ging 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