[Illustration: Book Cover]




[Illustration: MAP SHOWING STATES, BOUNDARIES, AND RAILWAYS OF MEXICO.]




[Illustration]




THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN

MEXICO

ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY TO
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MEXICO, CAMPEACHEY, AND YUCATAN, WITH A
DESCRIPTION OF THE REPUBLICS OF CENTRAL AMERICA
AND OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL

BY

THOMAS W. KNOX

AUTHOR OF
"THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE FAR EAST" "IN SOUTH AMERICA" "IN RUSSIA"
"ON THE CONGO" AND "IN AUSTRALASIA" "THE YOUNG NIMRODS"
"THE VOYAGE OF THE 'VIVIAN'" ETC.

Illustrated

NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE
1890




BY THOMAS W. KNOX.

       *       *       *       *       *

THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE FAR EAST. Five Volumes. Copiously Illustrated.
8vo, Cloth, $3.00 each. The volumes sold separately. Each volume
complete in itself.

    I. ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY TO JAPAN AND CHINA.
   II. ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY TO SIAM AND JAVA. With
        Descriptions of Cochin-China, Cambodia, Sumatra, and the Malay
        Archipelago.
  III. ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY TO CEYLON AND INDIA. With
        Descriptions of Borneo, the Philippine Islands, and Burmah.
   IV. ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY TO EGYPT AND PALESTINE.
    V. ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY THROUGH AFRICA.

THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. Adventures of Two Youths in a
Journey through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentine
Republic, and Chili; with Descriptions of Patagonia and Tierra del
Fuego, and Voyages upon the Amazon and La Plata Rivers. Copiously
Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3.00.

THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. Adventures of Two Youths in a
Journey in European and Asiatic Russia, with Accounts of a Tour across
Siberia, Voyages on the Amoor, Volga, and other Rivers, a Visit to
Central Asia, Travels among the Exiles, and a Historical Sketch of the
Empire from its Foundation to the Present Time. Copiously Illustrated.
8vo, Cloth, $3.00.

THE BOY TRAVELLERS ON THE CONGO. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey
with Henry M. Stanley "Through the Dark Continent." Copiously
Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3.00.

THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN AUSTRALASIA. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey
to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan, and Feejee Islands, and
through the Colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland,
Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. Copiously Illustrated. 8vo,
Cloth, $3.00.

THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN MEXICO. Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to
Northern and Central Mexico, Campeachey, and Yucatan, with a Description
of the Republics of Central America, and of the Nicaragua Canal.
Copiously Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3.00.

THE VOYAGE OF THE "VIVIAN" TO THE NORTH POLE AND BEYOND. Adventures of
Two Youths in the Open Polar Sea. Copiously Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth,
$2.50.

HUNTING ADVENTURES ON LAND AND SEA. Two Volumes. Copiously Illustrated.
8vo, Cloth, $2.50 each. The volumes sold separately. Each volume
complete in itself.

   I. THE YOUNG NIMRODS IN NORTH AMERICA.
  II. THE YOUNG NIMRODS AROUND THE WORLD.

       *       *       *       *       *

PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK.

_Any of the above volumes sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of
the United States or Canada, on receipt of the price._

       *       *       *       *       *

Copyright, 1889, by HARPER & BROTHERS.--_All rights reserved._




PREFACE.


Until within the past few years, Mexico was a country not easily reached
from the principal cities of the United States, and our relations with
it were by no means intimate. Since the completion of the railway from
the frontier of Texas to the heart of the most northerly of the
Spanish-American republics, there has been a rapid development of
commercial and social relations between Mexico and the United States,
and the tide of travel from one country to the other is steadily
increasing year by year. These circumstances have led the author of "The
Boy Travellers" to believe that his young friends everywhere would
welcome a book describing the land of the Aztecs, its history and
resources, the manners and customs of its people, and the many curious
things to be seen, and adventures passed through, in a journey from one
end of that country to the other.

In this belief he sought the aid of his and their friends, Frank and
Fred, immediately after their return from Australasia. Ever ready to be
of service, the youths assented to his request to make a tour of the
Mexican republic, in company with their guide and mentor, Doctor
Bronson, and the result of their journey is set forth in the following
pages. It is confidently hoped that the narrative will be found in every
particular fully equal to any of its predecessors in the series to which
it belongs.

The methods on which the Boy Travellers have hitherto performed their
work have been adhered to in the present volume. In addition to his
personal acquaintance with Mexico and travels in that country, the
author has drawn upon the observations of those who have preceded and
followed him there. He has consulted books of history, travel, and
statistics in great number, has sought the best and most accurate maps,
and while his work was in progress he consulted many persons familiar
with Mexico, and was in frequent correspondence with gentlemen now
residing there. He has sought to bring the social, political, and
commercial history of the country down to the latest date, and to
present a truthful picture of the present status of our sister
republic. The result of his efforts he submits herewith to the judgment
of his readers.

Many of the works that have been consulted are named in the text, but it
has not been convenient to refer to all. Among those to which the author
is indebted may be mentioned the following: Bishop's "Old Mexico and her
Lost Provinces," Griffin's "Mexico of To-day," Haven's "Our Next-door
Neighbor," Charnay's "Ancient Cities of the New World," Squier's
"Nicaragua" and "Central America," Wells's "Honduras," Stephens's
"Travels in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan," Baldwin's "Ancient
America," Wilson's "Mexico and its Religions," Abbott's "Hernando
Cortez," Prescott's "Conquest of Mexico," Ober's "Travels in Mexico,"
Geiger's "Peep at Mexico," Gooch's "Face to Face with the Mexicans,"
Chevalier's "Mexique Ancien et Moderne," and the hand-books of Janvier,
Conkling, and Hamilton.

As in the other "Boy Traveller" volumes, the author is indebted to the
liberality of his publishers, Messrs. Harper & Brothers, for the use of
engravings that have appeared in previous publications relative to
Mexico and Central America, in addition to those specially prepared for
this book. As a result of their generosity, he has been enabled to add
greatly to the interest of the work, particularly to the younger portion
of his readers, for whom illustrations always have an especial charm.

  T. W. K.
  NEW YORK, _June_, 1889.




CONTENTS.


  CHAPTER I.

  PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.--PLANS FOR THE JOURNEY.--TO
  MEXICO BY RAIL.--BAGGAGE, AND BOOKS ON THE COUNTRY.--BRUSHING
  UP THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF SPANISH.--WESTWARD FROM NEW YORK.--A
  HALT AT ST. LOUIS.--SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.--VISIT TO THE
  ALAMO.--REMINISCENCES OF THE FALL OF THE ALAMO.--BATTLE OF
  SAN JACINTO AND INDEPENDENCE OF TEXAS.--NOTES ON THE RAILWAYS
  OF NORTHERN MEXICO.--OLD TEXAS AND MODERN
  CHANGES.--"G. T. T."--PRESENT WEALTH OF THE STATE.--ARRIVAL
  ON THE FRONTIER OF MEXICO.                                      Page 1

  CHAPTER II.

  HOTELS ON THE FRONTIER.--ACCOMMODATIONS AT LAREDO.--SMUGGLING
  OVER THE BORDER.--LAREDO AS A RAILWAY CENTRE.--THE RIO GRANDE
  AND ITS PECULIARITIES.--RIVERS BENEATH THE SANDS.--ENTERING
  MEXICAN TERRITORY.--EXAMINATIONS AT THE CUSTOM-HOUSE.--MEXICAN
  TARIFFS.--BRIBERY AMONG OFFICIALS.--LEAVING NUEVO LAREDO.--A
  DREARY PLAIN.--FELLOW-PASSENGERS WITH OUR FRIENDS.--A MEXICAN
  IRISHMAN.--PEOPLE AT THE STATIONS.--ADOBE HOUSES; HOW THEY ARE
  MADE.--THE LAND OF MAÑANA.--POCO TIEMPO AND QUIEN
  SABE.--LAMPASAS.--MESA DE LOS CARTUJANOS.--PRODUCTS OF NUEVO
  LEON.--SADDLE AND MITRE MOUNTAINS.--MONTEREY.                       15

  CHAPTER III.

  THE AMERICAN INVASION OF TO-DAY.--MONTEREY AS A HEALTH RESORT;
  ITS SITE AND SURROUNDINGS.--THE CATHEDRAL AND OTHER PUBLIC
  BUILDINGS.--CAPTURE OF MONTEREY BY GENERAL TAYLOR.--SHORT
  HISTORY OF THE MEXICAN WAR.--FROM CORPUS CHRISTI TO
  MONTEREY.--THE ATTACK ON THE CITY.--CAPTURE OF THE FORTS AND
  THE BISHOP'S PALACE.--FRANK RECITES A POEM.--LIEUT. U. S.
  GRANT AND WHAT HE DID AT MONTEREY.--A STORY ABOUT JEFFERSON
  DAVIS.--HOW JOHN PHENIX ESCAPED CASHIERING.--SIGHTS OF THE
  CITY.--THE MARKET-PLACE AND WHAT WAS SEEN THERE.--FRUITS,
  BIRDS, POTTERY, ETC.--IN A MONTEREY HOUSE.--A PALATIAL
  RESIDENCE.                                                          31

  CHAPTER IV.

  SOUTHWARD TO SALTILLO.--SANTA CATERINA.--REMARKABLE
  CAVES.--SCENERY OF THE SIERRA MADRE.--WAY-SIDE ATTRACTIONS.--THE
  CACTUS; ITS FLOWERS AND MANY VARIETIES.--SALTILLO.--THE
  ALAMEDA.--MEXICAN CURRENCY.--THE BATTLE-FIELD OF BUENA VISTA.--BY
  CARRIAGE AND SADDLE.--A NIGHT AT A HACIENDA.--MEXICAN
  COOKERY.--TORTILLAS, PUCHERO, FRIJOLES, TAMALES, AND OTHER
  EDIBLES.--HISTORY OF THE MEXICAN WAR FROM MONTEREY TO BUENA
  VISTA.--5000 AMERICANS DEFEAT 20,000 MEXICANS.--DESCRIPTION OF
  THE FIELD.--COTTON FACTORY AT SALTILLO.--COTTON MANUFACTURES
  IN MEXICO.                                                          48

  CHAPTER V.

  FROM SALTILLO TO JARAL.--A JOURNEY BY DILIGENCE.--PECULIARITIES
  OF DILIGENCE TRAVEL.--BRIGANDAGE; HOW THE GOVERNMENT SUPPRESSED
  IT.--ROBBERS TURNED INTO SOLDIERS.--STORIES OF BRIGANDS AND
  THEIR WORK; THEIR TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.--A CASE OF
  POLITENESS.--DINNER AT A WAY-SIDE INN.--CHILE CON
  CARNE.--DESCRIPTION OF CHIHUAHUA.--THE SANTA EULALIA MINES;
  ROMANTIC STORY OF THEIR DISCOVERY.--TORREON AND LERDO.--COTTON
  IN TRANSIT.--STATISTICS OF COTTON IN MEXICO.--FRESNILLO.--
  CALERA.--A BAD BREAKFAST.--ARRIVAL AT ZACATECAS.--LODGED IN AN
  OLD CONVENT.                                                        66

  CHAPTER VI.

  NAME, POPULATION, AND PECULIARITIES OF ZACATECAS.--THE
  PILGRIMAGE CHAPEL.--A WEALTHY CATHEDRAL.--STREET SCENES.--MINES
  OF ZACATECAS.--A DANGEROUS DESCENT.--THE PATIO PROCESS OF
  REDUCING ORES.--TREADING ORE WITH MULES AND HORSES.--A SORRY
  SIGHT.--THE MINERS; HOW THEY LIVE AND WORK.--STATISTICS OF
  SILVER-MINING IN MEXICO.--ASTOUNDING CALCULATIONS.--FROM
  ZACATECAS TO AGUAS CALIENTES.--FARM SCENES.--FARMING IN
  MEXICO.--CONDITION OF LABORERS.--MEN AS BEASTS OF BURDEN.--AGUAS
  CALIENTES.--A BEAUTIFUL CITY.--A PICTURESQUE POPULATION.--WOMEN
  OF MEXICO.                                                          85

  CHAPTER VII.

  SOUTHWARD AGAIN.--CROSSING A BARRANCA.--BARRANCAS IN
  MEXICO.--LAGOS AND ITS PECULIARITIES.--LEON, THE MANUFACTURING
  CITY OF MEXICO.--SILAO.--ARRIVAL AT GUANAJUATO.--A SILVER
  CITY.--THE VALENCIANO MINE.--AN UNHEALTHY PLACE.--BAD
  DRAINAGE.--A SYSTEM OF RESERVOIRS.--THE CASTILLO DEL
  GRENADITAS.--AN INDIAN'S ARMOR.--EXPERT THIEVES.--STEALING A
  GRINDSTONE.--MARKET SCENES.--HEADS OF SHEEP AND GOATS.--SCHOOLS
  AT GUANAJUATO.--EDUCATION IN MEXICO.--DOWN IN THE RAYAS
  MINE.--SIGHTS UNDERGROUND.--AN INDIAN WATER-CARRIER.--HOW A SKIN
  IS TAKEN WHOLE FROM A PIG.--THE REDUCTION HACIENDA.--MR.
  PARKMAN'S MACHINE.--QUERETARO.--THE HERCULES AND OTHER
  COTTON-MILLS.                                                      102

  CHAPTER VIII.

  AQUEDUCT AT QUERETARO.--THE RESULT OF A BANTER.--THE HILL OF
  THE BELLS.--PLACE WHERE MAXIMILIAN WAS SHOT.--REVOLUTIONS IN
  MEXICO.--FOREIGN INTERVENTION.--MAXIMILIAN BECOMES
  EMPEROR.--THE "BLACK DECREE."--WITHDRAWAL OF FRENCH TROOPS
  FROM MEXICO.--MAXIMILIAN'S DEFEAT, CAPTURE, AND DEATH.--HOW A
  FRENCH NEWSPAPER CIRCUMVENTED THE LAWS.--PRONUNCIAMENTOS.--
  JUAREZ AS PRESIDENT.--THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN OF MEXICO.--A
  WONDERFUL PROPHECY.--PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF JUAREZ.--RELIGION
  IN MEXICO.--FORMER POWER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.--THE LAWS OF
  THE REFORM.--PROTESTANT CHURCHES AND PROTESTANT WORK.--MISSIONARY
  MARTYRS.--MURDER OF REV. J. L. STEPHENS.--RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS AT
  PRESENT.                                                           116

  CHAPTER IX.

  FROM QUERETARO TO THE CAPITAL.--PLAIN OF THE CAZADERO.--
  TULA.--THE GREAT SPANISH DRAINAGE-CUT.--DISASTROUS INUNDATIONS
  OF MEXICO CITY.--A PUZZLE FOR ENGINEERS.--ARRIVAL AT THE
  CAPITAL.--HOTEL LIFE.--RESTAURANTS AND THE MODE OF LIVING.--
  AMUSING STORIES OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT.--FONDAS AND FONDITAS.--
  MEN FOR CHAMBER-MAIDS.--ALMUERZO.--A MORNING STROLL ALONG THE
  STREETS.--WOMEN ON THEIR WAY TO MASS.--THE MANTILLA.--SELLERS
  OF SACRED THINGS.--DEALERS IN LOTTERY TICKETS.--LOTTERIES RUN
  BY GOVERNMENT.--ATTENDING A DRAWING.--HOW THE AFFAIR WAS
  CONDUCTED.--FLOWER-SELLERS.                                        132

  CHAPTER X.

  THE CATHEDRAL OF MEXICO.--SITE OF THE AZTEC TEOCALLI.--HUMAN
  SACRIFICES.--PANORAMA OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO.--EXTENT AND
  COST OF THE CATHEDRAL; CHAPELS AND ALTARS.--TOMB OF
  ITURBIDE.--THE CAREER AND TRAGIC END OF ITURBIDE.--THE RICHEST
  ALTAR IN THE WORLD.--GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS A MAN COULD NOT
  LIFT.--THE AZTEC CALENDAR-STONE; ITS INTERESTING FEATURES;
  INSCRIPTION ON THE STONE.--BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE AZTECS.--THE
  TRIBE CALLED MEXICANS.--AZTEC LAWS AND CUSTOMS.--PREVALENCE OF
  THE DEATH PENALTY.--AZTEC POSTING SYSTEM.--PICTURE-WRITING.--
  FLOWER-SHOW IN THE ZOCALO.--A FASHIONABLE ASSEMBLAGE.--WONDERFUL
  WORK IN FEATHERS.                                                  147

  CHAPTER XI.

  LOST ARTS IN MEXICO.--GOLDSMITHS' WORK IN THE TIME OF
  CORTEZ.--SILVER FILIGREE.--MODELLING IN WAX AND CLAY.--NATIVE
  TASTE FOR MUSIC.--NATIONAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC.--MUSEUM
  OF ANTIQUITIES.--THE SACRIFICIAL STONE.--SACRIFICES AMONG THE
  ANCIENT MEXICANS.--GLADIATORIAL STONE.--A BRAVE SOLDIER.--
  OBSIDIAN KNIVES AND RAZORS.--AZTEC METALLURGY.--STATUE OF THE
  GOD OF WAR.--SHIELD AND CLOAK OF MONTEZUMA.--AZTEC WARFARE AND
  DOMESTIC LIFE.--RELICS OF HIDALGO AND MAXIMILIAN.--MAX'S STATE
  COACH.--NATIONAL PALACE.--HALL OF THE AMBASSADORS.--MEXICAN
  PAINTINGS.--THE MONTE DE PIEDAD.--AN EXTENSIVE PAWN-SHOP.--
  LOCKING UP MEN AS SECURITY.--FORMALITIES OF THE SALESROOM.         163

  CHAPTER XII.

  MEXICAN POLITENESS.--FREE GIFTS OF HOUSES AND OTHER
  PROPERTY.--AWKWARD MISTAKES.--AN ENGLISHWOMAN'S DILEMMA, AND
  HOW SHE GOT OUT OF IT.--UNCLE FREDDY AND THE GOVERNOR OF
  ACAPULCO.--THE GREAT MARKET; SIGHTS AND SCENES THERE.--ON THE
  CANAL.--EXTENSIVE LOCAL COMMERCE.--THE CHINAMPAS, OR FLOATING
  GARDENS.--AN EXCURSION ON THE LAKES.--SANTA ANITA, A PLACE OF
  RECREATION.--EXPERTS IN DIVING.--THE HILL OF ESTRELLA.--THE
  FESTIVAL OF FIRE; PRESCOTT'S DESCRIPTION OF THE FEARFUL
  CEREMONY.--FISHING IN THE LAKES.--THE AXOLOTL.--FISH OR
  REPTILE?--FLIES' EGGS AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD.                       179

  CHAPTER XIII.

  COURTSHIP IN MEXICO.--"PLAYING THE BEAR."--LOVERS' TROUBLES.--A
  SHORT ROAD TO MATRIMONY.--PRESENTS TO THE EXPECTANT BRIDE.--THE
  MARRIAGE CEREMONY.--TEDIOUS PRELIMINARIES.--CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS
  MARRIAGES.--DIFFERENCES OF MARRIAGE AMONG THE COMMON PEOPLE AND
  THE UPPER CLASSES.--A HAND-BOOK FOR LOVERS.--FUNERALS; HOW THEY
  ARE MANAGED.--CARDS OF CONDOLENCE.--CEMETERIES.--MONUMENT TO
  AMERICAN SOLDIERS.--ANNUAL DEATH-RATE IN MEXICO CITY.--PREVALENT
  DISEASES.--DOMESTIC SERVANTS; THEIR NUMBER, WAGES, AND MODE OF
  LIFE.--A PECULIAR LAUNDRY SYSTEM.                                  198

  CHAPTER XIV.

  SCULPTURE AND PAINTING IN MEXICO.--NATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE
  FINE ARTS.--BRIEF HISTORY OF MEXICAN ART.--CELEBRATED
  PAINTINGS.--"LAS CASAS PROTECTING THE AZTECS."--"THE DEATH
  OF ATALA."--HOW AN ARTIST MANAGED TO SELL A PICTURE.--FROM
  ART TO PULQUERIAS.--THE NATIONAL BEVERAGE OF MEXICO.--THE
  MAGUEY PLANT.--HOW PULQUE IS MADE.--COLLECTING THE SAP.--
  FERMENTING AGUAMIEL.--DAILY CONSUMPTION OF PULQUE IN THE CITY
  OF MEXICO.--MANAGEMENT OF THE SHOPS.--ROMANTIC HISTORY OF THE
  INVENTION OF PULQUE.--MEXICAN POLICE-COURTS.--NOVEL MODE OF
  TRYING CASES.--THE BELEM PRISON.--CATALOGUE OF OFFENCES AGAINST
  THE LAW.--AN ADROIT THIEF.--RUNNING THE GANTLET.                   212

  CHAPTER XV.

  THE PASEO DE LA REFORMA.--BRIGANDAGE NEAR THE CITY.--STATUE
  OF CHARLES IV. OF SPAIN.--STATUE OF COLUMBUS.--A RELIC OF
  MAXIMILIAN.--AQUEDUCTS FROM CHAPULTEPEC.--MONTEZUMA'S
  TREE.--CHAPULTEPEC; ITS HEIGHT AND EXTENT.--MONTEZUMA'S
  BATH.--THE PALACE.--"THE FEAST OF BELSHAZZAR."--NATIONAL
  MILITARY COLLEGE.--MOLINO DEL REY.--GENERAL SCOTT'S ADVANCE
  UPON MEXICO.--CAPTURE OF VERA CRUZ.--BATTLE OF CERRO
  GORDO.--ENTERING THE VALLEY.--CONTRERAS AND CHURUBUSCO.--
  FALL OF CHAPULTEPEC.--GENERAL SCOTT'S ENTRANCE INTO THE
  CITY.--TREATY OF PEACE.--GENERAL GRANT ON THE MEXICAN WAR.         229

  CHAPTER XVI.

  THE NOCHE TRISTE TREE.--A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CONQUEST OF
  MEXICO.--DEPARTURE OF CORTEZ FROM CUBA.--HE LANDS IN
  YUCATAN.--FOUNDING THE CITY OF VERA CRUZ.--DEFEATING THE
  TLASCALANS.--ENTRANCE TO TENOCHTITLAN.--RECEPTION BY
  MONTEZUMA.--RETURN TO THE COAST.--EXPULSION OF THE
  SPANIARDS.--BESIEGING THE CITY WITH THE AID OF THE
  TLASCALANS.--CAPTURE OF THE CITY, AND DEATH OF GUATEMOZIN.--
  BEGINNING OF THE RULE OF THE VICEROYS.--THE CHURCH OF
  GUADALUPE.--STORY OF THE MIRACULOUS APPARITION.--RELIGIOUS
  AND POLITICAL HOLIDAY.--PILGRIMAGE TO GUADALUPE.--PENITENTES;
  THEIR SELF-INFLICTED TORTURES.                                     248

  CHAPTER XVII.

  AREA AND INHABITANTS OF MEXICO.--CHARACTER OF THE
  POPULATION.--INDIANS, EUROPEANS, AND MESTIZOS; THEIR
  RESPECTIVE NUMBERS AND CHARACTERISTICS.--INCLINATIONS
  OF THE MIXED RACES.--TENDENCIES OF EDUCATED INDIANS.--
  PRESIDENT JUAREZ AS AN EXAMPLE.--HOW THE INDIANS LIVE.--
  HOW THE SPANIARDS TOOK POSSESSION OF THE LAND.--CREOLES AND
  THEIR ORIGIN.--THE MESTIZOS.--LEPEROS AND THEIR CHARACTER.--
  ADROIT THIEVES.--PAWNING A CHURCH ORGAN.--THE LEPEROS AND THE
  BRIGANDS.--CHURCH OF SAN DOMINGO.--SHORT HISTORY OF THE
  INQUISITION IN MEXICO.--THE AUTO-DA-FÉ.                            264

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  ASCENT OF POPOCATEPETL.--"THE WHITE WOMAN."--GEOGRAPHICAL
  POSITION OF THE VOLCANO.--FIRST ASCENT BY WHITE MEN.--
  AMECAMECA.--HIRING HORSES AND BUYING PROVISIONS.--EQUIPMENT
  FOR THE EXCURSION.--DANGER OF ROBBERS.--PEONS AND VOLCANEROS.--
  FIELDS OF BARLEY AND FORESTS OF PINE.--AN INDIAN TRADITION.--
  FATE OF THE GIANT AND GIANTESS.--ICE FROM POPOCATEPETL FOR THE
  CITY OF MEXICO.--SULPHUR FROM THE CRATER.--SLEEPING AT
  TLAMACAS.--ARRIVAL AT LA CRUZ.--THE ASCENT ON FOOT.--
  DIFFICULTIES OF CLIMBING IN THE RAREFIED AIR.--THE PICO DEL
  FRAILE.--CAUGHT IN A CLOUD.                                        279

  CHAPTER XIX.

  THE ASCENT OF POPOCATEPETL CONTINUED.--LAST STEPS OF THE
  UPWARD JOURNEY.--LOSS OF LIFE ON THE MOUNTAIN.--HOW THREE
  INDIANS PERISHED.--THE CRATER OF THE VOLCANO.--HOW THE
  SULPHUR-MINERS EXIST.--DANGERS OF THE CRATER.--THE
  SOLFATARAS.--CAUGHT IN A STORM.--VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.--
  SCENES IN THE CRATER.--A RAPID DESCENT.--TOBOGGANING ON A
  GRAND SCALE.--HOW THE SULPHUR-MINE ORIGINATED.--NO ERUPTION
  IN SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS.--RETURN TO AMECAMECA.--EXPLORATION
  OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY.--TOMBS AND THEIR CONTENTS.--
  CURIOUS INSTANCE OF PRESERVATION.--MONTE SACRO.--"MODERN
  ANTIQUITIES."--INDIANS WORSHIPPING THE VOLCANO.--EXPERIENCE
  WITH A RATERO.                                                     296

  CHAPTER XX.

  RAPACIOUS CARGADORES.--OLD BOOK-STORES IN THE PORTALES.--
  PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE MEXICAN CAPITAL; THE PUPILS IN
  ATTENDANCE.--THEATRES AND HOSPITALS.--A THEATRE SUPPORTING A
  HOSPITAL.--THE BROTHERS OF CHARITY.--INSIDE THE THEATRES.--A
  PERFORMANCE OF OPERA.--A MINOR THEATRE.--LISTENING TO A
  MEXICAN PERFORMANCE.--BULL-FIGHTING IN MEXICO.--A
  DISGRACEFUL SPORT.--ORIGIN OF THE BULL-FIGHT.--MARIONETTE
  THEATRES.--THE PROCESSIONS.--MEXICAN LOVE FOR COCK-FIGHTING.--
  COMMINGLING OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIALS AND AMUSEMENTS.--THE
  POSADA AND THE PASTORELA; THEIR PECULIARITIES.--KILLING JUDAS.     312

  CHAPTER XXI.

  EXCURSION TO TULA.--AN ANCIENT CITY OF THE TOLTECS.--CHURCH OF
  THE TIME OF CORTEZ.--MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE TOLTECS.--
  TOLTEC KINGS, COURTS, AND KNIGHTHOOD.--RUINS OF THE TEMPLE AND
  PALACE.--JOURNEY TO MORELOS.--INTEROCEANIC RAILWAY.--MORELOS
  AND HIS SERVICES TO MEXICO.--CUAUTLA AND ITS ATTRACTIONS.--
  TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.--DOWN THE SOUTHERN SLOPE.--IN TIERRA
  CALIENTE.--VISITING A SUGAR ESTATE.--TO YAUTEPEC AND
  CUERNAVACA.--RIDE OVER THE MOUNTAINS.--SITUATION OF
  CUERNAVACA.--OLD CHURCH AND PALACE OF CORTEZ.--A FORTUNATE
  FRENCHMAN.--ROMANTIC INCIDENT IN THE CAPTURE OF CUERNAVACA.        328

  CHAPTER XXII.

  OVERLAND TO ACAPULCO.--SCENES OF LONG AGO.--PRESENT MODE OF
  TRAVEL.--TEN DAYS ON HORSEBACK.--WAY-SIDE ACCOMMODATIONS.--
  ACAPULCO'S HARBOR.--RETURN TO THE CAPITAL.--EXCURSION TO
  GUADALAJARA.--DOCTOR BRONSON LEFT BEHIND.--OLD BRIDGES AND
  THEIR HISTORY.--BATTLE BETWEEN HIDALGO AND THE SPANIARDS.--
  STORIES ABOUT BRIGANDS.--SLAUGHTER BY PRIVATE ENTERPRISE.--
  HOW SEÑOR PEREZ SECURED PEACE.--ATTRACTIONS OF GUADALAJARA.--
  THE CATHEDRAL AND OTHER CHURCHES.--THE GREAT HOSPICIO.--WHAT
  THE EARTHQUAKE DID.--PUBLIC SCHOOLS.--A DAY ON A CATTLE
  HACIENDA.--A RODEO.--RETURN TO THE CAPITAL.                        348

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT DIAZ; HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND
  HISTORY.--A CHECKERED CAREER.--SAVED FROM THE SEA.--THE
  FAITHFUL PURSER AND HIS REWARD.--CHARACTERISTICS OF DIAZ'S
  ADMINISTRATION.--MADAME DIAZ.--A DIPLOMATIC MARRIAGE.--THE
  ARMY AND NAVY OF MEXICO.--THE POSTAL SERVICE.--NEWSPAPERS
  AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS.--PRINCIPAL WRITERS OF FICTION.--FROM
  MEXICO TO PUEBLA.--HOW THE MEXICAN RAILWAY WAS BUILT.--
  DIFFICULTIES OF ENGINEERING.--APIZACO.--THE CITY OF THE
  ANGELS; ITS CATHEDRAL AND OTHER CURIOSITIES.--MANUFACTURES
  OF PUEBLA.--BATTLE-FIELD OF CINCO DE MAYO.                         364

  CHAPTER XXIV.

  FURTHER SIGHTS IN PUEBLA.--ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDINGS.--SCHOOLS,
  HOSPITALS, ASYLUMS, AND OTHER PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.--CHOLULA
  AND ITS GREAT PYRAMID.--FIRST SIGHT OF THE PYRAMID; ITS
  CHARACTER, SIZE, AND PECULIARITIES.--ANCIENT CHOLULA.--
  MASSACRE OF INHABITANTS BY CORTEZ.--RUMORS OF BURIED
  TREASURES.--HOW A CRAFTY PRIEST WAS FOILED.--VISIT TO
  TLASCALA.--THE STATE LEGISLATURE IN SESSION.--BANNER CARRIED
  BY CORTEZ.--FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA.--ANCIENT
  PULPIT AND BAPTISMAL FONT.--A REVERED SHRINE.--FROM
  TLASCALA TO APIZACO AND ONWARD TOWARDS THE GULF.                   380

  CHAPTER XXV.

  DOWN THE CUMBRES.--A MONSTER LOCOMOTIVE.--MALTRATA.--EL
  BARRANCA DEL INFERNILLO.--IN THE TIERRA TEMPLADA.--PEAK
  OF ORIZABA; HOW IT WAS ASCENDED.--AN OLD AND QUAINT TOWN.--
  EXCURSIONS IN THE ENVIRONS OF ORIZABA.--FALLS OF THE RINCON
  GRANDE.--MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES--CERRO DEL BORREGO.--THE
  MEXICAN ARMY ROUTED.--CORDOBA.--HOW TO RUN A COFFEE
  PLANTATION.--BARRANCA OF METLAC.--PASO DEL MACHO.--TIERRA
  CALIENTE.--DRY LANDS NEAR THE SEA-COAST.--VERA CRUZ.--
  ZOPILOTES AND THEIR USES.--YELLOW FEVER; ITS SEASONS AND
  PECULIARITIES.--NORTHERS AND THEIR BENEFITS.                       394

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  THE ALAMEDA OF VERA CRUZ.--TROPICAL GROWTHS.--THE PALO DE
  LECHE AND ITS PECULIARITIES.--A DANGEROUS PLANT.--FOUNTAINS
  AND WATER-CARRIERS.--GOVERNOR'S PALACE.--BRIEF HISTORY OF
  VERA CRUZ.--PILLAGED BY PIRATES AND CAPTURED IN WARS.--
  FORTRESS OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA.--HORRORS OF A MEXICAN
  PRISON.--EXCURSION TO JALAPA.--THE NATIONAL BRIDGE.--CERRO
  GORDO.--GENERAL SCOTT'S VICTORY.--JALAPA.--A CITY OF MISTS.--
  STAPLE PRODUCTS OF THE REGION.--JALAP AND ITS QUALITIES.--
  PRETTY WOMEN.--PECULIARITIES OF THE STREETS.--ORIZABA AND
  PEROTE.--NEW RAILWAY CONNECTIONS.--TAMPICO AND ANTON
  LIZARDO.--DELAYED BY A NORTHER.--DEPARTURE BY STEAMER.--
  FAREWELL TO VERA CRUZ.                                             410

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  THE COATZACOALCOS RIVER.--ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC.--TEHUANTEPEC
  RAILWAY AND SHIP-CANAL.--THE EADS SHIP-RAILWAY.--AN IDEA OF
  CORTEZ.--PLANS OF CAPTAIN EADS.--A RAILWAY-CARRIAGE WITH 1200
  WHEELS.--SHIPS CARRIED IN TANKS.--ENGINEERING AND OTHER FEATURES
  OF THE SHIP-RAILWAY.--MAHOGANY TRADE.--FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS
  FOR THREE LOGS.--FRONTERA AND TABASCO.--RUINS OF PALENQUE.--
  LORILLARD CITY.--EXPLORATIONS BY STEPHENS AND CHARNAY.--PALACE
  OF PALENQUE.--TEMPLE OF THE CROSS.--TEMPLE OF LORILLARD.--
  REMARKABLE IDOL.--A REGION ABOUNDING IN RUINS.--REMAINS OF
  MITLA.--PILLAR OF DEATH.                                           423

  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  "THE MYSTERIOUS CITY;" STORIES AND RUMORS CONCERNING IT.--
  ACCOUNTS OF STEPHENS AND MORELET.--FATE OF TWO YOUNG
  AMERICANS.--DON PEDRO VELASQUEZ.--CARMEN AND CAMPEACHY.--
  UNDERGROUND CAVES.--HOW LOGWOOD IS GATHERED; ITS COMMERCIAL
  IMPORTANCE.--THE QUEZAL AND ITS WONDERFUL PLUMAGE.--SNAKES
  AND SNAKE STORIES.--TRAVELLERS' TALES.--PROGRESO AND
  SISAL.--HOW THE YUCATAN RAILWAY WAS BUILT.--AGAVE SISALANA.--
  DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST OF YUCATAN.--A FEROCIOUS POPULATION.--
  REBELLIOUS INDIANS IN YUCATAN; HOW THEY TREAT VISITORS.--
  TOWNS AND VILLAGES DEPOPULATED.                                    439

  CHAPTER XXIX.

  RAILWAY-STATION AT MERIDA.--PUBLIC CONVEYANCES.--THE
  CALESA.--A RIDE THROUGH THE STREETS.--WHEN MERIDA WAS
  FOUNDED.--PRACTICAL MODE OF DESIGNATING STREETS.--PUBLIC
  BUILDINGS.--CASA MUNICIPAL.--DRESS AND MANNERS OF THE
  PEOPLE.--INDIANS, SPANIARDS, AND MESTIZOS.--A CITY OF PRETTY
  WOMEN.--CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAYA RACE.--THE MESTIZO
  QUARTER.--SCENES IN THE MARKET.--BREAKFASTING AT A MEDIO
  RESTAURANT.--EUCHRE OR YUCCA.--USES OF THE YUCCA PLANT.--
  GAMBLING IN YUCATAN.--LA LOTERIA; HOW IT IS PLAYED.--AMERICAN
  COUNTERPART OF THE YUCATEO GAME.--A POPULAR ASSEMBLAGE.            454

  CHAPTER XXX.

  POTTERY AND HAMMOCK MARKETS.--HAMMOCKS IN YUCATAN; THEIR
  GENERAL USE FOR SLEEPING PURPOSES.--YUCATEO SALUTATIONS.--AN
  AWKWARD SITUATION.--FASHIONABLE, MESTIZO, AND INDIAN BALLS.--
  CHARACTERISTIC INDIAN DANCES.--WORSHIP OF THE SUN AMONG THE
  ANCIENT YUCATEOS.--NATIVE MUSIC.--ZOPILOTE DANCE.--VISIT TO A
  HENEQUIN HACIENDA.--THE VOLAN COCHÉ.--A VEHICLE OF THE
  COUNTRY.--A RACE AND HOW IT ENDED.--ARRIVAL AT THE HACIENDA.--
  THE SCRAPING AND BALING MACHINERY.--STARTING A PLANTATION.--
  PRICE OF THE FIBRE IN THE MARKET.--"NO MONEY IN THE
  BUSINESS."--FIBRE-FACTORIES IN YUCATAN.--HOW THE OWNERS OF
  ESTATES LIVE.                                                      468

  CHAPTER XXXI.

  FIRST NIGHT IN THE HAMMOCKS.--INSPECTING A CENOTÉ.--
  UNDERGROUND WATERCOURSES AND LAKES.--HOW CENOTÉS ARE
  FORMED.--A SUBTERRANEAN BATH-HOUSE.--A NORIA.--WATER TAX ON
  A DIRECT SYSTEM.--NATIVE SUPERSTITIONS.--A LIZARD THAT SHAKES
  HIS TAIL OFF.--BITING A SHADOW, AND WHAT COMES OF IT.--JOURNEY
  TO THE RUINS OF UXMAL.--A HEETZMEK.--YUCATEO MODE OF CARRYING
  INFANTS.--BREAKFAST AT A HACIENDA.--GARDEN AT UAYALKÉ. EATING
  TROPICAL LIZARDS.--FRED'S OPINION OF LIZARD STEWS.--BEES OF
  THE COUNTRY.--SUPERFLUOUS INDUSTRY OF YUCATEO BEES.--EVENING
  PRAYER AT A HACIENDA.--ARRIVAL AT UXMAL.                           483

  CHAPTER XXXII.

  A ROMANTIC LEGEND.--HOW THE KING WAS OVERCOME BY THE WITCH.--
  VISITING THE DWARF'S HOUSE; ITS POSITION AND PECULIARITIES.--
  HOUSE OF THE NUNS; ITS EXTENT AND CONSTRUCTION.--CASA DEL
  GOBERNADOR.--DESTRUCTIVE AGENCIES AT WORK.--AT HOME IN A ROYAL
  PALACE.--MAYA ARCHES.--TROPICAL TREES AND PLANTS.--DOUBLE-HEADED
  DOG OF UXMAL.--GARAPATAS AND THE ANNOYANCE THEY CAUSED.--INSECT
  PESTS OF YUCATAN.--DR. LE PLONGEON AND THE STATUE OF
  CHAC-MOOL.--GHOSTS AND GHOST STORIES.--BIRDS OF YUCATAN.--AN
  ANCIENT WATERING-PLACE.                                            498

  CHAPTER XXXIII.

  A CHAPTER ON ARCHÆOLOGY.--NUMBER AND EXTENT OF THE RUINED
  CITIES OF YUCATAN.--MAYAPAN, THE ANCIENT CAPITAL.--PYRAMID
  OF MAYAPAN.--AKÉ AND ITS PICOTÉ.--AN ANCIENT WHIPPING-POST.--
  PYRAMIDS AT AKÉ.--HISTORICAL CONUNDRUMS.--KABAH AND ITS
  MOUND.--SCULPTURE OF A MAN ON HORSEBACK.--CHICHEN-ITZA.--
  CHURCH, NUNNERY, CASTLE, AND TENNIS-COURT AT CHICHEN.--
  EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF THE SCULPTURES.--STORY OF THE CONQUEST
  OF CHICHEN.--SKILFUL RETREAT OF THE SPANISH CAPTAIN.--OTHER
  RUINED CITIES.--IDOLS OF COPAN.--PROBABILITIES OF CITIES YET
  TO BE DISCOVERED.                                                  513

  CHAPTER XXXIV.

  CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE REPUBLICS COMPOSING IT; A SKETCH OF
  THEIR HISTORY; AREA AND POPULATION.--SNAKES, LIZARDS, AND
  OTHER CREEPING THINGS.--COSTA RICA AND ITS REVOLUTIONS.--A
  PRESIDENT WHO COULDN'T READ.--HONDURAS AND ITS RESOURCES.--
  VISIT TO TEGUCIGALPA.--YUSCARAN AND ITS MINERAL WEALTH.--
  UNFORTUNATE FINANCIERING.--INTERESTING SOCIAL CUSTOMS.--
  INTEROCEANIC CANALS; THEIR PRESENT STATUS.--THE NICARAGUA
  CANAL; SURVEYS, ESTIMATES, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE;
  PROBABLE ADVANTAGES TO THE WORLD'S COMMERCE; TERMS OF THE
  CONCESSION; ESTIMATED COST, REVENUES, AND SAVING OF
  DISTANCES.--FAREWELL TO MEXICO.--THE END.                          530




ILLUSTRATIONS.


