galloped off. Even
then Turley felt assured that he would not be molested; but at the
solicitation of his men, he agreed to close the gate of the yard
around which were the buildings of the mill and distillery, and make
preparations for defence.

A few hours afterward a large crowd of Mexicans and Pueblo Indians
made their appearance, all armed with guns and bows and arrows, and,
advancing with a white flag, summoned Turley to surrender his house and
the Americans in it, guaranteeing that his own life should be saved,
but that every other American in the valley must be destroyed; that the
governor and all the Americans at Fernandez had been killed, and that
not one was to be left alive in all New Mexico.

To this summons Turley answered that he would never surrender his house
nor his men, and that if they wanted it or them, they must take them.

The enemy then drew off, and, after a short consultation, commenced the
attack. The first day they numbered about five hundred, but were hourly
reinforced by the arrival of parties of Indians from the more distant
Pueblos, and New Mexicans from Fernandez, La Canada, and other places.

The building lay at the foot of a gradual slope in the sierra, which was
covered with cedar bushes. In front ran the stream of the Arroyo Hondo,
about twenty yards from one side of the square, and the other side was
broken ground which rose abruptly and formed the bank of the ravine. In
the rear and behind the still-house was some garden ground enclosed by a
small fence, into which a small wicket-gate opened from the corral.

As soon as the attack was determined upon, the assailants scattered
and concealed themselves under cover of the rocks and bushes which
surrounded the house. From these they kept up an incessant fire upon
every exposed portion of the building where they saw preparations for
defence.

The Americans, on their part, were not idle; not a man but was an
old mountaineer, and each had his trusty rifle, with a good store of
ammunition. Whenever one of the besiegers exposed a hand's-breadth of
his person, a ball from an unerring barrel whistled. The windows had
been blockaded, loopholes having been left, and through these a lively
fire was maintained. Already several of the enemy had bitten the dust,
and parties were seen bearing off the wounded up the banks of the
Canada. Darkness came on, and during the night a continual fire was kept
up on the mill, whilst its defenders, reserv