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: 85
251 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.View a full description of this book.
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A WOODMAN S COMPASS. 85
down the names of the Texian prisoners. He was very much
alarmed, having also recognised McMullen, and would not let the
men pay for any thing that they desired to purchase. Continuing
our march, we crossed a deep ravine, through a dense chaparral
thicket, until 2, p. x., when we encamped to graze our horses, and
get our dinners. After resting an hour or so, we continued on
through a wild, waste, prairie country, following a little path until
about 9, P. M., when we encamped for the night. We had met
with but one stream of water during this day's travel, and we had no
supper, as fires were not allowed, for fear of discovering our position
to the enemy. Our horses were staked behind a little thicket,
and after posting the line of sentinels, we lay down on our blankets.
While speaking about the course we had travelled, and referring
to our compass, Capt. McCulloch related the following anecdote:
"An old woodman," said he, "seldom wants a compass so long
as he can see the sun, and even when it is cloudy you can always
tell where the sun is, by a slight shadow from objects, be it ever
so obscured. I recollect once I went a hunting with a gentleman
and my father, and crossing the river in a boat, we hauled it up on
the shore, and put out into the woods. Well, we did not meet
with much luck, and so we put back for the boat. It was a cloudy
day, and the gentleman carried a pocket compass with him, and
pointed out our course back. We followed the direction for some
time, but could see no river. That we were lost was now beyond
a doubt. And father becoming tired of following the course of the
gentleman's compass, determined to be guided by it no longer.
*" Well, it is strange,' said the gentleman, the compass can't
be wrong!'
i"' D-n the compass,' said father, my boy Ben is worth all the
compasses I ever saw;' and turning to me, said, ' if you don't take
us right straight to that boat, Ben, you shall never go on another
hunt.'
,* So I took a straight shoot, just by guessing the way the woods
ran, and brought them to the boat, sure enough! As we were,
stepping in the boat, the gentleman said, with a laugh"
* ell, that boy Ben of yours, Mr. McCulloch, is a perfect
magnetic needle. He will make as great a geographer as his celebrated'namesake.'
"
That night we made two prisoners, and at daylight on the morning
of the 7th, started without breakfast, and rode on, passing
several ranchos, until 10, A. M., when we encamped on the banks
of the San Juan, twenty miles from Comargo. On the road we
met an old man carrying eggs and chickens to market at Comargo,
whom we immediately bought out, and saved him the trouble of his
journey. We had a most capital dinner of eggs, chickens, and
8.
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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/m1/89/: 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.