  View of Popocatepetl                                   _Frontispiece._
  Map of Mexico with its Railways                         _Front Cover._
  Route of the Boy Travellers in Mexico                    _Back Cover._
  A Next-door Neighbor                                                 1
  The Mexican Frontier                                                 3
  Scene on the Pennsylvania Railroad                                   4
  Street in El Paso                                                    5
  Bridge over the Mississippi at St. Louis                             7
  The Alamo Mission, San Antonio                                       8
  General Sam Houston, Liberator of Texas                              9
  "G. T. T."                                                          11
  Mexico, showing Present and Old Frontier                            12
  A Group of Texan Hunters                                            13
  View in San Antonio, Texas                                          14
  On the Banks of the Rio Grande                                      15
  Indian Water-carriers                                               17
  An old Mexican Chapel by Moonlight                                  19
  View in Nuevo Laredo                                                20
  Watching the Frontier                                               21
  Landscape near the Border                                           22
  A Mexican Muleteer                                                  23
  A Solid Silver Spur                                                 23
  A Group of Adobe Houses                                             25
  The Land of Mañana                                                  26
  The Threshing-floor                                                 27
  Saddle Mountain, Monterey                                           29
  View of the Sierras                                                 30
  View of Monterey                                                    31
  The Plaza de Zaragoza                                               32
  General Taylor's Attack on Monterey, September 21, 1846             33
  The Bishop's Palace                                                 35
  Z. Taylor                                                           36
  Officers' Uniforms in 1860                                          39
  Mountain Scene near Monterey                                        41
  The Alameda, Monterey                                               42
  Native Pottery                                                      43
  A Scene in the Market                                               44
  A Court-yard in Monterey                                            45
  A Window in Monterey                                                46
  View of Sierras from Bishop's Palace                                47
  Santa Caterina, near Monterey                                       49
  The Organ Cactus                                                    50
  Varieties of Cactus                                                 51
  In the San Juan Valley                                              52
  A Solid Citizen                                                     53
  On the Road to Buena Vista                                          55
  A Servant at the Hacienda                                           56
  Near the Kitchen                                                    57
  Making Tortillas                                                    58
  A Primitive Kitchen                                                 59
  The Guide on the Battle-field                                       61
  The Battle of Buena Vista                                           63
  Boll of Mexican Cotton Plant                                        64
  Picking Cotton                                                      65
  Departure of the Diligence                                          67
  On the Road                                                         68
  Fight between Brigands and Soldiers                                 69
  Encampment of Brigands                                              71
  A King of the Road                                                  72
  Cavalry Pursuing a Band of Robbers                                  73
  Hotel by the Way-side                                               75
  Street Scene at Jaral                                               77
  El Real de Santa Eulalia                                            78
  The Ravine where the Outcasts Lived                                 79
  On the Edge of the Cotton Field                                     80
  "Cotton is King"                                                    81
  View in the Mining Region                                           83
  Convent and Fountain                                                84
  A Silver-producing Valley                                           86
  Cactus Growths near Zacatecas                                       87
  Field with Adobe Walls                                              88
  A Mexican Arastra                                                   89
  Carrying Ore to the Reduction-works                                 90
  A Mexican Crusher                                                   91
  Bringing Ore from the Mines                                         93
  Mexican Bellows                                                     94
  Mexican Smelting-furnace                                            95
  An Old-fashioned Plough                                             96
  Farm-laborer in a Grass Cloak                                       97
  Hacienda near the City                                              98
  Prisoners at Work in the Jail                                       99
  Of Spanish Blood                                                   100
  Indian Girls at a Spring                                           101
  A Dry Barranca                                                     103
  Church of San Diego, Guanajuato                                    104
  Court-yard of a Mexican Tenement-house                             105
  Superintendent's House at Silver Reduction-works                   106
  A Ton of Silver                                                    107
  A Mexican Beggar                                                   108
  Old Convent now used as Barracks                                   109
  A Leading Citizen                                                  110
  Prisoners Breaking Ore                                             111
  Sloping Ladders in a Silver-mine                                   112
  Opening a New Mine                                                 113
  Entrance of a Mine Not in Operation                                114
  A Cotton Factory, Queretaro                                        115
  Aqueduct of Queretaro                                              116
  Queretaro                                                          118
  A Mexican Cavalry Soldier                                          120
  A Mexican Infantry Soldier                                         121
  Line of Defence held by Maximilian during the Siege of Queretaro   123
  First Protestant Church in Mexico                                  125
  Pueblo at Taos, New Mexico                                         126
  Garden of a Mexican Convent                                        127
  Interior of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, City of Mexico   128
  Rev. John L. Stephens, a Martyr Missionary                         129
  In the Cathedral                                                   130
  Mexican Priests                                                    131
  Comparative Level of Lakes                                         132
  The Great Spanish Drainage-cut                                     133
  Young Girls of Tula                                                135
  Environs of Mexico                                                 137
  A Member of the Church Party                                       139
  Transcontinental Profile of Mexico                                 140
  Interior Court-yard of a Mexican Hotel                             141
  Street View in the Capital                                         142
  On the Way to Morning Mass                                         143
  A Modern Street Front                                              144
  Mexican Lottery Ticket                                             145
  Flower-girl                                                        146
  The Cathedral, City of Mexico                                      148
  Moonlight View of Plaza and Cathedral                              149
  Augustin de Iturbide, Grandson of the Liberator                    151
  Granting Absolution in the Cathedral                               153
  Ready for Mass                                                     154
  Old Spanish Palace in the Calle de Jesus                           154
  Church built by Cortez                                             155
  The Aztec Calendar-stone                                           156
  Indian Picture-writing                                             157
  Tenochtitlan, A.D. 1517                                            158
  First Cavalry Charge by Cortez                                     158
  A Flower-show in the Zocalo                                        159
  How the Mantilla is Worn                                           160
  The Trogon                                                         161
  Near the Plaza                                                     162
  Wax Model of Water-carrier                                         163
  Ancient Indian Pottery                                             164
  Mexican House-maid and Children                                    165
  The Sacrificial Stone                                              166
  One Form of Sacrificial Stone                                      167
  Sacrificial Collar                                                 167
  The Form of Sacrifice                                              168
  Sculptures from Tizoc's Stone                                      169
  Gladiatorial Stone--from an Aztec Drawing                          170
  Huitzilopochtli, the God of War                                    171
  The National Palace                                                173
  Gen. Manuel Gonzales, former President of Mexico                   174
  Collateral in the Monte de Piedad                                  175
  To the Pawn-shop                                                   176
  Occasional Patrons of the Monte de Piedad                          177
  A Gift to Fred                                                     179
  "My house and all it contains are yours"                           181
  Seeing and Being Seen                                              182
  The Market-place, City of Mexico                                   184
  Interior of a House near the Market-place                          185
  Mexican Bird-sellers                                               186
  View on the Canal                                                  187
  Residence on the Banks of the Canal                                188
  Sunday Diversions at Santa Anita                                   189
  Crew of a Cargo-boat                                               190
  Chinampas, or Floating Gardens                                     191
  Peon's House on a Chinampa                                         192
  Cactus Growths near the Hill of Estrella                           193
  Rock Inscriptions made by Ancient Aztecs                           194
  Home Scene near the Lake                                           195
  A Dead Fly                                                         196
  Ruins of a Toltec House                                            197
  A Fortunate Bear                                                   198
  Mexican Courtship                                                  199
  Code-signalling with the Fan                                       200
  "There he is"                                                      201
  A Student of "El Secretario"                                       202
  Mexican Wedding in the Country                                     203
  Flowers for a Lady                                                 204
  Funeral of General Doblado, Guanajuato                             205
  Soldiers' Monument in the American Cemetery                        207
  Taking Things Easy                                                 209
  A Charcoal Peddler                                                 210
  A Mexican Wash-house                                               211
  The Landing of Columbus                                            212
  Mexican Sculpture--Door-way of Church of San José                  213
  Las Casas Protecting the Aztecs                                    215
  The Death of Atala                                                 217
  A Successful Artist at Work                                        218
  Maguey Plant                                                       219
  The Tlachiquero                                                    220
  Extracting Aguamiel                                                222
  A Glass of Aguardiente                                             223
  "Not caught yet"                                                   224
  A Magistrate                                                       225
  An Old Offender                                                    226
  Scene of the Capture                                               228
  A Corner of Chapultepec                                            229
  Montezuma's Tree                                                   230
  Statue of Columbus on the Paseo de la Reforma                      231
  San Cosme Aqueduct                                                 233
  Montezuma's Bath                                                   234
  Chapultepec and its Gardens                                        235
  El Salto del Agua                                                  236
  An Aztec Relic                                                     237
  The Valley of Mexico, from the American Official Map               239
  View of the Fort of San Juan de Ulloa from Vera Cruz               240
  Battle of Cerro Gordo                                              241
  General Santa Anna                                                 242
  Battle of Churubusco--Charge of the "Palmettos"                    243
  Storming of Molino del Rey                                         244
  General Scott's Entrance into Mexico                               245
  Captured at Chapultepec                                            246
  A Scene of Peace                                                   247
  The Noche Triste Tree                                              248
  Departure of Cortez from Cuba                                      249
  The First Mass in the Temples of Yucatan                           250
  Battle with the Indians                                            251
  First View of the Mexican Capital                                  252
  The Meeting of Cortez and Montezuma                                253
  The Battle upon the Causeway                                       255
  The Capture of Guatemozin                                          256
  Ponce de Leon                                                      257
  The Church of Guadalupe                                            258
  Statuette of the Virgin Mary                                       259
  Making a Pilgrimage Comfortably                                    261
  The Penitentes Walking on Cactus-leaves                            262
  San Franciscan Mission                                             263
  Indian of Northern Mexico                                          264
  A Mestizo Woman                                                    265
  Indian Girl Spinning Cotton                                        267
  Peddler of Wooden Trays                                            268
  Charcoal Vender                                                    269
  Of the Old Aristocracy                                             270
  A Creole Residence                                                 271
  Group of Mexican Horsemen                                          272
  A Society Belle                                                    273
  A Mexican Grandee                                                  274
  A Sermon in the Church                                             275
  Church of San Domingo                                              276
  Torture Chamber                                                    277
  Prisoners of the Inquisition                                       278
  A Residence in the Foot-hills                                      279
  The Valley of Amecameca                                            280
  Iztaccihuatl, the White Woman                                      282
  Along the Trail                                                    284
  Dwarf Pines at a High Elevation                                    285
  The Dome of Popocatepetl from Tlamacas                             286
  Mexican Saw-mill                                                   287
  Hacienda of Tomacoco                                               288
  Volcaneros (Miners)                                                289
  In the Pine Region                                                 291
  El Pico del Fraile                                                 292
  Not a Good Climber                                                 294
  "No mountain for me!"                                              295
  "Hurrah for the top!"                                              296
  The Crater of Popocatepetl                                         297
  Bringing Ice from the Mountain                                     299
  Pack-train from Tlamacas                                           301
  An Improved Refinery                                               303
  Looking from the Top of Popocatepetl                               304
  A Dangerous Place                                                  305
  Ruins of Tlalmanalco                                               307
  Burial-ground of Tenenepanco                                       308
  Vases Found at Tenenepanco                                         309
  Caricature of an Aztec Warrior                                     310
  Ancient Aztec Vases                                                311
  Wants a Souvenir                                                   312
  Ruins of San Lazero                                                313
  On the Way to Church                                               314
  Monks at their Musical Exercise                                    315
  A Belle of the Opera                                               316
  A Stage Brigand                                                    317
  Tivoli Garden, San Cosme                                           319
  Teasing the Bull                                                   320
  Picadores                                                          320
  The Matador's Triumph                                              320
  The Final Blow                                                     321
  Scenes at a Bull-fight                                             322
  A Bull-ring of the Highest Class                                   323
  A School on the Old Model                                          324
  Figure of Joseph (Procession of the Posada)                        325
  The Railway Judas                                                  327
  Warrior's Profile, found at Tula                                   329
  Church and Part of Plaza at Tula                                   330
  Toltec King and his Throne                                         331
  Ruins of a Toltec Palace                                           332
  The Pyramid of the Sun at Tula                                     333
  Parts of a Column, Tula                                            335
  Toltec Caryatid, Tula                                              336
  Native Hut on a Sugar Estate                                       337
  Henequin Plant                                                     338
  Fight between Regulars and Insurgents                              339
  Railway Crossing a Barranca                                        340
  A Product of Cuautla                                               341
  Travellers Resting                                                 342
  Over the Hills                                                     343
  A Scorpion of Cuernavaca                                           343
  A Church Going to Decay                                            344
  Mexican House with Tiled Roof                                      345
  Climbing the Heights                                               347
  A Way-side Shrine                                                  348
  On the Road to Acapulco                                            349
  A Country Hotel                                                    350
  Galleon of the Sixteenth Century                                   351
  Town and Castle of Acapulco                                        353
  A Scene on the Diligence Road                                      354
  An Interior Town                                                   355
  At the Hacienda                                                    356
  A Corner of the Market-place                                       357
  Court-yard of a Private House                                      359
  In the Poor Quarters                                               360
  Mexicans Planting Corn                                             361
  A Rodeo                                                            362
  Driving a Herd                                                     363
  President Porfirio Diaz                                            365
  View in Oajaca                                                     366
  Saved from the Sea                                                 367
  House with Tile Front                                              369
  American Residents of Mexico                                       371
  A Military Post                                                    372
  A Country Post-office                                              373
  Compositor for _The Two Republics_                                 374
  Surveying under Difficulties                                       376
  Ruins of the Covered Way to the Inquisition                        377
  Cathedral of Puebla                                                378
  Street Scene in Puebla                                             379
  Part of Puebla                                                     380
  Pyramid of Cholula                                                 382
  View from the Top of the Pyramid                                   383
  Sport at Cholula                                                   384
  Local Freight Train                                                385
  A Relic of the Past                                                386
  Indian Farm Laborers                                               387
  An Aztec Relic                                                     388
  Interior of an Old Church                                          389
  First Christian Pulpit in America                                  390
  Old Baptismal Font, Tlascala                                       391
  Ancient Bells                                                      392
  A Native Ploughman                                                 393
  The "Portales," or Covered Walks                                   394
  Map of Railway between City of Mexico and Vera Cruz                395
  Double-ender Locomotive on Mexican Railway                         397
  View of Orizaba                                                    398
  The River at Orizaba                                               399
  Hill of El Barrago                                                 401
  Orange Grove in Cordoba                                            402
  Coffee-drying                                                      403
  Bridge of Attoyac                                                  405
  In Tierra Caliente                                                 406
  Vera Cruz, looking seaward                                         407
  After the Vomito                                                   409
  A Coffee-carrier                                                   410
  Fountain at Vera Cruz                                              412
  The Governor's Palace                                              413
  On the Way to the Fort                                             414
  The National Bridge.--Robbing a Coach                              416
  Sketched at Rinconada                                              417
  Part of Jalapa                                                     418
  A Narrow Street                                                    419
  Exterior of a Church                                               421
  A Tourist                                                          422
  On the River's Bank                                                423
  A Steamship on a Platform Car                                      424
  Plane and Elevation of Terminus                                    425
  Tank Carriage                                                      426
  Section of Part of Cradle Carriage                                 427
  Map of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec                                  429
  Mahogany Hunters                                                   430
  Travelling in Tabasco                                              431
  Plan of Part of the Palace at Palenque                             433
  Medallion Bass-relief                                              434
  Idol in Temple at Lorillard City                                   435
  The Cross of Palenque                                              436
  Grand Hall at Mitla                                                437
  Exterior of Temple at Mitla                                        438
  In the Forest                                                      439
  John L. Stephens                                                   440
  Seeking the Mysterious City                                        441
  Campeachy Tobacco                                                  443
  The Quezal                                                         444
  Difficulties of Travel in Campeachy                                445
  Map of Yucatan                                                     447
  Tropical Railway Train and Station                                 448
  Flock of Pelicans                                                  449
  Sisal-hemp                                                         450
  Indians of Yucatan                                                 451
  Retreating from Hostile Indians                                    453
  In the Outskirts                                                   454
  The Calesa.--Entrance of a Merida House                            455
  House built by Montejo                                             457
  Musical Instruments                                                458
  Municipal Palace and Square, Merida                                459
  Dancing Scene                                                      460
  Native Village in the Interior                                     461
  Fruit-sellers in the Market-place                                  463
  Sitting for her Portrait                                           464
  In the Market-place                                                465
  No more "Loteria"                                                  467
  Hammock Lodgings in the Country                                    468
  View on a Back Street                                              469
  Scene in a Ball-room                                               471
  Indians Dancing                                                    473
  Preparing for the Ball                                             475
  A Volan Coché                                                      476
  A Street in Merida                                                 477
  A Primitive Sugar-mill                                             479
  Railway-station in the Henequin District                           480
  Storehouse at the Hacienda                                         481
  A Morning Run                                                      482
  A Corner of the Hacienda                                           483
  An Underground Walk                                                484
  Formation of Stalactites                                           485
  At a Noria                                                         487
  At Home in Merida                                                  489
  Scene of the Heetzmek                                              490
  Garden of the Hacienda                                             491
  Native Village near Uxmal                                          493
  Hunting the Iguana                                                 494
  What Perfumes the Honey                                            495
  The Sierra from the Garden of the Hacienda                         496
  Side of Ancient Altar                                              497
  Archway of Las Monjas, Uxmal                                       498
  Hacienda of Uxmal                                                  499
  Dwarf's House and East Wing of the Casa de las Monjas              501
  Façade of West Wing of Casa de las Monjas                          503
  Ground-plan of Las Monjas                                          504
  Casa del Gobernador                                                505
  Ground-plan of Casa del Gobernador                                 506
  Statue of Double-headed Dog, Uxmal                                 507
  Decorations over Door-way of Casa del Gobernador                   509
  An Unwelcome Visitor                                               510
  Statue of Chac-Mool                                                511
  Maya Arches                                                        512
  Yucateo Sculpture                                                  513
  Great Mound at Mayapan                                             514
  Circular Edifice at Mayapan                                        515
  Sculptured Head of Yucatan                                         517
  Pillars of Great Gallery, Aké                                      519
  Head of Incense-burner                                             520
  Maya Sculpture (Profile)                                           520
  Ruined Arch at Kabah                                               521
  Façade of El Castillo                                              522
  Bass-relief, Chichen-Itza                                          523
  Door-posts in Tennis-court                                         524
  Casa Colorada                                                      525
  Head of War-god, from Copan                                        526
  Idol of Copan (from Stephens)                                      527
  Decoration over Door-way                                           528
  Map of Central America                                             529
  In a Central American Forest                                       530
  Government Palace, San José                                        531
  Central American Lodgings                                          533
  Banana Plantation in Costa Rica                                    534
  Don Bernardo de Soto, President of Costa Rica                      535
  Gen. Luis Bogran, President of Honduras                            536
  Tegucigalpa, Capital of Honduras                                   537
  Street in Yuscaran                                                 538
  Old Bridge at Tegucigalpa                                          539
  Statue of Morazan, Tegucigalpa                                     540
  Bird's-eye View of the Nicaragua Canal                             541
  Profile of Nicaragua Canal                                         542
  A Section of the Canal                                             543
  River San Juan at Toro Rapids                                      544
  Street in Greytown                                                 545
  El Castillo, San Juan River                                        546
  View of Lake Nicaragua                                             547
  Mozo in Full Dress                                                 548
  Fort San Carlos                                                    549
  Native Boats, Lake Nicaragua                                       550
  Central American Hacienda                                          551
  Birds of Nicaragua                                                 552




THE BOY TRAVELLERS
IN
MEXICO.




CHAPTER I.

PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.--PLANS FOR THE JOURNEY.--TO MEXICO BY
RAIL.--BAGGAGE, AND BOOKS ON THE COUNTRY.--BRUSHING UP THEIR KNOWLEDGE
OF SPANISH.--WESTWARD FROM NEW YORK.--A HALT AT ST. LOUIS.--SAN ANTONIO,
TEXAS.--VISIT TO THE ALAMO.--REMINISCENCES OF THE FALL OF THE
ALAMO.--BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO AND INDEPENDENCE OF TEXAS.--NOTES ON THE
RAILWAYS OF NORTHERN MEXICO.--OLD TEXAS AND MODERN CHANGES.--
"G. T. T."--PRESENT WEALTH OF THE STATE.--ARRIVAL ON THE FRONTIER OF
MEXICO.


"I've news for you, Frank!"

"Well, what is it?"

"We're going to Mexico next week," answered Fred; "at any rate, that is
uncle's plan, and he will tell us all about it this evening."

[Illustration: A NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR.]

"The news is good news," was the reply; "for Mexico is one of the
countries that just now I want very much to see. We have heard a great
deal about it since the railway was completed to the capital; and then,
you know, the Mexicans are our neighbors."

"That is true," said Fred; "here we've been going all over the rest of
the world, and haven't yet called on our neighbors, and next-door
neighbors too. But we're not alone in this, as it is probable that for
every inhabitant of the Northern States who has visited Mexico, a
hundred have been across the Atlantic."

This conversation occurred between Frank Bassett and Fred Bronson
shortly after returning from their tour among the islands of the Pacific
Ocean and through New Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia. The accounts of
their journeys have appeared in several volumes, with which our readers
are or should be familiar.[1]

[1] "The Boy Travellers in the Far East" (five volumes), and "The Boy
Travellers in South America," "The Boy Travellers in the Russian
Empire," "The Boy Travellers on the Congo," and "The Boy Travellers in
Australasia" (four volumes). See complete list at the end of this book.

The youths waited with some impatience until evening, when they were to
hear from Doctor Bronson the details of the proposed trip. In the mean
time they devoted themselves to their Spanish grammars and dictionaries,
which they had not seen for months, owing to their occupation with other
matters. And we may here add that until their departure and while they
were on the road, every moment that could be applied to the study of the
language of the country whither they were bound was industriously
employed. By the time they crossed the border they were able to speak
Spanish very well, and had very little need of interpreters.

"We shall go to Mexico by rail," said the Doctor, "and return by sea; at
any rate, that is my plan at present, but circumstances may change it.
It is my intention to visit the principal cities and other places of
interest, and also to give some attention to the antiquities of the
country and of Central America; exactly what places we shall see I
cannot say at this moment, nor how long we shall be absent."

"What shall we need in the way of baggage?" one of the youths asked.

"About what you need for a long journey north and south in the United
States," was the reply. "You will need clothing for hot weather as well
as for cold. We shall find it quite chilly in certain parts of the
_tierra fria_, or highlands, and warm enough in the _tierra caliente_,
or lowlands along the coast. You must have outer and under clothing
adapted to warm and cool climates, and your ulsters may be placed for
convenience in the same bundle with your linen dusters. Have a good
supply of under-clothing, as the facilities for laundry-work are not the
best, even in the large cities; but do not load yourselves with anything
not absolutely necessary, as the Mexican railways allow only
thirty-three pounds of baggage to a local passenger, and the charges for
extra weight are high. Passengers with through tickets from the United
States are entitled to one hundred and fifty pounds of baggage free.

"Of course," continued the Doctor, "you will want some books on Mexico,
partly for historical research and partly for description. There is an
excellent guide-book which was written by Mr. Janvier, and there is
another by Mr. Conkling; get them both, and also 'Old Mexico and her
Lost Provinces,' by Mr. Bishop, 'Mexico of To-day,' by Mr. Griffin, and
'Our Next-door Neighbor,' by Bishop Haven. Don't forget Charnay's
'Ancient Cities of the New World,' and Prescott's 'Conquest of Mexico.'
You can read the latter book before we go; it is inconveniently large
for travelling purposes, and so we will leave it behind us, as we can
easily find it in the City of Mexico, in case we wish to refer to it
again. Abbott's 'Life of Hernando Cortez' is a more portable work, and
will serve to refresh your memory concerning what you read in Prescott's
volumes."

[Illustration: THE MEXICAN FRONTIER.]

The conversation lasted an hour or more, and by the time it ended the
boys almost felt that they were already in the land of the Aztecs. Their
dreams through the night were of ancient temples and modern palaces,
Aztec and Spanish warriors, snowy mountains and palm-covered plains,
mines of silver and other metals, fortresses, cathedrals, haciendas and
hovels, and of many races and tribes of men that dwell in the land they
were about to see. Fred declared in the morning that he had dreamed of
Montezuma and Maximilian walking arm in arm, and Frank professed to have
had a similar vision concerning Cortez and General Scott.

For the next few days the youths had no spare time on their hands, and
when the start was made for the proposed journey they were well prepared
for it both mentally and materially. They had followed Doctor Bronson's
directions as to their outfit of clothing and other things, had procured
the books which he named, and, as we have already seen, had made a
vigorous overhauling of their Spanish grammars and phrase-books.

[Illustration: SCENE ON THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD.]

From New York there are several routes westward, as our readers are
pretty well aware, and the youths were a little puzzled to know which
one would be chosen. The mystery was solved by the Doctor on the day
before their departure. He announced that they would go to St. Louis by
the Pennsylvania Railroad, and from there to the frontier of Mexico by
the Missouri Pacific and Southern Pacific lines. "And now," said he, "I
will leave you to choose the route to the capital city, and you need not
decide until we reach St. Louis."

The Doctor's suggestion compelled a study of the maps and a careful
reading of the guide-books and other literature pertaining to the
journey. The result of their study may be summed up as follows from an
entry which Frank made in his note-book:

[Illustration: STREET IN EL PASO.]

"The first railway which was opened from the United States to the City
of Mexico was the Mexican Central, which runs from El Paso, Texas, or
rather from Paso del Norte, Mexico, which is opposite to El Paso, on the
other side of the Rio Grande. Its length is 1224 miles, and it was
completed March 8, 1884, at the station of Fresnillo, 750 miles from
Paso del Norte, the line having been built from both ends at the same
time. Three years and six months were required for its construction, and
the line is said to have cost more than thirty-two millions of dollars;
eight miles of track were laid during the last day of the work before
the two ends of the line were brought together; and considering all the
disadvantages of the enterprise, it reflects great credit upon those who
managed it.

"For more than four years the Mexican Central was the only all-rail
route for travellers from the United States to the City of Mexico, and
it had a practical monopoly of business. In 1888 two other lines were
opened; or perhaps we might say, another line and half of a third. These
are the Mexican National Railway, from Laredo, Texas, to Mexico City, a
distance of 825 miles, and the International Railway, from Piedras
Negras, Mexico, opposite Eagle Pass, Texas, to a point on the Mexican
Central, about half-way between El Paso and Mexico. The International is
the one which we call half a line, as it makes a new route into Mexico,
and from all we can learn a very good one too.

"The Central is a standard-gauge road, four feet eight and one-half
inches wide, while the National is a narrow-gauge line, three feet
between the rails; the advantage of the National line is that it is much
shorter than the Central, as I will proceed to show.

"From St. Louis to Mexico City, by way of Laredo, the distance is 1823
miles, while by the Central line it is 2584 miles; there is thus a
saving of 761 miles, or about thirty hours in time. But the Central will
take us through five or six interesting cities, while the National only
goes near Monterey, San Luis Potosi, and Toluca.

"Fred and I have decided to ask uncle to go by neither one route nor the
other, but to travel by both of them, and the International line in
addition; and this is the way we propose to do it:

"We'll go from St. Louis to Laredo because of the saving of time and
distance, and then we'll go to Monterey, which is an interesting city,
by the National Railway. After we've done Monterey we'll go farther on,
to Saltillo, and there we can cross over to Jaral, about forty miles,
and find ourselves on the main line of the International Railway. There
the train will pick us up and carry us to Torreon, on the Mexican
Central Railway, and from there we can continue to the capital, seeing
the best part of the Central line, or rather of the country through
which it runs. The northern part of the route of the Central is said to
be dreary and uninteresting, and so we shall be able to avoid it by the
plan we have made."

The scheme was duly unfolded to the Doctor, who promptly gave his
approval and commended the youths for the careful study they had made
of the railway system of northern Mexico. "Later on," said he, "we will
consider the subject of railways in other parts of Mexico, and I'm sure
you will be able to make some interesting notes about it for your
friends at home. Mexico was for a long time very backward in railway
enterprises, but in the past few years she has gone ahead very rapidly.
Ten years ago there were not five hundred miles of railway in the
country; now there are nearly, if not quite, five thousand miles, and in
ten years from this time there will be double that number. The Mexico of
to-day is very different from the Mexico of a quarter of a century ago."

[Illustration: BRIDGE OVER THE MISSISSIPPI AT ST. LOUIS.]

Our friends stopped a day in St. Louis, and another at San Antonio,
Texas, partly for sight-seeing purposes and partly for rest. At the
former city the great bridge over the Mississippi excited the wonder and
admiration of the youths, who heard with much interest the story of its
construction and the difficulties which the engineers encountered in
laying the foundations. At San Antonio they had their first glimpse of
Mexican life, as the city is quite Mexican in character, and at one time
was almost wholly so. Doctor Bronson told them that about one-third of
the inhabitants are of Mexican origin, and they could easily believe it
as they saw the Mexican features all about them on the streets, and
heard the Spanish language quite as often as any other.

[Illustration: THE ALAMO MISSION, SAN ANTONIO.]

The object of greatest interest to them was the Alamo, the old fort
which, in 1836, the Texans, who were fighting for independence, so
heroically but unsuccessfully defended. They were disappointed to find
that there is not much remaining of the fort, which originally consisted
of an oblong enclosure, about an acre in extent, with walls three feet
thick, and eight or ten feet high. "There were 144 men in the Alamo, and
they were besieged by 4000 Mexican troops under General Santa Anna,"
said a gentleman who accompanied them to the spot. "The Mexicans had
artillery, and the Texans had none, and against such odds it was
hopeless to resist. Santa Anna sent a summons for them to surrender, and
throw themselves upon Mexican mercy, but they refused to do so, and
defied him and his army."

As he paused a moment, Fred asked why they refused to surrender when the
odds were so much against them.

"They knew what Mexican mercy was," said the gentleman. "It was
illustrated not long afterwards at Goliad, where Colonel Fannin
surrendered with 412 men as prisoners of war. They were promised to be
released under the rules of war, and one Sunday morning, when they were
singing 'Home, sweet home,' they were marched out and massacred, every
man of them. The slaughter lasted from six till eight, and then the
bodies of the slain were burned by orders of the general. It is proper
to say that the Mexican officers were generally disgusted with the
terrible business, but they were obliged to obey the orders of Santa
Anna, or be themselves shot down. His policy was one of extermination,
and he could have said on his death-bed that he left no enemies behind
him, as he had killed them all.

"Well," continued their informant, "the siege of the Alamo began on the
23d of February, 1836, and lasted for thirteen days. Over 200 shells
were thrown into the fort in the first twenty-four hours, but not a man
was injured by them, while the Texan sharp-shooters picked off a great
number of the Mexicans. Santa Anna made several assaults, but was driven
back each time, and it is believed that he lost fully 1500 men in the
siege. On the morning of the 6th of March a final assault was made, and
the fort was captured; every man was killed in the fighting excepting
six who surrendered, and among the six was the famous Col. David
Crockett. Santa Anna ordered all of them to be cut to pieces, and
Crockett fell with a dozen sword-wounds after his own weapons had been
given up. Colonel Travis, who commanded the fort, was also killed, and
so was Colonel Bowie, who was ill in bed at the time, and was shot where
he lay. He was the inventor of the bowie-knife, which has been famous
through the West and South-west for a good many years. Only three
persons were spared from death, a woman, a child, and a servant."

"How long was that before the battle of San Jacinto?" one of the youths
asked.

[Illustration: GEN. SAM HOUSTON, THE LIBERATOR OF TEXAS.]

"Less than seven weeks," was the reply, "and never was there a more
complete victory than at that battle. Gen. Sam Houston retreated slowly,
and was followed by the Mexican army. He burned a bridge behind his
enemies, and suddenly attacking them on the afternoon of April 21st, he
killed half their number and captured nearly all the rest. The war-cry
of the Texans was 'Remember the Alamo! remember Goliad!' and maddened by
the recollection of the cruelties of the Mexicans, they fought like
tigers, and carried everything before them. Santa Anna, disguised as a
soldier, was captured the next day; Houston had hard work to save him
from the fury of the Texans, but he was saved, and lived to fight again
ten years later. But the battle of San Jacinto ended the war, and made
Texas independent of Mexico."

A ride of a hundred and fifty miles to the south-west from San Antonio
brought our friends to Laredo, on the banks of the Rio Grande, the
dividing line between the United States and Mexico. The ride was through
a thinly settled country, devoted principally to grazing, and there were
few objects of interest along the route. The time was varied with
looking from the windows of the car, with the perusal of books, and by
conversation concerning the Texan war for independence, to which the
thoughts of the party had naturally turned through their visit to the
Alamo at San Antonio.

"Texas was a province of Mexico," said the Doctor, "in the early part of
the present century, the Spaniards having established missions and
stations there at the same time that the French established missions and
military posts in Louisiana. The territorial boundaries between France
and Spain were never very clearly defined; the two countries were in a
constant quarrel about their rights, and when we purchased the Louisiana
territory from France we inherited the dispute about the boundaries.
Adventurers from various parts of the United States poured into the
country, and the population was more American than Mexican; there were
many respectable men among the American settlers, but there was also a
considerable proportion of what might be called 'a bad lot.'"

"I have read somewhere," said Frank, "a couplet which is said to have
been composed by a resident of the country fifty years ago, and to have
given the State its name.

  "'When every other land rejects us,
  This is the land that freely takes us.'"

[Illustration: "G. T. T."]

"And I," said Fred, "have read somewhere that when a man ran away to
cheat his creditors, or for any more serious reason, it was commonly
said that he had 'gone to Texas.' When the sheriffs looked for somebody
whom they wished to arrest and were unable to find him, they indorsed
the warrant with the initial letters 'G. T. T.' before returning it to
the authorities who issued it. Sometimes an absconding debtor saved his
friends the trouble of looking for him by leaving on his door a card
bearing these interesting letters."

"Undoubtedly," continued the Doctor, "there was a rough population in
Texas in those days, but the men composing it were not deficient in
bravery, and they had the spirit of independence in the fullest degree.
While the United States and Mexico were disputing about the boundaries,
the Texans set up a claim for independence, and the war which was ended
by the battle of San Jacinto was like our Revolutionary War a hundred
and more years ago. After Texas had secured her independence, she set up
a government of her own; she had a president and all the other officials
pertaining to a republic, and was recognized by England, France, and
other European countries. This did not last long, as her finances fell
into a deplorable condition, and the preponderance of Americans among
the population naturally led to a movement for annexation to the United
States. Annexation was followed by war with Mexico, and it grew out of
the old dispute about the boundaries. Mexico claimed all land west of
the Nueces River, while Texas claimed to own as far west as the Rio
Grande. Each country believed it was right, and our war with Mexico
resulted in the defeat of the Mexican armies, the occupation of their
capital, and the establishment of the right of the United States to all
territory east of the Rio Grande."

"Texas is therefore one of the lost provinces of Mexico," said Frank.

"Yes," was the reply; "it is one of them, and a very large one, as it
has an area of nearly three hundred thousand square miles, and is a
country of great future possibilities. But Texas was by no means the
greatest of the losses of Mexico by the war, as California, Nevada,
Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico were taken by us as compensation for our
trouble, and you know what they are to-day. About the time that the
treaty of peace was signed and the cession of territory made, gold was
discovered in California, and the wonderful wealth of the Pacific coast
and the Rocky Mountain region was rapidly developed. Look on the map in
Mr. Bishop's book and see what Mexico was before and after the war."

[Illustration]

The boys made a careful inspection of the map, and as it will be
interesting to their friends at home, we here reproduce it.

"The Mexicans were severely punished for their cruelty to the Texans,"
said Fred, "and were probably sorry for their butcheries at Goliad and
the Alamo when they sat down to think of the war and how it turned out.

[Illustration: A GROUP OF TEXAN HUNTERS.]

"The responsibility for those butcheries rests rather upon General Santa
Anna than on the officers and soldiers who executed his orders. He
started out in a war of extermination, and there is abundant evidence
that his officers loathed the work they had to perform. One of them,
writing from Goliad at the time of the massacre of Colonel Fannin and
his men, said, 'This day, Palm Sunday, has been to me a day of
heart-felt sorrow. What an awful scene did the field present when the
prisoners were executed and fell in heaps, and what spectator could view
it without horror!' It has been said that the feeble resistance that
Santa Anna's men made at the battle of San Jacinto was in consequence of
the willingness of officers and soldiers to be captured so that the
terrible war could come to an end."

"Texas is now a very prosperous State," continued the Doctor; "the value
of its taxable property is nearly seven hundred millions of dollars, and
some authorities say it is more, and it has seven millions of cattle,
ten millions of sheep, and horses and mules in proportion. By the census
of 1880 it had a population of more than one and a half millions, and it
is probable that 1890 will give it more than two millions. Its area
would make five States as large as New York, thirty-three as large as
Massachusetts, and two hundred and twelve of the size of Rhode Island.
That it has changed greatly from the days before the annexation, and is
favorable to peace and good order, is shown by its liberal appropriation
for schools, its laws relative to the sale of intoxicating drinks, the
fines it imposes for carrying pistols and bowie-knives, and its
penalties for using them."

There was further conversation about the south-west and its
peculiarities, when the train reached the frontier and attention was
turned to Mexico and the new land that they were about to visit.

[Illustration: VIEW IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.]




CHAPTER II.

HOTELS ON THE FRONTIER.--ACCOMMODATIONS AT LAREDO.--SMUGGLING OVER THE
BORDER.--LAREDO AS A RAILWAY CENTRE.--THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS
PECULIARITIES.--RIVERS BENEATH THE SANDS.--ENTERING MEXICAN
TERRITORY.--EXAMINATIONS AT THE CUSTOM-HOUSE.--MEXICAN TARIFFS.--BRIBERY
AMONG OFFICIALS.--LEAVING NUEVO LAREDO.--A DREARY
PLAIN.--FELLOW-PASSENGERS WITH OUR FRIENDS.--A MEXICAN IRISHMAN.--PEOPLE
AT THE STATIONS.--ADOBE HOUSES; HOW THEY ARE MADE.--THE LAND OF
_MAÑANA_.--_POCO TIEMPO_ AND _QUIEN SABE_.--LAMPASAS.--_MESA DE LOS
CARTUJANOS_.--PRODUCTS OF NUEVO LEON.--SADDLE AND MITRE
MOUNTAINS.--MONTEREY.


It was nine o'clock in the evening when the train reached Laredo from
San Antonio, and our friends found that they would have to pass the
night in the town. They had been recommended to patronize the Commercial
Hotel; their informant said he could not speak loudly in its praise. "It
is the least bad of the hotels in the place," said he, "and a great deal
better than sleeping on the ground in the open air, as you would have
been obliged to do here only a few years ago. In the language of the far
West, it beats nothing all out of sight."

There was a sign of civilization in the shape of an omnibus, rather a
rickety and weak-springed affair, it is true, but still an omnibus, and
it carried them safely to the hotel, whither their baggage followed in a
wagon. The crowd around the station when the train arrived was a mixture
of American and Mexican, with a few Indians by way of variety. The
population of the frontier is quite a puzzle to the ethnologist at
times, and the work of classification is by no means easy. Some of the
patrons of the hotel were Mexicans of the better sort, and they mingled
freely with the Americans who had lived long enough in Texas to feel at
home. The Texas towns along the border contain a goodly number of
residents who are engaged in defrauding the revenue of Mexico by
engaging in the business of smuggling goods into that country; there is
also a fair amount of smuggling from Mexico into the United States, and
the customs officials on both sides are kept reasonably busy in seeing
that the rights of their respective nations are defended. The
peculiarity of revenue laws all the world over is that every country
considers it quite proper to violate those of any other, but is very
indignant if its own regulations are not respected.

Supper at the hotel was endurable by hungry travellers, but would have
failed to meet the desires of the epicure; and the same may be said of
breakfast on the following morning. As the train for Mexico started at
eight o'clock,[2] there was not much time for sight-seeing after
breakfast, though sufficient to discover that Laredo was a comparatively
new town, whose existence was mainly due to the railways that lead to
it. There was a town there in the early days of the Spanish
colonization, but it was completely destroyed in the frontier troubles,
and the site was deserted until Texas became one of the United States.
The International and Great Northern Railway runs to San Antonio and
beyond: one division of the Mexican National Railway, known as the
Texas-Mexican, connects Laredo with Corpus Christi, on the Gulf of
Mexico, 160 miles away; and the next, called the Northern Division,
unites it with the City of Mexico. Other railways are projected, and
those who have corner or other lots in Laredo predict a great future for
the city.

[2] Since the Boy Travellers made their journey through Mexico the
time-table of the Mexican National Railway has been changed. The express
train leaves Laredo at 6.35 P.M., and Nuevo Laredo at 8.20. Monterey is
reached at 2.40 A.M., and Saltillo, where passengers take breakfast, at
6.20. They dine at Catorce, sup at San Luis Potosi, and reach the City
of Mexico at 9.50 on the second morning after their departure from the
Rio Grande.

[Illustration: ON THE BANKS OF THE RIO GRANDE.]

The Rio Grande is not an imposing river at Laredo, and our young
friends were disappointed when they saw it. They had looked for a stream
of magnitude, as implied by the name, and were not prepared for one that
could be forded without much danger, and was so diminutive as to remind
them of those rivers of the Western States where it is necessary to use
a sprinkling-pot at certain seasons of the year to let strangers know
where the stream is. The Doctor told them that the Rio Grande was known
as the Rio Bravo in the lower part of its course, and Frank suggested
that it was because the river was very brave to come so far with such
poor encouragement.

[Illustration: INDIAN WATER-CARRIERS.]

"But the stream which now looks so insignificant," Doctor Bronson
explained, "is subject to periodical floods, owing to the melting of the
snows in the mountains where it takes its rise. They begin in April,
reach their greatest height in May, and subside in June, and while they
last they fill the whole bed of the stream, and overflow the banks
wherever they are low. Some of its tributaries at such times are roaring
floods, while ordinarily they are only dry beds, where not a drop of
water can be seen for many miles. But if you dig a few feet into the
sandy bed of these streams you will find water; emigrants travelling
through this country carry an empty barrel from which both heads are
removed, and by sinking this barrel into the sand they obtain a
plentiful supply of water. A knowledge of this fact has saved many
lives, and ignorance of it has caused deaths by thirst when suffering
might easily have been avoided."

The first bridge erected by the railway company at Laredo was of wood;
it served its purpose until the first flood, when it was torn from its
foundations and carried away. The present bridge is a substantial one of
iron, and promises to last a long time.

From Laredo the train moved slowly across the river, along a bridge
whose height was intended to make it secure against the severest floods,
until it reached the station of Nuevo Laredo, on the Mexican side, two
or three miles from Texan Laredo. Here there was an examination of
baggage by the Mexican customs officials; they were polite, and our
friends had learned from long experience in custom-houses to be polite
in return. The result was that the examination of their belongings was
very slight, while that of some of the passengers who displayed ill
manners was much more severe. The Doctor and the youths produced the
keys of their trunks and opened them before being asked to do so, and
promptly announced the contents of the receptacles. They had nothing
dutiable, and in a very few minutes the ordeal was ended.

