Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/222

216 They generally put themselves on or by the road-side to attack provision and specie trains and murder the soldiers who may, from fatigue, lag behind our army; and sometimes they even cut our men's throat, heart and tongue out, hanging them on a limb of a tree right over their bodies; they also stop and murder our scouts, messengers, etc. They are promised one-half of all the provisions and specie they can plunder from our army.

This is the character of the guerillas, which, no doubt, you have read a good deal of They carry a flag with cross-bones and skull, with the words, "We give no quarters." They have now succeeded in cutting off our communication between here and Vera Cruz, but it is rumored that Gen. Frank Pierce has left Vera Cruz with fifteen hundred men, who will, if they come across them, strike terror to these national licensed highway robbers. Then our communication will again be open.

During the skirmish with the infernal guerillas, we have suffered more frightfully than at the battle of Cerro Gordo with the regular Mexican army. In fact, we would sooner face ten of the regular Mexican army than one of these outlawed guerillas.

We left the Castle of Perote July 3 and marched over a sandy plain road, which looks to me as though the sea had once rolled its course that way, being nearly all covered with all kinds of shells and pumice stones. Some of our men had an idea that they could make pipes out of these stones, and took some along to try the experiment, and some have since made good pipes.

We marched about twenty miles, passed around Mt. Pizzaros, and went into camp at Tepegahualco, a dark dismal town. It has several large inns, or messons, which are for the accommodation of the traveling community. They are only one-story high, but well and strongly built. The whole building is enclosed with a high stone fence; the main entrance, or gateway, is near the dwelling, and at nights, after all the passengers are in, the gates are shut and well fastened, for fear of