In the month of March the first positive information relating to rumors
of peace reached Mazatlan. It was agreeable news to a few former
_empleados_ of the customs and courts, all idle and disaffected
vagabonds, but the majority of peaceably-disposed citizens and foreign
residents were averse to our departure; they had so long been oppressed
by Mexican misrule, intrigue, and extortion, that the law, order, and
tolerant state of things existing under our sway, presented a too
pleasing contrast not to sigh for a continuance of it.
One of the brothers, Vaso vil Vaso--gentlemen who stood deservedly high
in public estimation--had been appointed Governor of the Province, and
in defence of the conduct of his fellow-citizens who had remained, and
accepted office in Mazatlan, he published a pamphlet in Guadalajara,
giving a narrative of former grievances, with a truthful account of our
proceedings; also speaking in high terms of commendation of the legality
and justice that had characterised our policy since the occupation of
the port.
The Mexican force outside evinced no disposition to molest us, and ere
this we had discovered that it was time thrown away to pursue them:
there was no fighting to be had, petty skirmishing was all that had been
accomplished; want and desertion were rapidly thinning their ranks; the
commanders were at swords' points, and their only resources were derived
from the miserable pittance extorted by the Alcobala--in fact, they were
fast devouring one another. At this juncture, Vegas having withdrawn his
guns and disbanded the troops in Culiacan, was threatened by Romero with
an attack, in case the artillery was not sent back. For this piece of
mutiny Romero was dismissed the army, and the military command of the
province devolved on a respectable officer named Don Juan Pablo Anaya,
who made his headquarters at the Presidio, with, however, but a mere
handful of soldiers.
On the last day of March the official notification of the armistice was
promulgated in the port. A few days previous, late in the afternoon,
some arrieros informed me that a number of Mexican soldiers were
collecting a little revenue, a short distance up the road, and then I
perceived a signal flying from the rancho of Madre Maria. This was a
heinous offence, to come within long range of our guns; so sending a
small party by the beach, I rode out myself. We arrived a minute too
late--the dust from their horses was just subsiding. The patrona was in
a towering passion, said there had been a brace of officers, and four
dragoons, making merry in the house; knocking the necks off poultry and
bottles, and demanding toll from the paisanos. Juanita added, that one
of the gentlemen had desired his _memorias_ left at the Garita! a piece
of politeness I was quite unprepared for. Returning to town, I forthwith
went in quest of the Governor. He was afloat, nor was the Captain of the
Cuartel to be found. What to do I knew not; it would have been a great
breach of decorum not to repay the courtesies of my afternoon visitors,
so I concluded to consult with a _compadre_. Towards midnight I met
Captain Luigi, who being in want of exercise, agreed to take the
relief-patrol, and accompany me; the officers on duty, Mr. Baldwig and
Earl, made up the party. Ten was our number, and the horses half wild
with spirits. We had an inkling of the whereabouts of our _amigos_, as
there was to be a grand fiesta on the morrow, some leagues up the
Culiacan road, at the village of Venadillo; and as there was to be
dancing and frolicking, it did not seem improbable that the Mexican
advance-guard should bivouac in the neighborhood. There was a round
white moon to light us, and away we leaped at a slapping pace towards
the hamlet. A league this side we fell in with a couple of paisanos, one
of whom not replying to our questions, with any due regard to truth,
concerning the locale of the troops, was speedily forced to mount behind
one of the patrol. In three bounds, he allowed himself to tumble to the
ground, but having his intellect sharpened by a sound kick from the
horse in the head, he then thought it advisable to cling on like wax;
moreover, his fears induced him to tell a straight story, and we soon
came in sight of the village. The entire place was filled with mules and
jackasses, their loads of fruit, vegetables, and drinkables lying beside
them, awaiting the great jollification of the succeeding day. In front
of a large house, were seated on the ground some fifty or sixty curious
persons, who, to save time, were attentively playing monte, on their
serapas, lighted by paper lanterns. Dismounting a few rods in the rear,
and leaving the horses in charge of two men, we silently approached the
assembly, and taking position, I stepped up, and tapped a swarthy fellow
on the shoulder; he turned around, and upon recognizing me, exclaimed
with much astonishment, _Aqui estan los gringos_--Holy Moses, here's the
Yankees! The whole audience began leaping to their feet, but merely
pointing to the levelled weapons behind, we besought them to resume
their seats, and not utter a syllable, or a carbine might accidentally
explode, and drive a bullet through some one's head. Thereupon they
again took up the cards; when clapping a pistol to an intelligent
person's ear, we gave him five seconds to point out the stopping place
of the Commandante. "Here," said he, jerking his thumb over his
shoulder, "here, in the big rancho." _Y los soldados? Mas por alla en la
arboleda! Quantos? Habra cosa de cincuenta dragones!_--Where are the
troops? Up yonder in the grove!--about fifty. This was no joke, we
thought, to be within musket-shot of five times our number; but since no
alarm had yet been made, we resolved to seize the _Administrador_, We
walked to the door, and struck a few heavy blows. "_Quien es?_" said a
gruff voice. Another blow from the hilt of a sabre. _Soldados!