Frank made the following note about the Mexican custom-house:

"Mexico is a land of high tariffs, and pretty nearly everything that can
be imported is taxed. Machinery was formerly imported free, but it is
now subject to duty, and so is almost everything except agricultural and
scientific instruments and books. There is also a duty on packages apart
from their contents, and there is a heavy duty on all kinds of
carriages. Baggage for personal use is admitted free of duty, unless
there is reason to suspect that the owner has an intention to sell; two
or three suits of clothing will pass without question, but ten or twelve
would be liable to detention and duty. The laws require that the
examination of baggage shall be conducted 'liberally, and with prudence
and moderation,' and certainly we have no occasion to complain of
discourtesy. In addition to clothing 'not excessive in quantity,' a
traveller may have two watches with their chains, a cane, an umbrella,
one or two pistols with equipments and cartridges, one hundred cigars,
forty small packages of cigarettes, a rifle or fowling-piece, one pound
of smoking tobacco or snuff, and any musical instruments in actual use
except pianos and organs. When a resident of the United States crosses
the Rio Grande into Mexican territory with his own carriage he must pay
the duties on the vehicle, or give a bond for their payment in case he
does not return to the United States.

[Illustration: AN OLD MEXICAN CHAPEL BY MOONLIGHT.]

"As the relations of the United States and Mexico increase in intimacy,
it is probable that there will be a reciprocity treaty; negotiations to
that end have been going on for some time, but are delayed by the usual
'hitches' that arise in such matters. At the entrance of Mexican cities
there is an examination something like the _octroi_ of European cities,
but so far as tourists are concerned it is very slight. They merely
declare that they have nothing dutiable, and are allowed to pass on.
There is an examination on leaving Mexico, as there is an export duty of
five per cent. on bullion, and a prohibition against taking antiquities
from the country. As a matter of fact, a good many antiquities are
carried away, but as the greater part of them are fictitious the
restriction is not rigidly enforced.

[Illustration: VIEW IN NUEVO LAREDO.]

"We have heard several stories about how the Mexican custom-house is
defrauded by the bribery of officials, but have no means of knowing if
they are true or false. Certainly we did not offer any money to the men
at the custom-house, and none of them intimated that he desired to be
bribed. If a quarter of the stories have any truth at all, there must be
a great deal of dishonesty along the frontier, but it is not confined to
the Mexicans.

"Pack-trains loaded with dutiable goods start openly from the frontier
towns of Texas, ford the river, and make their way into the interior of
Mexico. The trade is so large that it could hardly be carried on without
official connivance. The author of 'Mexico of To-day' says in regard to
this subject: 'Those well informed with regard to trade interests agree
that a great deal of smuggling exists, owing to the high tariff and the
great frontier stretch that invites law-breakers. It is said that
millions more of American goods find their way into Mexico than show in
the statistics prepared by either Government.'

"Another writer says: 'The traveller is permitted to enter all his
personal apparel free of duty; in fact everything that he really needs.
A great many things he does not need may be taken in also, for the
official's pay is meagre and he loves to gaze on the portraits of
American worthies as depicted on our national currency. It is well to
caution the traveller that he must, if requested, state to the proper
authorities his name and profession.'"

In due time the train rolled out of Nuevo Laredo, and our friends were
contemplating the scenery of northern Mexico. For the first fifty or
sixty miles there was not much to contemplate, as the country consists
of a plain covered with chaparral, and one mile of it is very much like
any other. "A little of it goes a great ways," said Frank to Fred; and
after a brief study of the cactus and mesquite landscape, the youths
turned to their books or to observations upon the train and the
passengers accompanying them.

As stated elsewhere, the National Railway is of three feet gauge, and
therefore it was to be expected that the cars would be narrow and
possibly inconvenient. But our friends found them roomy and comfortable;
there was a parlor-car with reclining-chairs, for which an extra price
was charged, and sleeping-cars all the way from Laredo to the City of
Mexico, just as sleeping-cars are run on other lines.

[Illustration: WATCHING THE FRONTIER.]

The passengers included several tourists like themselves, a few railway
agents, some mysterious characters who could not be "placed," and six or
eight men of business who cared nothing for scenery, politics, or
anything else pertaining to Mexico, except the facilities for commerce
and the duties upon imported goods. One of these individuals loudly
denounced the protective duties in the Mexican tariff system, and
declared that the country would never amount to anything until it
abolished its restrictions upon importations and opened its markets to
the world. In the discussion that followed, the fact was revealed that
he was a citizen of the United States, and interested in manufactures;
concerning the tariff system of his own country, he favored protection,
as it encouraged American industries and was the only system under which
the people who worked with their hands could make a living. Frank wanted
to ask him why he favored one system for Mexico and another for the
United States, but he modestly refrained from so doing; another
passenger asked the question, but it remained unanswered; and to this
day the youth has not been enlightened on the subject.

[Illustration: LANDSCAPE NEAR THE BORDER.]

Among the passengers were several Mexicans, whose nationality was
readily shown by their swarthy complexions and the peculiarities of
their dress. They wore the sombrero, or wide-brimmed hat of the country,
but it may here be remarked that of late years the American hat has come
somewhat into fashion and is less unpopular than of yore. Some of them
proved to be naturalized Mexicans rather than native born; one in
particular was a jolly Irishman who had been thirty years in Mexico,
spoke its language fluently, and had been so browned by the sun that his
complexion was fully up to the national standard. He joined Doctor
Bronson and the youths in conversation, and cordially invited them to
make a break in their journey and visit his hacienda.

[Illustration: A MEXICAN MULETEER.]

He had a Mexican wife, and was the owner of a large area of land, on
which he had so many cattle that he was unable to give their number
within two or three hundred. He said he came from Ireland to the United
States, drifted down to the frontier of Mexico just before the American
Civil War, and in order to avoid being mixed up in the troubles, he
crossed the boundary and sought shelter under a neutral flag. There he
had remained and prospered to such an extent that he had no wish to
return either to the United States or his native land.

[Illustration: A SOLID SILVER SPUR.]

Fred made note of the dress of a _haciendado_, or ranch-owner, who was
seated near him and might fairly be taken as the type of the dandy
horseman of Mexico. The man wore a suit of dark blue or blue-black
cloth, the suit consisting of two garments, a jacket and trousers. The
jacket was short and well fitted, and it was ornamented with large
buttons of silver; the trousers were close-fitting, and on the outer
seams were rows of silver buttons smaller than those that decorated the
jacket. The feet were incased in top-boots with high heels, and each
boot carried a large spur of solid silver; the spur is a cruel weapon,
with long rowels upon wheels as large as a half-dollar. The man's jacket
was open in front, displaying a frilled or ruffled shirt, white as snow,
and connected to the trousers at the waist by a _faja_, or sash, whose
predominating color was red. The Mexicans are fond of gaudy colors, and
the taste for them runs through all classes of the population. Though it
was not worn in the railway-train, we must not forget the _serape_, or
Mexican blanket, which is carried over the shoulders or on the arm, or
in the case of a mounted horseman, is thrown across the front of the
saddle.

The sombrero of this haciendado was of a light gray color; the
head-covering may be of almost any color under the sun, but the
preference is nearly always for something bright. The crown may be
rounded off like the large end of an egg, or form a truncated cone, like
the crown of the hat worn by the Puritans, and it is encircled by three
or four turns of silver or gold cord. Gold or silver trimming around the
brim completes the ornamentation; altogether there is considerable
weight to the Mexican sombrero, but nobody seems to mind it.

At the stations where the train halted from time to time, the travellers
obtained glimpses of men and things peculiar to the country. Horsemen
were in goodly proportion, as no Mexican who can afford a horse will be
without one; and sometimes when he cannot afford it, he manages to
possess the steed of his desires by the simple process of stealing it.
Wagons and pack-trains were not infrequent; and one of the picturesque
spectacles in connection with them was the muleteers, or mule-drivers,
who were almost invariably barefooted, wore but little clothing, and
carried the ropes and other apparatus needed for their professions in
bags slung over their shoulders or hung at their sides. Some of the
stations were frail buildings of wood, while others were of the adobe,
or sun-dried brick, the favorite construction material of Mexico and the
countries that once belonged to her.

Fred was interested in the adobe, and learned on inquiry that its use is
a matter of great antiquity. The Mexican Indians made sun-dried bricks
long before Columbus discovered America, and it should be borne in mind
that some of the pyramids of Egypt, which have stood for thousands of
years, were of the same material. The bricks that the Egyptians
compelled the Israelites to make without straw were dried in the sun,
and therefore identical with the Mexican adobe.

Fred asked his Irish-Mexican acquaintance how an adobe house was made,
and the gentleman kindly explained.

[Illustration: A GROUP OF ADOBE HOUSES.]

"An adobe house," said he, "costs very little, and it is warmer in
winter and cooler in summer than either wood or brick. It will last as
long as anybody can want it to. I know some adobe houses that are said
to be a hundred years old, and many that have stood twenty or thirty
years without any sign of decaying.

"Adobe bricks are made of one-third clay-dust and two-thirds fine sand,
and it takes four men to form a brick-making team. One mixes the mass
with a little water so as to form it into a heavy mortar, two men carry
it in a hand-barrow to the place where the bricks are to be spread out
and dried, and the fourth man shapes the bricks in the mould. After
drying somewhat while flat on the ground, which has been previously
levelled and made smooth as a floor, the adobes are set up edgewise,
and stay so until the sun finishes them completely. They are laid in
mortar made from mud; and when a wall is two feet high, the work stops
for a week, to allow the mortar to be firmly set before putting more
pressure on it. When a week has passed, another height of two feet may
be laid, and so the work goes on until the building is finished. Then it
must wait a week before the roof is put on. You see, it takes time for
building an adobe house; but time is of no consequence in the land of
_mañana_."

[Illustration: THE LAND OF MAÑANA.]

"What is the meaning of mañana?" one of the youths asked.

"It means 'to-morrow,'" was the reply; "and as you go through Mexico you
will hear the word in constant use. Ask a Mexican when he will do
anything--pay a bill, return the horse he borrowed, build a sheep-pen or
a corral for his cattle, get married, buy a new saddle, in fact do
anything that can be done--his answer is, 'Mañana.' Mexico is the land
of mañana, and the habit of procrastination is exasperating to a man of
any other nationality. You'll get used to it in time, but it takes a
long while to do so. It wouldn't be so bad if the man literally meant
what he said, and when to-morrow comes would do as he promised. The word
is used like the 'coming, sir' of the English waiter, or the '_tout de
suite_' of the French one, and means 'next week,' or 'next year,' or
more properly an indefinite time in the future."

"There's another word, or rather two words, where the meaning is
identical with mañana, and the use the same. You'll hear them often in
Mexico, but more frequently in Central America and farther south."

"What are they?"

"_Poco tiempo_," was the reply; "the literal meaning is 'in a little
while,' but the practical usage is the same as that of mañana. Then
there's another lesson in language you may have gratis; ask a man any
question for which he does not know the answer, and his response will
be, '_Quien sabe?_' (who knows?). It is less exasperating than the other
words I've told you of, as it is simply a form of saying 'I don't
know.'"

The youths made proper acknowledgment for the instruction they had
received, and took good care to remember it.

The dreary plain ceased at length, and the mountains began to be
visible. About seventy-five miles from Laredo Frank's attention was
called to a _mesa_, or high table-land, a little beyond the station of
Lampasas. It is a mountain which spreads out flat like a table, and the
area on the top is said to be not far from 80,000 acres; its sides are
1400 feet high, and so nearly perpendicular that it is impossible to
ascend them, except in a few places. There is a path three miles long
leading to the summit; it is impassable for wheeled vehicles, and can
only be traversed by sure-footed quadrupeds or men. It is called the
_Meza de los Cartujanos_ (Carthusians), a tribe of Indians who probably
derived their name from a Benedictine monastery which was once
established there. The mesa is well watered, and its surface is divided
between forest and grass-land in such proportion as to make it an
excellent pasture. No fences are needed beyond a single gate at the top
of the path to keep the cattle from straying into the country below,
unless we include the division fences for the separation of herds.

[Illustration: THE THRESHING-FLOOR.]

From Lampasas to Monterey the country improved greatly, and for a
hundred miles or so the train wound through a valley where the scenery
was almost constantly picturesque, and the land showed signs of
agriculture and stock-raising. Near one of the stations the boys caught
sight of a threshing-floor, where horses were driven around in a circle
to tread out the grain with their hoofs. This is the primitive mode of
threshing, to which reference is made in the Bible; it is still in use
in various parts of southern Europe and also in Asia and northern
Africa. The American invasion of Mexico will doubtless introduce the
threshing-machine; in fact the machine has already been introduced, and
many of the raisers of wheat on a large scale have adopted it.

In the cultivated districts many fruit-trees were seen, and Fred made
note of the fact that the orchards produced figs, pomegranates, lemons,
oranges, aguacates, and chirimoyas, in addition to most of the fruits of
the temperate zones. He learned that the State of Nuevo Leon, which they
were then traversing, produced tobacco, sugar, Indian-corn, wheat,
Mexican hemp, and similar things, and contained a million dollars' worth
of cattle and horses. It elevation is from 1000 to 2300 feet above the
level of the sea, and its climate ranks as temperate or semi-tropical.

Lampasas is said to be a great resort for smugglers, who carry on a
regular business, with comparatively little disturbance by the
authorities. Probably the railway has interfered with them, and they can
hardly be expected to look upon it with a kindly eye. About thirty miles
beyond Lampasas is Bustamente, a town founded two hundred years ago by
the Spaniards as a frontier post against the Indians of the north, and
now the seat of a manufacturing interest that promises to increase. The
cloth of Bustamente has a high reputation throughout Mexico, and the
town contains a tribe of Indians descended from the Tlascalans, who
helped Cortez to conquer the Aztecs and make Guatemozin a prisoner.

[Illustration: SADDLE MOUNTAIN, MONTEREY.]

As the train approached Monterey, about four o'clock in the afternoon, a
mountain shaped like a saddle was pointed out on the left of the line.
"What do you suppose is the name of that mountain?" said the gentleman
who called attention to it, while the eyes of Frank and Fred were turned
in its direction.

"I don't know, I'm sure," said Fred; "perhaps they named it for its
shape, and call it Saddle Mountain."

"That's exactly what it is," was the reply; "it is called _La Silla_, or
The Saddle, and is a prominent landmark around Monterey."

[Illustration: VIEW OF THE SIERRAS.]

Then the gentleman pointed to a mountain on the right which he said was
called _Cerro de la Mitra_ (Mountain of the Mitre), from its resemblance
to the mitre worn by a bishop. Then between them, and farther away, he
pointed out the chain of the Sierras, and the youths realized that they
were in a region of mountains.

The train wound through a cleft in the hills, and came to a halt at the
station of Monterey, a mile and a half from the city. It is proper to
remark that most of the towns and cities of Mexico require the railways
to stop outside the walls or limits, but for what especial reason,
unless to give occupation to the inhabitants in transporting passengers,
baggage, and freight, our young friends were unable to ascertain. The
custom is Spanish as well as Mexican, as the traveller in Spain will
vividly remember.

There is a good supply of cabs and omnibuses at the station, and there
is a horse-railway connecting the city and the railway-station, so that
travellers have a choice of conveyances. The horse-railway was built by
an American, who obtained a concession from the Government and thought
he was making a wonderfully profitable investment. But the local
authorities hampered him with many restrictions; they compelled him to
carry a policeman on every car, and the policeman generally took the
side of those who did not pay their fare. It was fashionable to ride in
the cars, but not fashionable to pay, or, at any rate, it was optional
to pay or not.

A good many foreigners who have settled in Mexico complain that their
enterprises are seriously interfered with by the authorities, national,
State, and local. Every town and village, according to the old Spanish
law and custom, has the right to levy tolls or taxes on everything that
passes through it, and on all business conducted within its limits. Then
the State or district can levy a tax, and the national government comes
in for a levy of its own in addition. The result is that every
enterprise is liable to be "taxed to death," and many a man who has
carried money to Mexico to engage in what promised to be a profitable
business has left it behind him in the hands of the various authorities.
Taxes, forced loans, and various expenses that can never be foreseen
swallow up all the profits and altogether too often the original
investment. Very few silver-mines in Mexico pay dividends to their
stockholders, and the few that are worth owning have no stock for sale.
The American saying that "it takes a gold-mine to work a silver-mine"
is as true of Mexico as of any other country.

Our friends went to the Hotel Hidalgo, and found it endurable; it had
been recommended by one of their fellow-passengers on the train, who
showed his good faith in his recommendation by accompanying them
thither. Immediately after securing rooms and completing arrangements
for their stay, the party started for a drive around the city, which
boasts an age of more than three hundred years, having been founded in
1560, though it did not receive its present name until 1596.

Monterey means "king mountain," or "mountain of the king," and the name
of the city was given in honor of Don Gaspar de Zuñiga, Conde de
Monterey, who was Viceroy of Mexico in 1596. The name given to the
settlement in 1560 was Santa Lucia; a little stream which crosses the
city from west to east preserves the original appellation, but
comparatively few of the inhabitants are aware of its origin.




CHAPTER III.

THE AMERICAN INVASION OF TO-DAY.--MONTEREY AS A HEALTH RESORT; ITS SITE
AND SURROUNDINGS.--THE CATHEDRAL AND OTHER PUBLIC BUILDINGS.--CAPTURE OF
MONTEREY BY GENERAL TAYLOR.--SHORT HISTORY OF THE MEXICAN WAR.--FROM
CORPUS CHRISTI TO MONTEREY.--THE ATTACK ON THE CITY.--CAPTURE OF THE
FORTS AND THE BISHOP'S PALACE.--FRANK RECITES A POEM.--LIEUT. U. S.
GRANT AND WHAT HE DID AT MONTEREY.--A STORY ABOUT JEFFERSON DAVIS.--HOW
JOHN PHENIX ESCAPED CASHIERING--SIGHTS OF THE CITY.--THE MARKET-PLACE
AND WHAT WAS SEEN THERE.--FRUITS, BIRDS, POTTERY, ETC.--IN A MONTEREY
HOUSE.--A PALATIAL RESIDENCE.


[Illustration: VIEW OF MONTEREY.]

The first opportunity to see a Mexican city was afforded to our friends
at Monterey, and they fully enjoyed it. Every walk along the streets and
every drive in the city and its vicinity was full of interest, and there
was little that escaped their observation. Being the most northern city
of Mexico, Monterey has been much invaded by Americans during the last
decade, and many citizens of the United States are established there in
various lines of business.

The city has been extensively advertised as a health resort, and
considerable numbers of invalids have gone there; a fair proportion of
them have breathed their last in Monterey or its neighborhood, but the
same may be said of many other health resorts in different parts of the
world. For the present, invalids would do well to think twice before
going to Monterey or any other part of Mexico in the hope of recovering
their health, as the accommodations for them are hardly such as they
require. A Mexican hotel may do well enough for a vigorous man, but it
is ill-suited to one who should be shielded from draughts, needs to sit
in front of a comfortable fire, and has a dread of damp walls and
similar adversities. The cooking is suited to robust stomachs rather
than to delicate ones, and the attendance leaves much to be desired.

[Illustration: THE PLAZA DE ZARAGOZA.]

Monterey is built in a plain surrounded by mountains, and the ground on
which it stands is somewhat broken or undulating in places. It has a
population of about forty thousand, and is said to be increasing every
year, in consequence of the impulse which the opening of the railway has
given it. Our friends visited the Ojo de Agua, a great spring that opens
in the centre of the city, and furnishes a copious supply of water; then
they went to the Plaza Mayor, a pretty garden, with an interesting
fountain in its centre; then to the Plaza de Zaragoza; and then to the
cathedral, which looks upon it, and has the Church of San Francisco as a
near neighbor. The church is the oldest religious edifice in the city.
It is said to have been founded in 1560, and though there is some
obscurity about the exact date, it is pretty certain to owe its
beginning to the sixteenth century. But of the old structure only the
foundations remain, the present building having been erected about 1730,
and it has undergone alterations at various periods since that time.

[Illustration: GENERAL TAYLOR'S ATTACK ON MONTEREY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1846.]

The cathedral is quite modern. It was dedicated in 1833, and at the time
of its dedication had been about thirty years in process of erection.
The walls are very thick, and its constructors must have possessed the
gift of foresight, and had in mind its possible uses for war purposes,
as it was converted into a powder-magazine at the time of General
Taylor's attack in 1846. Shot and shell fell thickly around it, but the
massive walls preserved it from destruction or serious injury, and saved
its contents from being blown up. The original site selected for the
cathedral was at the north of the city, and work was begun upon it, but
the place was abandoned for the present one. A fort was erected on the
abandoned site, and it was one of the chief obstacles to the capture of
the city by the Americans.

Frank and Fred were especially interested in the war history of
Monterey; and as soon as the inspection of the Plaza Mayor and the
edifices around it had been completed, they asked to be taken to the
scene of the fighting between the American and Mexican armies. Their
guide took them first to the bridge of the Purisima, in the
north-eastern quarter of the city, where there was a sharp battle, in
which the Mexicans successfully resisted the Americans, and then to the
old citadel--the fort already mentioned. It is now in a ruinous
condition, and is generally spoken of as "the Black Fort."

On the way to the citadel, Doctor Bronson tested the knowledge of the
youths concerning the events which made Monterey's name so well known in
the United States. In reply to his questions, Frank and Fred alternated
with each other in telling the following, Frank being the first to
speak:

"General Taylor's army landed at Corpus Christi, in Texas, and marched
from there to Matamoras, on the Rio Grande, early in 1846. Before
crossing the Rio Grande they fought two battles--that of Palo Alto on
the 8th of May, and the battle of Resaca de la Palma on the following
day. General Taylor defeated the Mexicans in both battles, though his
army was much smaller than theirs, the Mexicans having about 6000 men
and the Americans 3000. After capturing Matamoras he advanced into
northern Mexico. On the Rio Grande he had been joined by a reinforcement
of troops, and when he came in front of Monterey he had between six and
seven thousand men."

"Yes," said Fred, "the historians say he had 6645 officers and men
altogether, and that the Mexican army at Monterey under General Ampudia
contained fully 10,000 men."

[Illustration: THE BISHOP'S PALACE.]

"You have evidently been studying the History of the Mexican War very
carefully," the Doctor remarked, as the youths paused.

"We've tried to, certainly," responded Fred, "as we believe we ought to
know what the relations have been between this country and ours, in
order to understand intelligently what we see. If we study to-day the
peaceful invasion of Mexico, we ought to know about the warlike one."

Doctor Bronson nodded assent to this view, and the story of the war was
resumed.

[Illustration]

"General Taylor came in sight of Monterey on September 20th," said
Frank, "and immediately rode forward till he was within range of one of
the forts. A cannon was fired upon the group of officers that surrounded
the general, and immediately the army was ordered to advance and form a
camp opposite the city, but far enough away from the forts to be out of
range of the cannon.

"The battle began the next morning, the 21st, the city being attacked on
the west by a division commanded by General Worth, whose monument stands
in front of Madison Square, in New York, and on the west by the rest of
the army under General Taylor. The Americans had no artillery heavier
than six-pounders, while the Mexicans had their forts filled with large
cannon; and they had a strong force of cavalry, while the Americans had
a very small one. The forts were attacked first, and one after the other
they were taken, till the only remaining one outside the city was the
Bishop's Palace, as it was called, though it was really a fort, as we
shall see when we get to it.

"Partly by means of a cannon that was dragged up a hill which commanded
the Bishop's Palace, and partly by an attack of the infantry, the place
was captured, and our flag was over all the heights that overlooked the
city. It had taken two days to accomplish this, and a great many of our
soldiers had fallen, but the army had no idea of giving up the attack;
and when they had possession of the heights, they felt as sure of the
victory as though it was already won.

"On the morning of the 23d of September, the third day of the battle, a
fire was opened on the city from the Bishop's Palace on the west, and
from two forts on the east, and at the same time the troops on each side
of the city began to force their way inside towards the Gran Plaza, in
the centre. The Mexicans fought desperately, and swept the streets with
such a fire of musketry that our men had to take shelter in the houses
and cut their way from house to house towards the Gran Plaza. It was
slow work, and when night came the troops had still two blocks to cut
through before getting to the plaza. They were getting ready for work
early the next morning when a flag of truce came from General Ampudia,
and the city was surrendered."

"What was the loss of the Americans in the battle?" queried Doctor
Bronson, as Frank paused.

"They lost 158 killed, and 368 wounded," answered Fred, "and the Mexican
loss was said to be fully one thousand."

"And to what was the disparity of the losses attributed?"

"It was thought," said Fred, "at least so I read in the account
published at that time, that the Western and South-western men who
fought under General Taylor were better marksmen than the Mexicans. The
Texas riflemen in particular were famous for their skill in shooting,
and their weapons were better than those of their enemies."

"You've made a very good short history of the capture of Monterey," said
the Doctor, "and must write it down for the benefit of your friends at
home."

The youths followed this bit of practical advice, and we are permitted
to publish their story.

By the time the talk about the war was ended the party had reached the
citadel, which they visited with interest, and then proceeded to the
Bishop's Palace, now occupied as a military barrack, and in a bad state
of repair. While they stood looking down upon the city and the grassy
and bushy slope of the hill, Frank recited the following piece of verse,
which was written by Charles Fenno Hoffman shortly after the stirring
events commemorated in the lines:

  "We were not many--we who stood
    Before the iron sleet that day;
  Yet many a gallant spirit would
  Give half his years, if he but could
    Have been with us at Monterey.

  "Now here, now there, the shot it hailed
    In deadly drifts of fiery spray;
  Yet not a single soldier quailed
  When wounded comrades round them wailed
    Their dying shouts at Monterey.

  "And on, still on, our columns kept,
    Through walls of flame, its withering way;
  Where fell the dead, the living stept,
  Still charging on the guns that swept
    The slippery streets of Monterey.

  "The foe himself recoiled aghast
    When, striking where he strongest lay.
  We swooped his flanking batteries past,
  And, braving full their murderous blast,
    Stormed home the towers of Monterey.

  "Our banners on those turrets wave,
    And there our evening bugles play,
  Where orange-boughs above their grave
  Keep green the memory of the brave
    Who fought and fell at Monterey.

  "We were not many--we who pressed
    Beside the brave who fell that day;
  But who of us hath not confessed
  He'd rather share their warrior rest
    Than not have been at Monterey?"

"There is one thing we must mention in our account of the battle," said
Fred, as they were returning from the Bishop's Palace to the city.

"What is that?" Frank asked.

"Why, we must say that there was a young officer here named U. S. Grant;
he was a second lieutenant of the Fourth Infantry, and was one of those
who charged up the side of the hill to the Bishop's Palace. He
afterwards became General Grant, whom all the world knows of, and whose
name will be remembered in America for all time."

"I didn't think of that when I was talking about the battle," Frank
answered, "but I remember it all now. And I have read in one of the
books on Mexico that he was offered promotion for his conduct in the
battle, but declined it because another man was promoted at the same
time. In declining the offer he said, 'If Lieutenant ---- deserves
promotion I do not.'"

[Illustration: OFFICERS' UNIFORMS IN 1860.]

"And there's another thing that needs explanation," continued the youth,
"and that is the uniform of the officers and soldiers of our army in the
pictures of the battles in Mexico. It is quite unlike the uniform worn
in the Civil War fifteen years later, and now in use."

"I will explain that," said the Doctor, and he did so in these words:

"After peace had been declared and our army returned from Mexico, the
War Department realized that there were certain features of the uniform
and equipment of the men that might be changed to advantage. No action
was taken in the matter until Jefferson Davis was Secretary of War,
between 1853 and 1857; and I will here remark that Jefferson Davis
commanded a regiment of Mississippi Volunteers during the Mexican War,
and fought in this very battle of Monterey we have just been talking
about. Well, Mr. Davis sent a circular letter to the officers of the
army, stating that changes were contemplated, and asking for suggestions
from them, and the inducement was held out that those who suggested
changes which were adopted would be liberally compensated.

"One of the circulars was received by Lieut. George H. Derby, who
afterwards obtained considerable literary reputation as 'John Phenix.'
Derby was a born humorist, and generally saw the ludicrous side of a
subject before anything else. In a short time after receiving the
circular he sent a variety of suggestions to the Department which were
very funny, to say the least.

"He designed a hat which, in addition to covering the head, could be
used as a camp-kettle, a water-bucket, and a feed-bag for a horse, and
with the design for the article, which was to be made of sheet-iron,
there was a picture representing it applied to each of its proposed
uses.

"Instead of the shoulder cross-belts, he proposed that the soldier
should have a leather belt around his waist, and to this belt should be
attached a stout hook with a shank six inches long, and the point of the
hook standing outward from the man's back. On this hook the soldier
could hang his knapsack or equipments when on the march. He could be
harnessed by means of it so as to drag a wagon or a cannon; and in an
assault on a fortress he could be made to drag a scaling-ladder up the
walls by means of this hook. Derby also proposed that the officers
should be provided with poles like rake-handles, ten or twelve feet
long, with rings at one end, and if a soldier should try to run away in
battle he could be dragged back to duty by means of the hook.

"Derby was skilful with the pencil, and he sent a sketch of a
battle-field in which the various uses of the hook were depicted. To say
that Jefferson Davis was angry when he read the letter is to put the
case mildly; he turned red and blue with rage, and took the document to
a cabinet meeting that was being held on the afternoon of the day he
received Derby's communication. The members of the cabinet laughed over
the suggestions and pictures, and when Davis declared he would have
Derby cashiered for disrespect to the Secretary of War, they advised him
to say nothing. 'If the story gets out,' said one of them, 'you'll be
the laughingstock of the country from one end to the other, and will
never hear the end of it. And, besides, there's some originality about
the man, and he may yet send something that will be really useful.'

[Illustration: MOUNTAIN SCENE NEAR MONTEREY.]

"Mr. Davis cooled down, and the story didn't come out until years
afterwards. The result of the recommendations of various officers of the
army was that the old 'bellows-top' cap disappeared, and so did other
features of the soldier's uniform and equipment. That is why the picture
of the battle of Monterey is so unlike that of any of the battles of the
Civil War, so far as the uniforms of officers and men are concerned."

The youths had a hearty laugh over the story of Lieutenant Derby's
suggestions. Frank thought they were too good to be lost, and he decided
to write them down at the first opportunity.

[Illustration: THE ALAMEDA, MONTEREY.]

On their return to the city the party visited the Alameda, which forms
a very pretty promenade and is well shaded with trees, though Frank
thought it appeared in rather a neglected condition. Then they drove to
the hot springs at Topo Chico, about three miles out from the city in a
northerly direction, and indulged in the luxury of a hot bath in natural
water. The manager of the establishment said that the baths had a
temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit, and possessed a high reputation
for curing nervous, rheumatic, and other diseases. The arrangements for
bathing were formerly very poor, but a new bath-house was erected in
1887, and resulted in a great increase of patronage.

Of course a visit was paid to the market-place, and the novelties of the
spot received due attention. The most interesting features were the
fruit and flower markets. Doctor Bronson told the youths that the
Indians of Mexico had a passionate fondness for flowers long before the
arrival of their Spanish conquerors, and it continues to the present
time. There was a fine display of flowers, and the prices were so low
that Frank and Fred regretted that they did not know some fair ones to
whom they could send baskets and bouquets. Determined to do something by
way of patronizing the flower-sellers, they bought a quantity of flowers
and sent them to a hospital which their guide pointed out. "They may
serve to cheer some poor invalid," said Frank, "and the market is so
attractive that I want to encourage the trade."

The semi-tropical character of Monterey was shown by the fruits, which
seemed to comprise the principal products of two zones, the tropical
and the temperate. There were all the fruits named in the last chapter
as growing in the region near Lampasas, together with three or four
others. Monterey is situated 1800 feet above the level of the sea, so
that it is cooler than other places in the same latitude but at a lower
elevation. Some of the fruits sold in the market of the city were not
grown in the immediate neighborhood, but in the lower regions to the
eastward.

Fred called Frank's attention to the bird-sellers with their wares in
large wooden cages, evidently of home construction. The canary seems to
have spread pretty well over the world; his singing powers have made him
welcome everywhere he goes, and our young friends were not at all
surprised to find him in the market of Monterey. Several other varieties
of singing-birds were displayed, and the prices which were asked for
them seemed very low; but the Doctor whispered to the youths that if
they bought anything in the market they should not offer more than a
quarter of what was demanded, and gradually advance their figures to a
half or possibly three-fourths. In a country where time is of no value
everybody who has anything to sell expects to haggle about the price.

[Illustration: NATIVE POTTERY.]

Some of the pottery in the market was so good that the boys consulted
Doctor Bronson as to the advisability of sending home a few specimens
of it. The Doctor checked their enthusiasm by reminding them that they
were just then at the beginning of their journey, and it would be
prudent to delay purchases until reaching the capital. A few jars and
pots were selected and bargained for, more by way of practice in the
language and customs than for any other purpose, and they were left with
an American merchant, who undertook to ship them to New York. They were
all of Indian workmanship, the best having come, so the dealer said,
from Guadalajara. Mexican pottery deserves a higher rank among ceramics
than it has hitherto enjoyed, and some of the handiwork of the
descendants of the Aztecs would be worthy of admiration in any
collection.

[Illustration: A SCENE IN THE MARKET.]

There were scores and scores of patient mules standing with drooping
ears and waiting for their burdens to be removed. They were laden with
everything that an inhabitant of Monterey could want to buy--milk,
vegetables, fruits, fuel, hides, sugar, beans, wheat, iron-work, in fact
anything and everything that has a place in a market. Donkeys are the
beasts of burden at Monterey, and almost in the same category belong the
_cargadores_, or porters, who are licensed and numbered exactly like
cabs or drays in an American city. These men are identical with the
Turkish _hamals_; they carry heavy burdens with apparent ease, and it is
no uncommon sight to see one of them slowly creeping along with a piano,
an iron safe, or a barrel of wine on his back, or a lighter burden on
his head in the same way that the negro carries it. A gentleman who was
stopping at the hotel said he had known a cargador to transport a safe
weighing six hundred pounds without any apparent suffering a distance of
half a mile without stopping to rest.

But the donkeys and cargadores do not have a monopoly of the local
carrying trade, as there are great numbers of carts drawn by oxen, that
have come in from the country with loads of produce seeking a market.
These carts are of rude construction, and their axles are rarely, if
ever, greased. They creak and groan in a manner that falls unpleasantly
on the ear and often suggests that the vehicles are animated beings
suffering beneath their burdens and endeavoring to make their grief
known. And this reminds us of something which Fred remarked to Frank
when the latter was wondering how the Mexicans could endure such a
continued complaint of the axles of their carts.

[Illustration: A COURT-YARD IN MONTEREY.]

"I've been thinking of the same thing," was the reply, "especially as
the Mexicans are opprobriously termed 'greasers' by the people of Texas
and the South-west generally. It's a sort of _lucus à non lucendo_, that
appellation of greaser, at least so far as their cart-axles are
concerned."

[Illustration: A WINDOW IN MONTEREY.]

After seeing the market, they strolled along some of the narrow streets,
which appeared gloomy enough, with their long stretches of masonry,
broken only here and there with a grated window or a balcony which
seemed to be a part of a prison, so heavily was it barred with iron.
Some of the larger and finer buildings have handsome windows, whose
design was evidently brought from Old Spain, and in turn obtained from
the Moors. Our friends were invited to a house which had formerly
belonged to one of the wealthy Spanish residents, but is now the
property of an American merchant. Fred thus describes it:

"Like all the better class of houses in Monterey, this one is built in
the form of a hollow square. This style of architecture was brought from
Spain by the conquerors of the country, and it reminded us of houses in
Damascus and other cities of the Oriental world. The square encloses a
_patio_, or court-yard, and the rooms of the lower story open on the
patio; there is a colonnade surrounding the yard, and it is freely
ornamented with tropical plants and flowers, so that you seem at first
glance to have entered a conservatory. Vines climb around most of the
columns of the colonnade, and in the centre is a well in which hangs,
not the 'old oaken bucket' made famous in song, but an equally
substantial bucket of leather. The water drawn from the well is cool
and sweet, and from the length of the rope it is evident that the
excavation goes down to a great depth. Monterey is abundantly supplied
with water, and in this respect as well as in the appearance of some of
the interiors of the houses, it is entitled to be called the Damascus of
Mexico.

"There is one house in Monterey, the residence of Don Patricio Milmo,
which has a double-arched court-yard and gallery, and is most liberally
supplied with plants and flowers, among which a botanist would enjoy
himself for many hours, and an ordinary mortal with no scientific
knowledge need not be far behind him. There are some very pretty marbles
in the neighborhood of Monterey, and they have been liberally used in
the ornamentation of this and other houses. Don Patricio is a wealthy
banker, and the owner of an immense area of land in Nuevo Leon,
including much of the building-ground in and around Monterey."

[Illustration: VIEW OF SIERRAS FROM BISHOP'S PALACE.]




CHAPTER IV.

SOUTHWARD TO SALTILLO.--SANTA CATERINA.--REMARKABLE CAVES.--SCENERY OF
THE SIERRA MADRE.--WAY-SIDE ATTRACTIONS.--THE CACTUS; ITS FLOWERS AND
MANY VARIETIES.--SALTILLO.--THE ALAMEDA.--MEXICAN CURRENCY.--THE
BATTLE-FIELD OF BUENA VISTA.--BY CARRIAGE AND SADDLE.--A NIGHT AT A
HACIENDA.--MEXICAN COOKERY.--TORTILLAS, PUCHERO, FRIJOLES, TAMALES, AND
OTHER EDIBLES.--HISTORY OF THE MEXICAN WAR FROM MONTEREY TO BUENA
VISTA.--5,000 AMERICANS DEFEAT 20,000 MEXICANS.--DESCRIPTION OF THE
FIELD.--COTTON FACTORY AT SALTILLO.--COTTON MANUFACTURES IN MEXICO.


On resuming their journey through Mexico, Doctor Bronson and his young
companions proceeded by the railway southward to Saltillo, sixty-seven
miles from Monterey.

[Illustration: SANTA CATERINA, NEAR MONTEREY.]

As they passed Santa Caterina, eight or ten miles beyond Monterey, one
of their fellow-passengers told them that there were some interesting
caves not very far from the station, and also near Garcia, thirteen
miles farther on. A remarkable hole in the mountain near Santa Caterina
was pointed out by the same gentleman, but in spite of his voluble
account of the attractive features of a journey there, they did not
consent to stop for the excursion. They also decided to allow the caves
of Garcia to take care of themselves, much to the disappointment of
their informant.

The beauty of the scenery along the railway, almost from the very moment
of leaving Monterey, kept their eyes busy on both sides of the train.
The railway for some distance follows the San Juan Valley, which
diminishes in width as it ascends. The labored puffing of the locomotive
told that the grade was a steep one, and it was evident that the engine
was exerting all its powers. On most trains two locomotives are
required, and an extra one is always added unless the number of
carriages is small and their cargoes are light.

The scenery of the Sierra Madre is remarkably fine, and surpassed by
that of very few railway routes in the world. Frank compared it to that
of the Brenner or Semmering passes of the Alps, and Fred said he was
reminded of the Blue Mountains in Australia, and the route traversed by
the railway between Colombo and Kandy, in Ceylon. But they agreed that
it differed in some respects from all these routes, and had a beauty
and grandeur of its own, just as did each of the places they had
mentioned. On each side of the valley the mountains rose very steeply,
and in many places they were nearly, if not quite, perpendicular. The
rocks were of various shades, in which red had a prominent place, and on
the steepest part of the slopes there was no place where vegetation
could cling.

The best of the scenery was in the neighborhood of Garcia; beyond that
point it became less grand, as the mountains were farther away in the
widening valley, and the steep cliffs were less numerous. But the
ascent was steady, and brought the train to the plateau and to a much
higher elevation than that of Monterey. Monterey, as before stated, is
1800 feet above sea-level; Saltillo is at an elevation of 5200 feet, and
consequently the railway ascends 3400 feet in passing from the former to
the latter city.

The old route of the diligence before the railway was built afforded an
exciting ride from San Gregario to Rinconada, as the descent was very
rapid and the coach went down the incline with great rapidity. At one
turn in the road there was a point where a misstep would have sent the
whole conveyance down a precipitous slope of a thousand feet into the
valley below. A thoughtful American who travelled that route years ago
regarded the possibilities of such a slide, and estimated that the
diligence, passengers and all, would be worth not more than nineteen
cents a bushel after making the descent into the yawning gulf.

[Illustration: THE ORGAN CACTUS.]

Frank and Fred wished they could gather some of the bright
cactus-flowers which abounded along the route. There are many varieties
of cactus in Mexico; in fact the country may be said to be the land of
the cacti. Botanists have described more than sixty species; they vary
in height and size from the little plant hardly larger than a spray of
clover up to the gigantic growths that rise more than thirty feet above
the ground. The flowers run from pure white to a deep scarlet and
purple, and some of the flowers are of great beauty. A peculiarity of
the cactus is that it thrives best in poor soils, and on a great part of
the ground where it grows few other vegetable products could maintain an
existence. The largest of the cactus family is scientifically known as
the _Candelabrum_, but the Mexicans call it the _Organo_, or organ; it
grows in straight hexagonal columns, and when many of these columns are
clustered together it bears quite a resemblance to a church organ with
its pipes. One variety of cactus nourishes the cochineal insect; another
is used for hedges, and owing to the sharp spines for which the plant is
noted, it forms an impervious barrier to man or quadruped. The cactus
generally has inside its flower a mass of edible substance, and in some
localities this cactus-fruit is collected and sold in the markets.

[Illustration: VARIETIES OF CACTUS.]

The cactus plant is not wholly inedible, as the donkeys of Mexico feed
on some of them, and the goat will also make a meal of the leaves and
stalks. But this is not to be wondered at when it is borne in mind that
the goat is popularly credited with dining upon tomato-cans, scraps of
tin, old boots, newspapers, umbrellas, and other articles not ordinarily
included among esculents. Of late years the cactus has been found useful
for paper-making, and thousands of tons of it are annually converted
into paper fibre.

A little past eight o'clock in the evening the train rolled into
Saltillo, a city containing from fifteen to twenty thousand inhabitants,
the capital of the State of Cohahuila, and for some years the terminus
of the National Railway. There are several cotton factories at Saltillo
or in its immediate vicinity, and the place boasts of its serapes.
Evidently the boast is justified, as the serapes of Saltillo have a
reputation all through northern Mexico. Our friends improved the
opportunity to provide themselves with these needed articles of Mexican
travel, and through the rest of their journey they carried their
souvenirs of Saltillo and were well satisfied with them.

