orse, and in
riding to the plaza, had the happiness to make the acquaintance of the
fair wife of Telles, who was _en route_ for the Presidio. Agreeably to
request, I accompanied herself and suite beyond the Garita, when she
informed me that her liege lord was highly indebted for allowing his
weekly supply of cogniac to pass--because good liquids were rarely met
with at head-quarters--but that I would be doing him a service by
retaining a large amount of dunning billets, that passed through my
hands to his address. Promising to comply with the Colonel's wishes, I
bid his lady adieu; but I am sorry to add, that politeness to the
graceful senora was the innocent cause of my losing a beautiful horse;
for it was quite dark on reaching the port, and instead of going where I
originally intended, I paused a moment at the bowling alley, where,
meeting some officers of a British frigate, I gave the bridle to a
_lepero_ to hold, and passed into the building; but scarcely had we
crossed the threshold, when, startled by the report of fire-arms, we all
rushed out, and found the poor animal raining blood from a bullet in the
throat. The villain of a _lepero_ had shot him with a pistol from the
holsters. A group of kind-hearted young reefers did their best to
staunch the blood, and one little fellow even tied his trowsers around
the wound; but all was unavailing, and in ten minutes my spirited
blooded bay was dead. Oh! Mr. Smithers! you keep, a good ten-pin alley,
sing a good song, and your wife prepares good chocolate; you are,
together, good fellows; but you should never, O! Smithers! transform
your establishment into a knacker's yard. And you, my cruel _lepero_!
had I ever got a sight of you along that weapon you handled so well--ah!
I well nigh wept for sorrow that night, and did not recover my spirits
for a fortnight.

The _escaramuza_ at Sigueros was the means of keeping the roads free for
a few days; but in a fortnight the Mexicans had again taken position,
and though falling back some distance, were yet enabled to cut off all
communication with Mazatlan. The paisanos, as usual, complained sadly,
and asked protection. Accordingly, an expedition was planned, under the
guidance of a diminutive ranchero, who, after tracing paths and diagrams
on paper without end, in hopes his individual services could be
dispensed with, at last determined, with many misgivings, to lead the
way to his habitation, where a troop of lancers were wont t