Page:Memoir of a tour to northern Mexico.djvu/67

Rh branches, grew as a tree of from 20 to 30 feet in height; and its numerous red flowers and unripe yellow fruit gave it the gay appearance of a large Christmas tree.

Pelayo is a small village, or hacienda, with several good springs around it; some of common, others of higher temperature. The creek formed by them is, according to the Mexican statements, afterwards lost in the sand. Pelayo belongs to the State of Durango; but I am not sure whether the el Andabazo, or some other point, forms here the boundary line between the State of Chihuahua and Durango. In Pelayo, a small but steep hill was fortified on the top, by walls of stone. This fortification was probably intended against General Wool's army. Two days before us, Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell had arrived here with the vanguard, and seeing the inhabitants of the place organized as a military company, he made 30 of them prisoners, and took their arms from them; but upon their representation that they would by this act become a prey to the surrounding Indians, he restored them their arms, under the condition that they be used only for defence against Indians.

May 8.–A rough mountainous road brought us to day into another valley, in which Cadena lies, a large hacienda belonging to the Governor of Durango, (18 miles.) About three miles east of our camp, in Cadena, rises a steep chain of mountains; another to the west, the Sierra de Mimbres, from which a creek comes, which runs through Cadena, in an eastern direction. About half way on our road, to-day, we passed a deserted hacienda, Oruilla, where copper ores used to be smelted. I saw there some pieces of very rich green carbonate of copper.

May 9.–Our road, this morning, led at first to the eastern mountain chain; and a narrow but very good pass brought us then into another wide valley, about 20 miles broad, and about 35 long from north to south, encircled on all sides by high mountains. This whole part of Mexico over which we travel at present, seems, as it were, but one large network of encased valleys, connecting with each other by good mountain passes and defiles. The mountains at the pass of Cadena (puerta de Cadena) consisted of a very compact limestone, dipping from west to east, at an angle of about 30 degrees. A Frenchman, an old resident of the country, informed me that he found coal in this mountain range; but while I passed through I could discover neither fossils nor coal. From the pass, the road turns through the level valley, due east, to Mapimi, 21 miles from Cadena. This town lies in an eastern corner of the valley, surrounded by high mountains, in which silver mines are worked. Two springs, called Espiritu Santo and Agua de Leon, form here a creek, which runs through the town in an eastern direction, and is lost afterwards, according to Mexican account, in the sand. One or two miles east of the town is a large smelting establishment for silver ores, found in the mountains near Mapimi. The silver is combined with lead. The poorest ore, I was told, contains three ounces, the richest one marc of silver, in the carga; besides which, they make at the same time much greta, and sell it at $12 per carga.

The town of Mapimi was rather deserted. In the evening our artillery fired a salute, in honor of the anniversary of the battle of Palo Alto.

May 10.–Leaving Mapimi this morning, our road went at first three miles to the eastern mountain chain, wound itself then about two miles through a cañon, and led us into a new very open and level valley, which belongs to the famous "Bolson de Mapimi," which commences here. To