They had been advised to go to the Hotel Tomasichi, but with the
condition that they must not expect anything remarkable in the way of a
hotel. The Doctor secured a carriage which was so rickety that it
threatened dissolution before reaching the Plaza Mayor, where the hotel
is situated, but by good-fortune it held together and landed them
safely. The proprietor of the hotel told them that there was only one
good carriage in the city, and if they wanted it for the next day it
would be well to order it at once. It belonged to Señor Sada, the owner
of the diligence that would take them to Jaral, where it connected with
the trains on the International Railway. The advice was taken, and the
one good carriage of Saltillo was ordered for the next day's driving in
and around the city. Six reals, or seventy-five cents, an hour was the
price of the vehicle, with a _gratification_ to the driver.

[Illustration: IN THE SAN JUAN VALLEY.]

By this time Frank and Fred were able to make all their financial
calculations in the currency of the country. Here is the list of values
which they had noted down and committed to memory:

"The peso, or dollar, is divided into eight reals or reales, of the
value of 12-1/2 cents each. A medio real is 6-1/4 cents, a cuartillo is
3 cents, and a tlaco is 1-1/2 cents; 2 reals make a peseta (25 cents),
and 4 reals a toston (50 cents). Values are reckoned in centavos (100
centavos make 1 peso), reals, or pesos until large sums are reached,
when they are counted in gold. Of gold coins there are the escudito de
oro, $1; escudo de oro, $2; pistola, $4; media onza de oro, $8; and onza
de oro (gold ounce), $16."

American currency can be used without difficulty in the large cities,
but not elsewhere. Notes of the Banco National and the Bank of London,
Mexico, and South America can be carried in place of silver, which is
inconveniently heavy; but our friends were advised not to rely upon
bank-notes of any kind away from the lines of railway.

[Illustration: A SOLID CITIZEN.]

Doctor Bronson told the youths that a metric system of coinage was
established some years ago, but the common people were prejudiced
against it, and it had made comparatively little progress. Half and
quarter dollars are never spoken of as fifty and twenty-five centavos,
but as quatro reals or dos reals.

We will return to Saltillo, where we left our friends while we made an
excursion among Mexican currency values. Their supper was a composite of
Mexican and Italian cookery, Tomasichi being an Italian and his cook a
native of Mexico. The chief had instructed the subordinate in the ways
of the kitchens of Rome and Naples, but not sufficiently to drive out
the ideas of the land of the Aztecs. Stimulated by curiosity and also by
a good appetite, the Doctor and his nephews made an excellent meal, or
at least it was good enough to make them wish to taste a dinner entirely
Mexican in character. We will see later on how they succeeded in their
experiment.

The next morning they started in good season to inspect the city and its
surroundings. They found the Alameda much prettier than that of
Monterey, and some travellers have pronounced it the most attractive one
to be found in Mexico. The inhabitants are deservedly proud of it. It is
a popular resort at all hours, and especially in the evening, when
everybody goes out for a promenade. The Plaza Mayor is also an
attractive spot, and the youths wished to make a sketch of it from the
side opposite the cathedral, but decided not to take the time to do so,
as a photograph would answer their purpose.

The general features of Saltillo are much like those of Monterey, and
consequently a detailed description of them is unnecessary.

Before starting on the round of sight-seeing, Doctor Bronson made
inquiries concerning a visit to the battle-field of Buena Vista, which
is some ten miles south of Saltillo. The inquiries resulted in an
arrangement to see the spot made famous in the history of the Mexican
War, where 5000 Americans put 20,000 Mexicans to flight.

The battle-field lies two or three miles south of the hacienda of Buena
Vista, and the road from Saltillo rises nearly a thousand feet before
reaching that place; consequently a journey thither must be done at a
slow pace, and it was decided to take two days, or rather a night and
part of two days, for the excursion.

[Illustration: ON THE ROAD TO BUENA VISTA.]

Early in the afternoon the party started from Saltillo for the hacienda
of Buena Vista, which they reached before nightfall. The youths were
happy at the prospect of passing a night in a hacienda, and obtaining a
glimpse of rural Mexican life.

[Illustration: A SERVANT AT THE HACIENDA.]

The building where they were received was in the form of a hollow
square, like the houses of Monterey, already described. The entrance was
sufficiently broad to permit the admission of vehicles, and the carriage
was driven inside before the travellers alighted. According to Mexican
custom, a _mozo_, or servant, had been sent in advance to give notice of
the advent of the strangers and have the house in readiness. The
visitors were shown to rooms on the lower floor; the Doctor was assigned
to a room by himself, while the boys were lodged together in a large
room very meagrely furnished. The beds were straw-filled mattresses,
laid upon strips of rawhide stretched tightly across a frame, and the
boys pronounced it an excellent substitute for some of the "patent
spring mattresses" which are sold in American cities. The linen was
scrupulously clean, which is not always the case in Mexico, but the
supply of blankets was so light that it was evident the travellers were
expected to make use of their serapes to keep off the chill of the night
air.

They did not stay long inside the room, as they were anxious to see the
surroundings of the place. So they wandered about, their first visit
being to the stable, which they found commodious enough for the most
fastidious horse in the world. "I have heard," said Fred, "that the
people of this country are more particular about their horses than about
themselves; a Mexican will take good care of his horse, but leave his
wife and children to go hungry and half clothed."

"To judge by the difference between the rooms of the hacienda and the
stable," responded Frank, "the statement seems to be well founded. The
stable is certainly better ventilated, and the horses have no reason to
complain of their quarters. A Mexican depends so much on his horse that
he ought from very selfishness to be very careful of him."

[Illustration: NEAR THE KITCHEN.]

From the stable they wandered to the kitchen, where three or four native
women were at work preparing the meal which the strangers were to eat.

The first thing to attract Frank's attention was a woman kneeling on the
floor over a flat stone raised at one end, on which she was rolling some
dough into very thin sheets. "That must be a tortilla-maker," said
Frank; "we have had tortillas several times since we came into the
country, but this is the first good chance I've had to see them made."

From his observation at this kitchen, and from subsequent information,
the youth made the following note:

[Illustration: MAKING TORTILLAS.]

"Tortillas, or cakes, are made from corn-meal, which is ground by hand
on a flat stone called a _metate_, a word of Aztec origin. The corn is
soaked in lime-water till the hull can be separated from it, and then it
is pounded and rolled upon the metate until it is ground into meal. In
this work the woman uses a cylinder of stone something like the American
rolling-pin, or very often she uses a flat or slightly rounded stone,
with which she pounds and twists for hours. When the meal is
sufficiently ground a little water is added, and it is worked into
dough; the dough is then rolled or patted in the hand until it is almost
as thin as a knife-blade and formed into circular cakes. The cakes are
baked on an iron _comal_, or griddle, which has been previously held
over the fire until it is so hot that the cooking is done in a few
moments. They are not allowed to brown, and are best when served hot.
They are generally without salt or other seasoning, and are very
tasteless at first to a stranger; but after one has become accustomed to
tortillas he prefers them to any other kind of corn-cake."

The equipment of the kitchen was exceedingly simple, and the youths
wondered how a French cook would get along with none but Mexican
utensils to get up a meal with. The stove, or cooking range, consisted
simply of a wall or bank of solid adobe about two feet high, and of the
same width; this bank was built up against one side of the kitchen,
which was ten or twelve feet square, and it extended the whole length of
that side. There were depressions in the bank, in which small fires of
charcoal or wood were burning; on these fires the pots, pans, and
griddles were placed, and the process of cooking went on. There was no
chimney, the smoke escaping, or being supposed to escape, through an
opening in the roof directly over the cooking range.

[Illustration: A PRIMITIVE KITCHEN.]

But the kitchen of the common people is less elaborate than this. It
consists simply of a mound of clay, perhaps a foot in height and a yard
in diameter, and depressed in the centre. Little fires in this
depression furnish the heat for cooking the food placed in the pots and
kettles, which are of common unglazed earthen-ware. The cook sits or
squats on the floor close by this primitive range, while the mistress of
the kitchen previously described stands, and can walk about at will
without the trouble of rising.

In some parts of Mexico the cooking is done out-of-doors. This is
particularly the case in the southern portion, and in the season of
rains the weather often reduces culinary operations to a very limited
quantity. The more rain the less dinner, unless the food is eaten raw;
but as it consists largely of fruits, the inconvenience is less serious
than it might be otherwise.

When our young friends went to dinner they found a repast that was
entirely Mexican in character. After it was over they made notes of what
they had seen and eaten, and this was the result:

"We had tortillas, of course, and very good they were. The dinner began
with a soup, which was so good that we asked how it was made, as we
thought it might be tried by some of our cooks at home. Here is what
they told us:

"'We start this soup with a chicken broth just as chicken broth is made
anywhere else. Then we take the meat of the chicken, the white part
only, after it has been boiled very tender, and pick it into little bits
of shreds. We take some pounded almonds, the yolks of hard-boiled eggs,
a little bread which has been soaked in milk, a little spice of some
kind, and plenty of pepper, and we mix the whole up together till it
forms a hard paste. We make this paste into little balls and drop them
into the soup when it is boiling hot and just before it is brought to
the table.'

"If you want a good soup and a new one just try this. You may not hit
the seasoning the first time, but when you do you'll find you've
something worth eating.

"After the soup we had a _puchero_, which is said to be a very popular
dish with the Mexicans, but we were not particularly fond of it. They
begin it by boiling mutton to make a broth, and then they throw in every
sort of garden vegetable cut in small pieces--apples, pears, squashes,
tomatoes, green corn, onions, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, red or green
peppers, in fact any and everything from the garden that is edible.
There is so much pepper in the mess that it burns your mouth like an
East Indian curry, but it is said to be good for the stomach and
climate. They tell us we'll like it after a while; and perhaps we shall,
but we certainly don't now. It's a good deal like the down East stew,
with the addition of the hashed peppers and tree-fruits.

"Next we had a _tamal de casuella_, which was translated into 'corn-meal
pot-pie.' As nearly as we could make out, it is made by putting a
mixture of scalded meal, flour, eggs, and melted lard into a broth in
which chicken and pork have been boiled, so as to make a thin paste.
Then make a mixture of the boiled pork and chicken hashed reasonably
fine, along with red peppers and tomatoes, and cook them in lard. Next
you spread the paste on the bottom and sides of a dish that has been
well greased so as to prevent sticking, lay in your meat mixture, cover
with more of the paste, and bake it gently but thoroughly. For a hungry
man the dish ought to be very satisfying.

"Our dinner ended with _frijoles_, or beans; and we remark here that
beans are the principal food of the Mexicans of the lower ranks of life,
and are largely used by the middle and upper classes. The great majority
of Mexicans eat them twice a day, and a dinner would be incomplete
without them. The annual crop of these beans in Mexico must be something
enormous, and its failure would be as bad as that of wheat in our
Northern States, potatoes in Ireland, or codfish along the New England
coast.

"They cook them in various ways, but the favorite form is in a stew.
They are usually considered unwholesome if eaten on the day they are
cooked; they are always prepared with pepper, either green or red, and
the preparation is so hot with pepper that one seems to be eating
melted lead while partaking of _frijoles à la Mexican_. Peppers enter
into nearly all the Mexican cookery; an American who does not like them
told us that the proportions for a Mexican stew were one pound of meat,
one quart of water, and one pound of hashed peppers. It is a common
remark in Texas and Colorado that a wolf will not eat a dead Mexican
because he is so impregnated with pepper that even the stomach of that
voracious animal can't stand it."

The Mexican dinner proved a digestible one; at all events Frank and Fred
slept soundly and were fully refreshed for the visit to the battle-field
on the following day. Saddle-horses were in readiness as soon as
breakfast was over, and the party made a good start. We will listen to
Fred's account of the excursion:

[Illustration: THE GUIDE ON THE BATTLE FIELD.]

"After the capture of Monterey, General Taylor remained for a while at
that city, and then marched upon Saltillo, which he occupied without
opposition. General Scott ordered the divisions of Worth and Twiggs to
join him at Vera Cruz for the advance upon the City of Mexico, and this
reduced Taylor's force to 5000 men, nearly all of them volunteers. The
Mexicans assembled a large army at San Luis Potosi, and advanced upon
Saltillo with 20,000 men, expecting to drive the Americans out of the
country.

"On the 22d of February, 1847--Washington's birthday--General Taylor met
them at Buena Vista, or rather at the pass of La Angostura (the
narrows), three miles south of the hacienda which gives the name to the
battle. He occupied a position where he had great advantage, as a single
battery of artillery protected the entire front, while the flanks were
defended by steep gullies and ravines that the Mexicans could not hope
to pass, and by the mountains that rose on the east to a height of 2000
feet.

"There is a plateau to the east which Santa Anna, the Mexican commander,
tried to reach, as by gaining it he would be able to turn the pass where
the Americans were posted. Some of his troops advanced to it during the
afternoon of the 22d, but were driven back by the Americans; during the
night the Mexican army gained the plateau, and the Americans then
changed their position to the plain at the base, but continuing to hold
the entrance of the pass.

[Illustration: THE BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA.]

"On the morning of the 23d the fighting began in full earnest, the
Mexicans attacking in three heavy columns, which were directed on the
American left. The American line was broken on that side, but the centre
and right held their ground and drove the enemy back. Then the Americans
attacked the Mexican infantry on the right and drove it back. As a last
move, Santa Anna formed his whole force into a single column, which
drove the Americans back for some distance, until the Mexicans were
checked by the artillery. In this last part of the battle, when the
cause of the Americans seemed lost, General Taylor gave the celebrated
order, which has passed into history, 'Give them a little more grape,
Captain Bragg.' Captain Bragg's battery of artillery was stationed on
one of the little mounds or hillocks at the entrance of the defile, and
from that point he threw an iron hail among the advancing Mexicans that
drove them into disorder and flight.

"The battle lasted all day, and when night came the two armies occupied
very nearly the same positions they held in the morning. The men slept
where they were, and General Taylor was uncertain whether the battle
would be resumed the next morning or not. When morning came it was seen
that the Mexican army had fled, and the whole ground where they were at
sunset was deserted. About 20,000 men had been beaten by less than 5000.
Their losses were placed at 2000, while that of the Americans was 746,
or about one-sixth their entire number. Gen. Lew. Wallace, in writing
about the battle, says that by every rule of scientific warfare the
Americans were beaten oftener than there were hours in the day, but they
did not know it; they rallied and fought, and rallied and fought again,
till they finally 'wrung victory from the hands of assured defeat.'

"We spent two or three hours on the battle-field, visiting all the
points of interest and listening to the story as it was told by our
guide, an intelligent Mexican who was born in the vicinity, and has
latterly made it his business to show strangers over the ground. He said
there had been very few changes since the battle. The public road runs
straight through the battle-field, and it is easy to understand the
positions of the opposing armies. One thing we understood, after seeing
the ground, which we did not comprehend before: we had wondered why the
Mexicans made so little use of their cavalry, of which they had 4000,
and the Mexican horsemen are among the best in the world. When we saw
how the ground is cut up with _barrancas_, or deep ravines, making it
impossible for companies and regiments of mounted men to preserve their
formation, we did not wonder any more.

"We returned to the hacienda in time for the mid-day meal, and in the
afternoon went back to Saltillo. The journey to Saltillo was quickly
made, as the road descends a good deal, and the horses went along at an
excellent pace."

[Illustration: BOLL OF MEXICAN COTTON PLANT.]

The rest of the day was spent in sight-seeing about Saltillo, including
visits to some of the cotton and other factories, for which the place is
famed. The machinery in the cotton factories is of foreign make--some of
it from England and some from the United States. The cloth made there is
of ordinary quality, and sells for a price that ought to give a fine
profit to the owners of the establishment. Frank asked about the wages
of the laborers in the mills, and found that they received from thirty
to fifty cents a day for twelve or fourteen hours' work, according to
their skill and the amount of labor they performed.

It is estimated that about 30,000,000 pounds, or 60,000 bales, of cotton
are annually converted into cloth in Mexico. Most of the raw cotton is
grown in the country; and what with the cultivation of the product and
its manufacture into textiles, it is thought that 50,000 families are
supported by the cotton industry. Where the mills are carefully managed
they are profitable, and make a liberal return for the investment of
capital.

[Illustration: PICKING COTTON.]




CHAPTER V.

FROM SALTILLO TO JARAL.--A JOURNEY BY DILIGENCE.--PECULIARITIES OF
DILIGENCE TRAVEL.--BRIGANDAGE; HOW THE GOVERNMENT SUPPRESSED
IT.--ROBBERS TURNED INTO SOLDIERS.--STORIES OF BRIGANDS AND THEIR WORK;
THEIR TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.--A CASE OF POLITENESS.--DINNER AT A
WAY-SIDE INN.--_CHILE CON CARNE_.--DESCRIPTION OF CHIHUAHUA.--THE SANTA
EULALIA MINES; ROMANTIC STORY OF THEIR DISCOVERY.--TORREON AND
LERDO.--COTTON IN TRANSIT.--STATISTICS OF COTTON IN
MEXICO.--FRESNILLO.--CALERA.--A BAD BREAKFAST.--ARRIVAL AT
ZACATECAS.--LODGED IN AN OLD CONVENT.


Bright and early the next morning our friends were ready for the journey
to Jaral, where they were to connect with the train on the International
Railway to carry them farther into Mexico. The distance is about forty
miles, and was to be made by diligence, as the railway from Jaral to
Saltillo was not then completed. They by no means regretted this, as a
ride in one of these vehicles would be a novelty. The boys had read and
heard a great deal about diligence travel in Mexico, and were more than
willing to have an experience of it.

[Illustration: DEPARTURE OF THE DILIGENCE.]

The start was made about seven o'clock in the morning, and there was a
considerable crowd in the street to see them off. The arrival and
departure of the diligence is an event in a Mexican town, though less so
than it was before the days of the railway. It is probable that by the
time this book is in the hands of the reader, the locomotive will have a
finished track between Saltillo and Jaral, and the diligence will be
known no more, except as a relic of past days. Those who have been
jolted for hours and days in these heavily built carriages and over bad
roads will give the heartiest kind of a welcome to the new order of
things. The diligence will long continue on many of the side roads in
Mexico, where it will not pay to build the railway, just as the
stage-coach still exists in parts of the United States; but the great
through routes have lost it for all time.

Immediately on their arrival at Saltillo, before going to Buena Vista,
Doctor Bronson secured places for the trio in the diligence for Jaral;
at the diligence offices all through Mexico, the rule of "first come
first served" is followed as in a steamship or a Pullman car, and when
the vehicle is full the traveller whose place is unsecured must wait
for the next journey, extra carriages being very rarely put on. If the
weather is good, an outside seat (_el pescante_) is decidedly
preferable, as it affords a much better view of the scenery along the
route. American tourists generally take the chances of the weather, and
select outside places; but the native, who does not care for the
prospect, and desires nothing beyond making the journey as speedily as
possible, is quite content with the inside (_el interior_).

[Illustration: ON THE ROAD.]

Mexican roads are bad, and Mexican carriages are constructed with a view
to withstanding all the shaking that a rough road can give. The result
is that at the end of a long journey the traveller feels very much as
though he had been passed through a patent clothes-wringer or an
improved threshing-machine. But no such fear troubled our friends, as
the distance to Jaral was but forty-two miles, and the schedule time for
the journey seven hours. The road was bad enough, it is true, but the
youths heeded the advice of Doctor Bronson, and consoled themselves with
the reflection that it might have been a great deal worse than it was.

They had read so much about brigandage in Mexico that the possibilities
of an encounter with highwaymen naturally came into their minds. At the
first opportunity they asked an American resident of Saltillo about the
state of the country through which they were to pass, and the liability
to an unpleasant encounter.

[Illustration: FIGHT BETWEEN BRIGANDS AND SOLDIERS.]

"There is hardly any danger on this line now," was the reply, "and it is
a long time since a robbery was committed. There is less brigandage in
Mexico to-day than there was a few years ago, but there is still too
much of it to make travelling altogether agreeable. The Government has
put down the system of robbery as much as possible, partly by capturing
and killing the brigands, and partly by hiring them to quit the business
and become respectable citizens."

"That's a curious way to suppress crime," said one of the youths, "to
hire a man to be honest, after he has spent a good part of his life in
robbery."

"It doesn't harmonize with our ideas of propriety," said the gentleman,
"but it had the desired effect at all events. General Diaz, when he
became President, induced the robber chiefs to quit the business they
were in, and enter the service of the Government; they were pardoned for
their misdeeds, commissioned as officers in the army, and appointed to
preserve order in certain districts. Their followers were enlisted as
soldiers to serve under their old leaders; each soldier receives $40 a
month, and furnishes his own horse and equipments. As they know the
whole country where they are on duty, they have effectually put down
brigandage in their districts; they are the best horsemen in the world,
and there's no finer body of cavalry anywhere than the Mexican
_Rurales_--the reformed brigands."

"Doesn't it sometimes happen that they turn robbers temporarily, just to
keep themselves in practice?"

"Yes, they have done so in several instances, but on the whole these
converted highwaymen have kept faith with the Government very fairly.
You must remember that brigandage has been a regular occupation for
centuries, and it cannot be broken up in a hurry. In some parts of the
country it was organized as a business, and many men who stood well in
the community were associated with the robbers, and received a
percentage of their earnings."

"Did they take any part in the robberies?"

"Not exactly with their own hands; but they used to notify the brigands
when valuable trains were to be on the road, and at what time they would
start; they acted as scouts or spies, if you please, and in this way
earned their right to a share of the plunder.

"I was once captured and carried into the mountains by a party of
brigands who held me for a ransom. In the old times before Maximilian
came here, the Mexican brigands simply robbed travellers who made no
resistance, and killed those who resisted unsuccessfully. Maximilian
imported some Italians, who very soon turned robbers, and affiliated
with the Mexican bandits; they taught the Mexicans the Italian trick of
holding prisoners for ransom, and it was practised very extensively.

[Illustration: ENCAMPMENT OF BRIGANDS.]

"Well, the rascals carried me off to their retreat in the hills, and
made me write to my brother demanding five thousand dollars as ransom
for me. They threatened that in case it was not paid by a certain day I
would be shot, and my friends would receive my head as a proof that the
threat had been carried out.

[Illustration: A KING OF THE ROAD.]

"The letter was delivered by a respectable citizen, who was on friendly
terms with my brother and myself. I had dined at his house and he at
mine, and we had had several business transactions. It had been
intimated that he was friendly with the brigands, and this circumstance
proved it. My brother paid the money to him, and I was released and
allowed to come home. They treated me well while I was with them, but
kept a guard over me all the time with orders to kill me instantly in
case I attempted to escape."

"I suppose they made you promise not to reveal the name of that man to
the authorities?"

"Not at all; I could have done so, and he would have been tried and
convicted on the evidence of myself and brother. He would have been
shot without mercy, but the matter would not have ended there; the
brigands would have avenged his death and assassinated both of us within
a week, _sure_.

[Illustration: CAVALRY PURSUING A BAND OF ROBBERS.]

"In some respects the brigands were not so bad as they have been
painted," the gentleman continued. "The diligence companies have an
arrangement whereby a traveller can buy a letter of credit to pay his
bills with along the road, instead of carrying money, which would be a
temptation to robbers. His expenditures are indorsed on the letter of
credit by the company's agents, or he can draw a few dollars every night
upon his letter to pay his hotel bill with. But it is necessary to carry
some money in your pocket to pay the robbers for the trouble of stopping
and examining you; if they find absolutely nothing to reward them for
their efforts, you will very likely be killed as a warning to be more
considerate the next time you travel. If they should rob you of your
letter of credit, you can write or telegraph back to the agency where
you obtained it, and a telegraphic transfer will be made for the amount
remaining.

"Their usual plan of operations is to rush out suddenly from the
road-side, and present pistols and guns in the faces of passengers and
drivers, with a suddenness that prevents resistance. The passengers are
ordered to alight, hold their hands in the air, then to lie down and
place their mouths to the ground, and in this attitude their pockets are
searched. The brigands are generally polite but firm, and in the
American phrase, 'they won't stand any nonsense.' When the examination
of pockets is completed they order the passengers to lie still for five
or ten minutes, perhaps for a quarter of an hour, and during that time
the fellows disappear from sight. If no resistance is offered no one is
harmed, except once in a while when a blood-thirsty brigand kills for
the sheer pleasure of it; but such fellows are soon apprehended, and
generally they are betrayed by their followers, who do not relish the
crimes that may be visited on their heads.

"Sometimes they build a barricade across the road at a place where there
is a sharp turn, and in the confusion that follows the arrival of the
coach at the barricade they perform their work. In such cases the
robbers are concealed in the bushes all along the road-side, and the
passengers suddenly discover a dozen or more guns bearing on them at
once. Discretion is always advisable under such circumstances, and the
traveller who is prudent will surrender his valuables at once.

"A friend of mine tells a story," he continued, "that illustrates the
politeness of the Mexican robbers.

"He was travelling on horseback with a friend and a servant, and fell
into the hands of a band of brigands whose leader was named Manuel. The
fellows took everything of value that the travellers had, and then the
chief told the sufferers that he would give them a pass which would save
them from further molestation. Perhaps he was not altogether
disinterested in so doing, as the exhibition of the pass would save his
friends the trouble of searching an array of empty pockets and getting
nothing for their trouble.

"Thereupon he wrote on a leaf of my friend's note-book something like
the following:

     "'DEAR GOMEZ,--This party has been thoroughly examined, and we've
     left them nothing you want. Please allow them to go on without
     delay.'

[Illustration: HOTEL BY THE WAY-SIDE.]

"Then he told them where they would be stopped, and was about to bid
them good-by when my friend suggested that he had nothing with which to
pay his expenses on the road. Manuel suggested that the travellers ought
not to want for anything, and immediately gave them five dollars, which
he placed in a neat pocket-book that he had taken from another traveller
the day before. They met the other robbers at the place designated, and
on presenting the pass were not interfered with in any way. My friend's
horse had become lame, and Gomez generously gave him a fresh horse,
stolen, no doubt, from somebody else, and turned the lame steed out by
the road-side."

Other stories of the same sort were told, and the interview ended with
an account of how the American owner of a line of coaches between Vera
Cruz and Mexico City, away back in the forties, before the days of the
railway, made a bargain with the chief of the brigands commanding the
route, by which, in consideration of an annual subsidy, they were not to
molest his coaches or passengers. The subsidy was regularly paid, and
the brigands faithfully regarded their side of the bargain. When
General Scott was advancing from Vera Cruz upon the capital he made a
contract with this same American to supply the army with beef; and
through the efficient aid of his friends the brigands, he had no
difficulty in carrying out his contract. They stole cattle from all the
haciendas within a hundred miles of the route and kept him well
supplied.

The road from Saltillo to Jaral follows a picturesque valley, and in the
forty-two miles between the two places makes a descent of nearly
fourteen hundred feet. Consequently there was more down-hill than up,
and the diligence went along in fine style. The driver was an
accomplished whip, and managed his team admirably. For a part of the way
the vehicle was drawn by horses; at the first station mules were
substituted, and our friends were unable to say which were the better
for the work. The driver explained that he preferred mules for the
reason that in case they ran away they would keep to the middle of the
road, while horses were apt to shy and turn to one side, thereby
endangering the safety of the diligence and its passengers. This
difference between horses and mules has been noted by drivers in other
parts of the world, and is said to be correct.

The driver had an assistant, whose duty it was to throw stones at the
leading animals to encourage them to their work. He was a skilled
marksman and rarely missed his aim. Sometimes he threw the missiles
while seated on the box at the driver's side, and at others he ran
alongside the team or kept near the wheels of the coach. In either case
the result was the same, and the conveyance under his manipulations made
good progress.

Crosses at several points on the road showed where travellers had been
killed by robbers. On all the roads of Mexico these crosses can be seen,
and on some routes they are painfully numerous.

At noon a halt was made at a hacienda sufficiently long to enable the
passengers to have something to eat. They were supplied with _chile con
carne_, a stew of meat and peppers, very hot in two ways, and with the
ever-present tortillas and frijoles. The jolting over the road, combined
with the pure air of the Sierras, gave the travellers a vigorous
appetite, and they heartily enjoyed their road-side repast. The service
was somewhat primitive in character, and reminded our friends of
Delmonico's, in New York, solely by its contrasts.

No brigands came to disturb the progress or the minds of the travellers,
and in due time they reached Jaral and were landed in safety. Fred made
the following practical note for the information of future travellers:

"The fare between Saltillo and Jaral is $3.75. Twenty-five pounds of
baggage may be carried free by each passenger; for all excess he must
pay seventy-five cents for each twenty-five pounds. There is a daily
departure each way, and sometimes when the business demands it there are
two departures."

[Illustration: STREET SCENE AT JARAL.]

There was not a great deal to be seen at Jaral, but the youths did not
waste their time. They devoted themselves to obtaining information about
the country to the northward along the line of the International and
Central railways, and here is substantially what they ascertained:

"A hundred miles to the north of where we now are is the city of
Monclova, which was for some time the terminus of the International
Railway. It was the capital of Texas and Cohahuila when they both formed
one State, before the war which gave Texas her independence. It is the
centre of a region rich in minerals, and of late years several
enterprising Americans have established themselves there, and are
developing the resources of the country. Some of the silver ore in the
Monclova district is so rich that it is sent to the United States and to
Europe to be reduced, and the transportation of this ore furnishes a
good business for the railway company.

"About half-way from Monclova to the American frontier is the town of
Sabinas, which is the centre of a rich coal region. Mexico is in great
need of coal, and it is only recently that it was known that she had a
fine supply of it in her borders. It is found in a large part of the
Sabinas Valley. There are extensive mines at Hondo and San Felipe,
especially at Hondo, whence they are shipping large quantities for the
use of the railways in this country and Texas, and for the mines in the
interior of Mexico.

"There is an abundance of iron ore near Monclova, not far from the
railway, and it is proposed to erect extensive iron-works at Sabinas for
its reduction. The railways seem to have waked up this sleepy country,
and if some Rip Van Winkle of other days could arise and look around
him, he would rub his eyes in astonishment.

"If we had come into Mexico by the Central Railway we would have passed
through the State of Chihuahua (pronounced she-_waw_-waw); but we
wouldn't have seen much, as the train leaves El Paso in the evening,
runs through a desolate country, and reaches the city of Chihuahua for
breakfast in the morning. Mr. Janvier, the author of 'The Mexican
Guide,' says there is not much to be seen in the city, and advises
travellers not to stop there. According to his account, it is so overrun
by Americans that it cannot be called a typical Mexican town. It has
about 20,000 inhabitants, and no public buildings of importance, with
the exception of the Church of San Francisco, which was built by a tax
of one real on each pound of silver taken from the Santa Eulalia mines,
which are in the vicinity. Chihuahua was once the centre of a large
trade with the United States; and at one time when the road was
dangerous, armed caravans were made up periodically, just as they are
made up in Central Asia and other parts of the Old World at the present
time.

[Illustration: EL REAL DE SANTA EULALIA.]

"The silver-mines of Santa Eulalia are about fifteen miles from
Chihuahua, and have the reputation of being among the richest
silver-mines in the world. The district is fifteen or twenty miles
square, and contains, or once contained, a good many silver-mines, which
turned out fabulous amounts of the precious metal. Gen. Lew. Wallace has
visited and described some of these mines, and judging from his account
they must have been very rich. According to tradition, there was a time
when the Real de Santa Eulalia had 7000 inhabitants, and the city of
Chihuahua 70,000, all living, directly or indirectly, upon the product
of the mines. Since the Spaniards left Mexico the mines have not been
worked as extensively as before, and the operations now carried on there
are upon a limited scale. There is a prospect that some of the old glory
of the mines will be restored, now that northern Mexico is becoming
accustomed to American ways of mining, and is beginning to adopt them.

[Illustration: THE RAVINE WHERE THE OUTCASTS LIVED.]

"There is a romantic story concerning the way the mines were discovered.
About the year 1700, three scoundrels who had been driven out of
Chihuahua went to find refuge among the mountains of Santa Eulalia; they
must have been a very bad lot to be obliged to seek safety in that
region, which was infested by the Apache Indians, who were at war with
the white people, and would have made quick work of killing these
refugees if they had caught them. How they lived nobody knows; they were
obliged to shift their locality from time to time to prevent being found
by the Indians, and one day they came upon a ravine with precipitous
sides, where there was a good supply of water.

"One of the men knew something about silver, and in looking around he
found a rich deposit of ore. They sent word by a friendly Indian to the
senior priest in Chihuahua that they would show him where he could get
enough silver to build the finest cathedral in the world, and would do
so on condition that he would absolve them from their sins, and obtain
their pardon from the authorities.

"The bad men were absolved and pardoned, and kept their promise by
showing the way to the mines, which were immediately opened, and yielded
one hundred millions of dollars in eighty-six years. Enormous fortunes
were made by the owners; and there is a story that once on the visit of
a bishop who was to perform some religious service, the owner of one of
the mines entertained the holy man at his house. He laid a path of
silver bricks from his house to the door of the church, and when the
bishop proceeded to the church he walked all the way upon solid silver.
And the story ends by saying that the owner was careful to have the
bricks taken up as fast as the bishop lifted his feet from them."

Leaving Jaral a little before noon, our friends proceeded by the
south-bound train of the International Railway to Torreon, a distance of
130 miles, which was accomplished in about five hours. At Torreon they
waited two hours for the train of the Mexican Central Railway, and while
looking about them the youths espied several car-loads of cotton, which
were about to leave by a freight train then being made up.

[Illustration: ON THE EDGE OF THE COTTON FIELD.]

Naturally, the sight of the cotton led to an inquiry concerning the
production of that article in Mexico and the uses made of it. The youths
learned that cotton is grown in about half the States of Mexico, the
largest quantity being produced in the State of Vera Cruz, while that of
Durango ranks next. In the early part of the century about one million
pounds of cotton were exported annually. Down to the time of the
independence of Mexico from Spain, the royal authorities allowed no
manufactures in the colony that would be likely to interfere with those
of the mother-country, and consequently the manufacture of cotton goods
was prohibited. After independence was secured, factories were built and
set in operation, and at present the production of cotton is not
sufficient to meet the demands of the manufacturers.

[Illustration: "COTTON IS KING."]

The best cotton is grown in the _tierra caliente_, but the plant thrives
in the table-land up to an elevation of 5000 feet. According to a
Mexican statistician, the average product is about 2000 pounds to the
acre, which is more than double the average of the cotton-growing region
of the United States.

Torreon and its near neighbor, Lerdo, are the principal shipping-points
for the cotton grown in Durango. It is probable that the opening of the
railways will stimulate the growth of cotton in Mexico. The United
States and other cotton-growing countries may look for considerable
exportations of that product from Mexican seaports at no distant day.
The manufacture of cotton cloth in Mexico is encouraged by an import
duty on all foreign textiles that does not give much opportunity for
competition. German and English manufacturers have labored hard to
convince the Mexicans that they would be greatly benefited by allowing
other countries to do their manufacturing for them, but thus far the
Mexicans have remained obstinately adhesive to their protective tariff.

The train left Torreon a few minutes before seven o'clock in the
evening, and consequently but little was seen of the country until the
following morning. Soon after daylight it reached Fresnillo, an
important mining town which dates from the middle of the sixteenth
century. A valuable silver-mine was opened at Fresnillo at that time,
but its operation was long ago abandoned. Fresnillo is the point at
which the two sections of the Mexican Central Railway were brought
together in 1884, and the route was completed for an unobstructed run of
the locomotive from the frontier of the United States to the capital of
Mexico.

[Illustration: VIEW IN THE MINING REGION.]

Our friends made their toilets in the sleeping-car as quickly as
possible, and then turned to a contemplation of the scenery through
which they were passing. On each side of the railway there was an
extensive plain, with a fringe of low mountains forming the horizon.
Straight ahead lay a range of mountains, which a friendly
fellow-passenger said was rich in silver and had made the fortunes of
Zacatecas and other towns.

They stopped for breakfast at a small town bearing the name of Calera,
but neither Frank nor Fred could find that it was famous for anything,
not even for the quality of the meals supplied by its restaurant. Then
they rolled on towards Zacatecas, which they reached in about an hour
after leaving Calera. In approaching Zacatecas the train wound among the
mountains in numerous curves and bends, forming "mule-shoes" by the
dozen, and facing every point of the compass before coming to a halt.

Zacatecas affords a good opportunity for studying silver-mining in
Mexico, and consequently it had been selected by Doctor Bronson as a
convenient stopping-place. By advice of the conductor, our friends rode
in the tram-way cars to the hotel, and intrusted their baggage to
cargadores, who were more than anxious for employment. The hotel in
which they lodged was formerly an Augustinian convent, and all the more
interesting for that reason.

[Illustration: CONVENT AND FOUNTAIN.]




CHAPTER VI.

NAME, POPULATION, AND PECULIARITIES OF ZACATECAS.--THE PILGRIMAGE
CHAPEL.--A WEALTHY CATHEDRAL.--STREET SCENES.--MINES OF ZACATECAS.--A
DANGEROUS DESCENT.--THE PATIO PROCESS OF REDUCING ORES.--TREADING ORE
WITH MULES AND HORSES.--A SORRY SIGHT.--THE MINERS; HOW THEY LIVE AND
WORK.--STATISTICS OF SILVER-MINING IN MEXICO.--ASTOUNDING
CALCULATIONS.--FROM ZACATECAS TO AGUAS CALIENTES.--FARM SCENES.--FARMING
IN MEXICO.--CONDITION OF LABORERS.--MEN AS BEASTS OF BURDEN.--AGUAS
CALIENTES.--A BEAUTIFUL CITY.--A PICTURESQUE POPULATION.--WOMEN OF
MEXICO.


"What is the meaning of Zacatecas?" Fred asked while the train was
bearing them to the city of that name.

Neither the Doctor nor Frank could answer the question, and so the
desired information was sought from the guide-book.

[Illustration: A SILVER-PRODUCING VALLEY.]

It was found that the name was derived from a tribe of Indians called
Zacatecas, and also from a grass that grows there, and is known in
Mexico as _zacate_. It should be remembered that the city is the capital
of the State of Zacatecas. As it stands in a ravine, where very little
grass of any kind can grow, it is probable that the appellation, so far
as the grass is concerned, belongs rather to the State than to the city,
which is the centre of the silver-mining district.

The city, which has a population of about 30,000, is anything but
attractive, as its position in a deep ravine makes its streets very
narrow, and crowds the buildings closely together. Its streets are badly
paved, and it is so poorly supplied with water that the drains are not
properly washed. Frank thought it averaged a distinct and different
smell for each thousand of its inhabitants, and the youths were not
surprised to learn that the mortality, especially among the poorer part
of the population, is very great. The mountains rise all around and
above the city, and the extent of the silver business is shown by the
large number of buildings on the mountainsides, which mark the
reduction-works and the entrances to the mines.

There is a ridge called the _Bufa_, or Buffalo, overlooking the city; it
is the site of a little church, or chapel, that was built there more
than a century and a half ago, and was at one time a favorite place of
pilgrimage. Ordinary offenders were required to do penance by ascending
on foot to the door of the chapel, and extraordinary ones made the
journey on their knees. The custom still prevails, though less so than
formerly. Frank and Fred saw several pilgrims making the ascent, but
were told that days, and even weeks, might elapse before another scene
of the same sort could be witnessed.

The travellers paid a hasty visit to the cathedral of Zacatecas, which
was formerly very rich in ornaments; most of them were removed at the
time of the confiscation of the property of the Church by the
Government, and are not likely to be restored. It is said that the
baptismal font was of solid silver, and worth $100,000. The Jesuits have
on the side of the mountain a fine church, which presents a very
picturesque appearance and contains some interesting and valuable
paintings.

The street scenes were much the same as at Monterey and Saltillo, with
the addition of groups of miners and men employed about the
reduction-works, droves of _burros_, or donkeys, laden with ore and
other things peculiar to the industry of the locality. The youths wished
to visit the mines and descend to the scene of operations underground,
and consequently were not inclined to devote much time to the public
buildings and the streets. They observed that the city had sufficient
enterprise to be lighted with electricity, and to have a telephone, an
exchange, and a fire department, though the scarcity of wooden
buildings seemed to afford very little use for the latter.

[Illustration: CACTUS GROWTHS NEAR ZACATECAS.]

They were advised not to go into the mines, as the descent must be made
by ladders which are not constructed like ordinary ones, but are nothing
more than logs set upright and notched alternately on opposite sides.
The miners ascend and descend very nimbly along these rude ladders, and
accidents are rare; but strangers find them dangerous.

Frank and Fred were quite willing to take the risk, but the Doctor was
more prudent, and suggested that they would defer their visit to the
interior of a mine until they reached one with less liability to mishap.
But this did not interfere with a visit to one of the reduction-works,
for which a permit was readily obtained.

[Illustration: FIELD WITH ADOBE WALLS.]

"Before we make the visit," said the Doctor, "I want you to learn what
the patio process of reduction is, so that you can see intelligently.
The patio process is in use here, as it is throughout Mexico and South
America generally."

In the hour they had at their disposal, Frank and Fred informed
themselves on the subject, and were able to write as follows:

[Illustration: A MEXICAN ARASTRA.]

"The patio process was invented in 1557 by Bartolomé de Medina, and is
so called because a patio, or yard, is required for its operation. The
ore is crushed and ground fine in _arastras_. An arastra is a mill where
an animal, generally a mule, walks in a circle and turns a millstone
that rolls upon a floor, on which the material to be ground is placed.
We have seen arastras at work several times since we came into Mexico;
and they are not unknown in the south-western part of the United States.

"If there is any gold in the ore, fifty or sixty per cent. of it may be
saved by putting silver or copper amalgam into the arastras. Some of the
Mexican ores must be roasted to remove certain chemicals which they
contain, but this is not the case with all of them. The paste from the
arastras is spread in heaps on the floor of the patio; after it has
hardened somewhat by the evaporation of a part of the water it contains,
it receives a quantity of salt, which is in proportion to the amount of
silver in the ore. Then it is mixed by men with shovels and by the tread
of horses or mules, and a day or two later a mixture of copper vitriol
and salt is added.

