The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-10-02
EBEISBURG, OCTOBER 2. 1851.

ucatan, the Spanish main, Caribbean Arcbi-
pelago, are every day becoming more important
and numerous. Our acquisitions in California
have givenlus host of citizens with this as
their yerL-ssfssr.
Now to the point with my suggestion.
think it should be introduced into the Military
Academy, as one of the requisites of an officer 5
education. While would hold fast to the
French, as one medium of military instruction
and as the language of much that is valuable
IN science, IN arts, aud in social life we should
learn the Spanish for more practical purposes.
even, ana TO suoserye fast increasing public
and private utility
Among the many interesting incidents which
transpired during our truce-holiday, must not
forget to mention a visit of official ceremony
which made volunteer-interpreter to ad-
minister the parole to General Garcia who was
a prisoner, since Contreras, and who was lying
minus a leg, in one Of the houses of San Angel
1t does a man good, once in while, to measure
his powers of politeness and courteous address
with an emergency, and here was a glorious
chance-to penetrate into the sick room of a.
manned and exasperated prisoner-a disap-
pointed patriot. and interpret to him paper
the least effect OF which was, .Ilfdndaina reno
Uare doLereHa," and which would give panr to
his heart and twinge TO his leg; to do this |
say, winning at the same time, instead of alien
ating, the sensibilities Of the wife, mother
aunts, sisters and daughters, who were crowd
ing around his bed. All, this was the verest
problem of diplomacy and address. Had l
possessed all the rich and varied idioms which
convey the courtesy of 20 CdStiAa la Vega a
seyan Jien autre chose; but, in commonplace
Spanish, sacddo de Ia grammatical!
We asked first for for la sonora, whose very
natural thought would be that we had come TO
do some further injury to her husband
1.-The fortune of war" we said, Il spare the
reader our blunderings) 'had demonstrated the
bravery of her gallant husband, and his service
and sutferings would be held in everlasting re-
membrance by his countrymen. Meanwhile,
our purpose in paying our respects to him was
only to obtain his signature TO mere form-an
official paper-whch his condition indeed re-
quired of him more imperatively than our
selves" Thus in worse Spanish than have
ever spoken since, did we premise the parole,
which required of him, ander oath, "neyer to
take up arms against the Uniten States until
regularly exchanged
The wounded chief looked most stoically in
different 70 word, and our gestures, (eyery
one who speaks Spanish must gesticulate,) and
the women seemed to be lost in the attempt to
fathom oTr meaning and intentions. then in
terpreted the parole to him, and, amid sundry
frowns and curses Of pain, he was propped up
to sign it. With many reiterated apologies,
ventured to indulge the hope that, in spite of
his leg, he might Live thousand years"
Beso de I'm las nsanos - kiss your hand, -
said he, with a look of intense hatred.
"Senora,' said 1, estoy siempre los pies de
I'm, "-'' Behold me at your feet"
- Vayase cm con Dios," was her answer, with
a stately nod
'.Senoritas, adios," to the young ones The
problem was not solved
'' Vdmonos" said / to my companion, ''to the
house in the plazuella. There the greeting will
be warmer, I'll warrant" and we soon found
ourselves in as pleasant little circle as ever
raI into o1T,ta IN hnrharlan
North. We set the girls to tocdri2g and cdntdr-
ing,* as poor s. used to say; we danced,
and then, to diversity the entertainment, the
mater -tdmaidS, who was n clever and shreWd
woman-handsome, too, albeit she had gwen
birth to twenty pledges" drew out the young
GringO religious topics.
''Que IGStima," said she. ''What a pity
that you should be a hereto, sold to SdtanaS
et enenaigO."
.sTeli me,' said she, ''do you believe there
is any Virgin Mary"
sVWhy. certainly" said [; ''but not that she
is Queen of Heaven, possessed of motherly in
iuence in the political economy of the universe.
"Que lastimd,' she repeated. "Don't you
know, that if you believe in her, and wear
around your neck medal, stamped with her
efhgy and blest by the Church, 1t will save you
in danger?'' and she ratified away concerning
many miraculous intervention of the Mother
| of God.
"Es posi6le2'' 1 asked taking out of my
| pocket brass image of Nuestra Sonora, CO.
vered with verdigris, and the iron chain stiff
with blood; 81 took this, ten days since, from
! the neck of a dead soldado,' and l reached II
out towards her.
"Scnta Maria, Jesusn' and she recOiled from
| it with horror.
| "Why didn't it save him? No, senorita," ]
! added, with a pardonable zeal, 81 don't believ'
| such stuff"
80 Pr06ecito!' chorused the girls but whether
| for the dead man or for me, couldn't tell.
rather think though it was for the sotdado, ant
not the hereto
.'Ah, but" said |, 'if these negotiations re
! suit in peace and without entering the capltal
must be Romano Catolico, for once, and {
priest in the bargain. I'll go over to this con
| vent and borrow the dress of a frdyte, and vlsl
| Mexico iRcog never would forgive myself To-
not seeing it, after having come so near.
Pero Ia 5m6ai' said Panchita. ooh, th'
beard I'll flour it, to look venerable"
| This was my last visit to the house IN the
! plazuella the armistice was soon ruptured, ant
the girls of that house had taken their last troll
with the Yankees, and this their bars and bolt
said to this, in action louder than words
Pending the armistice, courts martial hao
been convened for the trial of deserters, and a
| length their sessions had come to a close ano
| their proceedings were published. Major Riley
the arch deserter, escaped hanging, because b
had deserted from Corpus Christi, before th'
| war had actually opened. One man, who wa'
| found guilty and sentenced to death, was par
doned by the General-in- Chief, because he ha
|. Tocar, to play upon an instrument; cantGr
! to sing.