er, and
certainly we should have had no chance with him had he not been one of
those individuals who, having been appreciated by the former government,
was not in great favour with, or even trusted by, the present one. Being
the only able officer in the far west, he had of a necessity been
intrusted with this expedition, but only _de nomine_; in fact, he had
with him agents of the government to watch him, and who took a decided
pleasure in counteracting all his views; they were young men, without
any kind of experience, whose only merit consisted in their being more
or less related to the members of the existing government. Every one of
them wished to act as a general, looking upon the old commander as a
mere convenience upon whom they would throw all the responsibility in
case of defeat, and from whom they intended to steal the laurels, if any
were to be obtained.

This commander's name was Martinez; he had fought well and stoutly
against the Spaniards during the war of Independence; but that was long
ago, and his services had been forgotten. As he had acted purely from
patriotism, and was too stern, too proud, and too honest to turn
courtier and bow to upstarts in power, he had left the halls of
Montezuma with disgust; consequently he had remained unnoticed,
advancing not a step, used now and then in time of danger, but neglected
when no longer required.

I could plainly perceive how little unity there was prevailing among the
leaders of our opponents. At some times the position of the army showed
superior military genius, at others the infantry were exposed, and the
cavalry performing useless evolutions. It was evident that two powers
were struggling with each other; one endeavouring to maintain regular
discipline, the other following only the impulse of an unsteady and
overbearing temper. This discovery, of course, rendered me somewhat more
confident, and it was with no small pride I reflected that in my army I
alone commanded.

It was a pretty sight to look at my Shoshones, who already understood
the strength gained by simultaneous action. The Apaches, too, in their
frequent encounters with the regular troops, had acquired a certain
knowledge of cavalry tactics. All the travellers in Mexico who have met
with these intrepid warriors have wondered at their gallant and uniform
bearing. The Californians also, having now so much at stake, had assumed
a demeanour quite contrary to their usual indolent natures, and the