Whilst at dinner, Father Rubi was informed that one of his parishioners was at the point of death, and wished his attendance to receive his confession.
We took our departure, but were shortly after overtaken by our friend, who, after giving me another hearty shake of the hand, left us. Crossed the river and passed two small hamlets and houses on the road to the village of St. Dies,[I'-15] opposite the mountain of the same name, where we were received in a house of Father Rubi, this making part of his domains.
Mar. 7th. Marched at nine o'clock through a country better cultivated and inhabited than any I had yet seen. Arrived at Albuquerque,[I'-16] a village on the east side of the Rio del Norte. We were received by Father Ambrosio Guerra in a very flattering manner, and led into his hall. From thence, after taking some refreshments, we went into an inner apartment, where he ordered his adopted children of the female sex to appear. They came in by turns—Indians of various nations, Spanish, French, and finally two young girls, whom from their complexion I conceived to be English. On perceiving I noticed them, he ordered the rest to retire, many of whom were beautiful, and directed those to sit down on the sofa beside me. Thus situated, he told me that they had been taken to the east by the Tetaus and passed from one nation to another, until he purchased them, at that time infants; they could recollect neither their names nor language, but, concluding they were my countrywomen, he ordered them to embrace me as a mark of their friendship, to which they appeared nothing loath. We then sat down to dinner, which consisted of various dishes, excellent wines, and, to crown all, we were waited on by half a dozen of those beautiful girls who, like Hebe at the feast of the gods, converted our wine to nectar, and with their ambrosial breath shed incense on our cups. After the cloth was removed some time, the priest beckoned me to follow him, and led me into his sanctum sanctorum, where he had the rich and majestic images of various saints, and in the midst the crucified Jesus, crowned with thorns, with rich rays of golden glory surrounding his head—in short, the room being hung with black silk curtains, served but to augment the gloom and majesty of the scene. When he conceived my imagination sufficiently wrought up, he put on a black gown and miter, kneeled before the cross, took hold of my hand, and endeavored gently to pull me down beside him. On my refusal, he prayed fervently for a few minutes and then rose, laid his hands on my shoulders, and, as I conceived, blessed me. He then said to me, "You will not be a Christian. Oh! what a pity! oh! what a pity!" He then threw off his robes, took me by the hand and led me out of the company smiling; but the scene I had gone through had made too serious an impression on my mind to be eradicated until we took our departure, which was in an hour after, having received great marks of friendship from the father.
Both above and below Albuquerque, the citizens were beginning to open canals, to let in the water of the river to fertilize the plains and fields which border its banks on both sides; where we saw men, women, and children, of all ages and sexes, at the joyful labor which was to crown with rich abundance their future harvest and insure them plenty for the ensuing year. Those scenes brought to my recollection the bright descriptions given by Savary of the opening of the canals of Egypt. The cultivation of the fields was commencing and everything appeared to give life and gayety to the surrounding scenery.
We crossed the Rio del Norte [at Atrisco[I'-17]], a little below the village of Albuquerque, where it was 400 yards wide, but not more than three feet deep and excellent fording. At Father Ambrosio's was the only chart we saw in the province that gave the near connection of the sources of the Rio del Norte and the Rio Colorado of California, with their ramifications.
On our arriving at the next village, a dependency of Father Ambrosio's, we were invited into the house of the commandant. When I entered, I saw a man sitting by the fire reading a book; with blooming cheeks, fine complexion, and a genius-speaking eye, he arose from his seat. It was Robinson! Not that Robinson who left my camp on the headwaters of the Rio del Norte, pale, emaciated, with uncombed locks and beard of eight months' growth, but with fire, unsubdued enterprise, and fortitude. The change was indeed surprising. I started back and exclaimed, "Robinson!" "Yes." "But I do not know you," I replied. "But I know you," he exclaimed; "I would not be unknown to you here, in this land of tyranny and oppression, to avoid all the pains they dare to inflict. Yet, my friend, I grieve to see you here and thus, for I presume you are a prisoner." I replied "No! I wear my sword, you see; all my men have their arms, and the moment they dare to ill-treat us we will surprise their guards in the night, carry off some horses, make our way to Appaches, and then set them at defiance."