"Then follows more treading and mixing; then quicksilver is spread over
the mass and trodden in, and the next day there is another mixing and
treading. These performances are repeated on alternate days, quicksilver
being added one day and the mass being trodden the next, until the
treading has been repeated seven or eight times. The quicksilver unites
with the silver and forms an amalgam; the formation is carefully
watched, and when it has reached the proper condition the amalgam is
gathered up into hide or canvas bags. Some of the quicksilver is
squeezed out, and the rest is driven off by evaporation and condensed in
a pipe that runs into a tub of water."

"There's a good deal more," said Fred, "but I'm afraid if we say too
much about the process we shall lead our young friends at home to skip
the whole story. So we've made it short."

"You've said quite enough," replied the Doctor, "to give a general idea
of what the patio process is. Anybody who wants to know more can look it
up in books on mining, or in cyclopædias."

[Illustration: CARRYING ORE TO THE REDUCTION-WORKS.]

Armed with the information they had obtained, the youths were able to
understand intelligently the operations at the reduction-works that they
visited. Frank thought they could find a cheaper way of mixing up the
mass of ore than by treading it out with mules. Doctor Bronson told them
that methods had been adopted in California and Nevada whereby all this
work is done by machinery, but they were not generally approved in
Mexico. "The Mexicans," said he, "are slow to change; they have done
their work in this way for 300 years, and it is not easy to convince
them that there is anything better in the world. The Americans who buy
or lease mines in Mexico, and adopt the plans that suit themselves, will
afford some instruction by example; the Mexicans may learn by the
example, especially if they find that the new process enables their
competitors to make money out of a mine they cannot do anything with."

[Illustration: A MEXICAN CRUSHER.]

In one patio there were 120 horses at work, in gangs of twelve or
sixteen, treading out the ore. "They are sorry-looking brutes," said
Fred, "as their tails are shaved, and their bodies splashed with the
black mud through which they are walking. To us it looks like ordinary
mud, but to the eye of the expert I suppose it is altogether different,
as we are told that a mining superintendent can determine almost at a
glance how rich the mineral is. Evidently the horses don't know the
value of what they are treading, or they wouldn't look so dejected and
forlorn. Horses and mules that are old and useless for anything else are
bought for this work. The chemicals destroy their hoofs, and they do not
last a great while. If there were a Mexican Henry Bergh he would most
certainly try to put a stop to this cruelty.[3]

[3] The youths were evidently unaware that there is a Mexican Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Its headquarters are in the
City of Mexico; its president is Señor Vidal Castañeda y Nadal, and its
secretary Señor Eduardo L. Gallo. The society had done excellent work in
preventing cruelty to animals, and in addition to other things has
caused bull-fighting to be suppressed in several parts of the republic.

"The men who are working among the horses are about as unprepossessing
in appearance as the animals. They wear only a shirt and trousers, and
both garments look as though cloth was dear when they were planned. The
trousers come only to the knee, and the sleeves of the shirt do not
reach the elbow. The men who work in the mines and about the reduction
establishments are carefully searched on quitting work, to make sure
that they do not carry off anything of value; their garments are without
pockets, and thus they have no places for storing away stolen property.
But in spite of the absence of pockets, they would manage to steal some
of the amalgam if they were not so closely watched and carefully
searched.

"In some of the mines, they work with scarcely a thread about them, the
heat being so great that clothing cannot be borne with ease. The miners
generally work in small teams or gangs, and receive a portion of the ore
taken out in addition to their wages, which vary from thirty to fifty
cents a day. Sometimes the payment is altogether in ore, which is sold
at auction on stated days.

"We asked if the miners ever gave trouble by striking, and were told
that they had not yet become sufficiently Americanized to form
themselves into labor unions. The people seem to be entirely content
with what they receive, and as they have very few wants, and do not try
to save anything from one week to another, it is not likely they will
change their ways in a hurry."

"While we are on the subject," wrote Frank, in a letter describing the
visit to Zacatecas, "we may as well say what we learned about
silver-mining in general throughout Mexico.

"Silver was known to the Aztecs before the Spanish Conquest, but they do
not seem to have made much use of it. They worked it into ornaments and
various small articles, but among the treasures of Montezuma seized by
Cortez the amount of silver was very small compared with that of gold.
The Spaniards had no idea of the immense value of the country when they
conquered it, so far as silver is concerned."

"But they began developing the mines very soon after they captured the
country," Fred remarked.

[Illustration: BRINGING ORE FROM THE MINES.]

"Yes," responded Frank; "in the expedition commanded by Cortez there
were many men who were familiar with the mines of Old Spain, and they
were not long in finding the silver deposits of the New World. During
the sixteenth century the mines of Mexico were extensively worked, and
the working continued steadily down to the war for independence, when it
greatly fell off. At the time of Humboldt's visit, in 1803, about 3000
distinct mines were in operation; Humboldt estimated that the product
of silver in Mexico from the Conquest, in 1521, down to 1804 amounted to
$2,027,952,000, and the estimate since that time brings the grand total
up to more than 4,000,000,000!"

"What a lot of money!" exclaimed Fred. "Suppose we had it, and wanted to
take it to New York; how could we carry it?"

[Illustration: MEXICAN BELLOWS.]

"Wait a moment," was the reply, "and I'll tell you."

Frank made a hasty calculation on a slip of paper, and then answered as
follows:

"Roughly estimated, the weight of that value in silver would be
333,000,000 pounds, or 166,000 tons, estimating 2000 pounds to the ton.
If we had it in the City of Mexico we would have to engage 416 trains of
forty cars each, with ten tons of silver in each car, to take it to Vera
Cruz. From Vera Cruz we would need 166 steamships carrying a thousand
tons each, to take our precious freight to New York, and I'll let you
figure out how many warehouses we would need to store it in, and how
many policemen would be required to take care of it."

"Well," said Fred, "there's one thing you've forgotten; remember that
the most of this silver has been brought from the mines on the backs of
mules or donkeys. Reckoning 100 pounds to a load, how many burros would
be needed to transport our fortune, supposing we had it?"

Frank figured again, and found that the silver product of Mexico from
the Conquest to the present time would load three and a third million
burros; putting them in single file, and allowing each burro ten feet of
space, there would be 631 miles of them, and half a mile or so over.

"Let's go into the business of silver-mining," said Fred; "just see
what a lot of money has been made by it, and with very crude methods of
reducing the ore! With the improved processes of modern times there must
be a fortune for everybody."

"I don't know about it," replied his cousin; "anyway, we'll ask Doctor
Bronson's advice before we venture."

[Illustration: MEXICAN SMELTING-FURNACE.]

The appeal to the Doctor resulted in a good deal of sound information,
to the effect that silver-mining is generally unprofitable, and anybody
should think twice before venturing into it. "And so far as the Mexican
mines are concerned," he said, "there are very few of them that are
doing more than paying working expenses, and some do not do that. Fifty
or more American companies are engaged in this country at present; a few
have made money, but the majority have not yet received back what they
put into their enterprises, or any interest upon it. And unless I am
misinformed, it is next to impossible to buy a good mine here; if a
Mexican has a mine he is willing to sell, you may be pretty sure it
isn't worth buying. The same rule holds good in all mining regions the
world over, and is hardly necessary to discuss. The mining laws of
Mexico require that the owner of a mine must work it for four
consecutive months in each year, with four regular miners, under
penalty of forfeiture. Unless he complies with this law the mine
becomes the property of the Government and is sold at auction.

"The laws of Mexico formerly prohibited foreigners not naturalized, or
provided with special licenses, from owning or working mines; but this
provision was repealed, and foreigners may now legally acquire mines in
any part of the republic, provided one of the partners in each mining
company resides in Mexico."

From Zacatecas our friends proceeded in the direction of the capital,
their next stopping-place being at Aguas Calientes, 120 miles farther
south and nearly 2000 feet lower in elevation. Zacatecas is 8044 feet
above sea-level, while Aguas Calientes is 6179.

For the first part of the journey the railway winds among the hills;
then it comes out into a rich and comparatively level country, where
great quantities of corn, wheat, barley, and wool are produced. The
plains and hill-sides were dotted with flocks of sheep, and the numerous
fields showed that the land was favorable to farming industries.

[Illustration: AN OLD-FASHIONED PLOUGH.]

Farming in Mexico is in a backward condition, the implements being
mainly of the primitive type. American ploughs, harrows, mowers,
reapers, and other farming implements and machines have been introduced,
as already mentioned, since the advent of the railways, but the Mexican
laborer does not take kindly to their use.

It is said that on the haciendas where improved farming implements and
machinery have been introduced they have been maliciously destroyed or
put out of working order by the peons; their hostility to labor-saving
inventions is just as great as that of the same class of people in other
parts of the world. During the construction of the railways some of the
contractors brought a supply of wheelbarrows, to replace the gunny-sacks
with which the peons have been from time immemorial accustomed to carry
earth on their backs or heads. Being made to understand that they must
use the wheelbarrows instead of the sacks, they filled the vehicles with
earth and carried them on their heads. The contractors were obliged to
return to the use of the gunny-sack, as they found more work was done
with it than with the wheelbarrow.

The Indians living in the neighborhood of the cities come down from
their homes in the hills, bringing on their backs large baskets filled
with garden vegetables, chickens, and other marketable things. The story
goes that when an Indian from the hills has sold his burden, he puts a
stone weighing fifty pounds or more in his basket, in order to give him
a "grip" with his feet on the ascending road which leads to his home.

[Illustration: FARM-LABORER IN A GRASS CLOAK.]

The agricultural laborers of Mexico are not an enterprising race, and
care nothing beyond supplying their daily wants. They were formerly held
in a condition of slavery, both before and after the Spanish Conquest;
but slavery was abolished soon after the war of independence, and
therefore the agricultural laborers, miners, and all other classes of
working-people, for the last fifty years and more, have been free. The
miners are said to be better workers than the farm-hands, as they are
not migratory in their habits, and generally spend their lifetime in
the places where they were born, unless compelled to go elsewhere in
search of employment.

[Illustration: HACIENDA NEAR THE CITY.]

Before the Conquest beasts of burden were unknown, and everything that
had to be transported was moved by human muscle. The priests imported
donkeys to take the place of men in carrying burdens, and from the
animals thus introduced the present race of burros is descended. Cattle,
sheep, horses, and hogs were brought from Spain previous to the
importation of donkeys, which did not make their advent until the
eighteenth century. Horses, cattle, and mules in great number are raised
in Mexico annually, but the stock-growers do not pay much attention to
other animals.

The foregoing was learned by Frank and Fred during their ride from
Zacatecas to Aguas Calientes, and therefore this is its proper place in
the narrative.

"There must be a hot spring where we are going," said Fred, "as _aguas
calientes_ means 'hot waters.'"

"You are right," replied the Doctor; "there are hot springs in the city
and all through this region, and the baths of the city are famous, like
most hot baths, for their beneficial effects in rheumatism and other
diseases."

[Illustration: PRISONERS AT WORK IN THE JAIL.]

Of course a hot bath was one of the things to be sought, and the
travellers found it without difficulty. There was a bathing
establishment in the city, but they were advised to shun it and visit
the suburban baths, which were easily reached by the tram-way. The
temperature of the water is 106° Fahrenheit, and the supply is abundant.
The baths, combined with the general beauty of the place, have made
Aguas Calientes a popular health resort, and with the improved
accommodations that are sure to follow the advent of the railway the
popularity will increase.

"It's the prettiest city we have seen since we came into Mexico," wrote
Frank in his note-book--"prettier than Monterey, Saltillo, or any other
of our halting-places. It abounds in gardens, and the people seem to
have a passionate fondness for flowers, if we may judge by the extent to
which they cultivate them. Around the city the country is fertile, and
there are finely cultivated fields, luxuriant vineyards, rich meadows,
and everything to please the eye. It is said that artists have a special
liking for this place, and now that I've seen it I'm not at all
surprised.

"Whoever laid out this city had an eye to the picturesque, and realized
that land was plenty, as he gave it one large plaza and ten smaller
ones, and adorned several of the plazas with gardens. Then there are
some fine buildings belonging to the Government. There are thirteen
churches, a hospital, and a college; and I must not forget that there is
a jail, which is well patronized, and is said to be very attractive for
a jail. We have been through the market, which is supplied with more
fruit than we have seen since we left Monterey, together with several
varieties that we have not observed elsewhere.

"They have a population of about twenty-five thousand here, and the
chief industry is in manufacturing. They make cloth of various kinds,
including some fine woollens, and we have seen handsome work in leather
and some very pretty pottery. Everybody we've talked with says that it's
a pity it is not the time of the annual fair, which lasts from the 23d
of April to the 10th of May, and brings in a large number of people from
the surrounding country. There are many curious costumes and customs to
be seen during the fair, which is a period of feasting for all who
attend it. Mr. Janvier says it resembles our Thanksgiving, as everybody
then lives upon _cacones_, or turkeys. The festival is of very ancient
date, and was held before the advent of the Spaniards.

[Illustration: OF SPANISH BLOOD.]

"In such a beautiful city we have looked for beautiful inhabitants, but
haven't found a great many, though it is proper to say we haven't been
able to hold a review of the whole population. While walking in one of
the gardens we saw several pretty girls of Spanish blood, accompanied by
their duennas; for, according to Spanish custom, no young girl is
allowed to walk out alone. They were dressed much after the fashion of
Paris or New York, except that they wore the lace veil or mantilla over
their heads, instead of the bonnet, which is the fashion with us. Their
taste seems inclined to gaudy colors, derived perhaps from the
luxuriance of nature around them.

"The lower classes of the people are much more picturesque than the
upper, and the women more so than the men. Their skins are dark, and
their hair and eyes are invariably black. They keep their teeth white,
and are said to do so by a vigorous application of the juice of the
soap-plant. A piece of the stalk of this plant is chewed until it forms
a sort of brush; it contains a soapy juice that has cleansing properties
beneficial to the teeth. Many of the young women are pleasing to look
upon, but they are said to lose their good looks before reaching middle
life, for the reason, no doubt, that they have to do a great deal of
hard work. Their dress is a cheap calico, short in the skirt and
generally bright in color, with a loose jacket or waist. If their heads
are covered, it is with the _rebozo chiquito_, a scarf of silk or cotton
that is wrapped around the head and shoulders, and has a long fringe,
which falls down the back. The rebozo is very convenient for carrying a
baby, who is suspended there exactly as babies are carried in Japan."

[Illustration: INDIAN GIRLS AT A SPRING.]




CHAPTER VII.

SOUTHWARD AGAIN.--CROSSING A BARRANCA.--BARRANCAS IN MEXICO.--LAGOS AND
ITS PECULIARITIES.--LEON, THE MANUFACTURING CITY OF
MEXICO.--SILAO.--ARRIVAL AT GUANAJUATO.--A SILVER CITY.--THE VALENCIANO
MINE.--AN UNHEALTHY PLACE.--BAD DRAINAGE.--A SYSTEM OF RESERVOIRS.--THE
CASTILLO DEL GRENADITAS.--AN INDIAN'S ARMOR.--EXPERT THIEVES.--STEALING
A GRINDSTONE.--MARKET SCENES.--HEADS OF SHEEP AND GOATS.--SCHOOLS AT
GUANAJUATO.--EDUCATION IN MEXICO.--DOWN IN THE RAYAS MINE.--SIGHTS
UNDERGROUND.--AN INDIAN WATER-CARRIER.--HOW A SKIN IS TAKEN WHOLE FROM A
PIG.--THE REDUCTION HACIENDA.--MR. PARKMAN'S MACHINE.--QUERETARO.--THE
HERCULES AND OTHER COTTON-MILLS.


Satisfied with a day at Aguas Calientes, the party took the south-bound
trains and did not stop until reaching Silao, after a run of 130 miles.
An hour or more after leaving Aguas Calientes, they crossed the
barranca, or cañon, through which the Encarnacion River flows; the
bridge by which they crossed it is built of iron, and is more than 700
feet long. It is fully 150 feet above the water, and the view as one
looks downward from the centre of the bridge is apt to cause dizziness
to a nervous traveller.

[Illustration: A DRY BARRANCA.]

"Perhaps you don't know what a barranca is," wrote Frank, in his next
letter to his mother. "Well, it's a deep channel which the water has
worn in its steady flow for thousands of years through the earth or soft
rock. The channel of Niagara River from the falls to Lewiston may be
called a barranca, and so may any similar cutting made by a stream,
whether large or small. Some of the Mexican barrancas are 2000 feet
wide, and 1000 or 1500 feet deep; their sides are almost precipitous,
and every year the waters wear a deeper way through the rock or earth.

"Did you ever walk through a field, and come suddenly upon a ditch or
brook that was not visible a few yards away? Well, that's the case with
some of these barrancas. You come upon one without being aware that you
are near it; you may be galloping along enjoying the fresh air and the
pleasure of a ride, when all at once your horse stops, and as you draw
the reins you find yourself on the edge of a precipice, looking down
hundreds of feet, perhaps, to the turbid stream struggling along its
course. On the other side of the barranca the country is level again,
and you could gallop on without trouble but for the yawning chasm that
stands in your way.

"The barrancas are crossed by descending to the stream along a sloping
road built with great ingenuity and at much expense; the stream is
passed by an ordinary bridge, and the high ground is reached again along
another sloping road. Barrancas have long been a serious obstacle to the
construction of wagon-roads in Mexico, and in recent years they have
taxed the ingenuity of railway engineers who sought to pass them."

The first important city on the route was Lagos, which has a population
of 25,000 or thereabouts, and is devoted to manufacturing; farther on is
Leon, which is four times as large, and five or six times more
important, as it is the principal manufacturing city of the republic,
and was founded about 1550. Formerly there was a great fair held at Leon
annually for the sale of goods; it was similar to the great fairs of
Europe before the invention of the railway, but has dwindled in
importance as the railways have come in, and will probably be abandoned
before many years.

"What do they make at Leon?" one may ask. For answer, Fred or Frank will
tell you that they make pretty nearly every kind of article that finds a
market in Mexico and can be fashioned by Mexican hands. There are
numerous tanneries there, and the leather which they produce is made
into boots, saddles, harnesses, leggings, and other things into whose
composition leather enters. There are factories for the manufacture of
cotton and woollen cloth, serapes, rebozos, and the like; there are
large shops where hats are made of every Mexican style and kind, and
sent to all parts of the republic; and there are soap factories, iron
founderies, cutlery establishments, tool-shops, and so on through a long
and possibly tiresome list. And it is safe to say that a popular vote of
the inhabitants of Leon would show an overwhelming majority in favor of
a protective tariff. Leonites are firm believers in protection to home
industries, and look frowningly on any movement to supplant their goods
with those of foreign make.

[Illustration: CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO, GUANAJUATO.]

About seven o'clock in the evening the train reached Silao, whence there
is a branch fifteen miles long to Guanajuato, or rather to Marfil, its
suburb. It was nearly nine o'clock when they reached the hotel at
Guanajuato; there was not much to be seen in the evening, and so the
time was passed mostly at the hotel, and devoted to a consideration of
the history of the place. The youths found that the site of Guanajuato
(pronounced Gwan-a-_what_-o) was given by one of the early viceroys to
Don Rodrigo Vasquez, who was one of the conquerors who came with Cortez;
the gift was a reward for Don Rodrigo's services in assisting to add
this valuable possession to the crown of Spain. According to tradition,
the discovery of silver was made here by accident some time in 1548, and
it immediately brought a crowd of adventurers in search of fortunes. For
a long time Guanajuato was one of the most productive silver districts
of Mexico; but since the Spanish domination ended, the product has
greatly diminished; the yield at present is about $6,000,000 annually,
and there are said to be something like 2000 mining claims in the
district.

[Illustration: COURT-YARD OF A MEXICAN TENEMENT-HOUSE.]

The most famous mine of Guanajuato is that of San José de Valenciano,
and it is said to have yielded in the days of its prosperity about
$800,000,000 worth of silver. When Humboldt visited it at the beginning
of this century he estimated that it produced one-fifth of the silver in
the world. It was "in bonanza," as the miners say, for about forty years
after it was opened, and paid enormous dividends to its owners in spite
of the heavy taxes exacted by the Government. From ten to twenty
thousand people were employed in and around the Valenciano mine when it
was in full operation. The galleries, chambers, and drifts of the mine
are said to be more extensive than all the streets of the city, and the
great _tiro_, or central shaft, is nearly 2000 feet deep. All the lower
part of the mine is now filled with water, and it cannot be removed
except at a cost so great that nobody is willing to undertake it. The
_veta madre_, or "mother-vein," on which the mine is located is pierced
by several other mines, and many persons believe that Guanajuato has
"seen its best days."

[Illustration: SUPERINTENDENT'S HOUSE AT SILVER REDUCTION-WORKS.]

Doctor Bronson arranged for his party to visit one of the mines where
the process of working could be seen; his application to the
_administrador_, or director, of the mine that they wished to see was
courteously received, and the desired permission granted at once. Fred
will tell the story of the excursion.

[Illustration: A TON OF SILVER.]

"While waiting for the pass from the administrador," said Fred, "we took
a look at the city, which has a population variously placed at from
fifty to seventy thousand, mostly dependent on the mines for their
support. The city stands in a ravine, and reminded us of Zacatecas. All
the world over, mining towns are almost always in mountain ravines or
valleys, and Guanajuato is no exception to the rule.

"The streets are narrow, and badly paved with cobble-stones, and
locomotion with carriages is not at all easy. The little stream that
flows through the city is formed into three reservoirs at the upper end
of the ravine, one above the other. When the upper reservoir is filled,
the water overflows into the next below, and that in turn fills the
lower one. From the water thus collected the city and the mills below it
are supplied. When the rainy season begins, the floodgates are open, and
the waters rush in a torrent through the ravine and wash it thoroughly.
This is the only washing it gets until another year comes around; and
you will understand from this that Guanajuato is a very 'smelly' city,
and has a large death-rate. There isn't water enough for a good, healthy
system of sewerage; but this does not trouble the Mexicans very much.

"In every Mexican town or city we have visited thus far, we have seen
women at the plaza and fountains and encountered troops of donkeys
carrying water. Water-carriers have no occupation here, as the liquid is
supplied through pipes, just as in New York or any other American city.
The concession to establish water-works was given to an enterprising
citizen, Señor Rocha, and he made a good deal of money by the operation.
He built walks and seats all around the reservoirs, and thus gave the
inhabitants an agreeable _paseo_, or promenade.

[Illustration: A MEXICAN BEGGAR.]

"Our guide showed us the Castillo del Grenaditas, which is an immense
building like a fortress, and now used as a _carcel_, or prison. It was
built in the early part of this century as a storehouse for grain for
public use in times of scarcity; its walls are several feet thick, and
it has a large court-yard in the centre. It was a place of refuge for
the Spaniards when Hidalgo made his pronunciamento in 1810 and set up a
revolution. Several hundred Spaniards fled to the Castillo and shut
themselves in. They made a vigorous defence, and the attacking force was
steadily repelled. Hidalgo tried many times to reach the gates, but
every time his men attempted it they were shot down.

"At last an Indian, carrying a flat stone on his back as a shield
against the Spanish bullets, reached the gates and set them on fire. The
stone which he used in this exploit was shown to us, at least one that
purported to be the identical shield. The besiegers rushed in through
the gates, and the castle fell. A year or so afterwards Hidalgo was
captured and executed in Chihuahua. His head and the heads of three of
his companions were brought here and hung on hooks at the four corners
of the building. They were taken down and buried with high honors in
1823, but the hooks are still in position; the one on which Hidalgo's
head was placed was pointed out to us.

"At almost every step along the streets we were accosted by men who had
all sorts of articles for sale. Shoes, clothing, spurs, cutlery,
rebozos, serapes, and similar things were offered, and the prices seemed
very low; but we were told not to offer more than half what was asked
for anything, and unless we really needed it we had better be careful
about offering anything at all.

"We were cautioned to be watchful of our pockets, as there are expert
thieves in the city who could steal anything for which they set out. We
saw some grindstones in one of the shops, and asked our guide why they
were chained to the wall and the chains fastened with padlocks. He said
it was because there were men around who would steal them on general
principles. They had no use for them, nor any idea what they were for,
but as they were the heaviest articles to be seen, they were supposed to
be the most valuable!

[Illustration: OLD CONVENT NOW USED AS BARRACKS.]

"In the market we saw that the poor people of this mining city are
compelled to be very economical. When meat is not disposed of fresh, it
is dried and sold in that shape. The dried heads of sheep and goats were
piled on the ground to be sold as food; dried with the skin and horns
on, and the people stood around and haggled for them down to the
fraction of a cent. An important article of food here is boiled
_calabazas_, or pumpkins; and another staple of diet is gruel made of
coarse corn-meal. The guide said the head of a sheep or goat or the nose
of a bullock was added on Sunday to this very meagre diet, and the
miners and their families were quite contented with such food. Truly,
one half of the world doesn't know how the other half lives.

"We were invited to visit one of the schools, but hadn't time to do so
any more than to look at the building as we went past it. A gentleman
whom we talked with told us that the State college is in a flourishing
condition, and has upwards of three hundred students, many of them of
pure Indian blood. Education among the people of Mexico is not very far
advanced, but is better than many people suppose. It has made great
progress in the last twenty years. Before that time it was very
backward, and a considerable part of the population could not read or
write.

[Illustration: A LEADING CITIZEN.]

"The Government seems to be thoroughly awake to the necessity of having
its population intelligent, in order to advance the interests of the
country. In all the towns and villages there are free schools supported
by the Government or by the local authorities, and in the cities there
are advanced schools and colleges and a great number of private schools.
Then there are technical and industrial schools, where trades are
taught, and military schools for those who desire a military education
and intend entering the army. In the cities free night schools for men
and women, similar to the night schools of New York and other American
cities, have been established. Some of them are well attended, but that
is not the case with all.

"All of the Mexican States make liberal appropriations for public
primary schools, and they tell us that last year there was an aggregate
school attendance of 500,000. There must be an equal number of pupils in
the private schools and in schools maintained by churches, missions, and
benevolent societies, so that the whole attendance may be set down as an
even million. Of course this is not up to the standard of the United
States, especially of the northern portion, but it is a great advance
for Mexico, where forty years ago not one person in ten could read. It
is believed that fully one-half of the Mexican people to-day can read
and write, or certainly a large proportion of them.

"Accompanied by our guide we drove to the Rayas Mine, or rather quite
near it. The administrador met us at his office near the entrance, and
assigned to us a guide who spoke English, though not very well. His
English was better than our Spanish, and as he seemed to prefer it, we
did not try to talk to him in his own tongue. We expected to descend by
a cage in the tiro, but found that the way to the vein was down a stone
staircase. The steps were slippery in places, and we had to be careful
about placing our feet, as any carelessness might result in a fall.
Frank began to quote the old Latin lines about _facilis descensus_, but
our guide said 'chestnoot,' which he said he learned from an American,
and Frank had nothing more to say on the subject.

[Illustration: PRISONERS BREAKING ORE.]

"We had a long and tiresome walk through the mine, and the dim light of
the lantern and candles only served to make the darkness visible until
our eyes became accustomed to it. When we reached the vein we were
unable to distinguish the rich ore from the worthless rock in which the
mineral lay, and soon made up our minds that we were as far as possible
from being experts in mining.

"It was well for us that we laid aside our own clothes and put on some
garments especially intended for the underground excursion, as we were
splashed from head to foot with mud when we came out, and were
sorry-looking spectacles for a photograph gallery. Each of us had a
candle stuck to the top of his hat by a lump of wet clay. Every little
while one of us knocked off his candle, and then there was a halt until
it was adjusted.

"We saw many of the peons at work, each with a candle fixed in his hat,
the fashion that has prevailed here since the mines were first opened.
Sometimes they were in little groups, who put their earnings into a
general pool, and sometimes they were working singly on spots allotted
to them by the superintendents. The guide told us that the men worked on
shares, half the ore taken out being the property of the owners of the
mine, and half going to the peon. The ore is placed in heaps. The shares
of the miners are sold at auction or private sale, or they may be
reduced and the proceeds turned over to the proper claimants after
taking out the cost of the reduction. The miners generally prefer the
system of direct sales, for the reason that they can more readily obtain
their pay in this manner than by waiting for the reduction of the ore
and extraction of the silver.

[Illustration: SLOPING LADDERS IN A SILVER MINE.]

"The hardest part of the work seemed to be the carrying of the bags of
ore up the long flights of slippery steps to the mouth of the mine. From
the lower levels the water is removed by pumping, and in some places it
is carried in pig-skins on the backs of naked Indians to where the pumps
are at work. A pig-skin filled with water on the back of a man climbing
up the sloping steps looked at a little distance like some strange
animal which has not yet been assigned a place in natural history. These
skins have the exact shape of the pig, and are without cut or seam, and
we naturally wondered how they were obtained so nearly whole as they
seemed to be. We had seen them before in the Mexican towns, as they are
in common use by the water-carriers, and one day we asked an American
resident how they skinned pigs in Mexico.

"'Why,' said he, 'it's easy enough when you know how. They don't give
the pig anything to eat for a couple of days; then they tie him to a
tree by his tail, hold an ear of corn about three feet in front of his
nose, and so coax him out of his skin.'

"Another man told us that the body of the animal is beaten with a club
till the bones are smashed to pieces, and the flesh reduced to a pulpy
mass, which is then drawn out through the neck, along with the fragments
of bone. This seems more probable than the other process; at any rate,
we give it the preference."

[Illustration: OPENING A NEW MINE.]

From the mine our friends went to one of the reduction haciendas, where
they saw the process of extracting silver from the ore, which has been
described on previous pages. There are about fifty reduction-mills at
Guanajuato, some worked by horse or mule power, others by water, and
others by steam. Three kinds of crushers are in use, the Mexican
arastra, the Chilian mill, and the American stamp-mill, all of which
have their advocates, who prefer them to the others. The patio process
is employed here as well as elsewhere, and hundreds of horses and mules
are annually worn out in treading the ores. An American named Parkman
made an improvement on this system by rolling a loaded barrel over and
through the mixture by means of horses or mules walking in a circle, as
in an old-fashioned cider-mill. The barrel mingles the ore and the
chemicals as well as the horses' feet could do it, and the injury to the
hoofs of the animals is prevented, as they do not come in contact with
the mass. Sometimes heavy wheels are used instead of the barrels, and
they are arranged on a graduated scale, so that they move slowly from
centre to circumference of the _torta_, or pulp heap, as they revolve,
and from circumference back to the centre again. In this way the entire
surface is gone over; the reduction of the mass takes from twenty to
thirty days, and is thoroughly done.

[Illustration: ENTRANCE OF A MINE NOT IN OPERATION.]

From the hacienda they were taken to the mint, where silver coins are
made in the same manner as in mints in other parts of the world. The
machinery of the mint is of English construction, and several Englishmen
are or were connected with the establishment to superintend the more
delicate parts of the apparatus. From the mint they went to a hill
called the Cerro de San Miguel, which gave them an excellent view of the
city and the hills that surround it. The number of elegant residences in
sight convinced them that there is yet a great deal of wealth in
Guanajuato, notwithstanding the decline in the yield of silver from the
mines.

The next stop in the journey towards the capital was made at Queretaro,
eighty-five miles from Silao, or one hundred from Guanajuato. It is a
city of from fifty to sixty thousand inhabitants; it has no mines on
which to base its prosperity, but is devoted to manufacturing, having
been famous for 200 years and more for its production of cotton goods.
The largest cotton-mill in Mexico is at Queretaro; it is known as the
Hercules, and stands in a ravine, about two miles from the city. It was
built by Señor Rubio, is enclosed by a high wall loop-holed for
musketry, and could stand an ordinary siege very fairly, provided the
besiegers brought no cannon. A defensive force of forty soldiers is
maintained at the mills, and they are armed with rifles and howitzers.

[Illustration: A COTTON FACTORY, QUERETARO.]

The Hercules mill employs about fifteen hundred operatives, all
Mexicans, with the exception of a few foreigners to look after the
general management of details and keep the machinery in order. Not far
from it is a smaller and older mill, which is surrounded with pretty
gardens that require a considerable annual expenditure to keep them in
order. Frank thought he would commend the plan to American mill-owners,
and suggest the addition of gardens to their establishments; Fred was of
opinion that the manufacturers of Lawrence and Fall River would not look
favorably upon the suggestion, as they were much more interested in
making the best possible showing in their bank accounts than in
beautifying their surroundings.

The Queretaro mills are chiefly employed in turning out _manta_, a
variety of cheap cotton cloth, out of which the garments of the lower
classes of the population are made. The Hercules mill makes 6000 pieces
of cloth thirty yards long every week, and it pays the weavers about one
cent a yard. The employés make from two and a half to five dollars
weekly, and are furnished with lodgings, at very low rentals, close to
the mills. They work from 6 A.M. to 9.30 P.M., with half an hour's
intermission for breakfast, and an hour for dinner.




CHAPTER VIII.

AQUEDUCT AT QUERETARO.--THE RESULT OF A BANTER.--THE HILL OF THE
BELLS.--PLACE WHERE MAXIMILIAN WAS SHOT.--REVOLUTIONS IN
MEXICO.--FOREIGN INTERVENTION.--MAXIMILIAN BECOMES EMPEROR.--THE "BLACK
DECREE."--WITHDRAWAL OF FRENCH TROOPS FROM MEXICO.--MAXIMILIAN'S DEFEAT,
CAPTURE, AND DEATH.--HOW A FRENCH NEWSPAPER CIRCUMVENTED THE
LAWS.--PRONUNCIAMENTOS.--JUAREZ AS PRESIDENT.--THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN OF
MEXICO.--A WONDERFUL PROPHECY.--PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF JUAREZ.--RELIGION
IN MEXICO.--FORMER POWER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.--THE LAWS OF THE
REFORM.--PROTESTANT CHURCHES AND PROTESTANT WORK.--MISSIONARY
MARTYRS.--MURDER OF REV. J. L. STEPHENS.--RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS AT PRESENT.


[Illustration: AQUEDUCT OF QUERETARO.]

One of the first things to attract the attention of the youths was the
aqueduct by which Queretaro is supplied with water. They learned on
inquiry that it was built by one of the citizens at an expense of half a
million dollars; the story goes that it was the result of a banter
between him and another wealthy Mexican, one offering to supply the city
with water if the other would build a shrine and saint of solid silver.
The offer was accepted, and the agreement carried out by both parties.

The water comes from a mountain stream five miles from the city, and is
brought through a tunnel, and afterwards along a series of arches, some
of which are ninety feet high. It was finished in 1738, and has ever
since supplied Queretaro with an abundance of water.

[Illustration: Church of the Cross. Hill of the Bells.

QUERETARO.]

The most interesting sight of Queretaro is the Cerro de las Campanas, or
Hill of the Bells, and thither our friends proceeded as soon as they had
partaken of the mid-day meal, which was ready on their arrival at the
hotel. There is a fine view from the hill, and they greatly enjoyed it;
but they were more interested in the spot where the last Mexican empire
came to an end. Three black crosses mark the place where Maximilian and
his generals, Miramon and Mejia, were shot on the morning of the 19th of
June, 1867. This was the last scene in the drama of the imperial
monarchy which Louis Napoleon sought to found in North America at the
time of the American Civil-War.

Frank and Fred had already familiarized themselves with the history of
Maximilian's career in Mexico. Frank had committed a portion of the
story to paper, and with Fred's assistance it was completed during their
stay at Queretaro, and mailed homeward with their next batch of letters.
Here it is:

"From the time Mexico established her independence of Spain down to
1860, there was a bitter hostility between the two parties into which
the influential portion of the population was divided--the Conservative
or Church party, and the Liberals. The Conservatives represented the
Catholic Church, whose religion was brought to Mexico by the priests
that accompanied Cortez and sought to convert the people from paganism.
They succeeded in great measure, and as long as the Spaniards were in
power the Church was in full control. It possessed a great part of the
wealth of the country; the most moderate estimate is that one-fourth of
all the property in the country belonged to the Church, and some
authorities say that the proportion was far greater.

"When independence was established, the Liberals began active opposition
to the Church party, and the country was hardly ever at peace from one
end to the other. Revolutions followed each other with great rapidity.
Several Presidents were not allowed to enter upon the duties of their
office at all, and the first President to complete the full term for
which he was elected was Benito Juarez. Historians are not agreed as to
the number of revolutions that have taken place in Mexico; but it is
safe to say that they were not fewer than thirty-six in the limit of
forty years, most of them being accompanied by bloodshed. In that period
there were no less than seventy-three rulers, nearly all of them
exercising very brief authority, and some none at all.

"As time went on, the hostility of the Church and Liberal parties to
each other grew more and more bitter, till it culminated in the War of
the Reform, between 1855 and 1858. In 1859 President Juarez proclaimed
the famous Laws of the Reform, which forbade priests to appear in public
wearing their robes of office, suppressed the monasteries and convents,
and gave the property of the Church to the Government. The value of this
property is said to have been more than $300,000,000. The Liberal army
captured the capital city six months after the proclamation of these
laws, and they were immediately put in operation, and with great
severity.

"The country was deeply in debt, and in 1861 the Liberal Congress passed
a law suspending payment of the interest on its foreign debt. This gave
England, France, and Spain an excuse for sending a naval and military
force to Mexico; they captured Vera Cruz, and then an arrangement was
made which caused the withdrawal of England and Spain; but France
remained, and was evidently determined to conquer the country. The
French advanced towards the capital, which they captured June 9, 1863.
There were 40,000 French troops in Mexico, and they were joined by a
Mexican force which was in the interest of the Church party.

"In July a congress of Mexican notables proclaimed that the Government
of Mexico should be an hereditary monarchy, under a Catholic prince, and
offered the crown to Maximilian, brother of the Emperor of Austria.
Maximilian accepted the offer, and came to Mexico with his wife,
Carlotta; they arrived in July, 1864, and were crowned Emperor and
Empress of Mexico, in the great cathedral of the capital city. The
Emperor selected Chapultepec as his imperial residence; a fine avenue
was laid out from the castle to the city, trees were planted, streets
were improved, and for a short time it seemed as if peace and prosperity
were coming to Mexico.

"Juarez was still President of the Republic; he and his army were driven
far to the north, but they continued to fight, and in October, 1865,
Maximilian signed an order which became known as the 'Black Decree,'
condemning all Republican officers captured in battle to be shot as
brigands. Many of them, including several generals and colonels, were
shot accordingly, and this act exasperated the people.

[Illustration: A MEXICAN CAVALRY SOLDIER.]

"The American Civil War had ended; the United States Government put
60,000 troops along the western frontier of Texas, and then intimated
that the French forces must be withdrawn from Mexico. The diplomatic
correspondence lasted six months, and our Government threatened armed
intervention unless the French troops were recalled. They were
withdrawn; Maximilian had no foreign support, and his own army could not
cope successfully with the Republican forces. Juarez, with his army,
advanced towards the south, and the Imperial army marched to meet him,
and was defeated. A Republican army, under General Diaz, captured
Puebla, and put the Imperialists to flight.

[Illustration: A MEXICAN INFANTRY SOLDIER.]

"Carlotta went to France, and vainly besought Louis Napoleon to continue
his aid and keep a French army in Mexico. Then she asked the Pope to
exercise his influence, and finding that was of no use, she became
hopelessly insane. Maximilian started for the coast, intending to leave
the country; unwisely for himself, he changed his plans, and joined
General Miramon at Queretaro, where there were 5000 Imperial troops.
Queretaro was besieged by 20,000 troops, under General Escobedo; the
siege lasted two months, and ended on the 15th of May, when the key of
the position was captured, and the Emperor and his army surrendered. The
Emperor was taken on the Hill of the Bells, the very spot where he was
afterwards shot by order of the court-martial which condemned him to
death."

[Illustration: LINE OF DEFENCE HELD BY MAXIMILIAN DURING THE SIEGE.]

"A very concise history of the events of that time," said Doctor
Bronson, when Frank paused in reading their joint production; "have you
anything more to add to it?"

"Yes, sir, we have," was the reply. "We have thought that the story of
the court-martial, and the last days and hours of Maximilian, would be
interesting, and ought to form a part of our narrative."

"That is quite right," the Doctor answered, "and if you have not
finished it I will hear it some other time."

On a subsequent occasion Fred presented the following, which was
heartily approved by Doctor Bronson as deserving a place in the
narrative of their journey through Mexico:

"Maximilian was condemned to death on account of the 'Black Decree,' and
the officers who had carried out his orders were sentenced to the same
fate. The wife of General Miramon went to San Luis Potosi to intercede
with President Juarez for her husband's life. The Princess Salm-Salm
went at the same time to do a similar service for Maximilian. The
princess, in the account of her interview, says: 'I saw the President
was moved; he had tears in his eyes, but he assured me in a low, sad
voice, "I am grieved, madame, to see you thus on your knees before me,
but if all the kings and queens of Europe were in your place, I could
not spare that life. It is not I who take it, it is the people and the
law; and if I should not do its will, the people would take it, and mine
also."'

"Miramon's wife told a similar story about the wish of the President to
be merciful and reprieve her husband. She says he was wavering when his
Minister of Foreign Affairs said, 'It is to-day or never that you will
consolidate the peace of the republic.' Then the President told her as
gently as he could that it was impossible to grant her request.

"The Government of the United States asked that Maximilian's life be
spared, and the Emperor of Austria sent a similar request, but all to no
purpose. On the morning of the execution Maximilian rode in a coach with
his confessor from the prison to the Hill of the Bells, and Miramon and
Mejia, with their confessors, followed in another coach. An adobe wall
had been built up for the occasion, and the three men were placed in
front of it, and about ten paces from the firing party. Maximilian held
a crucifix in his hand, and looked intently upon it as the order to fire
was given. The President caused the remains of the ill-fated Emperor to
be carefully coffined, and they were sent home to Austria for interment
in the Imperial vault of the Hapsburgs.

"President Juarez entered the city of Mexico on the 15th of July, less
than a month after Maximilian's death, and carried with him a train of
provisions for the relief of the suffering inhabitants. Great leniency
was shown to all who had served under Maximilian; nineteen of the
officers who had committed crimes or deserted from the Republican army
were shot, others were imprisoned, and some were ordered to leave the
country under pain of imprisonment in case they returned. The rank and
file of the soldiery were sent to their homes or incorporated into the
national army, and the President did everything in his power to bring
peace to the country; and since that time Mexico has been a peaceful
land compared with what it had been for the preceding forty years."