fuego!_--fire!--was the reply. Aha! so you have a guard, Senor, and we
instantly placed a thick wall between our persons, that the balls might
circulate through the door, and meet with no resistance or obstruction
on the outside; but no report or explosion following the command, we
detected the ruse, and assured the individual within, that if he did not
make himself visible; we would return the compliment in earnest. This
threat unbolted the door, and in a moment I slapped El Senor
Valverde--that was his cognomen--on the shoulder; and after apologising
for disturbing his slumbers, at so unreasonable an hour, through anxiety
to return his visit in the earliest possible time, desired him to equip
in all haste for a little excursion to the port. He could not forbear
laughing, notwithstanding his fright. We gave him leisure to drink half
a bottle of brandy, and put on a clean shirt; when he gave up his
papers, and assured us, with a gratified smile, that he had that very
day sent all the cash to headquarters. And now we said, "Amigo, where's
your horse?" "Ah," he replied, "there is one here, but let me send to
the corral for another." The next instant, we found him whispering to a
small boy cruising around our legs; but pointing a naked sabre to El
Senor's throat, we gave both him and the juvenile to understand, that
whispering was not allowable in polite society, and he would oblige us
by mounting the _cavallo_ that stood ready at the door, without further
ceremony. While this was going on, our friends, Baldwig and Earl, were
inspecting the outbuildings, and came upon the captain of the troop in a
very ambiguous position. He jumped up in his shirt, and flew away like
the wind. There was now no time to be lost: collecting a lot of handsome
arms and equipments, our horses were brought up, we leaped into the
saddle, tossed two dollars to the patrona, who swore some one had stolen
a sheet; said adios! to the monte men, who gave us shouts of viva! and
appeared quite as well pleased as ourselves.
"Then ho! ho! hurry; hopp, hopp, hopp.
Rode off the troop, with never a stop,
Until all gasped together."
We came bounding back the twelve miles within the hour, and after giving
Mr. Valverde a supper, were safely housed and asleep before daylight.
But now it came the prisoner's turn to laugh at us. I had hardly opened
my eyes the next morning, when an orderly came from the Governor! What's
to pay now? thought I, and off I rode to the Cuartel. On the way I met
Captain Luigi, with a most serio-quizzico expression of visage, just
from an interview. After being announced, in I walked. "Good morning,
sir." "So, sir"--a pause--"you had the presumption to detach a force
from the garrison last night, and go many miles into the interior?--I
arrest you, sir--consider yourself arrested, sir--you and Mr. Luigi
both, sir." "But, Governor," I ventured to remark, "let me explain; I
thought you would be pleased, and a--" "No explanation, sir--pleased
indeed!--when you knew the armistice had been signed!" However, in the
end, the Governor, who was a good amiable gentleman, consented to
believe that no disrespect was intended, and received our apologies.
Whereupon we wrote a letter that brought tears to his eyes; he asked us
to dinner, and so the affair terminated. Mr. Valverde had all his arms
and chattels restored--very much to the chagrin of Mr. Baldwig, who had
already apportioned a saddle unto his own keeping--got a good breakfast,
and was escorted beyond our lines with _muchos cumplimientos_. The
red-headed wretch never passed me afterwards without a face full of
sardonic winks and grins. But from that moment, we resolved never to be
again patriotic on our own responsibility; and our only consolation was
in knowing that we had made the last prisoner during the war.
