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: 84
251 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.View a full description of this book.
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84 A FAMILY IN A TREE.
boys and girls, and the principal branches taught were reading
and writing.
The boys had no slates, and used instead sand boards, drawing
their letters with a stick, which served for a pencil. The schoolmaster
was a thin, spare man, with a hatchet face, and seemed to
think himself of more importance than any other person in the place,
which we had good reason to believe. At night,after supper, the
guard was paraded, with instructions, in case of a surprise, to
fire a gun as the signal for a rally, when we were all to assemble
at our captain's quarters.
Just before day, the next morning, an alarm was given, which
proved to be false, but which had assembled all our men to quarters,
and as it was intended that we should have an early start, the
men were ordered to get breakfast. Notwithstanding that the night
had passed off quietly, yet it was not without an attempt to take us
prisoners; for the alcalde had ridden off to Rancho El Toro, and tried
all his powers of persuasion to make the rancheros rise against us, but
their fears of " los Texanos" could not be overcome, or else we might
have enjoyed some sport. As we rode down to the river bank to
water our horses, we met the young girls carrying jars, who were
also going after water. One or two were rather pretty, and very
smilingly bid us " buenos dias" as we reached the bank; when a
young Ranger, celebrated for his gallantry, taking a jar from one
of the girls, filled it for her, and placed it on her head; thanking
him for his kindness with a look of modesty, she took his hand
and kissed it.
At 5, A. M., we were in the saddle again, and passing by Rancho
El Toro, we soon after turned off and took the road to Passa Sacate,
where it was supposed we would find some of Seguin's men,
the place being fortified. As we passed along, we saw a man and
woman up a tree off from the road, lying at their ease looking at
us, while some little ones lay nestled round about them! By
placing poles across the branches, and in the forks of the tree, and
spreading layers of grass, &c., they had made quite a comfortable
nest of it. The man was a shepherd, and having a large flock to
tend, had made his home in the tree. We were told that it was
frequently the case with this class of people, who were often some
miles from a rancho, tending sheep, and that they take this means
to preserve themselves from the wild animals and reptiles of the
country. At 9, A. M., we arrived at Passa Sacate, a miserablelooking
place, with a fortification built upon a hill, which we went
up to examine. We saw several suspicious fellows about, but met
with no force. As we passed through the rancho, our first-lieutenant,
McMullen, recognised a Mexican, who proved to be " Trinidad
Alderet," a late lieutenant at the battle of Mier, and who took
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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/m1/88/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.