Page:Memoir of a tour to northern Mexico.djvu/17

Rh in motion by three yoke of oxen, and carrying a load, which on a better vehicle one animal could transport much faster and easier, and you will have an idea of this primitive and only known vehicle used in Northern Mexico. The present carrétas were loaded with maize, for which Mr. Speyer had sent to the nearest settlements; and our animals, somewhat exhausted by the journey, enjoyed for several days a sumptuous dinner, which the poor Mexican soldiers, whose only food was beans, seemed to envy them. A plain and good road led us in the afternoon through moutains to our right and left, covered with pine.

About eight miles from Wolf creek we reached the Rio Mora, a fine mountain stream, and a charming valley was spreading out before us. Soil, grass, and water, are excellent; the surrounding mountains furnish an abundance of pine, and protect the valley at the same time from severe cold in the winter. Stock increases here very fast; nevertheless, there are verevery [sic] few settlements at present in this part of the valley, because they are constantly exposed to the depredations of Indians. We stopped a short time at the first settlement, belonging to Messrs. Smith and Wells. The house (quite a new sight to us since we had left Missouri) was built in the Mexican fashion of sun dried bricks or adobes, and with a flat roof. Delicacies of milk, butter, and pie were offered to us, and of course not refused. We marched about six miles beyond Rio Mora, and encamped in the plain.

June 25.–Made in the morning 12 miles as far as Gallinas creek. Half way, we had a beautiful view over the whole chain of mountains through which we have now to travel. The descent on the left bank of the creek is very steep. The bluffs here consist of a dark-bluish, shistose limestone, with fossils belonging to the cretaceous formation. About a mile from the creek lies the small town of las Vegas, or Gallinas, a village of 100 and odd houses, and poor and dirty looking inhabitants, who cultivate some fields around town by means of irrigation, and raise some stock. The valley of Vegas is not so fertile as that of Mora, and more exposed to the rigor of the winter. In the afternoon we passed through town and turned immediately into the mountains. Instead of over a high plain, we shall now travel mostly in narrow valleys, and through mountainous passes, surrounded by high precipitous rocks, so called cañons. Through such a cañon we travelled on that same afternoon. The steep rocks overtowering our road sometimes, consisted of common and silicious sandstone, red, white and grayish. Two species of pine grow on the mountains, both of them undescribed yet. The one (Pinus brachyptera, Eng.) is the most common pine of New Mexico, and the most useful for timber; the other, (Pinus edulis, Eng.) or so called piñon, contains in the cones seed of small nuts, that are roasted and eaten. We encamped at the end of the cañon, in a small valley, about five miles from las Vegas; our camp was on all sides surrounded rocks. The grass brought out by the late rains is very fresh and tender, but had a singular bluish green color, probably the effect of light reflected from pine timber. Our night camp, as I understood afterwards, is the place where General ArmijaArmijo [sic], in his late memorable campaign, had at first collected his troops, with the intention to attack the Americans in the cañon.

June 26.–Travelled in the morning through a mountainous and timbered country to Tecolote Abajo, a small village of about 30 houses, and halted some miles beyond it on a small creek, (seven miles.) A coarse, conglomerate sandstone prevailed here; and pine and cedar grew all around.