The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker. Page: 71
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MEXICAN GRATITUDE. 71
and grandeur would burst upon us, that were truly sublime. The
noble river rolling far beneath, the hills clad in deep rich green,
the thicket covered dells, the flower enameled plain, and in the
background, the shadowy outline of the distant mountains; all
added to the magnificent landscapes which were so frequently
spread before us.
Our way now continued directly up the river, and as we passed
the various ranchos, which lay upon the road, we found that they
had all been deserted. We halted at noon at a large rancho, and
although it was strongly barricaded, yet like all the rest, it was
tenantless; the Mexicans who lived there having fled across the
river to escape from the savages. As we rode up, they ventured
to show themselves on the opposite bank, and although we endeavoured
to make them come across to us, yet no pantomimic entreaties
could prevail upon them to do so. We wanted information
in regard to the Indians, so our first-lieutenant, John McMullen,
was sent with four or five men in an old canoe, which we
found lying on the bank, across the river to hold a parley with
them. Two or three of the Mexicans accompanied him back,
and they gave us a most doleful account of the massacre and atrocities
the Indians had committed. They expressed themselves
delighted that we had come to their aid, but forgot not, in the
meanwhile, as a means of showing their gratitude, to make us
pay as high as possible for every thing we wanted. An American
would have thrown open his doors, and freely given the contents
of his larder, or his granaries, to men who had marched a
weary way to come to his assistance and relief. Not so with the
Mexican-he looks upon every stranger, whether friend or foe,
as the legitimate subject of his extortion and spoliation, and allows
no opportunity to pass by unimproved. On this occasion, they
kindly consented to sell us eggs at sixty cents a dozen, and beef,
corn, and other necessaries, at a like exorbitant price. After resting
our horses for a few hours, we learned the route they supposed
the Indians had taken, and again set out in pursuit.
Our difficulties began anew. The trail led directly into the
thickest of the chaparral, and through the thorny bushes we were
obliged to go. The thicket was so dense that we frequently
were compelled to dismount, and lead our horses through places
where it was impossible for a mounted man to penetrate. Our
clothes were literally torn off us. Frequently the low hanging
branches which obstructed our way, would nearly drag us from
our saddles; and before we emerged from the twilight gloom of
that dense thicket, there was not a man among us, but who was
firmly convinced that he had seen ", the elephant in the chaparral."
Following the trail, we at length arrived at the river, and
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Reid, Samuel C., Jr. The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker., book, 1859; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38096/m1/75/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.