When Fred completed the reading of his story Doctor Bronson said he was
reminded of an incident that happened at the time of the execution of
Maximilian.

"I was in Paris," said he, "when the news came that the execution had
taken place. The French papers were not allowed to make any comment upon
the affair, except to execrate it and denounce the Mexicans in the
bitterest terms. Louis Napoleon would have caused the immediate
suspension of any paper that uttered a word in sympathy with the acts of
Juarez.

"One of the liberal papers managed very skilfully to get around the
prohibition. It printed the telegram announcing that Maximilian had
been shot by order of a Mexican court-martial, and directly beneath the
telegram it printed the 'Black Decree' of October, 1865, to which you
have alluded, and with it two letters written by Maximilian's victims
just before they were led to execution. The decree and the letters were
copied from the French official newspapers, and therefore they could be
printed without risk of interference. There was not a word of editorial
comment, nor was any needed."

"We said there had been peace in Mexico since the fall of the Empire,"
continued Fred, "but our words deserve to be qualified. There have been
disturbances at different times and in various parts of the country. In
1871 there was something that almost threatened civil war in the shape
of a pronunciamento by General Diaz, and for a while things had a
serious aspect. General Diaz did not like the election of Juarez for a
third time; he proposed an assembly of notables to reorganize the
government, and that he (Diaz) should be commander-in-chief of the army
until the assembly had done its work. This would have been practically
equivalent to making him President, but the whole scheme was ended by
the sudden death of Juarez in July, 1872.

"Lerdo de Tejado then became President, and for three years everything
was peaceful. Then came another revolution, which drove Lerdo from the
capital and installed Diaz in the Presidential chair. At the end of his
term Diaz was succeeded by General Gonzales, who was a poor man when he
became President, and a very rich one when he left the office. He left
it peaceably, and was succeeded, December 1, 1884, by Diaz, who has
shown himself a man of ability, and has managed the affairs of the
country very creditably.

"There you have Mexican history boiled down," said Fred. "Perhaps it may
be tedious to some of the boys at home, and if it is, they know how to
skip."

The conversation that followed this reading naturally turned upon
Mexican affairs. Doctor Bronson signified his readiness to answer any
questions the youths might ask, or, if he did not know the correct
answers, he would try to tell them where the desired information could
be obtained.

"President Juarez was a native of Mexico, and not of Spanish descent,
was he not?" Frank asked.

[Illustration: FIRST PROTESTANT CHURCH IN MEXICO.]

"Yes," said the Doctor; "he was a full-blooded Indian, his parents
having been people in very humble circumstances. He has been called the
Washington or the Lincoln of Mexico; to him Mexico owes the Laws of the
Reform and the concessions that have brought railways into the country
and opened it up to commercial relations with the rest of the world. He
was the first Protestant President of the country, all his predecessors
having been of the Catholic faith. He is described by those who knew him
as a man rather below the average height, stoutly built without being
corpulent, exceedingly plain in dress, but always fastidiously neat.
Ordinarily he wore a dress-coat of black broadcloth, with other garments
to match, and on state occasions he substituted white gloves and cravat
for the every-day black ones. He used to ride in a plain coach, with no
liveried servants, which was quite a contrast to the grand turnout of
Maximilian, who had a state carriage like that of Louis XIV.

"His complexion was Indian, and so were his features; his eyes were
small and black, and his face, which was always clean-shaven, bore an
expression of great firmness. He was not talkative, and was the same
determined, silent man in prosperity as in adversity. His faith in the
success of the republic was never shaken, even when he was living in an
adobe hut on the banks of the Rio Grande, with less than 500 followers,
and a reward offered by Maximilian for his head. When he arrived at El
Paso del Norte he was accompanied by only twenty-two friends, who have
since been called 'the immaculate.'

"I have read somewhere,"[4] continued the Doctor, "a curious story
connected with his history. When Mexico was conquered by the Spaniards,
a priest of the Aztec temple at Taos, in New Mexico, kindled a fire upon
its altar, and planted a tree in front of the edifice. He prophesied
that when the tree died a new white race would come from the East and
conquer the land, and when the fire went out a new Montezuma would arise
and rule Mexico. The tree died in 1846, during our war with Mexico, and
the fire went out when the last of the Aztec priests of Taos died, in
the year that Juarez became President."

[4] In "Our Sister Republic," by Albert S. Evans, p. 305.

[Illustration: PUEBLO AT TAOS, NEW MEXICO.]

"Was he ever imprisoned or banished, like the most of the leading men of
Mexico?" Frank asked.

"Yes," was the reply. "He was a native of the State of Oajaca, where he
was educated in a seminary and studied law; he graduated with high
honors at the college, and for some years held the chair of natural
philosophy in that institution. In 1836, when he was thirty years old,
he was imprisoned by the Conservatives on account of his Liberal
principles. After his release he became Chief-judge of the Republic, and
held several other offices until 1853, when he was imprisoned and
banished by General Santa Anna, and lived two years in the United
States, suffering severe privations. Events brought him into Mexico
again, and from that time he did not leave the country until his death.
He was imprisoned a third time, in 1857, by Comonfort, but only for a
short while."

"We have mentioned the Laws of the Reform, which were proclaimed by
President Juarez and caused the appropriation of the property of the
Church by the Government. Did the Church have much property besides the
convents, cathedrals, and Church buildings generally?"

[Illustration: GARDEN OF A MEXICAN CONVENT.]

"A great deal more than those," the Doctor answered. "The Church owned
real estate in vast extent both in the cities and the rural districts,
and some people say more than half the dwelling-houses in the city of
Mexico belonged to it. It had the reputation of being a very generous
landlord, as it rented its houses at a lower rate than similar property
could be had from private owners. On this subject I will quote from an
English writer who spent some time in Mexico a few years ago."

Thereupon Doctor Bronson read the following from "Mexico To-day," by
Thomas U. Brocklehurst:

     "'The Church of Mexico has been all-powerful since its
     commencement; it may be said to be the Government, the magistracy,
     the army, and the master of the homes. Everything in Mexico has
     been subservient to its dictatura. The priesthood has been entirely
     free from the national courts of law, they have had courts of their
     own, and the _fueros_, or privileges of the ecclesiastics, placed
     them entirely beyond the reach of secular power. They levied taxes
     and tithes of everybody and everything they had a mind to. The
     extent to which the clergy accumulated wealth is almost incredible;
     they are said to have possessed three-fourths of the whole property
     of the country, consisting of lands and other real estate, rents,
     mortgages, conventual buildings, and church ornaments. Moreover,
     there were no bankers in Mexico except the clergy, so they had
     complete power over the estates as well as the souls of the people.

     "'In 1850 Señor Lerdo de Tejara, Minister of Public Works,
     published a statistical account of the revenues and endowments of
     the Church, with the numbers of the clergy, monks, nuns, and
     servants connected with the religious establishments. The details
     he gives, like the evidence of the existing churches, and the
     remains of the disused ones all over the country, quite support his
     statement that the Church was possessed of three-fourths of the
     property of the State.'

"Another writer," continued Doctor Bronson, "says that the property of
the Church included about 900 rural estates and 25,000 blocks of city
property. When this property was confiscated and sold, the Church
authorities warned all good Catholics not to invest in it. The result
was that it went at very low prices, and fell into the hands of those
who cared nothing for the religion of the former owners. The Church
people probably see by this time that they made a mistake. Had they
allowed Catholics to buy the confiscated property, they could have got
it back again into their own hands with very little trouble, and at a
small valuation. Dwelling-houses, shops, and all sorts of ordinary
buildings, along with the rural estates and the convents, have been sold
for secular purposes, but the church edifices proper are permitted to
remain in the hands of their former authorities, and services go on
there without interruption. The Laws of the Reform allow freedom of
religious worship, and a Catholic has the same protection as the
adherent of any other faith."

"Were there any Protestant churches in Mexico before the Laws of the
Reform were proclaimed?" Fred asked.

"No," was the reply; "the Catholic Church did not permit them to exist
any more than the Puritans allowed a Quaker in their midst in the early
days of the Plymouth Colony. Human nature is the same all the world
over, and any religious body that has supreme control of a country is
pretty certain to exercise its power. You know the old explanation of
the difference between religion and superstition?"

"What is that?"

"Religion is what we believe; superstition is what others believe."

The boys laughed, and said they had heard the definition before. Then
the Doctor continued:

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE FIRST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, CITY OF
MEXICO.]

"The Laws of the Reform tolerated all religions, and guaranteed freedom
of public worship. During the Mexican War our army was followed by
colporteurs, who distributed tracts and did other religious work. They
followed the example of the priests who accompanied Cortez, but, unlike
them, they did not succeed in converting the population. Missionary work
was begun by the American Baptists in 1863, and followed shortly after
by the Methodists, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians. There was much
opposition on the part of some of the priests, and in several instances
their ignorant followers were incited to hostility. You must remember
that the Mexican priests are not as intelligent, taken as a body, as the
Catholic priests of the United States; and understanding this, you will
not wonder at the open hostility displayed towards all other forms of
religion.

[Illustration: REV. JOHN L. STEPHENS, A MARTYR MISSIONARY.]

"In the early days of the Protestant missions the missionaries in Mexico
entered upon their duties at the risk of their lives. In 1872 a
missionary and his wife settled in Guadalajara. During the first few
weeks of their residence in the place they were stoned whenever they
appeared on the streets. The Governor came to their aid, and in time the
prejudice against them wore away. In November of the same year another
missionary, Rev. John L. Stephens, settled in Ahualuco, a town of five
thousand inhabitants, ninety miles from Guadalajara, and began his work.
On the 2d of the following March, at two o'clock in the morning, his
house was attacked, and he was murdered with a brutality which could not
have been excelled by Apaches or Sioux. One of his converts was killed
at the same time, and others barely escaped with their lives.

[Illustration: IN THE CATHEDRAL.]

"There have been other martyrs, and many cases of persecution. Hostility
has not ceased, but it is greatly diminished, and the Protestants have
obtained a foothold in Mexico. There are not far from 300 Protestant
congregations in the country, with 15,000 communicants and 30,000
adherents. There are about 100 foreign missionaries, many of them
accompanied by their wives; as many more ordained native ministers; and
twice that number of unordained native helpers. There are many day,
Sunday, and theological schools, which have been established by the
missionaries; and there are printing establishments, which are sending
out religious matter for all who are willing to read it. There are more
than fifty church edifices, some of them built expressly for the
purpose, the others being old structures altered for Protestant use."

[Illustration: MEXICAN PRIESTS.]

In closing this talk on religious matters, Doctor Bronson remarked that
it would take many years for the quarrels between the Church party and
the Liberals to come to an end; but in the mean while Mexico would
continue on her progressive way, and all her friends, of whatever creed,
would be encouraged to hope for the best results.




CHAPTER IX.

FROM QUERETARO TO THE CAPITAL.--PLAIN OF THE CAZADERO.--TULA.--THE GREAT
SPANISH DRAINAGE-CUT.--DISASTROUS INUNDATIONS OF MEXICO CITY.--A PUZZLE
FOR ENGINEERS.--ARRIVAL AT THE CAPITAL.--HOTEL LIFE.--RESTAURANTS, AND
THE MODE OF LIVING.--AMUSING STORIES OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT.--_FONDAS_ AND
_FONDITAS_.--MEN FOR CHAMBER-MAIDS.--_ALMUERZO_.--A MORNING STROLL ALONG
THE STREETS.--WOMEN ON THEIR WAY TO MASS.--THE MANTILLA.--SELLERS OF
SACRED THINGS.--DEALERS IN LOTTERY TICKETS.--LOTTERIES RUN BY
GOVERNMENT.--ATTENDING A DRAWING.--HOW THE AFFAIR WAS
CONDUCTED.--FLOWER-SELLERS.


From Queretaro to the City of Mexico is a distance of 150 miles. The
route of the railway lies through a region which is excellent both for
agriculture and stock raising. Frank and Fred wished to stop at one of
the cattle haciendas, but the Doctor said they would have an opportunity
to see one of these establishments at a later date; so they continued to
the capital without making a halt after leaving Queretaro.

[Illustration: COMPARATIVE LEVEL OF LAKES.]

They crossed the plain of the Cazadero, which obtains its name from an
incident of the Conquest. About the year 1540 the Indians organized a
great _cazadero_ (hunt) on this plain, to show their good-will towards
the first viceroy, Don Antonio de Mendoza. A great number of them
assembled, and the game was driven in from all directions and duly
slaughtered by the viceroy and his friends. Hunts of this sort are of
very ancient date; they are practised by aborigines in all parts of the
world, and even civilized man does not disdain them. Of the civilized
class are the kangaroo hunts in Australia, elephant hunts in Ceylon and
India, and the chase of wolves and other noxious animals in the Western
States of North America and in the Siberian provinces of Russia.

At the edge of the plain of the Cazadero the train reached the foot of
the mountain chain that surrounds the valley of Mexico. The locomotive
breathed heavily as it ascended the slope dragging its burden behind it.
The speed was materially reduced from that by which the plain had been
traversed, and the reduction showed very plainly that the grade was
steep. Every turn in the road gave a picturesque view, and the youths
thoroughly enjoyed their ride towards the famous valley.

[Illustration: THE GREAT SPANISH DRAINAGE-CUT.]

The top of the ascent was reached at Tula, of which we shall have
something to say later on. Then the train entered a gorge, which Frank
and Fred specially wished to look at. It was the Tajo de Nochistongo,
the great Spanish drainage-cut, which was intended to save the city of
Mexico from inundation.

From the windows of the car they shuddered as they looked into the cut,
and wondered if never an accident had happened from the falling away of
the earth. The cut is twelve and a half miles in length, and is the work
of human hands, not of nature. The railway enters the valley of Mexico
through this cut, and the track is laid on a shelf or bench along its
sides and high above the bottom. Our friends visited it a few days
later, and we will here include Frank's account of what he saw and
heard.

"The city of Mexico stands in a valley which has no outlet, the water
that accumulates from the rains being evaporated by the heat of the sun
or absorbed in the volcanic soil. The city is in the lowest part of the
valley, and is therefore liable to be overflowed whenever the
evaporation and absorption are not sufficient to carry off the water
that accumulates. There are several lakes that cover a tenth part of the
area of the valley. The lowest of them is salt, as it has no outlet, but
the others which discharge into it are fresh. This salt lake is called
Tezcoco. It has an area of seventy-seven square miles, and its surface
ordinarily is only two feet lower than the level of the Plaza Mayor, or
great square of the city. In the days of the Aztecs the lake surrounded
the city, but it is now three miles away from it, owing to the recession
of the waters. Lake Chalco is three and a half feet higher than Tezcoco;
while Zumpango, the most northerly of all the lakes, is twenty-nine feet
higher than the Plaza Mayor. The lakes are separated by dikes, some of
which were built by the Aztecs before the arrival of the Spaniards, but
the greater number are of more recent construction, as we shall
presently see.

"Now, it is evident that an unusual flood of water could raise Tezcoco
so that it would flood the city, and this is what has happened on five
different occasions--in 1553, 1580, 1604, 1607, and 1629. The last
inundation continued for five years, and caused an immense amount of
suffering and loss. The city was covered to a depth of three feet, and
the waters were finally carried off by an earthquake, which allowed them
to run away through the crevices that it formed.

"Here's where we come to the history of the great cut of Nochistongo.
The Spanish Government consulted all the celebrated engineers of the
day, and they presented numerous plans for draining the city and
keeping it out of danger from inundations. Enrico Martinez presented the
plan which was adopted. It was to drain Lake Zumpango so that its waters
would not be poured into Tezcoco, but would run to the Gulf of Mexico by
way of Tula. For this purpose he proposed to make a tunnel through
Nochistongo, to carry off the superfluous water of Zumpango, or, rather,
of the river Cuatitlan, which flows into it.

[Illustration: YOUNG GIRLS OF TULA.]

"The tunnel was commenced in November, 1607, but when completed it was
found insufficient to drain the lake, and a new plan was needed. A Dutch
engineer was then brought in, and he naturally proposed a system of
dikes, similar to those of his own country and the dikes already built
by the Aztecs. He was allowed to carry out his scheme until the arrival
of a new viceroy in 1628. The new viceroy would not believe the accounts
which he heard of the floods that had occurred, and he ordered Martinez
to stop up the tunnel and allow the waters to take their original
course. He was soon convinced of his error, and ordered the tunnel to be
reopened. It was reopened and continued in use until the following June,
when Martinez found that it was being destroyed by the pressure of the
water, and he therefore closed it to save it from ruin. A disastrous
flood followed, and this was the one that lasted five years."

"How did the people get around in that time?" Fred asked.

"They were forced to use boats," was the reply; "but the getting about
was the least part of the trouble caused by the flood. Most of the
houses were of adobe, and these soon crumbled and fell. The loss was so
great that the Spanish Government ordered the site of the city to be
changed to higher ground, but on representations by the City Council of
the value of the permanent structures which would thus be rendered
useless, the order was countermanded. The city was restored after the
subsidence of the waters. It has been threatened several times since,
but though it has been in great danger the cut and the dikes have saved
it."

"But how about the making of the tunnel into a cut?"

"They put Martinez in prison as soon as the flood came, and he was kept
there for several years. Then it was determined to change the tunnel
into a cut, and he was released and put in charge of the work. It took
150 years to make it, and though nominally finished in 1789, it has
never been entirely completed. Thousands of Indians died during the work
of digging this enormous ditch. It was the greatest earthwork of its
time, and in fact the greatest down to the cutting of the Suez and
Panama canals. Here are the figures:

"Length of the cut, 67,537 feet; greatest depth, 197 feet; greatest
breadth, 361 feet. The original tunnel of Martinez was four miles long,
eleven and a half feet wide, and fourteen feet high. Portions of the old
tunnel, or rather of its ruins, are visible to-day. There is a monument
to the memory of Martinez, which was erected a few years ago in one of
the public squares of the capital city; it might possibly console him
for his five years in prison if he could only come around and look at
it."

[Illustration: ENVIRONS OF MEXICO.]

As Frank paused, Doctor Bronson took up the subject and said that even
with the waters of Zumpango drained away there was still a liability of
the overflow of the lower lakes. He added that numerous projects had
been proposed. Some engineers were in favor of drying up Tezcoco
altogether by turning away the waters that flow into it; others advised
draining the waters into a lower part of the valley, if such could be
found; and others again proposed a long and large tunnel through the
mountains at so low a level that Tezcoco and the city could be
thoroughly drained. To this should be added a canal from the upper lakes
to flow through the city and wash out its sewers.

"What will be done about it no one can safely predict," the Doctor
remarked. "The city is badly drained, its sewage is only partially
carried away, and such of it as the water removes is accumulated in Lake
Tezcoco, which is becoming dirtier and more shallow every year. No plan
has been proposed that has been pronounced successful, or to which there
is not a serious objection. Of course almost anything could be done with
unlimited money, but Mexico, like other cities and countries, has a
limit to the amount that might be expended for any given purpose."

The smells that greeted the nostrils of the youths on their arrival at
the capital convinced them that the drainage of Mexico is little better
than no drainage at all. Fred remarked that if it were anywhere else
than in the very high region where it is (7602 feet above the sea), it
would have no need of drainage, as all the inhabitants would die of
pestilence.

Emerging from the famous earth-cutting, our friends had their first view
of the snowy peaks of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, the great volcanoes
which lie to the east of the city of Mexico. They had read and heard
much of these famous mountains, and had formed many mental pictures of
them. To the credit of the volcanoes, it is proper to say that they
fully came up to the expectations which had been formed of them.

The train sped on over the comparatively level region of the valley. For
several miles the Mexican Central Railway lies parallel to the Mexican
National line, and as there happened to be a train on the other track,
the passengers had the exhilaration of a race as a concluding feature of
their journey.

They had left Queretaro a little before noon; it was seven o'clock in
the evening when the train rolled into the Buena Vista station outside
the city, and the journey over the Mexican Central Railway came to an
end.

Doctor Bronson had telegraphed for a courier from the Hotel del Jardin
to meet them at the station, and the man was there in accordance with
his request. The key of one of the trunks was given up to meet the
requirements of the local custom-house, after the manner of the _octroi_
of Paris and other Continental cities. Our friends had found this
regulation at all the towns where they had stopped on their route, but
the trunks had invariably been passed without being opened, on the
assurance that they contained no merchandise.

The Hotel del Jardin proved to be quite satisfactory, so far as the
rooms were concerned, but there was not much to be said in favor of the
supper to which the travellers sat down, after removing the dust from
their garments and making themselves generally presentable. The boys
ascertained on inquiry that the hotel was built around the garden of an
old convent, and that a portion of it was really the convent edifice.
Some of the rooms are the former cells of the monks, and the youths
concluded that the monks were very comfortably lodged.

[Illustration: A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH PARTY.]

If all stories, or even a quarter of those that are told, are true, the
Mexican monks had an easy life of it whenever so inclined. No one doubts
that there were many honest and conscientious men among them, but there
is also little, if any, room for doubt that a great many men entered the
monasteries with hardly a spark of religious feeling about them, solely
for the purpose of getting a living without working for it. The number
of idlers among them was fully equal to the proportion to be found in
the ministry of the Church of England. A union of Church and State,
whether Protestant or Catholic, is certain to develop a large number of
adherents, who live in idleness at the expense of others, and bring
discredit upon honest and zealous workers.

During their stay in the city of Mexico our friends found that it was
the better plan not to stipulate to take their meals in the hotel where
they had their rooms. They breakfasted, dined, and supped wherever they
pleased, and found the arrangement very satisfactory. In this way they
tried all the restaurants, from the most pretentious to those of the
second and third grades, and found the experiment an interesting one.
Here are Fred's notes upon hotel life in the capital:

"We have visited all the hotels, and find them pretty much alike. As far
as we can ascertain, we could not improve our condition by changing from
the Hotel del Jardin, and so have concluded to stay where we are. We
have dropped somewhat into the fashion of the country--you know we
always do so when it is at all possible--but not altogether. We rise
about six in the morning, and have chocolate and a roll or two at seven,
and then we go out sight-seeing, shopping, or write letters until
eleven, when we have _almuerzo_, which is a solid meal corresponding to
the French _déjeûner à la fourchette_. So far we are in the line of the
Mexicans; this is their only solid meal, and late in the day they have
chocolate and some light refreshment just before going to theatre or
opera. We have so long been accustomed to at least two meals a day that
we take a second one similar to the almuerzo somewhere about six
o'clock. They tell us that it would not have been easy to obtain this
second meal ten or fifteen years ago, but so many foreigners have come
here of late that the restaurants are accustomed to it, especially those
patronized by foreigners.

[Illustration: TRANSCONTINENTAL PROFILE OF MEXICO.]

"They tell some funny stories about the hotel customs here. One is that
the advance agent of an excursion party went to a hotel and asked the
price of rooms.

"'Two dollars a day,' was the reply.

"'I have a party of sixty people,' said the agent; 'what terms will you
make?'

"'It will be two dollars and a quarter a day for each one,' said the
landlord; 'sixty people will make a great deal of trouble.'

"Another story was told by a gentleman who came to the city some years
ago and met a friend who had arrived one day before him. They left
together, and when they came to settle their bills the one who came
first, and had been there fourteen days, was charged for two weeks, at
ten dollars a week, twenty dollars. The other was charged two dollars
per day for thirteen days, twenty-six dollars. He protested, and in
reply to his protest the landlord explained that when a patron was there
fourteen days or more he was allowed weekly terms, but under fourteen
days he must pay by the day. 'Stay here another day,' said the landlord,
'and your bill will be twenty dollars.'

"'Very well,' the stranger answered; 'I'll hold my room till to-morrow,
but as I have the money in my hand I may as well pay you now.'

"The landlord accepted the money, made out a bill for twenty dollars,
and receipted it. But when he found the gentleman was really going away
immediately, he protested that the stranger would not be entitled to
weekly rates unless he actually occupied his room that night!

[Illustration: INTERIOR COURT-YARD OF A MEXICAN HOTEL.]

"All the chamber-maids here are men; we have an Indian mozo to look
after our rooms, and have not seen a woman about the house since we came
here, either as house-keeper, chamber-maid, or laundress. On each floor
there is a _muchacho_, who takes charge of the keys and is supposed to
be responsible for the safety of our belongings; and I'm glad to say we
have lost nothing during our stay. The mozo and muchacho both expect a
financial remembrance, and so do the waiters in the restaurants. Their
expectations are very reasonable, and they receive their gratuities with
a quiet dignity that is far preferable to the manner of the attendants
of hotels and restaurants in London or Paris.

[Illustration: STREET VIEW IN THE CAPITAL.]

"The almuerzo, which I mentioned as the heavy meal of the day, is so
important that the business houses and banks close from noon till
half-past two or three o'clock,' when everybody is taking breakfast,
dinner, and supper all in one. It is necessary to transact in the
forenoon any business that you have to do, as it is not at all certain
that men will get back to their offices again in the afternoon. The
leisurely ways of the Mexicans are not at all satisfactory to the
impetuous citizen from the Northern States of the Union.

"The prices of the restaurants seem to us not much, if any, behind those
of Europe and of New York and Chicago. The _table-d'hôte_ dinner at the
best restaurants is one dollar, and sometimes more; but we have found a
restaurant, the Café Anglais, where the head-waiter speaks English, and
the manager seems to be specially desirous of attracting American
custom. At this restaurant the charge is one real for the seven o'clock
breakfast of chocolate and bread, and five reals for the eleven o'clock
breakfast; dinner is five reals; and all three of the meals are
furnished for thirty dollars a month, or one dollar a day. Of course we
do not want board by the month, nor to go among Americans, whom we did
not come here to see; we have been eating Mexican dishes at the
_fondas_, and for four reals have had excellent meals. _Fonda_ means
restaurant, and _fondita_ means café; fonda also means hotel, and a
hotel for travellers only. There is another kind of hotel or inn, for
horned cattle and horses as well as for human beings; establishments of
this kind are called _mesones_ or _posadas_."

[Illustration: ON THE WAY TO MORNING MASS.]

Bright and early on the morning following their arrival the youths were
out to see the sights of the Mexican capital. They did not wait for the
early breakfast, but on hearing the bell from a neighboring church tower
they sallied forth in time to see the streets filled with people on
their way to morning mass. Fred made note of the fact that women seemed
to be very much in the majority, and he was not surprised to learn
afterwards, in conversation with a gentleman who resided in the city,
that religion in Mexico has its greatest hold upon the women. "The men
are negligent of, or, as a general thing, indifferent to, religious
subjects," said his informant; "and were it not for the women of Mexico
the Church would have very little hold upon the population."

[Illustration: A MODERN STREET FRONT.]

The ladies were in mantillas, which are the rule of society for morning
mass, though not for promenades at later hours of the day. Since the
influx of foreigners, in the last decade or so, the fashions of Mexico
have undergone a change, and steadily approach the Parisian. But the
mantilla still holds its place for morning mass, and will probably do so
for a long while. Of course the priests might change it if they desired
to do so, but they are opposed to innovations, and were, speaking
generally, bitter opponents of the railway and telegraph. The mantilla
is a very becoming outside garment for a pretty woman whose brunette
complexion harmonizes with what she wears. Frank and Fred carried with
them for hours, if not for a longer period, the recollection of some of
the faces that came within the range of their vision on that morning
walk.

They were frequently accosted by the sellers of crucifixes, rosaries,
and other things appertaining to the religion which was represented by
the people on their way to mass. Evidently the morning is the best time
for these venders to dispose of their wares, and they endeavor to make
the most of it. Rather incongruously, these dealers in sacred things
were jostled by the sellers of lottery tickets; these gentry pursue
their avocations at all hours and in all places and are very persistent.
They offer to sell you the ticket that will be sure to draw the highest
prize, and in every way possible exercise their ingenuity to persuade
you to buy. The tickets are of all prices, and one can invest much or
little, according to his means and inclination.

Frank investigated the subject of lotteries in Mexico, and found that
they were a regular institution of the country; in fact, they are to be
found in pretty nearly all the countries of Spanish America. The
Government gives charters to certain associations, and very often runs
the lottery itself; the profits are large, and the Government makes a
handsome revenue from the business. The sale of tickets amounts to about
$3,000,000 a year in Mexico; and after deducting the value of the prizes
and the expense of conducting the enterprise, the net revenue to the
Government is not far from $800,000.

[Illustration: MEXICAN LOTTERY TICKET.]

Frank did not invest in the lottery, but he went to witness one of the
drawings. It took place in public, and seemed to be perfectly fair. The
numbers were drawn from the boxes by blind boys, who were brought from
one of the hospitals for the blind, and were accompanied by the
professor in charge of that institution. Sometimes, when a blind boy or
man cannot be easily obtained, the drawing is made by an Indian who
cannot read; and he is carefully blindfolded, so that there can be no
suspicion of fraud.

Judging by the large attendance at the drawing, it is evident that the
lottery is very popular in Mexico. Nearly everybody seems to speculate
in the tickets, and when the drawing is made and the lucky number
announced, there is intense excitement. There is an old adage that
lightning does not strike twice in the same place. It would seem as if
the proverb should be reversed, as the story goes that Señor Manuel
Garcia, the owner of a hacienda near Manzanillo, won the highest prize
in the great National Lottery three times in succession.

Flower-sellers were out in goodly number when the youths took their
morning walk, and the wares they offered were fresh and attractive. We
have already seen the fondness of the Mexicans for flowers, as shown at
Monterey and elsewhere in the north. The city offered no exception to
the rule, and the size and beauty of the bouquets, combined with their
low price, were calculated to astonish the visitors. For twenty-five
cents Frank bought a bouquet, which he sent to Doctor Bronson's room. It
was about two feet high and the same in diameter, and was composed
principally of roses of a dozen varieties. While Frank was paying for
his purchase Fred sniffed at it, and was surprised to find that in spite
of their beauty the roses had hardly any perfume. On inquiry, he learned
that this was the case with nearly all flowers in the Valley of Mexico,
and was supposed to be due to the rarity of the air.

"We had some difficulty at first," said Fred, "in finding our way about
the city, for the reason that the names of some of the streets change at
each block. This plan, which is very annoying to a stranger, and even to
a resident, is being given up; and they told us that in a few years they
hoped to abandon it altogether. Just think what New York or Boston would
be with such a system as this!"

[Illustration: FLOWER-GIRL.]




CHAPTER X.

THE CATHEDRAL OF MEXICO.--SITE OF THE AZTEC TEOCALLI.--HUMAN
SACRIFICES.--PANORAMA OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO.--EXTENT AND COST OF THE
CATHEDRAL; CHAPELS AND ALTARS.--TOMB OF ITURBIDE.--THE CAREER AND TRAGIC
END OF ITURBIDE.--THE RICHEST ALTAR IN THE WORLD.--GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS A
MAN COULD NOT LIFT.--THE AZTEC CALENDAR-STONE; ITS INTERESTING FEATURES;
INSCRIPTION ON THE STONE.--BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE AZTECS.--THE TRIBE
CALLED MEXICANS.--AZTEC LAWS AND CUSTOMS.--PREVALENCE OF THE DEATH
PENALTY.--AZTEC POSTING SYSTEM.--PICTURE-WRITING.--FLOWER-SHOW IN THE
ZOCALO.--A FASHIONABLE ASSEMBLAGE.--WONDERFUL WORK IN FEATHERS.


"In Paris," said Frank in his note-book, "the Church of Notre Dame is
the first object of interest to the stranger. In Vienna he goes first to
St. Stephen's, and in Rome to St. Peter's. So in the capital of Mexico
we go first to the cathedral.

"It is a magnificent building, and would do honor to any of the capitals
of Europe. The spot where it stands is historic; the Spaniards destroyed
the Aztec city that stood here, and built their own upon its ruins, and
where now stands the cathedral the Teocalli, or temple of the Aztecs,
was formerly to be seen. It is saddening to think of the rivers of blood
that flowed here in the sacrifices which the Aztecs deemed necessary to
their religious exercises.

"The historical authorities say generally that 60,000 persons were
slaughtered in a single year on the altars of the Great Teocalli of
Tenochtitlan (the Aztec city that stood here and was destroyed by the
Spaniards); most of them were prisoners of war, but when there was not a
sufficient supply of prisoners the Aztecs themselves were chosen for
sacrifice. The Spaniards may have shown great cruelty in their treatment
of the people they conquered, but they did well to put a stop to this
terrible shedding of blood in the name of religion.

"The Teocalli was a pyramid of earth, faced with stone, and is said to
have been 150 feet in height. Steps led around and up its sides, and
they were so arranged that in mounting to the top the pedestrian made a
complete circuit of the structure. On the summit was the sacrificial
altar, and this is supposed to have been very nearly where the centre of
the cathedral is at present. The sacrificial stone from the Teocalli is
now in the museum; it is shaped like a millstone, is three feet high by
nine in diameter, and is elaborately carved on the sides and upper
surface. There is a bowl in the centre, and a gutter leading from the
bowl to one side to permit the flow of blood from the victims.

[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL, CITY OF MEXICO.]

"But we are wandering from the cathedral in considering what preceded
it. The Teocalli was destroyed, and the materials were used for filling
up the neighboring canal; then a small church was erected, and followed
by a larger one, and this again was removed in 1573 to make room for the
present cathedral, which was completed ninety-four years later at an
expense of $2,000,000. It stands on the eastern side of the Plaza Mayor,
and is a very conspicuous object in the panorama of the city. Like most
Catholic cathedrals, it is in the shape of a cross, its greatest length
being 426 feet, and its greatest width 200 feet. It is 175 feet high,
and its towers rise to a height of 200 feet. We ascended to the top
of one of the towers, and advise all visitors to the city to do
likewise, as they will have from it one of the finest views in the
world.

[Illustration: MOONLIGHT VIEW OF PLAZA AND CATHEDRAL.]

"As we looked from the tower we agreed with Bishop Haven that never did
a city have such an environment. The whole city lay below us spread out
like a map; there are few chimneys in Mexico, and consequently there was
no smoke to mar the view, and we readily traced the streets and avenues,
stippled with the green of the squares and gardens that abound so
numerously. We looked over the plains and down upon the lakes, and then
our gaze swept to the mountains that surround the valley in a jagged
chain that covers nearly 200 miles of distance in its girdling course.
The snow-covered peaks of Popocatepetl and his sister and companion,
'The White Woman,' seemed to rise higher than we had before seen them,
and added a solemnity to the picture in addition to that which it
already possessed. North of the city rises the hill on which is built
the Church of Guadalupe, and on the west is that of Chapultepec. As we
looked on the latter we thought of the heroic attack upon the fortress
by the American army in our war with Mexico, while the former secured
our respect as one of the places which are sacred in the eyes of pious
Mexicans.

"The $2,000,000 which I mentioned as the cost of the cathedral were for
the walls alone; at one time the wealth of the church, in silver and
gold and costly pictures, was something almost beyond calculation, but
it has been repeatedly plundered, and the aggregate work of the
despoilers has stripped off much of its magnificence, but even now it is
very rich, and as long as peace continues is likely to remain so. There
are six altars, fourteen chapels, and five naves; there are paintings by
famous artists of Spain, and there is a balustrade around the choir
which is said to weigh 50,000 pounds, and is so valuable that the church
authorities refused an offer to replace it with a balustrade of solid
silver of equal weight. The balustrade was made in Macao, China, and is
of tumbago, a composite of silver, copper, and gold. It was brought to
Acapulco, and transported thence on pack-mules to this city.

"We visited the chapels in which the remains of some of the great men of
Mexico are buried, notably the chapel of San Felipe de Jesus, which
contains the tomb and monument of the unfortunate Iturbide, the first
emperor of Mexico. On the monument he is called 'The Liberator,' and we
are told that his birthday is remembered and honored, as it justly
deserves to be. We haven't yet told you who Iturbide was.

"He was born in 1783, his parents having come from Spain shortly before
his birth, and settled at what is now Morelia, in Mexico. He became a
soldier, and fought in the wars against the revolutionary movements in
the first fifteen years of the present century. In 1816 he went into
private life, having been dismissed from the service in consequence of
quarrels with men high in power; then he began to dream of securing the
independence of Mexico; and when the revolutionary movement became
general in 1820, he joined it. He was soon at the head of the army, the
revolution succeeded, independence was acknowledged, and Iturbide was
proclaimed Emperor May 18, 1822, and crowned on the 21st of the
following July.

[Illustration: AUGUSTIN DE ITURBIDE, GRANDSON OF THE LIBERATOR.]

"But peace did not follow his coronation. There was a new revolution,
with Santa Anna at its head, and Iturbide was forced to abdicate the
throne and leave the country. He went to Italy, and afterwards to
England; but in 1824 the desire to regain his crown led him back to
Mexican soil, where he had been proclaimed a traitor and an outlaw. He
landed at Soto la Marina on the 14th of July, and was arrested. Five
days later he was shot by order of the military commander; as he fell he
assured the multitude that his intentions were not treasonable, and
exhorted them to religion, patriotism, and obedience to the Government.
And here his body rests, the judgment upon his conduct having been long
ago reversed. His grandson now lives in Washington. Maximilian, being
childless, chose young Iturbide, the grandson, to be his heir to the
throne of Mexico, but there is little likelihood that he will ever
ascend its steps; the atmosphere of Mexico does not seem favorable to
imperial plants.

"In the days of its glory the high altar of this cathedral was the
richest in the world. There were candlesticks of solid gold upon it;
they were so heavy as to make a load for a strong man, and some were so
large that the strength of one man was not sufficient to raise them. The
other ornaments and appurtenances of the altar were of corresponding
richness and value, some of the crosses, pixes, and censers being
studded with diamonds, pearls, amethysts, sapphires, emeralds, and
rubies. There was a statue of the Assumption, which was of gold set with
diamonds, and is said to have cost more than $1,000,000. It is gone; and
so is a lamp which was valued at $70,000; and with them many other
things of great value have disappeared. Some one says that it cost $1000
to clean that famous lamp, but the revolutionary troops cleaned it out
for nothing. The balustrades of tumbago remain undisturbed, possibly
because the real value of that metal was unknown at the time of the
looting of the cathedral.

[Illustration: GRANTING ABSOLUTION IN THE CATHEDRAL.]

"Like Catholic churches everywhere, the cathedral is always open, and
men and women come here for prayer whenever opportunity offers, in
addition to their attendance at mass. In nearly every chapel we saw one
or more kneeling figures. All classes meet here on common ground; and
the poor Indian may be seen worshipping side by side with the richly
clad and jewelled lady whose family is of the purest blood of Spain. On
great festivals the church is crowded, and the mingling is most
indiscriminate. At such times pickpockets are said to abound; and they
manage to steal handkerchiefs and purses while kneeling devoutly at the
side of those whose possessions they covet. Mexican thieves are quite
adroit, and some of their performances are, professionally considered,
worthy of the highest praise.

"Before leaving the cathedral we inspected the famous calendar-stone of
the Aztecs, which is in the base of one of the towers. Fred will tell
you about it; my business is now with the churches."

Frank added to his notes that in addition to the cathedral there were
forty-six large churches in the city, all of them broad and high, and
ornamented with domes or towers. One, the Sagrario, adjoins the
cathedral, and is connected with it by a large door; its façade is
richly, and, as Frank thought, rather grotesquely carved.

[Illustration: READY FOR MASS.]

One of the most fashionable churches is the Profesa, which is crowded
during Lent with the ladies of the best society, all arrayed in solemn
black, in accordance with the church-going custom already mentioned. Our
friends went there, and also to the Church of San Fernando, which is
near the cemetery, and is the resting-place of most of the illustrious
men of Mexico. Generals Miramon and Mejia, who were shot with
Maximilian, are buried there; San Fernando also contains a monument to
President Juarez, which is considered one of the best works of modern
sculpture. It was made by Manuel Islas, a Mexican sculptor. The
monumental group is in a small Greek temple, and represents the dead
President lying at full length, with his head resting on the knee of a
feminine figure, which represents Mexico.

[Illustration: OLD SPANISH PALACE IN THE CALLE DE JESUS.]

Doctor Bronson and the youths paid a visit one morning to the church
where the remains of Cortez the Conqueror rested at one time, and by
many are supposed to be resting to-day. It was the desire of Cortez, in
case of his death in Europe, to have his bones transported to the New
World. They were brought to Mexico in 1629, and rested quietly in this
church for nearly 200 years, when they were secretly removed, through
fear that the tomb would be violated by the Revolutionists, who had a
bitter hatred of everything Spanish. They were first placed in another
part of the church, and then sent to Italy, where they now are. From
present indications, the Mexicans are not likely to ask for their
return.

[Illustration: CHURCH BUILT BY CORTEZ.]

When we left the cathedral we gave a glance at the Aztec calendar-stone,
which Fred was to describe to us. Listen to his account:

"The Aztec calendar-stone," writes Fred, "is exceedingly interesting,
both from its historic character and as a work of the sculptor's art.
Some say the name is incorrect, and that the stone is not intended for a
calendar. We will not enter into the dispute, but accept the name by
which the antiquity is best known. It is of circular shape, eleven feet
in diameter, and is said to weigh twenty-five tons.

"A great deal has been written about this stone, and there has been a
wonderful amount of speculation and theory concerning it. I haven't
space or time to consider everybody's story, and will take that of Señor
Chavero, who, as we are told, is one of the best authorities, if not the
best of all. Señor Chavero says the stone was engraved in honor of the
sun, and for this reason it is often called 'The Stone of the Sun.'

"According to this gentleman's account, the stone was made in the reign
of King Axayacatl, about 1479 of our era, and was originally placed
horizontally in the temple of Mexico. When the temple was destroyed by
Cortez after the Conquest, the stone lay for a while in the great
square. It was buried about the middle of the sixteenth century, and
remained beneath the surface of the plaza until 1790, when it was
unearthed and placed where it is now to be seen.

[Illustration: THE AZTEC CALENDAR-STONE.]