At this moment Captain D'Almansa entered, and I introduced Robinson to him as my companion de voyage and friend, he having before seen him at Santa Fe. He did not appear much surprised, and received him with a significant smile, as much as to say, "I knew this." We then marched out to the place where the soldiers were encamped, not one of whom would recognize him, agreeably to orders, until I gave them the sign. Then it was a joyful meeting, as the whole party was enthusiastically fond of him. He gave me the following relation of his adventures after he left me:
"I marched the first day up the branch [Rio Conejos] on which we were situated, as you know we had concluded it would be most proper to follow it to its source and then cross the mountains [San Juan range] west, where we had conceived we should find the Spanish settlements, and at night encamped on its banks. The second day I left it a little, bore more south, and was getting up the side of the mountain, when I discovered two Indians, for whom I made. They were armed with bows and arrows, and were extremely shy of my approach; but after some time, confidence being somewhat restored, I signified a wish to go to Santa Fe, when they pointed due south, down the river I left you on. As I could not believe them, I reiterated the inquiry and received the same reply. I then concluded that we had been deceived, and that you were on the Rio del Norte, instead of the Red river. I was embarrassed whether I should not immediately return to apprise you of it; but concluded it to be too late, as I was discovered by the Indians, whom if I had not met, or some others, I should have continued on, crossed the mountains to the waters of the Colorado, and descended these, until from their course I should have discovered my mistake. I therefore offered them some presents to conduct me in; they agreed, conducted me to the camp where their women were, and in about five minutes we were on our march. That night we encamped in the woods; I slept very little, owing to my distrust of my companions. The next day, at three o'clock, we arrived at the village of Aqua Caliente, where I was immediately taken into the house of the commandant, and expresses were dispatched to Santa Fe. That night I was put to sleep on a mattress on the floor. The next day we departed early, leaving my arms and baggage at the commandant's, he promising to have them forwarded to me at the city. On our arrival at Santa Fe, the governor received me with great austerity at first, entered into an examination of my business, and took possession of all my papers. After all this was explained, he ordered me to a room where the officers were confined when under an arrest, and a non-commissioned officer to attend me when I walked out into the city, which I had free permission to do. I was supplied with provisions from the governor's table, who had promised he would write to Baptiste Lalande to come down and answer to the claim I had against him; whose circumstance I had apprised myself of. The second day the governor sent for me, and informed me that he had made inquiry as to the abilities of Lalande to discharge the debt, and found that he possessed no property; but that at some future period he would secure the money for me. To this I made a spirited remonstrance, as an infringement of our treaties and a protection of a refugee citizen of the United States against his creditors. But it had no other effect than to obtain me an invitation to dinner, and rather more respectful treatment than I had hitherto received from his Excellency; who, being slightly afflicted with dropsy, requested my advice as to his case. For this I prescribed a regimen and mode of treatment which happened to differ from the one adopted by a monk and practicing physician of the place, and thus brought on me his enmity and ill offices. The ensuing day I was ordered by the governor to hold myself in readiness to proceed to the internal parts of the country, to which I agreed; determining not to leave the country in a clandestine manner, unless they attempted to treat me with indignity or hardship; and conceiving it in my power to join you on your retreat, or find Red river and descend it, should you not be brought in; but, in that case, to share your destiny. Added to this I felt a desire to see more of the country, for which purpose I was willing to run the risk of future consequences. We marched the ensuing day, I having been equipped by my friend with some small articles of which I stood in need, such as I would receive out of the numerous offers of his country. The fourth day I arrived at the village of St. Fernandez, where I was received and taken charge of by Lieutenant Don Faciendo Malgares, who commanded the expedition to the Pawnees, and whom you will find a gentleman, a soldier, and one of the most gallant men you ever knew. With him I could no longer keep up the disguise, and when he informed me, two days since, that you were on the way in, I confessed to him that I belonged to your party. We have ever since been anticipating the pleasure we three will enjoy in our journey to Chihuahua; for he is to command the escort, his dragoons being now encamped in the field, awaiting your arrival. Since I have been with him I have practiced physic in the country in order to have an opportunity of examining the manners, customs, etc., of the people, to endeavor to ascertain their political and religious feelings, and to gain every other species of information which would be necessary to our country or ourselves. I am now here, on a visit to this man's wife, attended by a corporal of dragoons as a guard, who answers very well as a waiter, guide, etc., in my excursions through the country; but I will immediately return with you to Malgares."
Thus ended Robinson's relation, and I in return related what had occurred to the party and myself. We agreed upon our future line of conduct, and then joined my old captain in the house. He had been persuaded to tarry all night, provided it was agreeable to me, as our host wished Robinson to remain until the next day. With this proposition I complied, in order that Robinson and myself might have a further discussion before we joined Malgares, who I suspected would watch us closely. The troops proceeded to the village of Tousac that evening.
Sunday, Mar. 8th. Marched after taking breakfast and halted at a little village, three miles distant, called Tousac,[I'-18] situated on the west side of the Rio del Norte. The men informed me that, on their arrival over night, they had all been furnished with an excellent supper; and after supper, wine and a violin, with a collection of the young people to a dance. When we left this village the priest sent a cart down to carry us over, as the river was nearly four feet deep. When we approached the village of St. Fernandez[I'-19] we were met by Lieutenant Malgares, accompanied by two or three other officers; he received with the most manly frankness and the politeness of a man of the world. Yet my feelings were such as almost overpowered me, and obliged me to ride by myself for a short period in order to recover myself. Those sensations arose from my knowledge that he had been absent from Chihuahua ten months, and it had cost the king of Spain more than $10,000 to effect that [capture of myself and party] which a mere accident and the deception of the governor had accomplished.