baya, a suburb of the city, where many of the wealthy bankers had magnificent country seats inclosed with high walls, within which were terraces, fountains, serpentine walks, summer houses, fish ponds, and multitudinous tropical flowers and trees. Grant, while stationed at Tacubaya, made the acquaintance of several leading Mexicans, from whom he obtained much valuable information concerning the country, its institutions, and its prospects.

The young Captain was much pleased with the Mexican horses as saddle-nags. Rather under-sized, active, enduring, and intelligent, they appeared to take pride in their fanciful caparisons. The Mexican bridle has a heavy curb-bit and heavy silk cords, of bright colors, as reins. The saddle is a huge structure, high in front and behind, richly ornamented with silver, and with shaggy goat skins covering the pistol holsters. One day Captain Grant came to headquarters, wearing the somewhat theatrical riding-dress of a Mexican gentleman, with a broad-brimmed hat, embroidered jacket, and trousers open at the outer sides from the knees downward, and a pair of spurs the rowels of which were as large as a cup-plate.

The Mexican horses have an aversion to harness, and the carriages are generally drawn by large mules, but transportation is generally carried on the backs of the burros or donkeys, hardy, patient little animals. Lime, sand, stone, charcoal, wood, hay, fruit, vegetables, milk, minerals, chemicals-in a word, all the natural products of the country-are dexterously adjusted on the packs, and as it takes about a dozen of the little beasts to get away with as much as a stout horse could draw in a wagon, there is a great appearance of activity, quite out of proportion to the result accomplished. The city slop

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cart is simply a pair of boxes slung across a pack-saddle, and the Mexican butcher boy has a small gallows of iron fixed on his donkey's back, from which he hangs the carcasses and quarters of the very diminutive mutton, the exiguous veal, and the discouraged beef of the country. The donkeys, however, have the easy end of the contract-they carry only the light loads, and as soon as anything gets too heavy for a donkey it falls to the weary back of the porter, and is carried by one man power. The porters hold their loads on their backs by a leather band passed around their foreheads, and they jog along at a dog-trot with a load weighing three or four hundred pounds.

When the army left the City of Mexico on its return home, Captain Grant's wagon train formed its rear guard. The campaign had been to him an eventful one. Although a young man and a subordinate officer, he had served two years in the field under the best officers of the army, had accompanied General Taylor in his brilliant march from Corpus Cristi to Monterey, and had shared the honor of Scott's campaign. He had participated in every battle of the war with the exception of Buena Vista, and he had received honorable promotion for the gallantry displayed by him as a volunteer. Embarking at Vera Cruz, Captain Grant landed at New York, and, obtaining a furlough soon afterward, visited his parents and then went to St. Louis to claim his bride.

CHAPTER V.

IEUTENANT GRANT'S MARRIAGE-THE HONEYMOON AT SACKETT'S HARBORDETROIT-CONTROVERSY BETWEEN LIEUTENANT GRANT AND ZACK, CHANDLERORDERED TO CALIFORNIA -CROSSING THE ISTHMUS-PROMOTION TO A CAPTAINCY -GARRISON LIFE IN OREGON-CAPTAIN GRANT RESIGNS-FARMING AT HARD SCRABBLE-DARK HOURS-CATCHING A WOOD THIEF-OFFICE-HOLDING-ECONOMY-ST. LOUIS-REMOVAL TO GALENA,

L

IEUTENANT GRANT'S marriage to Miss Julia B. Dent on the 22d of August, 1848, was a social event at St. Louis. The young comrades of the bridegroom at Jefferson Barracks were there, nearly all of them wearing the insignia of their recent promotions after their baptism of blood and fire in Mexico, and some bearing honorable battle scars, while the many friends of the Dent family, also present, comprised representatives of the wealth, the fashion, and the beauty of the city. The old-style connecting parlors of Mr. Dent's house, with their wooden mantle-pieces and their large, open fire-places, were decorated with flowers in honor of the occasion, and they were filled with a brilliant and gallant company, the uniforms of the officers lending brilliancy to the scene, while the bright eyes spoke eloquently that old truism about who best "deserves the fair." The happy bridegroom, his imperturbable features bronzed by the warm sunshine of Mexico, his dark brown hair without a silvery thread, and his bluish gray eyes beaming with happiness, was a type of the chivalrous young army officer. The bride might not have been called classically

beautiful, but she had an intelligent countenance, expressive eyes, a good figure, and graceful manners. She was an excellent conversationalist, with warm, sympathetic affections, great sincerity of nature, and earnest religious convictions without any bigotry.

General Grant always afterward regarded his marriage as the happiest event of his life," retaining for the bride of his youth that love which is peculiar to men of strong minds-men whose affection is not easily won or widely diffused." She exercised a salutary influence in checking the indulgences which were the results of camp life, without ever making herself disagreeable by arbitrary exactions. Exhibiting that heroic effort which prompts a wife to share the fortunes of her husband, Mrs. Grant never murmured when prosperity abandoned them, and the couple furnished, during the many years of their wedded life, an interesting picture of conjugal felicity— united not only in affection and interest, but in tastes and inclinations. To the associates of their youth, their married life was a source of congratulation, to their younger friends (and few had more) it was a source of admiration.

Lieutenant Grant as quartermaster of his regiment had expected to have joined it at Detroit, where the headquarters were established. Another officer, however, obtained the position of quartermaster, and Lieutenant Grant was ordered to join his company, which constituted the garrison of the post at Sackett's Harbor, on Lake Ontario, where he passed the winter with his bride. When General Scott was informed what had been done, he had Lieutenant Grant reinstated and ordered to Detroit; but winter travel was impracticable, and the young couple did not go to Detroit until the lake navigation was open in the spring of 1849.