"Here is what Señor Chavero says of the meaning of the sculpture on the
stone:

"'The face in the centre is the god-star throwing his light on the
earth, which is represented by the tongue protruding from his lips. He
has the pupils of his eyes turned upward, and they are seen through the
sacred mask that covers the upper part of his face. The hieroglyphics
on the diadem encircling the head represent the division of time and
the Mexican method of numbering the years. The civil year, like ours,
was 365 days. Each four years had different emblems repeated
successively, without reference to other chronological arrangements. The
first year was called _tochtl_, or rabbit; the second, _acatl_, or reed;
the third, _tecpatl_, or flint; the fourth, _calli_, or house. In
addition to these periods, the years were arranged by the number of
thirteen, four of such periods making fifty-two years, or a Mexican age,
when the Festival of Fire occurred. This was a most serious event for
the Mexicans, as the priests taught the people that the world might come
to an end and terrible demons would descend from above and eat up
mankind.

"'The two claws on the dial at the sides of the mask represent
computations of numbers, for which the hand was used in a sort of
deaf-and-dumb alphabet. The large V-shaped ornaments denote four equal
divisions of the day, and the smaller ornaments of the same shape
indicate the division of the day into eight parts. The ornaments lying
between the V's represent eight divisions of the night. The twenty
ornaments in panels in the circle inside the V's are symbols of twenty
days, or one Mexican month. The rest of the stone is differently
interpreted by different writers, but they generally agree that it
represents the relations of the months to the year and the years to the
Mexican cycle.'

[Illustration: INDIAN PICTURE-WRITING.]

"And here is a good place," said Fred, "to make some notes about the
Aztecs. Properly speaking, they were only one of the tribes or nations
that occupied the plateau of Anahuac, or Mexico, at the time of the
Conquest by Cortez. They migrated from the north, the aggregate time
consumed in their migrations being nearly 200 years, and finally settled
in the Valley of Mexico, at a spot where they saw an eagle sitting on a
cactus and with a snake in his beak. This eagle and cactus have been
adopted as the symbol of Mexico, and are seen on the national flag and
on the coins.

[Illustration: TENOCHTITLAN, A.D. 1517.]

"The Aztecs found the valley occupied by the Toltecs, who had been there
for several centuries. They made war on the Toltecs, took possession of
the country, and proceeded to build a city on the site of the present
capital. It was called Tenochtitlan ('cactus on a stone'), and the
foundations were laid about A.D. 1324. Lake Tezcoco was then much higher
than it is now, and the new city was surrounded by water, and greatly
resembled Venice in the abundance of its canals. It could only be
approached on narrow causeways, and there was a fleet of boats on the
lakes which prevented attack by water. With this stronghold as a base,
the Aztecs gradually conquered all the surrounding people, so that they
had possession of the entire valley at the time of the arrival of
Cortez.

[Illustration: FIRST CAVALRY CHARGE BY CORTEZ.]

"One of the tribes of the Aztecs was called Mexicans, from Mexi, their
chief. This tribe seems to have become more powerful than the rest,
though originally it ranked as the seventh. It gave the name to the
whole people, and from the people the name passed to the country.

"If you think the Aztecs, or ancient Mexicans, were a barbarous people,
look at some of their laws and customs.

"They had a complete system of laws, and they had courts in all their
cities and towns to administer the laws. They had inns along the roads
for the free accommodation of travellers, and bridges or boats at the
crossings of rivers. Creditors could imprison their debtors; slaves
about to be sold might free themselves by seeking refuge in the royal
palace; and treason, embezzlement of taxes, and any crime against the
person of the sovereign would cause the death of the offender and all
his relatives to the fourth degree. Slander was punished by cutting off
the lips or ears, and death was the penalty for robbing in the market,
altering lawful measures, or removing the legal boundaries of land.
Prisoners of war were devoured, enslaved, or offered as sacrifices; and
there were two sorts of prisons: one for debtors and others not charged
with capital crimes, the other for condemned criminals and prisoners of
war.

"They had no beasts of burden; and when Cortez landed with the few
horses that he brought on his ships, he struck terror to the hearts of
the people, who had never seen such an animal. All burdens were carried
on men's backs, and they had towers erected along the principal roads
for forwarding the King's despatches. These towers were about six miles
apart, and couriers were always standing ready to receive messages
which were brought from the last tower or station by a man running at
the top of his speed. Letters were carried three hundred miles in a day
by this method. This system is almost identical with that of the great
Khan of Cathay, as described by Marco Polo, except that the Khan had his
post-stations only three miles apart, instead of six.

"I think I hear you ask something about their language and how they
wrote. Well, they had no written language like ours, with letters and
words, but they had a picture-writing, in which everything was
represented by drawings and paintings. They had records of this sort of
all their history, and their books and papers would have filled a large
library, but they were burned by the Spaniards, who thought it a sin to
allow these pagan documents to exist. Only a very few of the
picture-writings preceding the Conquest have been preserved. When Cortez
landed on the coast of Mexico, a full account and description of his
ships and men were sent to the King by means of these pictures. The
Aztec picture-writings have a remarkable similarity to the hieroglyphics
of the ancient Egyptians, and some writers believe that the Aztecs are
the lost tribes of Israel, who wandered to America and brought the
Egyptian form of writing with them.

"That will do for the present about the Aztecs," said Fred. "If you want
more you must wait a while till I take breath."

Fred made a sudden descent from the sixteenth to the nineteenth
century, and as he closed his note-book he suggested a stroll to the
grand plaza.

[Illustration: A FLOWER-SHOW IN ZOCALO.]

Frank assented, and away they went. It was the hour when fashionable
people were out for their daily airing, and the display was well worth
seeing. There was a flower-show in the Zocalo, a garden in the centre of
the plaza. It is not a relic of the Conquest, but of very modern origin,
as it was laid out by Maximilian, who had a good eye for the beautiful.
Many persons complain of the Zocalo, as it partially obstructs the view
of the cathedral.

Frank and Fred found the flower-show very interesting, not only on
account of the floral products which they saw, but also because of the
artistic arrangement of the bouquets. Some of the bouquets contained
strawberries and other small fruits on account of the contrasts of
color, and there were many bunches and baskets with little flags, on
which were mottoes, patriotic, sentimental, and otherwise, so that all
reasonable tastes could be accommodated. There was a band of music
playing, and the fashionable population seemed to have assembled in the
Zocalo to see and be seen.

[Illustration: HOW THE MANTILLA IS WORN.]

Not the least interesting part of the show was the crowd of promenaders.
The ladies were in the fashions of Paris, perhaps six months after the
date of their issue in the French capital, and every young lady was
accompanied by her duenna, an elderly woman, who never for a moment left
the side of her charge, and scarcely removed her eyes from her.
Fashionable young, middle-aged, and old men were there, but the younger
seemed to be in the majority. Some of them wore the national costume,
the trousers and short jacket, ornamented with silver buttons, and the
broad-rimmed sombrero, covered with silver braid and embroidery; others
had adopted the walking costume of Europe; and from the number of these
it was evident that the old fashion is dying out. Frank and Fred thought
it a pity that such should be the case, as the Mexican dress is
picturesque, and certainly distinctive of its wearers. Some of the
ladies wore the mantilla in combination with their Parisian dresses,
while others had adopted the French bonnet, with all the delicacy of
trimming that adapts it for fine weather only.

[Illustration: THE TROGON.]

From the Zocalo the youths wandered to the shops along one side of the
square, where they lingered for some time among the curiosities which
were exposed for sale. The first thing to attract their attention were
the famous feather pictures which are made by the Indians, exactly as
they were made in the days before the Conquest. The secret of this work
has been handed down from father to son, and is known in its perfection
to a comparatively small number.

"We saw some feather pictures," said Frank, "that were marvels of beauty
and skill. The brilliant plumage of the paroquet, humming-bird, trogon,
and other members of the ornithological family of Mexico, is used for
this work, and the colors are as skilfully blended as are the pigments
of an accomplished painter. Considering the time required for their
production, these pictures are wonderfully cheap, and we have bought
several to send as curios to our friends at home. The ancestors of the
feather artists of to-day made the famous feather cloak of Montezuma,
which excited alike the admiration and the cupidity of Cortez and his
companions."

[Illustration: NEAR THE PLAZA.]




CHAPTER XI.

LOST ARTS IN MEXICO.--GOLDSMITHS' WORK IN THE TIME OF CORTEZ.--SILVER
FILIGREE.--MODELLING IN WAX AND CLAY.--NATIVE TASTE FOR MUSIC.--NATIONAL
CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC.--MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES.--THE SACRIFICIAL
STONE.--SACRIFICES AMONG THE ANCIENT MEXICANS.--GLADIATORIAL STONE.--A
BRAVE SOLDIER.--OBSIDIAN KNIVES AND RAZORS.--AZTEC METALLURGY.--STATUE
OF THE GOD OF WAR.--SHIELD AND CLOAK OF MONTEZUMA.--AZTEC WARFARE AND
DOMESTIC LIFE.--RELICS OF HIDALGO AND MAXIMILIAN.--MAX'S STATE
COACH.--NATIONAL PALACE.--HALL OF THE AMBASSADORS.--MEXICAN
PAINTINGS.--THE MONTE DE PIEDAD.--AN EXTENSIVE PAWN-SHOP.--LOCKING UP
MEN AS SECURITY.--FORMALITIES OF THE SALESROOM.


Fine as is the artistic taste of the Indians of Mexico to-day, it is far
behind that of the people whom Cortez found there. According to history
and tradition, their work in the precious metals surpassed that of any
of the goldsmiths of Europe; they fashioned gold and silver into the
shape of plants, birds, fishes, and quadrupeds, and their imitations
were marvellously correct in all their details. All this art seems to be
lost, with the exception of the working of silver filigree, which still
holds high rank. Cortez sent to Spain some exquisite specimens of Aztec
work in gold and silver; and the cupidity of the King, impelled by the
necessities of the Government, put all these precious works of
Occidental art into the melting-pot, the resort of the modern burglar
when he wishes to remove the trace of his depredations.

[Illustration: WAX MODEL OF WATER-CARRIER.]

All through their journey in Mexico the youths had been impressed with
the little figures, modelled out of wax or clay, representing the
various people of the country and their occupations. These statuettes
are made by uneducated savages with hardly any tools, colored with
native pigments, and baked in the sun or in primitive ovens.
Water-carriers, porters, muleteers, mozos of all names and kinds,
flower-sellers, beggars, street peddlers, basket-makers--all and many
more are represented. The figures are generally covered with cloth
tinted of the appropriate colors; but if not so tinted, the colors are
wrought into the plastic material of which the figure is composed. Our
young friends bought a goodly supply of these figures, and had them
carefully packed for transportation. Fred thought they were fully equal
in artistic design and workmanship to any of the figures they had seen
in Japan, China, or India representing the trades and occupations of the
far East.

[Illustration: ANCIENT INDIAN POTTERY.]

Mention has been made of the pottery of the Guadalajara Indians, which
is wrought into a great many fantastic forms. These Indians have great
ability in portraiture; they will model in a wonderfully short time a
statuette of an individual either from life or from a photograph. An
enterprising American once planned to take some of these people to the
principal cities of the United States and Europe, and open an
establishment for the manufacture of statuettes of individuals at ten or
twenty dollars each. His project was not carried out, for the reason
that the Indians refused to leave their homes. The native Mexican is
averse to changing his residence, and it requires a great inducement to
take him away from his native soil.

The women show unusual dexterity with the needle, and their embroidery
equals that of the natives of India and other Eastern lands. They
display great industry and patience, and while seated in the
market-place beside the wares they offer for sale their spare moments
are generally devoted to stitching.

[Illustration: MEXICAN HOUSE MAID AND CHILDREN.]

"In no part of the world where we have been," said Frank, "have we found
a more musical people than the natives of Mexico. They 'catch on' to a
tune or air with great readiness, and gentlemen who live here tell us
they have known Indians to sing a common melody through without a
mistake after hearing it only once, and this, too, when they have no
scientific knowledge of music, or even of its first principles. They
learn readily to play upon musical instruments, and a street band can be
organized and trained in less time than a street band in any other part
of the world. Some of these bands are composed of boys of about fifteen
years of age, and their performances almost invariably excite the
admiration of musical strangers.

"We are told that the Government is encouraging the musical tastes of
the people by giving free instruction to pupils in the National
Conservatory of Music, and supporting them during their studies by small
allowances of money. We have heard of pupils that came on foot for
hundreds of miles to be musically educated in the capital. In order to
secure admission to the Conservatory, they must pass an examination
similar to that of musical schools in other parts of the world. Mrs.
Gooch, the author of a book on Mexico, mentions two girls who walked
from Queretaro to the capital to present themselves as pupils in the
Conservatory. She says she heard them sing selections from Italian
opera, and the sweetness, strength, and range of their voices were far
beyond the average, and produced a profound impression upon the
audience."

"Speaking of girls," said Fred, "reminds us that the Mexican children of
both the upper and lower classes treat their parents with the greatest
respect, and set an example that the children of the United States
might do well to follow. They remind us of Japanese and Chinese children
more than of any other we have seen, and are very much unlike the little
folks of English-speaking countries in this one particular. Since we
came into the country, whenever we have seen a badly behaved child we
have found that he belonged to a foreign family. Old people are
invariably cared for by their children, who would suffer all sorts of
privations rather than have their parents want for anything they can
possibly provide."

[Illustration: THE SACRIFICIAL STONE.]

Having seen and described the Aztec calendar-stone, Frank and Fred were
naturally drawn to the National Museum and to the sacrificial stone,
which has been mentioned, and is one of the great attractions of the
place.

[Illustration: ONE FORM OF SACRIFICIAL STONE.]

"It is a block of porphyry," said Fred, "like a huge millstone, three
feet high and ten feet across. All around the sides are relief figures
representing captives being held by the hair of the head. There are
fifteen of these groups, and they are said to represent fifteen
victories gained by one of the emperors over as many neighboring States.
A symbol in the corner of the panel of each group shows what city or
State is represented. The stone was made about the year 1486 of our era,
but its complete history is unknown.

[Illustration: SACRIFICIAL COLLAR.]

"Tizoc was the emperor whose deeds the stone commemorates, and it is
sometimes called Tizoc's Stone in consequence of this fact. The Stone of
Sacrifice is sometimes confounded with the Gladiatorial Stone, which was
generally placed in the courts of the temples, and was the scene of a
gladiatorial combat. Mr. Charnay, in 'Ancient Cities of the New World,'
says the captive, if a man of distinction, was tied to this stone and
allowed to fight with several opponents in succession; and if he
succeeded in defeating them all he was permitted to escape. They took
good care not to let this happen very often, as the numbers were against
him; and, furthermore, he had only a wooden sword ornamented with
feathers, while his enemies had weapons of obsidian, which were sharp as
steel. When he was vanquished, as he generally was, he was immediately
stretched on the Gladiatorial Stone or on the Stone of Sacrifice. A
wooden collar was placed across his neck to prevent his struggling, and
five priests held his head and limbs. Then a sixth priest, who wore a
scarlet mantle, opened the breast of the victim with a sharp knife of
itzli, or obsidian, tore out the heart, held it up to the sun for a
moment, and then cast it at the feet of the divinity to whom the temple
was dedicated.

[Illustration: THE FORM OF SACRIFICE.]

"While this was going on the multitude knelt in adoration of the
divinity. The body of the victim was thrown down from the stone to the
people, by whom it was divided to be served up at their feasts. The
difference between sacrifice on the Gladiatorial Stone and the Stone of
Sacrifice was that the latter was on the top of the temple, where
everybody could see it, while the former was in the court of the
edifice, and only accessible to a select few.

[Illustration: SCULPTURES FROM TIZOC'S STONE.]

"The same authority," continued Fred, "tells us that the Mexicans were
very punctilious about this ceremony even when they were the victims of
it. A soldier when captured was reserved for sacrifice. He would
consider himself disgraced, and would rather suffer death than be
liberated except after a gladiatorial combat. There is a story of a
chief who was captured and taken before Montezuma; he had a high
reputation as a warrior, and, on learning his name, the King treated him
with honor, spared his life, and offered him his liberty. The chief
refused the offer, and demanded that he should be devoted to the gods,
according to custom. After trying in vain to have him change his mind,
Montezuma ordered that the chief should be tied to the stone and
permitted to fight with some of the King's best soldiers, while the King
himself, accompanied by his officers, should witness the combat. The
chief killed eight men and wounded twenty; but he was finally
overpowered, and carried off to be sacrificed to the war-god
Huitzilopochtli."

[Illustration: GLADIATORIAL STONE--FROM AN AZTEC DRAWING.]

"But you haven't said what these knives were with which the priests
killed their victims," Frank remarked, as Fred paused. "What is
obsidian?"

"It is a mineral substance," replied Doctor Bronson, to whom the
question was referred, "and is formed by the cooling of the lava from a
volcano. When lava cools it forms into obsidian and pumice. Everybody
knows what pumice-stone is. Obsidian is a substance hard enough to
scratch glass, and is capable of taking a high polish and a keen edge.
The Mexicans called it itzli, and used it for making knives, razors,
arrow-tips, saws, and other implements."

"Did they have a knowledge of any of the metals besides gold and
silver?"

"They had no knowledge of iron, but they made use of copper, and knew
how to temper it so as to make it nearly as hard as steel. They used it
for many of their implements, but they also had great skill in the use
of implements of stone, flint, obsidian, and other minerals. They knew
about lead and tin, but made little use of them, copper being their only
metal for making into tools. Knives, scissors, and hatchets of copper
were abundant. Bernal Diaz, who accompanied Cortez, mentions six hundred
hatchets of copper that were paid to the conqueror as tribute by one
tribe of natives. There are scissors in the Mexican museum which are
said to contain tin, copper, lead, and platinum, and Humboldt says the
Peruvian Indians made use of a similar alloy in making scissors and
other implements."

[Illustration: HUITZILOPOCHTLI, THE GOD OF WAR.]

Frank and Fred thanked the Doctor for the information they had received,
and then turned to contemplate the statue of the god of war to whom the
brave chief just mentioned was sacrificed.

"It is a hideous statue," said Fred, "about ten feet high, and
appearing at first glance to be composed of heads and hands. It was
found in the great square not far from the calendar-stone, and after
close examination we found that it had a skirt of snakes. It was also
called the God of Death, and this significance is shown by a skull which
is sculptured near the centre.

"Skulls and snakes were favorite objects of adoration with the Mexicans,
if we are to judge by the frequency with which we find them displayed.
It is said that there was a wall around the principal temple of
Tenochtitlan composed of colossal heads of snakes carved in stone; some
of these have been found and are preserved in the museum. There is a
coiled serpent there, covered with feathers instead of scales; it is
carved in stone and is a very creditable piece of sculpture.

"They called our attention to a figure which is called the 'Indio
Triste,' or Sad Indian. It seemed to us that the name was not justified,
as the Indian was anything but sad. Mr. Brantz Mayer thinks this figure
was set on a wall or battlement, and held a candlestick or the staff of
a banner in its hand. It was found in the year 1828 in the street that
is now called Calle del Indio Triste in commemoration of the discovery.

"Another interesting object was the shield of Montezuma, which has upon
it the feather-work for which the people are famous, and also his cloak
of the same material. It is evident that the feather-workers, wonderful
as they are, have degenerated since the time of the Conquest. They used
to make feather-cloth, and we have seen some curiosities in the shape of
scarfs, serapes, and rebozos ornamented with feathers, and said to be
very old. They make none of these things now, but confine themselves to
pictures on cards, where the feathers are made to adhere by means of
paste or wax. Each feather is handled separately, and none of the skin
is ever applied to the card. You can give them a design and they will
fill it up very quickly.

"Well, perhaps we have tired you out among the curiosities of ancient
Mexico, and we will turn to more modern things. We could spend hours
among the weapons which illustrate the warfare of the ancient Mexicans,
and also the implements that reveal their domestic life and ways. Some
of the Aztec picture-writings, which we have already mentioned, are to
be seen in the museum, and after what we had heard of them we found them
very interesting. One of the specimens preserved here is supposed to
represent the migrations of the Aztec tribes.

"Among the modern objects is the standard raised by Hidalgo in 1810, in
the revolution which ultimately resulted in the independence of Mexico
from Spain. The gun, handkerchief, and cane of Hidalgo are also shown,
together with other mementos of that hero. Then there are a portrait of
Cortez, and the standard which was carried at the head of his columns in
the conquest of Mexico; and there are the armor of some of his
companions, and portraits of the successive viceroys that ruled the
country by authority of the King of Spain.

"Maximilian has been repeatedly brought to our minds by the relics of
his ill-fated reign. Here is his table service of silver; and they tell
us that the metal is not solid, but plated. The Mexicans consider it
typical of the plated empire which he undertook to set up in America
through the aid of the charlatan emperor, Louis Napoleon. His state
coach is also preserved and shown to visitors; evidently it is highly
prized, as the doors of the room where it is kept are always locked, and
a fee is required to open it. The vehicle is the finest in America, and
it even surpasses, so it is said, the state carriages of many of the
imperial and royal establishments of Europe.

"It is lined with white silk brocade, and the trimmings are of heavy
silver thread. The wheels are so thickly gilded that you might suppose
them to be of solid gold, and the body of the coach is dark red in
color. The harness is in keeping with the coach, and altogether the
vehicle makes an interesting show. We are told that Maximilian
negotiated large loans in England to set up his empire here, and that
the debt he incurred forms one of the financial burdens now resting on
Mexico."

[Illustration: THE NATIONAL PALACE.]

From the museum our friends went to the palace, which occupies the
eastern side of the Plaza Mayor, and is said to be the largest building
in the city. Before the Conquest, Montezuma's palace stood on the site
which fell to Cortez when the conquerors drew lots for the possession of
the city of Tenochtitlan, or, rather, the place where it stood. Cortez
erected a building here which remained until 1692, when it was destroyed
in a great riot, and the present palace was begun. It has been added to
from time to time, so that now it is neither symmetrical nor handsome.
Several departments of the Government, including the Presidency, are
located in the building, and its great extent renders it of decided
utility.

"We went through the palace in charge of a guide from the hotel," wrote
Frank in his journal, "and found it well worth the time and trouble of a
visit. In one respect it reminded us of the Capitol at Washington, as it
seemed to be the resort of office-seekers, claim-agents, lobbyists, and
all that sort of people which every resident of Washington knows so well
and so numerously. They were in all the patios, and in the corridors in
all directions. We asked how many rooms there are in the palace, but
nobody whom we asked could tell us, and after repeating the question
several times we gave it up.

"Some of the rooms are magnificently furnished; they represent, to a
certain extent, the varying fortunes of Mexico under different rulers.
One room, called the Hall of Iturbide, has its walls hung in crimson
damask, and displays the Eagle and Serpent of Mexico; this room is not
far from the Hall of the Ambassadors, the largest room in the palace.
It is over 300 feet long, but is narrow in proportion to its length. In
this hall we saw portraits of the principal heroes of the Mexican War of
Independence, together with portraits of Juarez, Diaz, and other
Presidents. They are mostly by Mexican artists, some being well, and
others badly, painted.

[Illustration: GEN. MANUEL GONZALES, FORMER PRESIDENT OF MEXICO.]

"At the end of the hall is a painting, twenty-five feet long by ten in
height, representing the great battle of Puebla, of May 5, 1862, when
the French were so completely defeated--the battle commonly mentioned in
Mexican history as the _Cinco de Mayo_. It is by Miranda, a native
artist; and though it is not a fine specimen of painting, it is a
correct representation of the ground on which the battle was fought--at
least, so a gentleman says who has personally visited it. The scene
illustrated in the battle is the turning-point, when a regiment of
ragged Indians from Oajaca came into line, drove back the French, and
gave the victory to the Republicans. This battle is regarded as the
Waterloo or Gettysburg of the French in Mexico; it sealed the fate of
Maximilian's empire and re-established the republic.

"Speaking again of Maximilian reminds us of a room which is on a corner
of the palace, so that it has two windows at right angles. This was his
favorite apartment, and in the latter part of his reign he used to pace
its floor for hours. An English visitor says he could look from it two
ways at once, though not the way to hold his throne. One window looks
upon the market-place, and the other on the Plaza Mayor; the room is now
the storage-place of relics, no one seeming to care to put it to any
other use."

[Illustration: COLLATERAL IN THE MONTE DE PIEDAD.]

From the palace to the pawn-shop may not seem a very natural step,
though Frank said it had probably been taken by more people than would
be willing to acknowledge it. Doctor Bronson and the youths took this
step at the city of Mexico, and it was not a very long one either. The
Monte de Piedad is not far from the National Palace; it corresponds to
the famous Mont de Piété of Paris, and is in most of its features
analogous to that French institution. Here is what Fred learned about
it:

[Illustration: TO THE PAWN SHOP.]

"It has been in operation for more than 150 years, and was founded by
Count de Regia Don Pedro Terreros, whose intentions were purely
philanthropic; he endowed it with $300,000 in the hope of relieving the
poor, and those in temporary need of money, from the oppression of the
_empeños_, or ordinary pawn shops.

"According to the rules of the institution, the depositor gets one-third
the estimated value of his goods at an interest varying from three to
twelve and a half per cent. per annum. He must renew his tickets every
eight months, and when he ceases to pay interest upon his loans the
goods are kept for seven months, and then offered for sale at an
appraiser's valuation. If there is no offer for them in one month, the
appraisement is reduced, and then they are offered for another month.
The performance is repeated monthly for six months, and then the goods
are sold at auction. If they do not bring as much as the appraised
valuation, the appraisers must make up the deficiency out of their own
pockets!

"Anything and everything of any value may be pawned here, and the vaults
have contained at different times money, jewels, and precious metals
sufficient to endow an empire. Not all the property here stored has been
pawned. Many valuables are brought here for safety, as the place is a
sort of fortress in its way, and most carefully guarded.

"They showed us through the vaults where the diamonds, pearls, rubies,
and other precious stones are kept, and we saw more of these costly
baubles than we ever looked at before in a single hour. We glanced
through the vaults where pictures, silver plate, watches, clocks,
porcelain, and kindred things were stored, and then were taken to the
money vaults, which at times have contained millions of dollars in
silver and gold. The Monte de Piedad was, until a few years ago, a
regular banking institution, and its notes were 'good as gold' all
through Mexico. Its credit was impaired by the withdrawal of its
reserves by the Government, and its banking business received a severe
blow.

[Illustration: OCCASIONAL PATRONS OF THE MONTE DE PIEDAD.]

"Money is not loaned on real estate, or on anything else that cannot be
deposited within its vaults. They tell us that a foreign merchant once
came here to borrow money for business purposes, and was accompanied by
two friends who were to indorse his paper and 'go his security.' The
official into whose hands they fell said the establishment would make
the loan at the usual rates, but before completing the transaction he
showed the 'securities' the room in which they would be locked up until
the note was paid. We did not ask further particulars, but presume the
loan was not made.

"The profits of the bank formerly went to the Church, but latterly they
have been used for establishing branches elsewhere in the city and all
over the country. The Monte de Piedad is a national institution and of
great value to the people. One dollar is the smallest amount loaned, and
the largest is $10,000, and the loans are said to average, large and
small, about sixteen dollars each. The number rarely falls below 200
loans in a day, and sometimes rises to 2000. About one-third of the
articles deposited in the bank are never redeemed.

"Sales of clothing are held on certain days of the month, of precious
stones on other days, and of pictures and statuary on others. While we
were looking through the room devoted to sales, Doctor Bronson saw an
article which he desired, and he at once offered to buy it at the price
which was marked upon the card attached to it.

"'I must first offer it for sale,' said the official in charge of the
place. 'The law requires that I shall do so.'

"So he held up the article and asked if anybody present would give more.

"It happened at the time that there was no one in the room but ourselves
and the officials of the bank. The chances of any other offer were not
great, as neither Frank nor myself was likely to make a higher bid.
After a brief pause he handed the article over to Doctor Bronson and
received the money--rather, I should say, he received the money and
handed over the article, as the bank does not let anything out of its
possession until the cash has been paid into the proper hands."




CHAPTER XII.

MEXICAN POLITENESS.--FREE GIFTS OF HOUSES AND OTHER PROPERTY.--AWKWARD
MISTAKES.--AN ENGLISHWOMAN'S DILEMMA, AND HOW SHE GOT OUT OF IT.--UNCLE
FREDDY AND THE GOVERNOR OF ACAPULCO.--THE GREAT MARKET; SIGHTS AND
SCENES THERE.--ON THE CANAL.--EXTENSIVE LOCAL COMMERCE.--THE
_CHINAMPAS_, OR FLOATING GARDENS.--AN EXCURSION ON THE LAKES.--SANTA
ANITA, A PLACE OF RECREATION.--EXPERTS IN DIVING.--THE HILL OF
ESTRELLA.--THE FESTIVAL OF FIRE; PRESCOTT'S DESCRIPTION OF THE FEARFUL
CEREMONY.--FISHING IN THE LAKES.--THE AXOLOTL.--FISH OR REPTILE?--FLIES'
EGGS AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD.


[Illustration: A GIFT TO FRED.]

"We have been much impressed and amused," said Fred in a letter to his
mother, "with the Mexican, or, rather, the Spanish, forms of politeness.
Whenever we are introduced to anybody, he immediately says, 'Remember
that your house is at No. -- on ---- Street,' notwithstanding that we
may have told him we are comfortably quartered at the hotel. In one day
a dozen or twenty houses were offered to us; and ever since then, if no
more than two or three are tendered between sunrise and bed-time, we
think it is a very poor day for business. Sometimes the form is varied
by saying, 'My house and all it contains are yours.' It would be better
if they would send us the title-deeds to the establishment, with a bill
of sale of the furniture acknowledged and receipted before a notary; but
thus far nobody has gone as far as that.

"It is a form of politeness, and nothing more," the youth continued,
"and the people who offer us their houses are about as sincere as
Americans are when they say, 'Delighted to see you,' or, 'Happy to meet
you,' to the people they are introduced to in their own country; or as
the New York hostess who says to a departing guest, 'Must you go so
soon?' when she has really been wondering to herself why the visitor
tarried so long.

"It seemed very odd until we got used to it and learned the real meaning
of the words, to be told on entering the dwelling of a man we had not
known five minutes, 'You are in your own house;' or that we were the
masters, and he was the humble guest. Doctor Bronson says they really
mean to have us make ourselves at home, and they certainly show great
hospitality; but it would be a sad mistake to take them literally and
act as though the place belonged to us.

"Every time we admire anything--a piece of furniture, a garment, an
article of jewellery or bric-à-brac, or anything else of value--we are
immediately told that it belongs to us, and, if it is portable, that we
can carry it away with us. If we should be so boorish as to accept the
offer, the person who made it would not display any annoyance, however
much he might feel; he is too polite for that.

"'What would they do under such circumstances?' I hear you ask. I can
best answer by telling a story we heard yesterday.

"An English lady who had just arrived, and had not learned the forms of
Mexican politeness, one day admired a set of jewellery, which included a
very costly necklace of diamonds and other precious stones that had
belonged to the family for two or three hundred years. She was told that
the set of jewellery was hers, and believing they meant what they said,
she took it away with her when her call was ended.

"Of course the story was at once told to the friend who had made the
introduction, and the latter at once went to the guileless stranger and
explained the situation. She returned the jewels immediately, with the
explanation that, on reaching home, she had found they did not match the
dress with which she expected to wear them. She added that she had a
fine set of jewellery which she thought would be an appropriate present
for one of the young ladies of the family, and she would send it with
great pleasure. A polite message was returned declining the offer, and
hoping it would be in the power of the family to render the English
visitor some distinguished services during her stay in the city. In this
way the whole difficulty was bridged over, and the parties were good
friends.

"A similar story was told us regarding an American lady who visited
Mexico several years ago, and, through her ignorance of the local forms
of politeness, accepted the offer of a rare and beautiful shawl. Mutual
friends arranged the matter amicably; but the fair American was greatly
mortified when she learned the mistake she had made.

[Illustration: "MY HOUSE AND ALL IT CONTAINS ARE YOURS."]

"Doctor Bronson says there used to be a harmless lunatic in San
Francisco, and afterwards in New York, who went about the streets
dressed in the old Continental costume. With his long and snowy hair,
and quaint costume, he was a noticeable figure. He was under the belief
that he resembled Benjamin Franklin, and he used to exhibit a photograph
representing himself standing at the base of the Franklin monument in
Boston.

"His passage by steamer was paid from San Francisco to New York by some
friends, and during the voyage the vessel spent a day at Acapulco.
'Uncle Freddy,' as he was called, went on shore with other passengers,
and was introduced to the Governor. The Governor made him the usual
offer of his house and everything it contained, and when the hour came
to go on board the steamer the recipient of the offer refused to
accompany the other passengers. He declared that the Governor had given
him the house, and he was going to remain and enjoy it for the rest of
his life. Explanations were useless; and after vainly trying to induce
him to change his mind, the passengers seized Uncle Freddy and carried
him bodily in their arms to the boat which lay in readiness to take them
to the ship. It was necessary to lock him in his room until they had
left their anchorage and were steaming outside the harbor.

[Illustration: SEEING AND BEING SEEN.]

"Of course you will naturally infer that the Spanish people are
insincere in their politeness, and certainly appearances are against
them. But they do not mean anything by it any more than the people of
the United States do in their polite ways of speaking. There is this
difference, that we do not go as far as the Spaniards in saying empty
words, and that is about all. Doctor Bronson says there's a good deal of
hollowness in society everywhere; that people could not get along at all
together, and there would be no society at all if everybody spoke
exactly what he thought at all times.

"Think what would happen if Mrs. Smith should remark to Mrs. Brown when
the latter is leaving the house after a prolonged visit, 'I'm glad
you're going; you've staid too long,' instead of saying and acting
exactly the reverse; and think, too, what would happen if Mr. Jones, on
being introduced to Mr. Robinson, should say, 'I don't care a straw
whether I know you or not,' instead of 'Glad to make your acquaintance,'
or something of the sort."

[Illustration: THE MARKET-PLACE, CITY OF MEXICO.]

One of the attractions of the Mexican capital is the market-place. There
are several _mercados_, or markets, in the city, the principal one being
the Volador, which is close to the National Palace, and overlooked, as
already mentioned, by one of the windows of the room which was
Maximilian's favorite apartment. History says it was for a long time the
property of the family of Cortez, as it happened to be on a portion of
the land which he secured at the division of the spoils of conquest. For
nearly two hundred years the city paid rent to the heirs of the
conqueror, and only in comparatively recent times bought the site, and
now owns it in fee simple.

Frank and Fred visited the market-place several times during their stay
in the city; in fact, it was one of their principal sources of
amusement. They were never tired of studying the ways of the natives who
throng the place and offer their wares for sale, and they realized the
force of what they read in one of the descriptions of Mexico, that the
markets had changed very little since the days of Montezuma and the
Aztec rule.

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF A HOUSE NEAR THE MARKET-PLACE.]

Here is what Bernal Diaz wrote of the market as he saw it in 1519:

"We were astonished at the crowds of people and the regularity which
prevailed, as well as at the vast quantities of merchandise which those
who attended us were assiduous in pointing out. Each kind had its
particular place, which was designated by a sign. The articles consisted
of gold, silver, jewels, feathers, mantles, chocolate, skins dressed and
undressed, sandals, and great numbers of male and female slaves, some of
whom were fastened by the neck, in collars, to long poles. The meat
market was stocked with fowls, game, and dogs. Vegetables, fruits,
articles of food ready-dressed, salt, bread, honey, and sweet pastry
made in various ways, were also sold here. Other places in the square
were appointed to the sale of earthen-ware, wooden household furniture
(such as tables and benches), firewood, paper, sweet canes filled with
tobacco mixed with liquid amber, copper axes and working tools, and
wooden vessels highly painted. Numbers of women sold fish and little
loaves made of a certain mud which they find in the lakes, and which
resembles cheese. The makers of stone blades were busily employed
shaping them out of the rough material, and the merchants who dealt in
gold had the metal in grains as it came from the mines, in transparent
quills, and the gold was valued at so many mantles, or so many
_xiquipils_ of cocoa, according to the size of the quills. The entire
square was enclosed in piazzas, under which great quantities of grain
were stored, and where also were shops for various kinds of goods."

[Illustration: MEXICAN BIRD-SELLERS.]

"The description of the market by Bernal Diaz," wrote Fred in his
journal, "would answer very well for to-day, so far as the appearance of
the sellers and many of the buyers is concerned. They bring the produce
of their farms and gardens to market just as they brought it before
Columbus discovered America, and the chief difference to-day is that
slaves, gold, silver, feathers, and some other things named by Diaz are
not now offered for sale. The Indians bring fowls and vegetables just as
of old and in the same way--in baskets carried on their shoulders or on
those of their family. Since the introduction of the railway some
produce comes to Mexico by train, and in course of time the old custom
may disappear, but it will not do so in a hurry.

[Illustration: VIEW ON THE CANAL.]

"There is a canal from the lake to the city," wrote the youth, "and it
comes directly to the market-place, so that the natives bring their
boats close to where they sell their wares. Much of the dealing takes
place on board the boats or close to them, and the crowds that gather
around while a bargain is in progress are very interesting. Some of the
shops and stalls are at the very edge of the canal, so that the prows of
the boats stick in among them, and you realize what a serious matter it
would be to the market-people if by any accident the lake and the canal
should be dried up and disappear. The whole system of local supply would
be radically changed, and until a new order of things could be
established the inhabitants of the capital might run the risk of
starvation.

"The busiest day of the market is on Sunday, and the noise of the place
is almost deafening. The ordinarily silent Mexican becomes very voluble
in the market-place when there is a prospect of making something by
talk.

"The description we have given of the market of Monterey will answer for
this one, with the exception that you must multiply everything by ten or
twenty, and add several things we did not see there. One part of the
market is devoted to the sale of coffins; they are made on the spot, and
had a specially sombre appearance to us, as they are all painted black.
The shops in which they are made are in a narrow alley, and the workmen
engaged in the dreary industry seemed as unconcerned as did the makers
of furniture or picture-frames.

"We hired a canoe and took a short ride on the canal. Its banks are low
and marshy; they are devoted to the culture of vegetables, and the
gardens had a luxuriant appearance, as though the soil was prolific. The
lake, as before said, is brackish and shallow; formerly it contained the
famous _chinampas_, or floating gardens, but when we asked for them we
were told they did not now exist, though the name is retained. We will
say more about them later on.

"Disappointed in one of the objects of our journey, we settled down to
an enjoyment of the sights of the canal; but our pleasure was a good
deal marred by the number of smells the boatmen stirred up from the
bottom.

[Illustration: RESIDENCE ON THE BANKS OF THE CANAL.]

"How old the canal is nobody can tell; it was in use long before the
Conquest, for when Cortez came here the boats of the Aztecs were plying
on its waters, and he observed the activity of the local commerce when
he walked along the banks while he was the guest of Montezuma. There are
little villages near the canal; they are the homes of the people who
till the gardens and supply the markets of the city with vegetables, and
with grass for horses and other quadrupeds.

[Illustration: SUNDAY DIVERSIONS AT SANTA ANITA.]

"To see the chinampas it was necessary to go to Santa Anita, or better
still, to the lakes Xochimilco and Chalco. Santa Anita is a sort of
Coney Island without its ocean, a place of recreation for the middle and
lower classes, especially on Sundays and feast days. We went there on a
week-day, when it was comparatively quiet; a gentleman who lives here
says that on Sunday the place is crowded with people, all bent on
amusing themselves. The first thing they do on arriving is to deck
themselves with wreaths of poppies and other flowers, which are sold for
next to nothing and grow here in great abundance. After obtaining a
supply of flowers they dance, drink pulque, eat tamals and other Mexican
delicacies, and have a thoroughly good time as they understand it. There
are other villages of the same sort farther along the canal, but they
are not so well patronized by the Sunday excursionists as Santa Anita.

"We seemed to 'take our lives in our hands' in starting on our journey
to the lakes, as we had a scene with the boatmen at the bank of the
canal which was anything but agreeable. We had been told that we ought
not to pay more than two dollars for a boat for the entire day; the men
began by demanding five or six dollars, and as all talked at once, and
each tried to persuade us to patronize him, and leave the others to look
elsewhere for patronage, we had an active time for a while. The men
would not abate their demands, and we walked away; then they reduced
their figures, and after ten or fifteen minutes spent in bargaining, we
secured a craft. It was about twelve feet long and four wide,
flat-bottomed, had an awning over the centre where we could sit in the
shade but could not stand erect, and was propelled by means of two
boatmen working poles in the bow. They pushed with their poles against
the bottom or sides of the canal, and thus sent the craft along, at the
same time stirring up the mud and several dozens of vile smells.

"We met and passed other boats of the same kind, and also small
_chalupas_, or canoes, containing one or two persons, and resembling
narrow dugouts more than anything else. Then we met cargo-boats of
various kinds, some piled high with grass, and others with heaps of
baskets or sacks in the centre, and propelled by several men who
patiently poled the craft along.

[Illustration: CREW OF A CARGO-BOAT.]

"Frank made a sketch of the crew of one of the cargo-boats at their
work. While going forward they carried the poles horizontally above
their heads; on reaching the bow of the boat, each man fixed his pole in
the mud at the bottom, and then rested his shoulder firmly against the
upper end; this done, he walked slowly aft, thus propelling the boat;
and as one set of men went aft while the other was going forward, the
boat made steady progress through the water. Doctor Bronson said it was
a reminder of the navigation of the Mississippi before the days of
steam-boats.

[Illustration: CHINAMPAS, OR FLOATING GARDENS.]

"The chinampas as they exist to-day are in the neighborhood of Santa
Anita and along the sides of the canal all the way to the lake. The
ground is low and marshy, and in ancient times was probably a part of
the lake or of the great body of water that covered most of the valley.
The chinampas are masses of vegetation, reeds, and bushes covered with
soil above, and they are so loosely fastened that they rise and fall
with the changes of the height of water. They are said to have been
formerly drifted about by the winds and waves, and were then really
chinampas; now they are made fast by means of poles, and their owners
know where to find them. An excellent description of these marvels is to
be found on page 159 of Mr. Brocklehurst's book, and we take the liberty
of copying it:

"'When a tract of vegetation, composed of reeds, water-plants, and
bushes interwoven and laced together, becomes so dense that it will bear
a superstructure, strips of turf twenty to thirty yards long by two
yards wide are cut from some suitable firm place, floated to it down the
canal, and laid upon it. This is repeated several times, and thus an
island is securely raised two to three feet above the level of the
water. A little soil is spread over it, and it becomes a _chinampa_, or
floating garden, on which Indian corn, vegetables, and flowers are
grown. The gardens vary in size from one to two hundred feet in length,
and from twenty to a hundred feet in width, according to the nature of
the vegetation which supports them.

