[From _The Personal Narrative of James O. Pattie, of Kentucky_
(Cincinnati, 1831)]
We set off for Santa Fe on the 1st of November [1824]. Our course for
the first day led us over broken ground. We passed the night in a
small town, called Callacia, built on a small stream, that empties
into the del Norte. The country around this place presents but a small
portion of level surface.
The next day our path lay over a point of the mountain. We were the
whole day crossing. We killed a grey bear, that was exceedingly fat.
It had fattened on a nut of the shape and size of a bean, which grows
on a tree resembling the pine, called by the Spanish, _pinion_. We
took a great part of the meat with us. We passed the night again in a
town called Albukerque.
The following day we passed St. Thomas, a town situated on the bank of
the del Norte, which is here a deep and muddy stream, with bottoms
from five to six miles wide on both sides. These bottoms sustain
numerous herds of cattle. The small huts of the shepherds, who attend
to them, were visible here and there. We reached another town called
Elgidonis, and stopped for the night. We kept guard around our horses
all night, but in the morning four of our mules were gone. We hunted
for them until ten o'clock, when two Spaniards came, and asked us
what we would give them if they would find our mules? We told them to
bring the mules, and we would pay them a dollar. They set off, two of
our men following them without their knowledge and went into a
thicket, where they had tied the mules, and returned with them to us.
As may be supposed, we gave them both a good whipping. It seemed at
first that the whole town would rise against us in consequence. But
when we related the circumstances fairly to the people, the officer
corresponding to our justice of the peace, said, we had done perfectly
right, and had the men put in the stocks.
We recommenced our journey, and passed a mission of Indians under the
control of an old priest. After crossing a point of the mountain, we
reached Santa Fe, on the 5th. This town contains between four and five
thousand inhabitants. It is situated on a large plain. A handsome
stream runs through it, adding life and beauty to a scene striking and
agreeable from the union of amenity and cultivation around, with the
distant view of the snow clad mountains. It is pleasant to walk on the
flat roofs of the houses in the evening, and look on the town and
plain spread below. The houses are low, with flat roofs as I have
mentioned. The churches are differently constructed from the other
buildings and make a beautiful show. They have a great number of large
bells, which, when disturbed, make a noise, that would almost seem
sufficient to awaken the dead.
We asked the governor for permission to trap beaver in the river Helay.
His reply was that, he did not know if he was allowed by the law to do
so; but if upon examination it lay in his power, he would inform us on
the morrow, if we would come to his office at 9 o'clock in the morning.
According to this request, we went to the place appointed, the
succeeding day, which was the 9th of November. We were told by the
governor, that he had found nothing that would justify him in giving us
the legal permission we desired. We then proposed to him to give us
liberty to trap upon the conditions that we paid him five per cent on
the beaver we might catch. He said he would consider this proposition,
and give us an answer the next day at the same hour. The thoughts of our
hearts were not at all favorable to this person, as we left him.