II
This account was given to me by Mr. Bob Nutt of Sabinal, who got it from an old ferryman named Ramón down on the Rio Grande. Ramón claimed to have been ferryman when the Mexican troops crossed over into Texas at the beginning of the war between the United States and Mexico.
“It took me three days to get the army over,” Ramón would tell, “crossing and crossing back, day and night. And, oh señor, I had muchas ganas (many desires) to go with the troops. There was música, oh, so lively, and there were the banderas (flags) all bright in the air, and the men were all happy and singing. But I did not go, and in three days more here they were back, but without any música or banderas and not needing any ferry boat. They came in flocks, running and crawling like tortugas (turtles), and they fell into the water flat on all fours like tortugas and never stopped till they were into Mexico.
“They had been at the fight of what we call La Resaca de La Palma, and I was very glad that I had not been with them. They did not have time even to bring back the señor general’s chest of money or any of the silver platas that he ate out of. There was a great bulto of it, and it was left in La Resaca de La Palma. There three tall palms make a triangle and in the middle of that triangle it is buried. They dug a hole and put the chest and the silverware and a golden cross in it, and then filled up the hole and made a great fire on top of it so that it would look as if some military stores had been burned. And then they came back here into the river like so many tortugas and los Americanos were so bravos that no one of those who helped hide away the tesoro ever would go back to it. Besides, most of them were killed at Monterrey.”