San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-07-19
Written for the FREn Pass.
"reminiscences Of Texas Veteran...The
Santa Fe Expedition, etc.
BY c. ERHARD.
ICopyrighted
xxx. ,.t
By C. ERHARD.
copyrighted ]
xxx.
KENpALL's NARRATIVE CONTINUED.


To return to my narrative; The road we
found and followed some distance in the
morning, we hunted for in vain in the after
noon; all the old wheel marks had lost
themselves in barren, gravelly prairie.
That we found passage through or over
the mountain, but where that passage was,
no one could imagine. We were far from
being aware of it at the time but they
proved to be the outer and eastern spurs of
the Rocky Mountains. As the sun gradu-
ally sank behind their lofty and ragged sum-
mlts, raw, chill breeze sprung up from
their neighborhood. It was the first cold
weather we had experienced; in our weak and
exhausted condition the biting wind seemed
to pierce directly through us.
We continued our march until we reached
the dry bed of mountain stream, upon the
banks of which we encamped for the night.
A flock of wild turkeys had taken shelter
under its banks, running off as we approach
ed their roost. Although contrary to strict
ORDERS nothing could restrain our men from
banging and blazing away at the turkeys as
they sped across the prairie-ffty rifles and
nl,,skets being discharged ut them before
they were out of sight. Two or three only
were killed by the volley and running fire
which ensued; and they were but half grown
and so extremely poor that they did not fur
nish meal for half dozen men. TO go
further without something to eat was now
deemed impossible wild and haggard
expression, the sunken eyes, the sallow,
feshless faces of the men too plainly showed
speedily provided. A horse, formerly be-
longing to Howland, which in the early part
of the campaign had been one of the best
animals in the command was now found 80
poor and broken down that it was resolved
to shoot him and divide his flesh among the
different messes. AS they led the once
proud and gallant animal to execution, the
old nursery song came fresh to my mind
one that had neither heard nor thought of
for many, many years. The burden of the
ballad was
"Poor old borsel he must die! -
and have only mentioned the circumstance
to illustrate the well-known eccentricities
of memory. A man is often placed in situ-
atiors and becomes witness of scenes which
suddenly awaken and bring back the long
forgotten associations OF his childhood.
But to return to the actual. The horse
was killed, and in less time than il takes me
to tell il. his hide was of and his flesh dis
tributed. 1 have before said that that the
flesh of q young mustang Is excellent-but
that of an old broken-down horse is. quite
another affair. It was tough as India rubber,
and the more a piece Of it was masticatei
the larger it became in the mouth. Poor as
it was, however. and hard to swallow. / aIn
confident that many q man In the party ate
fo1r or FIVE pounds of il, half cooked and
without salt-I know that devoured my
share Tha. Lost sotne Of the good opinion
I entertained Of myself while. eating this
food I VIII nc. pretend 20 deny, aud even a
Juzzari that set psrehei upOa a dry E-sb Of
cottonwood overhead. appeared TO look
down reproaehfuliY a. be saw Is sppropri-
aiing food H.; lsgitirrAtely belonged ts him
Thcrs vEs so-asthing. too. like honsss in
dignstiOa in TIE oozztsnEnes of o. voG
zh;es -. quietly v..shi3s ctr oPsrstioas
fr5s its ai5oiaing rrairiss ri 4: Tie SINE