The Arizona sentinel., 1886-06-26
A DREARY VIEW.
A Trip From SaltilIo, Mexico, to the Bat
 tle-FieId of Buena Vista.

A Trip From Saltillo, Mexico, to the Bat
 tle-FieId of Buena Vista.
 The distance from Saltillo to Buena Vista is seven miles, and the charge for a boy and a burro was about thirty cents. The donkey was small, unas- suming, mouse-colored creature with one ear cut short, but the other had size and length enough for both, so we couldn't complain. The pack-saddle was about two-thirds the burro's length and bulged out about six inches on both sides. The driver told us of his fine go- ing qualities, but said he couldn't un- derstand Americana and that his name was Santiago Santa Anna. All being ready mounted Santa Anna and the driver followed behind with the donkey s tail in one hand and short stick in the other which he used to guide us with. There was no bridle or halter on as it wasn't our place to drive. The day was fine and all went well while the boy re- mained at the helm, but he left his post of duty once and we ran into a thorny ehaparral thicket; then all went well again. We met several parties simi- larly mounted and cared for, while we were overtaken by others. Thus the time passed pleasantly away. On the way we passed a number of lone crosses with pile o1 stone at their base. These marks the site of a murder and the stones are thrown at the foot of the cross as mark of respect for the dead. While this pest-taeftem respect will never restore the stranger to life, home and friends far away, yet the average native believes that it goes far to ameliorate the crime, and hence murderers and brigands often resort to it as a means of imparting peace to their own souls. In due time we reached the hacienda Branch or farm) of Buena Vista.
 The battle ground is located in mar row mountain pass, where the peaks of the Sierra Madre tower up two thousand feet into the skies. One side of the pass is obstructed by deep ravines, irrigation ditches and rocky knolls. On the other side there is 8 level, rocky, treeless space, with patches of cactus, wild maguey, thorny little agarita and few scrub gincharche bushes. Some of the breast-works are yet to be seen and are in good preservation, and relics of the battle can yet be found on the field. The country in the locality is a rocky, barren, parched region, with scarcely enough of tropical scrub brush to support the tlocks of goats that browse in the valley and on the mountain side. The land scape view from the field is lonely and dreary. The bald peaks above the tim Der line can be seen as far as the eye can reach There is little appearance of life of any kind. The storms of sand and dust are frequent and fear fully oppressive to man and beast Our Mexican veterans will remember that such cloud was the advance warning to them of the approach of Santa Anna against Buena Vista. These strange and dreary scenes, common to the plateaus of Mexico, are pleasant to the inquiring tourist, but far more pleasant to leave than to live among. After spending a day in observation we re- turned to Saltillo, with greater re- spect and deeper sympathy for our sol diers, who met and defeated an enemy more than four times their own num- Der, and that when country, climate and all the clan of the mountains were against them.-Cor. Detroit Free Press.