Hi, this is William Ramsey. Welcome to William Ramsey Investigates on today's show.

This will be part four, reading from my confession, recollections of a road by Samuel Chamberlain, and I'm starting on Chapter 11.

Massacre of the Cave

One day in midwinter, I was on General Wool's escort and returning from a trip to the Encantata Ranch,

our communications point within Salteo, when the sound of fire arms in the mountains back of camp attracted our attention.

General Wool sent his aide, Irvin McDowell, to find out the cause of the alarm.

The lieutenant, with an order orderly went off at a

gallop, disappearing behind a clump of chaperall bushes, when a fearful yell of anguish reached us.

With our minds full of thoughts of guerrillas and ambuscades, we slung carbines, drew sabers,

and even our little general drew his dress sword and charged with us. On reaching the scene, we determined to conquer or die.

We found that the unfortunate aid lying on the ground face down, groaning most fearfully,

with a Turk's head, a species of the cactus, fast to the most prominent part of his person.

In spite of discipline, the escort greeted this exhibition of the

stern realities of a soldier's life in Mexico with shouts of laughter. Poor thick-headed McDowell,

his horse had thrown him, and he had found a landing on a cactus that had thorns an inch long.

His orderly came back with his horse, but Mack declined to ride and walked to camp.

A story circulated later that a surgeon and a pair of tweezers was required to rid the gentlemen

of his tormentors. Hearing more shots away up in the mountain, General Wool ordered Sergeant

Clifford to proceed with the guard to the place of firing and arrest all soldiers he found there. Taking a trot, we reached the steep ascent of the mountain, where we

dismounted and led our horses up. Soon we were obliged to leave our horses. Three men were left in

charge, and now we only numbered nine men and the sergeant. All was quiet. Overhead circled

a cloud of zapolotes or vultures that would

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