and a soldier, and that I will carry out Governor Ortega's orders." Thus saying, our horses' heads were wheeled towards Mexico, and we forced on, at full speed, by the lancers on each side of us.9

Our course was for many miles through a broad, level plain, with high mountains on each hand. Every dust rising in our rear - and we could see many miles upon our back road - made us believe that our lamented friend, Captain Fitzgerald, with a party of our men, were in pursuit to rescue us. This Captain F. had promised to do the previous night, in the event of our leaving before the attack; and the hope of which caused us to desire a slower pace, while the fear of it impelled Captain Romano forward. At this gait we were hurried twenty leagues to the town of Cidral, only stopping once for water.

We arrived at Cidral, which is a mining town, [150] containing about six thousand inhabitants, at four o'clock in the evening; and, notwithstanding the rapid gait we had travelled, the news from Salado preceded us. Most of the citizens we found in the street and public square, where we were halted several minutes. Here this dirty population heaped upon us their rich vocabulary of epithets: a favourite one was to call us "Jews;" for this ignorant population believe that every nation of white people who do not speak their language, and are not of their religion, had some immediate agency in killing their beloved Saviour. The only compassion we met was in the countenances of the females. In my intercourse with the world, I have had frequent occasion to observe that women were better than men; in Mexico this observation is forced upon you at every village.

To free us from the annoyance of the populace, Captain Romano ordered us to dismount and go into a room, around which he placed his cavalry to keep off the crowd. Here we remained for an hour, and were refreshed with some crackers, cheese, and a bottle of vino mascal, a common brandy made of the maguey plant, Agave Americana. Here Captain Romano determined to return to Salado, to assist, if possible, Colonel Barragan, and our party were turned over to the alcalde, to be sent immediately on to Mataguala,10 a city of fifteen thousand inhabitants, still three leagues farther ahead, as the town of Cidral would not be sufficient protection in case our [151] men were to pursue us. We were hurried off under a guard of about thirty men, who were the most perfect savages we ever met before or since.

It was now night, with a fair moonlight, and from every demonstration these rascals intended to assassinate us before we reached Mataguala. On one occasion several of them cocked their guns, under pretence of shooting Sailing-master Lyon for not keeping in line, but were prevented by the interpreter saying that he was a sailor, and not used to riding. On another occasion they were in the act of thrusting their lances through Interpreter Henrie, when I caught his horse by the bridle and drew him up to my side. In this situation, Captain