Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/115

Rh Saturday, April 10th, 1847.—This morning at daylight we started, and did not march fast, partly on account of not having far to go, and also, on account of some of our men having the diarrhoea, sore and blistered feet and being much fatigued. I noticed to-day, the further we are advancing, the more beautiful and picturesque the country is getting. The road is well shaded with fine palm and cocoanut trees. At 2 o'clock,, we arrived at a bridge called Puenta de Las Vegas; here we bivouacked for the balance of the day and night. A party was detailed to go after some carne, (beef), and it was not long before they brought in fresh beef. On our march to-day, we saw several Mexicans who seemed friendly and wanted to talk with us, but not knowing their language, we did not know what they wanted; I did not want to trust myself alone with them five minutes for I think they are treacherous. To-night nearly all the men went into the river bathing, after which they all felt more comfortable.

Sunday, April 11th, 1847.—This morning we again took up our line of march, and passed through a wild, barren, tract of country; water was scarcely to be had. It looked as if nobody had ever lived here, for no houses or shanties could be seen. We saw plenty of fine large cattle along the road, and our men would shoot and kill a fine ox just for his tongue, heart or liver. Some of our men say that they must be wild cattle, as no one seems to make any claim for them.

About 3 o'clock,, we came in sight of the Puenta Nacional. This is, in fact, the first splendid scenery we have seen since we landed on the shores of Mexico. The Puenta Nacional, or National Bridge, is a fine, substantial, well-constructed bridge, built with solid stone arches, through which rushes a beautiful stream of water, called Rio Antiqua, or Old River. It puts me in mind of the arched stone bridge over the Conestoga Creek east of Lancaster City, Pa., except that this is considerably higher than the Conestoga bridge. At the end of this bridge, and on a hill, is a fort, built of stone, in 1804; it is to protect the National Road. It is the