Sketches of the campaign in northern Mexico : in eighteen hundred forty-six and seven / by an officer of the First Regiment of Ohio volunteers.

68 WE VISIT A MEXICAN HACIENDA.
The road from Matamoros to Camargo was not far from
the river at that point; and we were informed that a column
of American infantry had been seen passing up that day.
From the vague and incoherent description given of it by
one of the peons, we were led to suppose that it was composed
in part of.the remaining battalion of our regiment. In this,
however, we were mistaken; although, as the distance between the two places is more than twice as great by the sinuous Rio Grande as by the road, it would have been possible
for active and healthy troops to march it in less time than our
slow boat could steam it,-traveling as we did only during
daylight. Before our departure from the haciendca, we were
invited to enter and partake of some goat's milk; whichupon observing a fold near the house containing some hundreds of 1" the bearded people — we had expressed a desire
to taste. The patriarchal beverage was delicious. An unusual number of weapons were hanging upon the walls of the
apartment;- and which, the old gentleman remarked, were
used by his household against the Indians, who, since the
commencement of the war had become very bold and troublesome; that but the week previous a large and daring band of
Camanches had invaded the neighborhood, and driven off a
number of horses and fat cattle, besides killing three Mexicans in the foray.
It was night when we returned to the boat, for in that
latitude the twilight is so brief as to be scarcely perceptible. The sun disappears, and darkness almost immediately'" broods over the still and pulseless world.>" But those
southern nights are enchantingly beautiful. Nothing arrested