The Mexicans remained encamped but three days at Palos Prietos, when,
leaving strong posts of cavalry to blockade the roads, and intercept
communication with the town, they retired to the Presidio of Mazatlan--a
place eight leagues beyond--where they went into quarters. As yet they
had committed no hostile acts, except making a bonfire of a number of
their own launches, and small craft, that had been carried for safety up
the Estero, to prevent them falling into Yankee hands. We could see the
gay pennons of their lances constantly with the spy-glasses; and by this
time having acquired a slight idea of the topography of the immediate
suburbs, we began to extend our scouts further beyond the lines.
The skirmishing commenced on the 18th. With fifty men, we left the
Cuartel at midnight; pursued a path parallel with the beach, and after
resting some hours in ditches, and nearly devoured by musquitos, at
break of day found ourselves a league from the garrison. Soon after, we
discovered a body of forty horsemen moving along the road in direction
of the town. We were obliged to break cover, and run smartly to a hedge
that fringed the road, in hopes of intercepting their retreat, and were
of necessity soon exposed to view. The lancers wheeled to reconnoiter,
and then came on at a trot. We blazed away with the muskets, when they
increased their speed, until on reaching a thicket, they halted and
returned the fire from their escopetas. This continued some time, the
balls knocking the dust up in little puffs, but too far distant to do
any damage, when hearing the sharp pinging song of a bullet, I turned my
head and beheld a verdant reefer, with a cutlass strapped around his
waist, one hand in his pocket, and the other scratching his cheek.
"Hillo!" quoth I; "what's the matter?"--"Nothing but these musquitos,"
he replied, and continued attentively regarding the flashes from the
bushes. While this little fusilade was going on, we espied two officers,
who had probably ventured too far in advance of their troop, and were
entirely cut off from the main body; we hailed them to surrender, but,
without heeding the summons, they behaved quite coolly; moved slowly
towards where a dozen muskets were gazing at them, and where they were
obliged to pass an angle of the road, when having availed themselves of
the last chance of even a leaf of shelter, with one arm clasping the
horses' necks, they half swung from the saddles, and made a desperate
rush to pass us. A hail-storm of balls and buck-shot rained around them;
the horses plunged, evidently hit, and the hindmost rider fell from his
seat, still clinging to the saddle, but the speed of the animals soon
bore them to their companions and shelter. We afterwards learned that
they had lost one killed and five wounded. Pursuit was useless, our
heels being less nimble than horses, so we formed and returned to the
barracks.
The night following this adventure we were out again, about three hours
past midnight, with a single attendant, I became separated from my
party, and after getting bewildered among swamps and thickets, just as
day was breaking we reached the beach. All right now, we thought, and
trudging stoutly over the sand, we suddenly came full upon a Mexican
picket. We dropped as if shot. It was early dawn, and we were not
discovered. They were sitting on their horses, behind a little hillock,
with the butts of their long lances resting on the ground; and for my
part I already, in imagination, felt one, half through me; they were
anxiously peering about, and we were certain that the first movement on
our side would be attended with inevitable capture, with melancholy
thoughts of perspective dinners on frijoles and paper cigars. So we
remained quietly lying on the sand, until presently one exclaimed, with
much emphasis, _compadre, no hay Yankis! corramos_--there are no
Yankees, let us be off. A moment later, there was heard a sharp rattle
of musketry, soon followed by a volley; uttering loud curses, they gave
spur, covered us with dust as they galloped by, and disappeared in the
woods. Regaining our feet once more, we plunged waist deep through a
lagoon, crossed fields and fences, and reaching the main road, devoted
all our energies to our legs. A mile of this healthful exercise
exhausted our powers, and we paused for breath; but the troubles
apparently were not ended. A party of horsemen came dashing along the
road in our wake; running was out of the question, there was no more run
left in us, so with a cocked carbine and pistol we stood the result. Our
fears were groundless, however; and, upon seeing ladies in the troop, we
took courage, and advanced to meet them. It was a Spanish family,
returning from Rosario, who falling accidentally between the firing of
the skirmishing parties, were nearly frightened out of their wits;
indeed, one of the ladies had fainted, and been left at a rancho by the
roadside, until a litter could be sent from town. They were not more
rejoiced at having us for an escort than we were to avail ourselves of
their protection, and we all jogged bravely into Mazatlan. Our fellows
returned soon after, having made a few prizes of arms, saddles, and camp
equipage, but did no bodily harm to the enemy, who, as before, had fled.
On the night of the 19th, a plan was matured for surprising a body of
infantry under command of a Swiss, the former captain of the port, named
Carlos Horn; our spies reported his position in the small hamlet of
Urias, about seven miles up estero. A hundred men, with a small
field-piece, took the main road, while half this number were to embark
in boats, pass beyond the Mexican post, land, and march down to meet the
shore party.
We left the ships at midnight, and with muffled oars pulled silently up
the river. On passing the hamlet, we saw the gleam of camp fires, and
the cry of their sentinels arose, shrill and clear in the still night,
_alerto! alerto!_ The oars dipped noiselessly in the water, and,
continuing up the estuary, we soon came to the spot indicated by our
guides. Scarcely had the men formed on the beach, when we heard, first a
few dropping shots, and then volley upon volley, from our friends to the
left. After groping about some time to find the road, the guide
discovered that he had mistaken the landing, and we accordingly
reembarked. By this time, the firing from the shore party had ceased,
and all was again quiet. Beneath the deep shade of overhanging foliage
that fringed the banks of the estero, the boats were carefully pushed
down the stream, until a narrow opening in the bushes gave a clear view
of the broad level _marisma_, and we found ourselves directly in front
of the village itself, with fires and lights flashing in all directions.
