Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/335

Rh anything they could get hold of. They did not go far, before they came to a flock of sheep; which, like all flocks of sheep in this country, were guarded and protected by a shepherd and his faithful dogs. Lieut. Young gave orders to capture the sheep. The shepherd and his dogs resisted from falling into the hands of their capturers. At this instant Lieut. Young pulled out his pistol and shot the poor shepherd (not intentionally) dead, and brought in the sheep to be slaughtered for our garrison. It is said that when the shepherd fell dead his dogs straddled over his dead body and moaned and licked his face. They say it was a sad scene. A sudden change came over Lieut. Young, and it is naturally presumed that this unfortunate and sad act troubled and worried Lieut, Young to death.

Lieut. Young was buried to-night back of our quarters (San Jose) under several large poplar trees.

The firing to-day and to-night is not so brisk as it has been for several days back.

Wednesday, October 6, 1847.—This morning, as usual, firing from all corners and house-tops.

At 10 o'clock, ,a lancer was taken prisoner from behind Fort Loretto. He says that Gen. Lane and his train is just beyond the El Pinal Pass. The prisoner was dressed as a ranchero in disfras, for the purpose of bringing in the news to Gov. Childs. He also says that the lancers ran him so hard that he was obliged to dismount and take to the cornfields to save his life, and this is the reason he came in the back way, so as to avoid the lancers from seeing him. But his tale is not believed by our officers; and, therefore, he was put in the guard-house for the present time. In fact our men looked upon him as a spy, trying to find out our forces and different positions, and strength, for the Mexicans can't believe that our forces are so small, for the enemy says that when we yell or cheer it sounds as if we were about five thousand strong.