The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-02-12
VOL. VINO. 50.

mao part OF ms rust rubbed on, ana
claimed acquaintanccship. He in
vited all to his mansion 10 partake
of his best freely, and many availed
themselves of the invitation, and it
is the unanimous opinion of those
that went that his an ardednta, wine,
and brandy suffered upwards Of
some" His house is furnished equal
to the best American, and as regards
real comfort and convenience, ex-
GELS any | have seen. There is
very large vineyard near the hacien-
da and any number of fruit trees,
such as fig, apple, orange, lemon,
peach, &c. His Peones number
over 800, who live all around him,
and as the owner Of these, he bears
no mean resemblance to feudal
lord of the oldcn time. They are
as well his laborers as his soldiers,
aud he is not lacking in opportuni-
ties to call them out to defend his
property against the incursions Of
both Indian and Mexican robbers.
The government is Jealous of the
power of these grandees, and keep
taking their arms from them, but, as
our Don remarked with shrug,
they seldom get them all, and it is
easy to buy more
We left the grounds of our hospit.
able Don on the morning of the LIST
inst, and marched four miles, to a
beautiful plain, well watercd and
covered with fine grass, fronting
Parras, and within two miles of the
city. Here we were met by the AL
calde and the authorities of the Place.
with whom the General and staff had
long consultation on the green,
the result of which may be surmised
by what followed. We were per-
mitted peaceably to encamp on the
ground we occupied, and to point
our bis mouthed cannon directly at
the city, by which, at word, wv
could rake it without stint. Thus,
we became masters of another "im.
portant point" in Mexico, and once
more sat down peacea5ly to rest
season after our hardships. And
use the word in no playful sense, for
our march had its hardships. The
weather was uncomfortably warm in
the middle of the day, and nearly as
uncomfortably cool at night-the
water, though good, 'was scarce,
meeting it only at intervals of days.
march and the days marches, cons
sidcring the roads, were all long,
and some of them long enough for
two days. | imagine, few armies
have ever marched the same dis
lance in the same time, over such
roads. Besides this, the men really
suffered for want of provisions. In
the way of brcadstuGs, they had is
sued to them Mexican -four, or wheat
chaps, which, after L being carried in
,s,:.S,s sacks over such roads, left lit
tie but the bran. This was issued
in the same quantity to a ration as
American -four. Then there were
half rations of coffee and sugar, no
rice, no vinegar, no candles, and but
one ration in five days of pork, the
balance being made up by the hard
est kind of beef. To this add, that
men will cat more while on the
march than when lying still, and that
there is more wastage in cooking on
account of the hurry in which it has
to be done, and it may easily be i'm
agincd that they were frequently
pinched. Quite an alienation, how
ever, was afforded by the provision
wagons being but lightly loaded, SO
that the men had their knapsacks
hauled, and there was no lack of
wagon room for such as gave out.
The face of the country over
which we passed, was all alike-it
was mountainous all around us, and
the valleys through which the road
wound its way, appear to have been
uut thC ioN iicS UttWecH tllC NOUN
tains filed up TO certain height by
clay ashed from their sides, on
which no herbagc had yet started,
and nothing could grow but Spanish
bayonet, cactus,and chapparel'tLorn,
Occasionally, we would meet q fer.
tile valley,-but they orc Lut snots
in desert.
The road we came, is thorough
fare of sufficient Consequence to De-
serve the atte.ntion of tho robber
wh.o has his hordes scatter
ed along. e, and men can only travel
1t with safety in large parties, we'll
armed. THIS man has his band or
Ganized on about the same plan with
the horse thieves and robber .ganps
o.! our own State. lie himself koeps
in the mountains, but his minions
are the finest respectable of the
citizens, the mass Of whom mono
even suspect He robs but travel.
lers and the rich, and can move a.
mong the population almost any,
where with ;,.:, NJ. -.