Without attracting attention, the boats were cautiously drawn within the
thickets, the sailors forming, and lying down upon the sand. We were
close to the Mexicans--their sentinels not twenty yards distant, and
every word they uttered distinctly audible. Presently a body of horsemen
came clattering over the hard beach. _Quien es!_ sang out the guard.
_Carlos!_ said the watchword, and then began an angry altercation: "Why
did you fly from those cursed Yankees, when you knew they were
approaching?" _Porque mi Coronel, los Americanos rompieron el fuego
contre la advanzda--y habia balazos aqui, y alla, y que podia hacer yo?_
rejoined the speaker--They fired upon our advance, and the bullets were
flying so thick, that, what could I do? "Where are they now?" said the
Colonel. "Oh! they have retreated to Mazatlan again." _Loco!_--you're a
fool--said the Colonel, with much disgust; "they're only awaiting
daylight, to be upon us--is all quiet at the water?" _Si Senor_, not a
soul has passed. "Then let the men fall in, and go through their
exercise." It was about three o'clock; their men formed in ranks; horses
were led out, and the troopers mounted; officers began drilling their
companies, encouraging them to stand firm, and the Yankees would
certainly be cut to pieces. Nothing was heard or seen, for an hour, but
the heavy thud! thud! of the ramrods in loading, and glancing of sabres
and small arms. During all their proceedings we remained motionless.
By-and-bye the first grey streaks of dawn came slowly over the eastern
hills--still we did not stir--the men, however, were becoming a little
nervous, from resting so long in one position; and occasionally, the
clink of a bayonet or noise of accoutrements striking together were
audible; and just as the day was bursting forth, like a flash, as it
does only in the tropics, a Mexican soldier, on duty nearly at our
elbows--and who, by the way, disturbed our repose during the night by a
bad cough, and talking to himself--discovered us, and sung out, _Aqui
esta hombres!_--these were the last words he spoke--the signal was given
along our ranks, "rise!--take aim--fire low." As the smoke rolled
upward, we saw a number of saddles emptied, and the _marisma_ strewn
with dead and wounded; although taken completely by surprise, the
Mexicans were not as yet intimidated, and, shouting _viva Mexico!_ they
immediately gave us a heavy fire from carbines and escopetas; but our
sailors had kneeled to load, and the leaden shower passed over. The
firing lasted for some minutes, when the word was given to charge! Away
we splashed over the _marisma_--their horsemen broke and fled, dragging
off dead and wounded--the infantry did not make up their minds until the
bayonets were nearly upon them, when they, too, dropped their muskets
and plunged into the chapparal. Meanwhile the shore party was
approaching, and had commenced a fusilade upon the advance post of the
Mexicans, and very much to our relief, after putting them to flight, the
cheers of our friends greeted us, for the field-piece was pitching shot
far beyond the enemy, and a few stand of grape had already fallen about
our heels. Sending small bodies into the thickets, we drove the
discomfited troops to the hills, and then finding their cavalry had
rallied up the road, pursued them a mile, exchanged a few shots, when,
the field-piece coming up, they finally made good their retreat.
Returning to the hamlet, we collected a few articles of camp
equipage--mules, horses, and arms; then digging a pit in the sand, we
laid the corpses of the slain within, covered them decently over, and
erecting a rude cross, put on our hats and retired. There was a vile old
virago standing in the door of a rude rancho, who, during the whole
skirmish, never for a moment ceased to curse _los demonios Yankees_; and
although the walls of the house were thickly spattered with bullets,
she escaped unhurt; not so her comely daughter, who was grazed on the
cheek. Our own force suffered pretty severely: one killed and twenty-two
wounded, of whom two afterwards died. The Mexicans we learned had lost
nine killed and eighteen badly wounded. These little affairs are capital
sport during the flurry and excitement of action, amid the cheering and
firing, noise and confusion; but when the fun is over, and the surgeons
are busied with bandages and blood--pallid faces, splintered bones,
streaming gun-shot wounds around--and, perhaps, a pair of lifeless legs
dangling outside the carts near by--the scene presents a more gloomy
aspect.
Placing the disabled in boats we began our march towards the port.
Through the kindness of Mr. Canova, who filled the office of First
Lieutenant to our company, I transformed myself into a dragoon, my
friend having stumbled upon a black charger, ready equipped, which he
placed at my disposal: moreover, I was somewhat bruised from the blow of
a spent escopeta ball, that during the melee had struck me under the
arm, knocking me over into the water, as if--as was strongly surmised by
my friends--a jackass had kicked me. However, this was scandal,
industriously circulated by the Lieutenant-Governor, who was himself
sorely disappointed in not getting hit, after untiring exertions amid
the thickest of the skirmish. Nevertheless, I lost a cutlass by the
operation, and thought it no robbery to draw a long toledo-like weapon
from the belt of a dead Mexican, which, with the image of his patron
saint, and a bundle of cigarillos, amply repaid me for my bruises.
Some months later, in a conversation with the officer who commanded at
Urias, he informed us that he had been aware of our coming from the
merchants in town, and had requested reinforcements from Telles, which,
however, was not attended to; and a body of eighty cavalry, who had been
detailed to charge the shore party, fled without discharging a carbine.
He spared no abuse on the cowardice of his officers, but very highly
praised the conduct of the soldiers.
We reached Mazatlan at noon. The day after, Telles marched to Urias,
with his whole force and artillery; but, hearing a report that the
Americans were coming to attack him with _bombas_, retreated the same
day to Castillo, where he again encamped.