltt~d her, but she certainly ought Some M . sue a og hed, and It would not have been kill d to th . ke;ucans afterwards looked at the man's leg but they se e d. In It was a t · fl W ' erne "Sandia." 0 mere n e. e now pass through the pueblo larks, and mann our. march .we saw a great many flocks of shore-were ho .. y ravens, while the blackbirds, in immense flock In tb, ppt~g abo,lt the fodder-stacks and sheds of th . I s, e evenmg we h d h . e corra es we encamped clo::a~ e ht e pretty lt~tle town of B ernalillo, and treme of th t y t e neat haciendas at the northern . e own He th h d ex- VIneyards in the . h ] ;e are e an somest and b est arranged appearanee of wewaltho e departmf ent, and the houses show a O'reater D an com ort ~ ecember 21 I h . · of our landlordfo~ tthee ~::~~Ft'isw~en I1calle1rl fto pay the charges orr a ' anc or the bundles of |