The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-05-18
From the Home Journal.
1IVuI tlF EfVsIfV 1OHF NUT
The ARTIST In Camp.

Afterwards 10 b. sSuiPttrsi in marble. for that
sitf -Four hai,lred do.isrs We're paid 70 hiIn N
starting ani he had prov ij,d himself with all she
Llitsr..ls. Carefully yhua1n, and implements nee-
essary lar his parpse he bal also Letters 10
officers on the route, 50 as u secure 10 him AZ
each stage sny facility for getting onward to heal
quarters, then al Walna, Springs, IN ths Vicinity
Vi Monterey Icxicc sEo spot where Gen Taylor /
snealnpli when abau, 10 storm that place, and
70 whlph he had returned soale weeks after the |
ta,tle vi Bucua Vista. Operations at that limo
had in measure, ceased on tia, liue
Whso Mons GABRIELLE reached CaInargo, on the |
uuper Rio Granie, q detachment uf volunteers
was about starting for Monterey, and he was pro
ylaed With mean. vi Interpretation ~ accompany
it AS guerilla parties then infested the iintnedl'
s.e country, il was deemed unsafe 10 move thro
itwiihoat q respectable escort. Mons. UatbeiNe
was entirely inexperienced IN the way. OF cam.
paiznnS, sud left himself to he entirely guided
by surgeon Of volunteers, Who was taking the
same journey. 4 light iuurhorse vehicle, called
an ambulance, (tpr the conveyance Of wounded
men, was then gfmg up 10 Monterey, antthe ar
,ist the surgeon, end one or two other passengers
were allowed seats in il; while 81! their baggage
was slowed il another heavy wGg>n. hne
team Of horses drew the ambulance, the wagon
beins drawn by ullea In the latter vehicle, as
has been remarked. all, On nearly ALI the baggage
had been slowed such ss the artists gold his
Inns AMI cly--mlteiials that might prove c'
more value even than the gold, gs there Was a
well founded doubt whether they could be had IN
the enemys country.
No accident happeuad until more than half the
rou:s had been gone over. The warnings with
which the party started from Clrargo about
guerrilla bands ~ have proved mncrrsa-
ary. Nothing had bees seen or heard to disturb
its progress, or e raise any apprehension The
sur. tOu began ~ feel more confident and bold,
AMI determined, under the influence Of these mis-.
taken feelings, that tho ambulance, and the wa.
gon attached TO it, should move ahead Of the CO.
c,rt whose movements were TO slow to suit b.
inpatiencs. 1t was also probably known that
another detachment OF Americans was not many
Ii % ahead,
The guerrlileros allaled :, wer. generally on
the watch from certain favorable points, u catch
such impatient persons very likely to b. lulltI
into carsessnes5 Oy the .HpaUIty with which the
previous days had passed. The whole route WAS
favorable Tor ambusbes, particularly TINT part of
II then at hand Bold undulatiuu5 gave points Of
view, whence many miles Of the road could he
easily rrconnoitere while th. surface was mostly
covered by dense chlparyaa fitted to conceal
any number. ,h3; mi Oh, lie thgre IN wait for the
unwary. Ihtsy licrs N wait trouble none but
such. All others, though probably well observed,
passed unharinGi. 'Ihs ambulance, AMI it. At.
teudant baggage wagon, isolated IN ais fOolhlrdy
fashion, were noticed in time 20 make all arrange
men,i fJr their c. pture The ambulance WAS sui.
.ered 70 pass mmoesied it being well calculated
that the best prize was the wagon behind which,
as soon as it came within convenient distance, re.
eeive Il few shot, which tunbed the driver out
Of his saddle and Disabled , sufficient number of
the mules toslup all further progress. Those who
performed this part OF the wulk we're di.mountel
and concealed by the roadside \ MOUNTED par.
y that wds IN due tlnc TO attack the ambulance,
had to stand some''hat lnye removed but this
party, as soon rs the NAN ,Me had been secured,
dashed out Of its hiding place 10 secure that We.
hice which WIS desirable for the fine team which
drew il, American horse, being ilr more valuable
than the N.Yican ponies.
The attack On ti.e wagon though Through the
heedessne,s that pctrlded Il. that moment. all
the arrangements uf this. small party) somewhat
separated from the ambulance was not made
without giving an alarm The quick ear OF the
driver, who was familiar with the route and all IL
hazards, caught the first sound, Of hostility and
Immediately applied tie la.h to his spirited ami
mails. and soon had them flying over the ground
at the top Of tber speed, the tramp Of the pur.
suers heard hard behind. The object was To
reach the camp ahead, AND, while they we've mo
wing with such rpi1ity over u road which was
nOne Of ;he srnoo hest and often rather precipit,
Gus with an lmm.neut chance If being upset the
eurseon prob ,b!y rcp,ned Of lis iinpatience. and
the artist no doubt al-o regretted that he hld
been tempted, il al evil hour To leave hi, quiet
and safe studio IN New Orleans iur the per,lrba-
tons and peril, OF Mexico. Fortunately, the am
bGlance won the rcc
In his Joy for such m escape, Mon, GABRIELLE
Thought htle ioT a time Of the loss Of his ba.
gage etc, and reached headquarters before he
had leisure To calculate the consequences l.
soon, however became apparent that the loss OF
his materials might be irrdplr,b,e aud he began
20 tear that his journey biset WIKI such dan gers
had been made Ia vain Every effort was al
once in activity to discover u substitute in The
neighborhood. 1t was probable, considering the
nature OF the country TIA, lime and clay were
10th there, but excursions beyond the protection
Of sentlnels, unless under an escort wore unsafe
etill, such excursions were made, and after many
days. with Satisfactory success In the mean
tiuie, the artist found srat at the h1,pable
mess of Gen. Taylor, aud uch r.umeut us he had
brought oh answered well enough for all USES cal
led ior IN summer camp. 4 tent was pitched
a. studio, and the artist went to work.
II was most agreeable variety for those con.
neeted with head quarters then stationary anu
quite monoionou', % watch the progress of.t!Gs
ILOui ~ genius eAlhltiOu So novel uuIpr
vas, AMI ~ such n situation. a. the artist spoke
no English, AMI his distinguished subject spoke
no French, some one ur more persons Of the stall
generally relieved tbs teJium OF the sitting by
occupying acIupstpJ At the door of The ta6eli-
nele, thus strangely diverted from It's common
use, occasionally mtlting remark but for the
most part observing III sllrnte The potter ike now.
er wish which the artist blought gu from the
hhapele,s mass such resrmGlnces as ho chose
lTst this feature, then that until at last, the cu.
tire head within bis eye appeared with its outline
nnd h!linss up, perfect counterpart in all but
color and life The sitlngs were short bu. fire.
quen,. and probably exceeded, in ths end, more
than fifty IN number
Az who were thus, day after day, employed in
oo'erNn5 this 1dRnutre Of the camp, lin.re lite.
rally such than the military manpyres. falsely 50
calledl became attached both to the artist and hi,
art; To tie artist who had thus, by train of
incidents, been transferred in tho course of short
period OF Ina life, from the beautiful climate of
Italy to the equally, fnot still more beautiful
climate OF Mexico, under the Sierra NJ ,dre from
studio where he hld seen anil cau,ht insp,a,i,n
from illorwaldsen in bis glory TO another studio
under canvas, where he was contemplating anJ
catching enthusiasm from another eminent man
lhe aspect aud sounds Of the camp were no, in
Nsifl IA liz. A.. IL