Some days after, one of our men deserted. He was intercepted by the
Mexicans, and since the armistice had been declared, a message was sent
to the Governor, expressing a willingness to give him up. I attended the
flag of truce, as interpreter. Not finding the escort at the place
designated, we were requested by a Mexican officer to proceed along the
Presidio road. Passing Urias, we gallopped on, league after league,
until within a mile of headquarters, where we were politely received by
a guard and an officer, sent to conduct us to the General. The old town
of Mazatlan, or Presidio, is situated on a broad plain, with a rapid,
shallow, limpid stream, coursing beside it. In times past, it was a
place of some importance; and the ruins of large _almacens_, a
dilapidated church, spacious dwellings, barracks and plazas, still keep
up the belief. Yet, as the port was found to possess such manifest
advantages for all commercial purposes, the old town was nearly
depopulated for the new, and the residents were even induced to leave
their pure stream of water, for the brackish element nearer the sea. The
road is excellent, and adapted for artillery, but every road presents
capital spots for ambuscades, and it would have required much caution to
have approached and surprised the Presidio, as we had originally
intended. As we forded the stream, and entered the town, the whole
population turned out to behold _los Yankees_--dogs barked--mothers held
up their children--and dirty troops tried to stare us out of
countenance. We were conducted to a range of buildings facing the plaza,
and presented to the commander-in-chief, General Anaya. He had a
pleasant European visage--tall, well-made, dignified and gentleman-like
in his bearing and address--numbering, may be, some sixty years. We
stated the business which brought us to his notice, and after some few
inquiries from his officers, he informed us, that the officer who had
apprised the Governor was unauthorized to do so; that the deserter had
already escaped--which was, indeed, the politest possible, and at the
same time sensible way of telling us that we could not have him. He then
cooled us off with a cup of claret and cigars; hoped all national
difficulties were about to cease; regarded the United States as the
mother of Republics; boasted that he had been present, and wounded at
the battle of New Orleans, as aid to Jackson; and finally, turned us
over to the kind offices of his staff. Our horses, meanwhile, had been
well cared for, and three hours after noon we were escorted outside the
lines, and reached the port at night.
The next day I was ordered to proceed again to the Presidio, with a
flag of truce, to communicate an official copy of our armistice, and
request a conference, to arrange certain articles pertaining thereto. As
we did not get there until late in the afternoon, the escort and myself
were billeted for the night upon the Commissary General, Don Isidro
Beruben, who did the honors of his house with great liberality and
attention, to say nothing of the sweet smiles of his charming little
daughter Chonita. We slept soundly and rose early, walked around the
town, saw the graves of eight long bronze cannon, about three hundred
troops exercised, and were introduced to scores of officers. They were
all delighted at the armistice, and on tiptoe to get leave once more to
visit the port, which they somehow regarded as a little Paris. They
overwhelmed me with interrogatories about their friends and sweethearts:
where were the Manuelas, Madelinas, Antonias, Josephas--_pobrecitas_!
how they must have suffered! and were they all true to their old lovers?
Of course they were--and I vouched for the truth of the statement.
As the General had not a reply prepared, we remained to a breakfast
given by our host. There were some thirty officers at table--a number of
generals, and all, I believe, colonels: the Mexican army is well manned
in the higher grades. The breakfast passed off well, with no absurd
toast-making, and an hour after its termination, Don Pablo requested
many _memorias_ to the American Commodore and governor, adding that he
would be pleased to meet our commissioners, as soon as he was able to
mount his horse, being at the time somewhat troubled with a complaint of
the _barrica_. Then entrusted with a despatch, I had the honor of making
my conge--_Adios senores! Adios amigo! hasta luego!_ and so we parted.
There were one or two articles of the armistice that had been signed in
Mexico, which could not have been intended to meet the exigencies of
ports on the Pacific, and at the conference which ensued, the Mexicans,
in return for relinquishing the alcobala, demanded the privilege of
collecting duties levied upon the coasting trade--it seemed a bagatelle
that we might easily have conceded, for it was absolutely necessary that
some means should be granted for their support. The commissioners,
however, were not able to arrange the matter, and both parties separated
in dudgeon. Anaya retired to the Presidio, the alcobala continued, and
the merchants were extremely disappointed at the rupture; for having a
large amount of goods destined for Durango and the adjoining provinces,
which had already passed our customs, they were unwilling to risk the
transit before some positive arrangement had been established between
the two parties.
These official misunderstandings, however, did not prevent constant
visits of the Mexican officers and their families to the port--a few of
them were pleasant, conversible, intelligent gentlemen, but generally
speaking, they were dirty, ill-bred persons, without moral principle,
and the greatest liars in existence, and they invariably taxed one
another with being cowards. On entering Mazatlan, they were obliged to
register their names and report the time of departure. We were
occasionally amused when they assured us they found great difficulty in
the search for their _amantes_, and had not been received with the same
ardor of affection that so long an absence would have justified.