The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-06-26


town and are not at camp to stand guard when
their turn comes, 1t is thought best to move camp
few miles out of town, and there wait until the
party are all supplied with animals. I wrote two
letters home, and about o'clock started after the
wagons that had already left. We travelled all day
IN the rain, the went very badly and we had
great difficulty in getting them to our destined
camping ground. 1t was 0 O'Clock at night when
l arrived As we were able to get our tents
out OF the wagons, we built large fire in a clump
OF bushes and spread ourselves around it as best
we could, with the canopy of heaven for shelter
from the rain. When | woke in the morning,
found we were eamped on the banks Of the Nueces
| river, about thirteen miles from Corpus. 1t Is the
same place where army under Gen TayIor
| eampeo when he entered the country. II was SIX
days before we all got animals. The day before
we lett bought horse from Col Abbot for s25.
de said that was what he paid Col Kinney for it.
We spent our time at the camp in hunting. fishing.
ETC. Every evening and morning wild geese few
over our camp in large numbers, and we had plenty
every day. There only one accident that han
Pened at this place; our Treasurer (Mr Burgenl
received flesh wound in the arm from one of A.
lens patent revolvers. One Of his messmates
named Schmidt had the pistol in his hand and
snapped il, thinking that there was no load in any
OF the barrels. IL occurred at night, and as there
was report that the Indians had visited a rancho
few miles from here the night before, il brought
all hands out, gun in hand, ready for action
February livery thing being ready for our
long march, we struck our tents and took the rosd
| After going about five miles, we lett the wagon
| rosd and struck off on mule trail and for four or
| five weeks we never saw another sign Of a road.
travelling over rolling praries, and sometimes over
hills and very rough places, we were lost several
times, and it often happened that after travelling
| two or three days we would find that we had not
| gone more than fifteen miles en- our course our
animals were several times one and a half and two
days without water. Owing to the difficulty of
forcing the wagons the rough, uneven ground
OF the praries, and soft marshy ground, our mules
and oxen broke down. and when we came to a GOOD
camp-gfound, we would have to stop day or two
to result them, in order to get along at all our
men became dissatisfied and quarreIsome and the
company threatened to break up in general row
several times. We did not suffer for want Of fresh
meat Tor the country abounds in game of every de-
scription-wild cattle, deer, antelopes. wild tur-
keys, etc; and the river, whose course we were
following, or trying to follow, was alive with fsh.
After we had been travelling about the praires for
about fifteen days. we came 10 the ruins Of large
stone house, called I" Case Blanco.n which was
4 owned some years ago by very worthy Spaniard
He was ssse 20 have had IS 600 head Of cattle
= and horses. He was, together with his family
. murdered by the Indians. As there was a fine
spring, and plenty OF good pasture for our animals
we concluded to stop here for day or two to recruit
e Three OF the party sent out to kill deer or
n Wild cattle, as we were out of fresh meat two Of
Inc party returned that night and reported that the
:, third man was lost. As the missing man did mot
= come IN the next day, we stopped day or two
longer, and sent out parties to hunt for him. but to
g no purpose. We remained at this place three
= days, and then proceeded our journey The
a morning that we started, l. and two Others were
sent out for last trial find the missing man but
we met with better success than the others.
, While was out that day, I saw more than five
thousand deer, but we did not get any Of them. It
was after dark before we came up to our partv !.
we must have travelled some forty or fifty miles
that day. just as we had come to the conclusion
tnat the missing man was lost for good, he made
MS appearance, alter an absence of six DAYS. He
saiu that ne had been three days without food and
had lost his horse; on the fourth day he fell in
win some cattle drovers, and they gave him food
ana sci him on our trail The party became more
ana more discouraged every day. We often had
to cut down trees and bushes to make road for
to take hold OF the wagons ourselves and pull or
push them up and down over the deep gull.es that
crossed our path. When we had been out aboat
three weeks, my horses back got sore. Twas sent
ahead with two or three others to look for water
IT being the second day that our animals had been
without it. We found trail leading to water, and
were waiting for the balance of the party to come
up; our horses were grazing around and nv horse
went under limb of tree and broke the pummeI
OF my saddle, and the next day found a large
lump on his back, which turned into a bad sore.
and had very little good of him any more-being
compelled tU walk for several days. To add to our
other msfortunes, our provisions began to run low,
and we were put on allowance, which caused
more dissatisfaction and murmuring l never saw
men act more foolish, and like children, in
my life Col. Abbot resigned the command Of the
company, and it was thought best to break up the
party and form smaller ones. So we divided into
messes of seven, and each mess took a wagon, and
the provisions and money were shared out among,
US. The mules having broken down, were sold to
the highest bidder, and the proceeds divided with
the messes, along with the balance Of the money
in the treasury. Each mess had wagon and two
yoke of oxen. The division was made very quietly
and 10 the entire satisfaction of the party After
the division, each mess started on its own hook we
all travelled together two three days longer when
we came to wagon road which led to small
town called dorado, on the RIO Grande. Here we
separated-three of the wagons kept on the origi-
nal route, and three followed the road to Laredo.
! belonged to of them that took the road, and
in three days we arrived at the town of Laredo
When we got there found the advance of a
party that had LEFT Corpus Christi ten days pre-
vious, with wagons. They said that they had I
good -oad all the way. 1t was the party to which
l Mr. Robb, 0he gentleman that brought me letters
r belonged. We then found out how fully and com
9 pletely we had been deceived by Col. Kinney an,
a his agents. The reason that he advised us to go t
Preside was because he wished to have road Gu
7 from Corpus to Preside, which would greatly en-
hance the value of his property in Corpus. BY hi
|, wilful fasehoods we not only lost great deal {
time and money, but suffered unnecessary hardship.
o A day or two after | arrived, Mr.. Robb came VI
o bringing me letters from home, one of which, ha
o IEsceved before left home, never should hav
taken this trip, Qor never, to tell the trath care
o much about taking it any how,) but now that
e have started, will go through with it, let wha
e, will happen, Chat is if | have life and health
I'd Our coming to this place has somewhat changec
nt1rr rol,fa tha Rfo ran