"'The Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco are covered with this sort of
vegetation. The lakes have a varying depth of from ten to fifteen feet,
and to secure the gardens in their proper places long willow poles are
driven through them into the ground below, where they soon take root.
The poles also throw out roots into the bed of the floating gardens, and
so hold them steady.'

"It is said that thieves pursued by soldiers or the police have been
known to dive under these chinampas and come up on the other side. Any
enterprising citizen of the United States who thinks of coming to Mexico
for a life of crime would do well to become an expert swimmer and diver
before venturing into this country.

[Illustration: PEON'S HOUSE ON A CHINAMPA.]

"These gardens become firm enough in a few years to support men,
dwelling-houses, and even horned cattle and horses, although the water
continues to circulate freely beneath them. The Government taxes the
inhabitants or owners sufficiently to pay the expense of maintaining an
inspector and several assistants. The chinampas are separated by narrow
canals, and the duties of the inspecting party are to keep the canals
free from weeds, and see that the islands are properly fastened so that
they cannot drift about with the wind."

We may add to the story of the youth that at the time of the Conquest
there were thousands of these chinampas, and they annually paid a good
revenue to the Aztec authorities. The Valley of Mexico appears to have
been more densely peopled at that time than it is to-day, as every inch
of solid earth was tilled to its fullest capacity, and the necessity
arose for utilizing the marshes and also the surface of the lakes. In
the days of Cortez the floating gardens covered Lake Tezcoco, but as
time has gone on they have disappeared from that brackish sheet, and are
now practically confined to the two lakes we have mentioned and the
canals leading to them.

[Illustration: CACTUS GROWTHS NEAR THE HILL OF ESTRELLA.]

Our young friends kept a sharp watch for the Hill of Estrella, and there
was a good-natured rivalry between them as to who should be the first to
discover it. Frank was the fortunate one in this instance, for he caught
a glimpse of the conical peak while Fred was looking in the wrong
direction. It is of porphyritic sandstone, and about 500 feet in height;
the sides are steep in some places, and here and there it is possible to
discover some of the old masonry which converted the hill into a huge
teocalli like the Pyramid of Cheops.

[Illustration: ROCK INSCRIPTIONS MADE BY ANCIENT AZTECS.]

The modern village is at the base of the hill, and there the youths
landed and engaged horses to carry them to the summit. The view is quite
extensive, and shows a wide area of lakes and valley, and the mountains
that engirdle them. But they would hardly have made the ascent of
Estrella for the view alone; it was rather because the place has an
ancient fame, and was at one time the most sacred in Mexico.

"We have mentioned elsewhere," said Frank, "that the Mexicans had ages,
or cycles, of fifty-two years, and at the end of each cycle they had an
unusual ceremony, the Festival of Fire, which was not repeated till the
end of another cycle. Well, this hill was the scene of the ceremony,
which was held on the evening that the constellation of the Pleiades
approached the zenith. According to Prescott's history of the conquest
of Mexico, a procession of priests on that evening led a noble victim, a
captive of the highest rank, to be sacrificed on the hill of Estrella.
For five days previous the people had extinguished all their fires in
their temples and dwellings, broken their idols, and given themselves up
to despair, as they were taught that the world was coming to an end.

"After the Pleiades had passed the zenith the victim was slaughtered,
and a new fire was kindled by the friction of sticks in his wounded
breast. Then couriers stood ready with torches, which were lighted at
the new fire, and from the hill of Estrella it was carried all through
the kingdom. For thirteen days following this event there was general
festivity everywhere; and the Festival of Fire may be considered the
national carnival of the Aztecs."

Frank and Fred were naturally eager to ascertain what kind of fishes
were to be found in the lakes, and they learned in a very practical way.
Near Estrella they saw some men fishing with rod and line, and at their
suggestion one of the boatmen obtained some of the fish, which proved to
be a species of trout. They were not more than three or four inches
long, and in order to cook them the boatman made a charcoal fire in the
bottom of his craft. The fish were fried on the coals, and were
remarkably fat and juicy. The youths thought they had not in a long time
tasted anything so delicious, but the Doctor reminded them that they
were hungry, and since early in the morning had been out in the open
air.

[Illustration: HOME SCENE NEAR THE LAKE.]

There are several varieties of fish in the fresh-water lakes of the
Valley of Mexico, but in the salt or brackish Lake Tezcoco there is only
one kind, and some people think he is not entitled to be called a fish.
He is shaped like one, but has four legs and a long, eel-like tail. He
belongs more properly to the lizard family than to that of the fishes,
and is a disgusting object to contemplate. He grows to about ten inches
in length. Frank thought he should go hungry a long time rather than eat
of this reptile, who is called _axolotl_ in the Aztec tongue, and
_ajolote_ by the Spaniards.

"Does anybody venture to eat this creature?" Fred asked.

"Certainly," answered his informant; "the Indians eat its flesh, which
resembles that of an eel. White men who have got over their prejudice
say it is toothsome, and many a stranger has devoured axolotl under the
name of fried eel, and enjoyed it too."

"There's a great deal in a name and in prejudice," was the youth's
commentary as he changed the subject to something else.

That something was a peculiar article of food even stranger than
axolotl. Its scientific name is _Ahuatlea Mexicana_, and it consists of
the eggs of a peculiar fly, which are deposited on the reeds and rushes
growing in the shallow places along the borders of the lake. A traveller
who visited Mexico two and a half centuries ago wrote of this substance
as follows:

"The Indians gathered much of this and kept it in Heaps, and made
thereof Cakes like unto Brick-bats, and they did eat this with as good a
Stomach as we eat Cheese; yea, and they hold Opinion that this Scum, or
Fatness, of the Water is the Cause that such great number of Fowl cometh
to the Lake, which in the winter Season is infinite."

Custom has not changed in two hundred and fifty years. They sell these
"cakes like unto brick-bats" in the markets of Mexico to-day, and the
Indians eat the stuff with good relish. It bears some resemblance to
fine fish-roe; and after all, prejudice again being removed, and one
being hungry, it is not bad eating. The Indians gather these insects by
myriads and pound them into paste, which is afterwards wrapped in
corn-husks, and forms an article of food second only to the one just
mentioned. The laying capacity of the insect, which is about the size of
an ordinary fly, is something marvellous, surpassing the abilities of
the choicest fowls that ever were reared.

[Illustration: A DEAD FLY.]

"You may judge how abundant these insects are," said Frank, "when I
tell you they settle down so thickly on the water that we thought they
were shoals, or mud-banks! Fortunately for us, they didn't sting, nor
did they even settle on the boat."

In one of his letters to the King describing the country he had
conquered Cortez gave a minute account of the lakes in the neighborhood
of Tenochtitlan, and naturally mentioned the fact that they had no
outlet. He solved the mystery of the disappearance of the waters by
gravely declaring that there was a large hole in the bottom of Lake
Tezcoco by which the lake was drained. A century later an engineer was
sent from Spain to find the hole in the bottom of the lake. He made many
surveys, but was unable to discover it, and finally concluded that the
surplus water was carried off by evaporation.

[Illustration: RUINS OF A TOLTEC HOUSE.]




CHAPTER XIII.

COURTSHIP IN MEXICO.--"PLAYING THE BEAR."--LOVERS' TROUBLES.--A SHORT
ROAD TO MATRIMONY.--PRESENTS TO THE EXPECTANT BRIDE.--THE MARRIAGE
CEREMONY.--TEDIOUS PRELIMINARIES.--CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS
MARRIAGES.--DIFFERENCES OF MARRIAGE AMONG THE COMMON PEOPLE AND THE
UPPER CLASSES.--A HAND-BOOK FOR LOVERS.--FUNERALS; HOW THEY ARE
MANAGED.--CARDS OF CONDOLENCE.--CEMETERIES.--MONUMENT TO AMERICAN
SOLDIERS.--ANNUAL DEATH-RATE IN MEXICO CITY.--PREVALENT
DISEASES.--DOMESTIC SERVANTS; THEIR NUMBER, WAGES, AND MODE OF LIFE.--A
PECULIAR LAUNDRY SYSTEM.


One day while Frank and Fred were strolling along the streets, observing
the people and their ways, studying the architecture, and making other
observations, according to their custom, their attention was drawn to a
young man who was walking slowly up and down in front of a house. His
movements were so peculiar that Frank asked their guide what the man was
about.

[Illustration: A FORTUNATE BEAR.]

"Oh, he's playing the bear!" was the reply.

"And what is 'playing the bear?' I would like to know," the youth
responded.

"He's making love," the guide explained; "that's the Mexican way of
courtship."

This was a subject of special interest to the youths, as they knew their
sisters and all the other young ladies at home would wish to know about
it. Accordingly, they proceeded to inform themselves concerning the
Mexican form of wooing, and here is the result of their inquiries:

"Courtship in this country," wrote Frank, "is a serious matter, and
requires a great deal of patience. Young ladies are carefully secluded
from anything more than the most formal acquaintance with young men, and
there is no such thing here as the freedom of social manners that we
have at home. When a young man has fixed his thoughts upon a fair damsel
whom he has met at a party, or to whom he has been introduced in the
Zocalo, he begins his courtship by walking up and down the street in
front of her house and keeping his eyes fixed on one of the balconies,
which he has somehow ascertained is the proper one for his gaze. A hint
has been conveyed to the young lady that he will be there, and also to
her parents and sisters. This hint may be given by the priest, who
frequently serves as an intermediary; by some relative of the young man;
or by means of a note sent to the young lady herself through the medium
of the _portero_, or door-keeper, whose trouble must be paid for with
cash in advance.

[Illustration: MEXICAN COURTSHIP.]

"This promenading in front of the house is kept up for hours at a time
day after day, and also at night, and is what is called 'playing the
bear.' It is generally done on foot, but sometimes the lover appears on
horseback, the lady having been notified, through the subsidized
portero, at what hour he may be expected.

[Illustration: CODE-SIGNALLING WITH THE FAN.]

"The lover is observed by the lady and her mother and the other feminine
members of the family, who sit inside the window and are partially, if
not wholly, screened from sight. If the match is favored by the parents
the 'bear business' lasts only a month, or perhaps two or three months;
but if it is not so favored the lover may keep it up for a long time, or
until he gets discouraged and withdraws his suit. Of course it happens
here as in other countries that parental opposition occasionally
develops the young lady's affection, and then the young couple resort to
all sorts of stratagems to exchange _billets-doux_. Letters are raised
or lowered by means of strings, or transmitted through the hands of the
portero already mentioned. In the case of parental opposition the
portero runs a great risk, and consequently must be highly paid.
Courtship under such circumstances is a luxury that only the affluent
can afford.

"When the proper time arrives, provided everything is running smoothly,
the young man, accompanied by a gentleman friend older than himself,
calls on the father of the girl, and makes a proposal for her hand. The
father says he will see about it, and the visitors take their leave.

"The father asks the girl if she desires to marry the young man. However
much she may desire to do so she must profess indifference and say she
cannot tell until she has met him. Then he is invited to call, and when
he responds he is met by the entire family, including the servants.
After he becomes the _novio oficial_, or accepted lover, he has the
privilege of calling without a friend; but at no time is he ever left
for a moment alone with the young lady. All interviews must be in the
presence of a member of the family or of a duenna, no matter how long
the courtship may continue after the formal acceptance.

[Illustration: "THERE HE IS."]

"As the time for the marriage ceremony approaches the groom has a
serious matter to contemplate--the 'matter o' money' connected with
matrimony. He must furnish the house and home, and also buy the bridal
outfit. Not infrequently the parents of the bride relieve him of a part
of the expense, though they allow him to buy the jewels and bridal
dresses. One thing that he must provide, according to a
long-established custom, is an ivory-covered prayer-book; whatever else
he fails in he must not be negligent in this. Eight or ten weeks before
the ceremony, the pair must register at church, giving their names,
ages, etc., very much as they do in some of the American States. A
similar registry is made at the civil office. The banns must be
published for five Sundays, and the bride must state before the priest
and a notary that she marries 'of her own free-will.' The civil marriage
takes place a few days before the ceremony in the church, and when the
matter is ended the young couple are fairly launched into wedded life."

"Hadn't you better say something," Fred remarked, "about the ceremony
itself?"

"That's hardly necessary," replied Frank, "as it is not much unlike the
ceremony in all Catholic countries, and has been described over and over
again. There are some local customs, however, that may be worth noting;
for instance, a lady describes a wedding that she saw here in a church,
where the groom passed several gold coins into the bride's hands, as an
indication that she was to manage their financial affairs. But the
chances are more than even that he did not permit her to do anything of
the kind. When they knelt at the altar a silken scarf was put around
their shoulders and a silver cord around their necks, to indicate their
complete union."

"A cynical commentator might say," observed Fred, "that the silver cord
indicated that the couple was united by financial considerations."

"That's something I've nothing to do with," answered Frank, quietly;
"we'll go on with our description. But it is said that marriages in
Mexico depend more on social, family, or business matters than upon
sentiment."

"After the church ceremony," he continued, "there is a festival to which
intimate friends are invited. Then the pair send cards to all friends
and reasonably intimate acquaintances announcing their marriage, and the
notice winds up with an equivalent for the 'at home' card of married
couples in the United States and England.

[Illustration: A STUDENT OF "EL SECRETARIO."]

"And one thing more," added Frank, "while we are on this subject. A
woman who never marries is not stigmatized as an 'old maid,' as is often
the case in the Northern States. Nobody ever thinks of suggesting that
she has never had an offer of marriage; the remark about her always is
that 'she is difficult to suit' even though no man may ever have thought
of showing her any attention.

[Illustration: MEXICAN WEDDING IN THE COUNTRY.]

"Of course, you understand that in the marriage just described I had the
upper classes in mind. Among the common people there is much less
ceremony and formality; marriages are generally arranged by the parish
priest, who conducts the principal part of the negotiations, and he has
also a great deal to say on the subject among the middle, or tradesman,
class. There is as much feasting and revelry as the parties can afford,
and generally more than is prudent for them. Sometimes matches are made
up by the parents of the young couple, without any consultation with
them; but as children in this country are obedient to their parents,
they are very unlikely to make any opposition to matches thus arranged."

Frank invested a real in a pamphlet called "El Secretario de los
Amantes," or, to translate somewhat freely, "the hand-book of lovers."
It is probably the most widely circulated book in the Mexican republic,
and is as popular among young people as is "The Complete Letter-Writer,"
among those whose education has not been all they could wish, and who
have occasion for epistolary correspondence.

The earnest attention which was given to this little work as soon as it
fell into the hands of the youths led to a suspicion on the part of the
Doctor that Frank and Fred meditated a little love-making on their own
account, by way of experiment. But so far as we have been informed,
nothing of the kind occurred; should any later information on the
subject come to hand, it will be duly set forth in the second edition of
"The Boy Travellers in Mexico."

The "Secretario" contains a code of cipher writing, forms for using
numerals in place of the letters of the alphabet, symbols for each of
the twenty-four hours of the day and night or the fractions thereof, and
the one-hand alphabet for deaf-mutes. The necessity for this alphabet in
love-making, and the practice that comes from it, may probably be the
reason why many Spanish-Americans occasionally make signs in
conversation, instead of speaking in words. There are chapters of advice
to lovers, and there is a full signal code for the use of the fan, the
handkerchief, the sombrero, and the glove. Spanish women have long been
famed for their skill with the fan, and for the conversations they can
conduct with its aid, and it has a very important place in the language
of love.

[Illustration: FLOWERS FOR A LADY.]

In most editions of the book there is a separate chapter on the language
of flowers and their various meanings accordingly as they are arranged
or combined with others. A love-story can be told in the skilful
construction of a bouquet--at least enough of it to form the opening
chapter. There is also a language of fruits, and Fred suggested that
there should be one of tortillas, frijoles, tamals, and other articles
of the Mexican cuisine.

"Here is a wide range," said he, "for the author of 'El Secretario.'
Provide each of the lovers with a thermometer, and then the temperature
of a tortilla, as it is tossed into or out of a window, can be made to
express a great deal. Forty degrees Fahrenheit might mean, 'My love is
cold,' and one hundred and twenty degrees would say, 'I'm sighing like
the furnace.' Ninety degrees signifies, 'Look out for the old
gentleman,' and one hundred would literally say, 'I'm up to par.' The
new edition of the book, with the tortilla annex, ought to sell like--"

"Like hot cakes," Frank remarked, and then the subject of matrimony was
dropped.

The youths next considered the subject of the funeral, a ceremony with
which the Church has quite as much to do as with weddings. It was Fred's
turn to make an investigation, and commit his information to writing,
and the following is the result of his efforts:

[Illustration: FUNERAL OF GENERAL DOBLADO, GUANAJUATO.]

"One of the odd things about funerals in this city," wrote the youth,
"is that they go by rail to the cemetery. The enterprising manager of
the street railways formed his scheme, and then bought up all the
hearses, so as to compel the populace to adopt his plan. There was
opposition to it at first, but a short trial showed that it was much
more economical than the old system. There is a good service of funeral
cars, and they are graduated to suit all purses that have any money at
all in them. The range of prices is from three to one hundred and twenty
dollars; for the lowest sum a single car drawn by a mule is supplied,
and for the highest figure one may have a hearse-car, gorgeously draped,
plumed, and liveried, drawn by a pair of black horses, and with
attendants appropriately liveried and of most solemn countenance. The
hearse-car is followed by two, and perhaps three cars, containing the
mourners, friends of the deceased, and others, who go to make up the
funeral cortége, and these cars are as appropriately draped as the
hearse. Ranging between the highest and lowest figures are half a dozen
or even more 'outfits,' so that any desires can be met.

"Another curious custom is that poor people rent handsome coffins to be
used during the funeral ceremony, the body being transferred to a plain
unpainted box as soon as it reaches the cemetery.

"Funeral cards are printed in the newspapers along with the
advertisements, and sometimes they have been inadvertently placed among
the 'amusements.' They are also posted on the street corners and in
other places where they can be seen, and printed cards heavily bordered
with black are sent to relatives and friends. There is a fashionable
card form for a funeral as much so as for a wedding, and it would be a
great social blunder to vary from the conventional style. Friends and
relatives must respond to these cards, and any one who has a large
circle of acquaintance is obliged to write a good many notes of
condolence in the course of a year.

"When we first arrived in the city we were somewhat surprised at the
large number of people in mourning, until we learned that mourning is
worn not only for relatives but for friends, and there is a prescribed
time for which it must be worn in each case. Suppose a school-girl's
father or mother dies, her companions put on mourning for fifteen days;
if the girl herself dies they go into mourning for a month. The same
rule holds throughout society, and there is also a rule that when one
visits a house where the family is in mourning, the visitor must be
costumed in mourning also. The result is that fashionable people are in
mourning for a goodly part of the year, and a mourning suit, or dress,
is a necessity for everybody's wardrobe.

"It is not the custom generally for ladies to attend funerals, but they
send cards of condolence and make visits of _pésame_ (regret)
immediately after the ceremony. Families in mourning are secluded from
society very much as in other civilized countries.

"The old cemeteries which are now in the city limits are closed, and no
more burials can be made there. They have a general resemblance to the
cemeteries that we described in chapter xxii. of 'The Boy Travellers in
South America.' Those who can afford permanent burial for their
relatives or friends take a perpetual lease of the niche where the
corpse is deposited; in such case the word _propiedad_ is placed over
the entrance, along with the date when the entombment was made. If only
a temporary lease is taken, the remains are removed at the end of five
years to make room for a new tenant. The bones are either buried in one
of the new cemeteries or thrown into a pit, where the bones of hundreds
who once breathed the air and walked the streets of Mexico are
indiscriminately mingled. The new cemeteries are laid out in modern
fashion; we visited those of Campo Florida and La Piedad and saw some
very tasteful tombs, which indicated to us both the tender remembrance
of the Mexicans for their dead and the skill of the designers of the
monuments.

[Illustration: SOLDIERS' MONUMENT IN THE AMERICAN CEMETERY.]

"We have also visited the English, French, German, and American
cemeteries; all of them have recently increased their population with
greater rapidity than formerly, owing to the influx of foreigners. In
the American cemetery our attention was specially drawn to the monument
which marks the resting-place of four hundred soldiers who fell in the
attack upon Mexico, the circumstance of their death being told by a
brief inscription. The English and American cemeteries are side by
side, and as time goes on it is probable that both will need additional
ground.

"A medical publication here gives the annual death-rate of the city of
Mexico as about 37 in 1000, but it says that many Indians come here from
the lower lands and die of exposure and the effects of the rarefied air
at this great elevation. In one year recently there were 13,008 deaths,
of which 5577 were males and 6431 females; 4292 deaths were from
pneumonia, bronchitis, and pulmonary and tuberculous affections, and
there were 179 deaths from small-pox. Diseases of the lungs are dreaded,
and those who have resided here for any length of time take great
precautions against them. It is not considered safe to remove the hat in
the open air for any length of time, and a stranger should be very
particular about venturing into a draught. He should also take care not
to emerge suddenly from a dimly lighted room to the dazzling sunshine;
the air at this elevation is very pure, and the light is consequently
strong. We have been told that persons neglecting this precaution have
become permanently blind."

[Illustration: TAKING THINGS EASY.]

Frank and Fred had learned, before being long in Mexico, that there were
many things to be avoided in the rarefied air of the valley, or, if not
avoided, they should be taken with caution. Ascending stair-ways, or
other laborious exercise, at an elevation of 7600 feet had to be done
with deliberation, and the least unusual exertion was sure to put them
out of breath. They were more sedate in their walking than in New York
or other cities on or near the sea-level, and as for running, it was
quite out of the question. Frank said he was sure that much of the
traditional slowness of the people was due to their high elevation, and
the need of taking things easily.

"Yes," replied Fred, "that's probably why this is the land of mañana.
The people don't like exertion, and so they put off till to-morrow
everything that can be postponed, together with many things that have
been positively promised for to-day."

"If they had been in a more northerly climate," said Frank, "it is
probable that the Mexicans would be more advanced than we find them.
Their location in the tropics has not been to their advantage. The
opening of our railways will connect them with northern climes, and if
we can fill the Valley of Mexico with our atmosphere it may enable them
to breathe quicker than they do now."

[Illustration: A CHARCOAL PEDDLER.]

The attention of the youths was turned from the elevation and atmosphere
to some of the customs of the country, which they had learned from their
guide or from others. They were told that it was estimated that about
one-fifth the population was in household or domestic service in one
form or another, directly or indirectly. The direct form would include
those attached to a household, the indirect those who supply water,
wood, charcoal, and other necessities of life, or perform outside work
for families or individuals. The wages are low, but a great many
servants are employed, so that the aggregate foots up to a large amount.

"There are from ten to twenty servants employed in a house," wrote Fred,
"and we are told that large establishments will have thirty or even
more. It is very much here as we found it in India--a great number of
people, each with an allotted thing to do, and a servant would risk
losing his place rather than do anything that belonged to another.

"Here's a list," he added, "that I have copied from the description of a
Mexican household by an American visitor: _portero_, door-keeper;
_cochero_, coachman; _lacayo_, footman; _caballerango_, hostler; _mozo_,
man of all sorts of work; _cargador_, public carrier; _camarista_,
chamber-man in a hotel, or valet in a private house; _recamerera_,
chamber-maid in a private house; _ama de llaves_, house-keeper,
'mistress of the keys;' _cocinera_, cook; _galopina_, kitchen girl;
_pilmana_, nurse-maid.

"There are other servants, such as the _molendera_, the woman who grinds
the corn (for making tortillas); the _costurera_, sewing-woman; or the
_planchadora_, ironing-woman. The most important servant is the
_portero_, who has general charge of the house, and sometimes of a large
building in which several families live. He is the exact counterpart of
the German door-keeper, and, like him, generally lives with his family
in a narrow retreat, which is situated so that he can command the
entrance and observe who comes in or goes out. Servants do not change
places as often as in England or the United States. It is by no means
rare for them to spend their entire lives with a family; their parents
before them served it, and their children will do so when they
themselves are gone.

"The cook receives from two to five dollars a month, and chamber-maids
and seamstresses the same. The men-servants are paid from ten dollars a
month upwards, and out of their wages they are required to buy part of
their food, and in some cases all of it. At least this is the theory,
though the practice is that the employer really supports them, though
indirectly. Servants are nearly always in debt to their employers, and
this state of affaire is encouraged by law, as they are not allowed to
leave a place as long as they are in debt. The only way in which this
can be done is for the employer to assume the debt, pay the creditor,
and then collect the amount by holding back a portion of the servant's
wages each month till the obligation is discharged."

When Fred read aloud the foregoing account of the Mexican servants and
their ways, Doctor Bronson suggested that he might add something about
the _lavanderas_, or laundresses.

"That's so," replied the youth; "I had forgotten about them for the
moment." Then he sat down and wrote as follows:

"Some of the houses have laundries, where the washing is done; but many
dwellings are not thus provided, and the clothes are taken outside to be
cleansed. In the smaller cities the washing is done on the banks of a
stream or lake; the clothes being first put into a tub or box and soaked
in water in which soap has been dissolved; then they are pounded with
sticks or stones and rubbed with the hands. The work is not done with
gentleness, and a few trips to the laundry generally wear out garments
made of ordinary material. Some of the lavanderas undertake to wash,
starch, and iron the clothes, while others attend only to the washing,
and leave the other work as a separate contract with the planchadora.
The employer is generally expected to furnish soap for washing clothes,
and very often the servants are supplied with it for their own use, in
addition to their wages."

[Illustration: A MEXICAN WASH-HOUSE.]




CHAPTER XIV.

SCULPTURE AND PAINTING IN MEXICO.--NATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE FINE
ARTS.--BRIEF HISTORY OF MEXICAN ART.--CELEBRATED PAINTINGS.--"LAS CASAS
PROTECTING THE AZTECS."--"THE DEATH OF ATALA."--HOW AN ARTIST MANAGED TO
SELL A PICTURE.--FROM ART TO _PULQUERIAS_.--THE NATIONAL BEVERAGE OF
MEXICO.--THE MAGUEY PLANT.--HOW _PULQUE_ IS MADE.--COLLECTING THE
SAP.--FERMENTING _AGUAMIEL_.--DAILY CONSUMPTION OF _PULQUE_ IN THE CITY
OF MEXICO.--MANAGEMENT OF THE SHOPS.--ROMANTIC HISTORY OF THE INVENTION
OF _PULQUE_.--MEXICAN POLICE-COURTS.--NOVEL MODE OF TRYING CASES.--THE
BELEM PRISON.--CATALOGUE OF OFFENCES AGAINST THE LAW.--AN ADROIT
THIEF.--RUNNING THE GANTLET.


From laundries to the fine arts is a step from the practical to the
æsthetic. After finishing their account of Mexican domestic service,
Frank and Fred accompanied Doctor Bronson in a visit to the National
School of Fine Arts, which is commonly spoken of as the Academy of San
Carlos. It must not be understood that this was their first visit to
this excellent institution; they had been there several times, and it
was their intention to continue to look at the paintings in the Academy
whenever they had an hour or two to spare.

[Illustration: THE LANDING OF COLUMBUS.]

Within ten years after the arrival of Cortez a college was founded in
the city of Mexico by one of the Franciscan brothers, and to this
college departments of music and drawing were attached. This may be
considered the parent art school of Mexico, and from it is descended the
Academy of Fine Arts as we see it to-day. No great progress was made in
art matters until near the end of the sixteenth century, when a Spanish
artist, Sebastian Arteaga, came to Mexico, and was shortly followed by
Vasquez and Echave, the last-named being accompanied by his wife, who
was an accomplished painter, and is traditionally said to have been
Echave's teacher.

The seventeenth century brought several artists from Spain, and they did
some good work; at the same time native talent began to assert itself,
and several artists and sculptors of Indian blood made for themselves
lasting names. In the eighteenth century the most noted artist, who was
also sculptor and architect, was Tresguerras, a native of Zelaya, in the
State of Guanajuato, on the line of the Mexican Central Railway, and he
deserves more than passing mention.

[Illustration: MEXICAN SCULPTURE.--DOOR-WAY OF CHURCH OF SAN JOSÉ.]

The Church of Our Lady of Carmen, at Zelaya, was designed by
Tresguerras, and is famous throughout Mexico for its beauty and artistic
proportions. The tower and dome are especially the admiration of
architects and artists, and the whole effect of the structure, whether
in a near or a distant view, is most agreeable. The interior is adorned
with frescoes and paintings in oil by Tresguerras, and he has been, not
inappropriately, styled "the Michael Angelo of Mexico."

Frank and Fred gleaned the foregoing information from Mr. Janvier's
"Mexican Guide," during their first visit to the Academy, and they also
learned from the same excellent authority that the present Academy had
its actual beginning in 1779 through a school of engraving established
in the mint. The success of the engraving school and the general
interest in it caused the director of the mint to seek the permission of
the viceroy to establish schools of painting, sculpture, and
architecture; and the permission was readily granted. Later the matter
was referred to the King, who issued, in December, 1783, an order for
the foundation of the Academy. On the 4th of November, 1785, the formal
opening of the Academia de las Nobles Artes de San Carlos de la Nueva
España took place, and this is the institution which the youths visited
on repeated occasions whenever they had any spare time on their hands.
It is proper to say that the school was originally opened in the mint,
but in 1791 it was removed to the building where it now is.

Like most other institutions of Mexico, it has had many ups and downs,
consequent upon the political changes through which the country has
passed. At present it has an allowance of about $35,000 annually from
the Government, and is regularly a Government affair, its name having
been changed in 1868 to the National School of the Fine Arts. Prizes are
given for meritorious work by the students, all tuition is free, and
there is an average attendance of about one hundred throughout the year.
One prize which is specially sought is an allowance of $600 a year for
six years to enable the recipient to study art in Italy. Within the last
few years night classes have been established for working-people, and
have been well attended.

"We will not undertake to give you a list of all the paintings we saw,"
wrote Frank, "nor even a part of them, as in any event it would be
tedious to anybody at a distance. The pictures are arranged in three
large galleries and two small ones, and they are grouped together
according to their age and the nativity of their painters. One gallery
contains paintings by the old masters of Europe, another is devoted to
old Mexican masters, and another to pupils of the Academy.

[Illustration: LAS CASAS PROTECTING THE AZTECS.]

"The finest picture in the last-named collection, that of the pupils of
the Academy, is by Felix Parra, and is entitled 'Las Casas protecting
the Aztecs.' Parra painted it before he had seen any country except
Mexico, and he received the first prize at the Academy of Rome on
account of the merit displayed in this work. I will not attempt to
describe the painting, but send a photograph by which you may judge of
it. The coloring is, of course, lost in the photograph, but you can get
an idea of the drawing and the sentiment of the picture. Las Casas is
represented standing on the steps of a teocalli, and at his feet is the
dead body of a Mexican chief, who has been slain by the Spaniards; while
an Aztec woman clings imploringly to the robe of the priest.

"The painting is a historic one, and the story it illustrates is this:

"Las Casas was a Spanish prelate who accompanied Columbus to the West
Indies and afterwards came to Mexico. He was horrified at the treatment
of the natives by their conquerors, and he crossed the ocean no less
than twelve times to intercede with the King of Spain in their behalf.
He was unsuccessful in nearly all his efforts, though he finally
persuaded the Emperor Charles V. to make some effort to redress the
wrongs which the Indians were suffering at the hands of the Spaniards.
He risked his life on many occasions on behalf of the natives, as we
read in Prescott's histories, and when the Emperor offered him the
bishopric of Cuzco, one of the richest appointments in the Spanish
colonies, he declined it and accepted that of Chiapas, one of the
poorest and most ignorant. He died in Madrid in 1566, at the age of
ninety-two years.

"Every time we visit the gallery we linger in front of this picture, and
are never weary of admiring and studying it. Many good critics pronounce
it not only the best painting in the gallery where it hangs, but the
best in the entire collection of the Academy. This is high praise,
indeed, when we remember that the Academy has works by Leonardo da
Vinci, Murillo, Rubens, Correggio, and Velasquez.

[Illustration: THE DEATH OF ATALA.]

"Another fine painting of the modern Mexican school is the 'Death of
Atala.' Felix Parra is represented by other works in addition to the Las
Casas; one of these is 'The Massacre in the Temple,' which also has
historic value. It illustrates the butchery of the natives in the temple
by Alvarado, whom Cortez had left at the capital city while he
personally went to the coast to meet the ships and troops that had been
sent from Cuba to reinforce the invading army. As the history of Mexico
was closely identified with the Church down to within twenty years or
so, it naturally occurs that nearly all the paintings of former days are
of a religious character, just as we find the paintings in the galleries
of Europe."

[Illustration: A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST AT WORK.]

One day in their visit to the Academy the youths met a gentleman to whom
they had been previously introduced, and one of them asked if the
wealthy people of Mexico gave much encouragement to native art.

"I'm sorry to say they do not," was the reply. "It has not yet become
the fashion to buy modern paintings, but some of our rich men are
setting the example, and as the country becomes developed and more
wealthy, the example may be followed. But just at present the best
patrons of art are the _pulque_ shops, and as their patrons are not very
critical, it does not require a high talent to meet their wants. In
private houses there is a greater demand for huge mirrors than for fine
paintings, and the value of the plate-glass mirrors in the city of
Mexico is far beyond that of the modern works of art to be found here.
Many an artist of fair promise has been obliged to abandon the dream of
his life, and obtain a living by painting for the _pulquerias_, or
selling silk and woollens behind the counter of a shop."

The gentleman then told a story of a native artist who had painted a
canvas some eight feet by six, representing "The Landing of Columbus."
Months and months passed and he could not find a purchaser though he
lowered his price to half its original figure; then at the advice of a
friend he made a few changes in the ships, costumes, coloring, and
scenery, and entitled the picture "Evacuation of Mexico by the French."
In less than a week he found a customer who made not the least objection
to the price which was set upon the work.

The mention of pulquerias naturally drew attention to those
establishments, which abound in Mexico as do beer shops in New York.
Fred undertook an essay concerning them and the substance in which they
deal.

"Pulque is the product of the _Agave Mexicana_, or maguey plant," wrote
the youth, "and a description of Mexico without a reference to it would
be like 'Hamlet' without Hamlet. It is the beverage of Mexico as beer is
that of Germany and wine the drink of France. Along the line of the
railway, as we were coming southward, we passed many fields of maguey,
and several times we saw the collectors gathering the juice of the plant
for conversion into pulque.

"Nobody knows when pulque was invented, as it was in use here centuries
before Cortez was born. There are many fables concerning it, and like
most fables of the kind, the discovery of the use which could be made of
the juice of the maguey is generally attributed to the gods. One more
practicable fable is that a Toltec noble discovered it and sent some of
the pulque to the King, by the hand of his daughter, Xochitl. The King
was so delighted with the drink and the maiden that he swallowed the
former and married the latter, and their son succeeded him as king. This
was the beginning of the downfall of the Toltecs and their extinction as
a nation, but the art of making pulque was not lost; the name of the
lovely Xochitl has been preserved in the Aztec name of the beverage,
_ochtl_. During our war with Mexico the soldiers under Generals Taylor
and Scott drank the liquid, and in attempting to pronounce its Aztec
name they generally got no nearer to it than 'cocktail.' They carried
the word back to the States, and Doctor Bronson tells us that it is
occasionally heard there at this day in clubs and hotels, where it is
applied to beverages in which spirits, bitters, and other ingredients
are mingled.

[Illustration: MAGUEY PLANT.]

"The maguey belongs to the cactus family of plants, and there are said
to be forty varieties of it. Twenty-two yield _aguamiel_, or
honey-water, from which pulque is made, and the others are used for
hedges and for making paper, cords, and other things. In former times
the natives are said to have had not less than a hundred uses for the
maguey plant in addition to its production of pulque. They made paper
from the pulp of the leaves, cords and thread from the fibre, needles
from the thorns, shingles and troughs from the leaves, and the little
clothing they wore was generally made from the thread derived from the
maguey. The leaves are sometimes ten feet long by a foot wide, and like
the leaves of the other members of the cactus family, they are of great
thickness.

"When the maguey plant is about ten years old it sends up a single
stalk in the centre which often rises to a height of twenty-five or
thirty feet. This stalk is covered with flowers, hundreds and sometimes
thousands of them, and they are of a yellowish green color. After
blossoming the plant dies, very much as does the sago-tree and some
other tropical growths; a single blossoming is all that it is capable of
in its lifetime. And here is where the pulque comes in, or, rather,
comes out.

[Illustration: THE TLACHIQUERO.]

"The Indians watch the plants closely when the flower-stalk is expected
to appear, and just at the right time they cut out the centre of the
stem, leaving a hollow as large over as an ordinary washbowl but a good
deal deeper. The sap, which was intended to nourish the flower-stalk,
flows into this cavity, and flows so rapidly that it must be emptied
every few hours. The leaves on one side of the plant are cut away so
that the cavity can be reached, and then the _tlachiquero_, or
collector, makes his rounds.

[Illustration: EXTRACTING AGUAMIEL.]

"He is equipped with a gourd open at both ends; inserting the broad end
into the cavity, he sucks up the juice (_aguamiel_), and then deposits
it in a pig-skin hanging over his back, or in pig-skins or earthen jars
on the back of a donkey.

"The aguamiel is carried to the central station of the establishment,
where it is poured into shallow vats of pig or cow skin. There it
ferments and becomes pulque, a vile-smelling liquid which is said to
taste like stale buttermilk; it is almost always repulsive to the
stranger, and sometimes one who comes within smelling distance of pulque
for the first time is made ill by it. A good maguey yields from eight to
fifteen pints daily, and continues to do so for three or four months;
and a good estate of maguey plants is more certain in the revenue it
brings to the owner than any other enterprise. The plants thrive in the
poorest soil where hardly anything else can live.

"A scientific writer on this subject says: 'An analysis of aguamiel
gives glucose, sugar, and water as the principal ingredients; it froths
when shaken, gives an abundant precipitate with subacetate of lead, and
when filtered the resultant liquor is colorless. Pulque is the product
of the fermentation of aguamiel, is an alcoholic, mucilaginous liquid,
holding in suspension white corpuscles, which give it its color, and has
an odor and taste peculiar to itself. It is more or less sugary
according to its strength, and contains about six per cent. of alcohol.'

"Pulque is sent from the estates along the railway in barrels and
pig-skins, and the amount consumed in the capital is about 80,000
gallons daily. There is a pulque train daily to the city; we passed it
at a side-track, and easily detected its presence by the smell of
fermentation.

"The pulque shops are as discernible to the nose as to the eye; they are
numerous in all the cities and large towns, and very properly are under
the eyes of the police. There are 820 of these shops in the city of
Mexico. They pay a license fee to the Government as do beer and wine
shops in European countries, and the law requires that they shall close
at 6 P.M.; and, what strikes a New Yorker with astonishment, it is
enforced, too. The city derives a revenue of a thousand dollars a day
from the pulque brought here for sale, in addition to what it receives
for shop licenses; the railway probably gets a thousand dollars also for
the daily transportation, and altogether the national drink of Mexico
costs a great deal of money.

[Illustration: A GLASS OF AGUARDIENTE.]

"Liquors called _mescal_ and _tequila_ are distilled from pulque, and
contain a larger percentage of alcohol. Then there is a stronger liquor,
called _aguardiente_ (burning water), which is literally described by
its name. Some gentlemen who have tasted it say that it is like
swallowing a torch-like procession or a whole collection of
Fourth-of-July fireworks."

[Illustration: "NOT CAUGHT YET."]

From pulquerias to police-courts is a very natural step, and one which
is taken by a good many natives of Mexico. Frank and Fred took it,
though not after the Mexican fashion, as their movement was voluntary,
while that of the native is performed by invitation, or demand, of the
police. The better classes of the population know next to nothing about
the police-courts or where they are held, and it was only after a great
deal of inquiry that the youths learned where and when to go. The guide
who had shown them the sights of the city claimed to be unable to tell
them, and when they ascertained for themselves, he was somewhat
unwilling to accompany them. It is barely possible that he had been
there on his own account altogether too often to make a voluntary visit
agreeable.

They found the court in the municipal palace, at one side of the Plaza
Mayor. Ascending a staircase, they were shown into a waiting-room, and
beyond it there were several smaller rooms. Two or three gentlemen were
seated at a table in each of the rooms, and seemed to be busily engaged
in discussing something. Frank asked the guide what they were doing.

[Illustration: A MAGISTRATE.]

"One of them is a magistrate," was the reply; "and the others are the
lawyers, who are laying a case before him. One is the prosecutor, and
the other is for the defence."

"But where are the accused and the policemen?"

"They're down-stairs, or perhaps they haven't got to the palace yet.
They don't come into these rooms at all. The magistrate hears the case
through the lawyers, and doesn't have the prisoner brought before him,
as you do in your country." On further inquiry the youths learned that
the magistrates hear the cases in this way, and decide whether the
complaint shall be dismissed, the prisoner let off with a fine, or sent
to the Belem prison, at the edge of the city.

Some of the prisoners were, as the guide said, "down-stairs;" but the
greater number were in a building separate from the palace, and situated
on a narrow street close by. There is a court in the prison building, in
which the magistrates hear cases in the same way as at the municipal
palace, without seeing the prisoner; they hear the testimony for and
against him, and decide accordingly.

At the Belem prison they found another court, where cases were more
carefully considered; but they learned from a gentleman, with whom they
afterwards talked on the subject, that the Mexican courts are
overcrowded with work, and prisoners often have to wait weeks or
months, and even years, before their cases can be heard. A prisoner
against whom a serious accusation has been made can never learn when it
will be called to trial; his friends are not informed; and the only
thing they can do is to watch and wait day after day, or possibly pay
heavily to somebody for his influence with the authorities. Matters are
better now than previous to the Laws of the Reform, but they are still
far from what they should be.

"We judged," said Fred, "that the Belem prison was greatly overcrowded,
as the court-yard was full of people, and so were the corridors that
overlooked the yard. The prisoners sleep on mats on the floor of the
dormitories, which are about 170 feet long. One hundred men lie in a row
on the mats along the floor of the dormitory, so that there must be very
little room to walk around. The fare of the prisoners consists of twelve
ounces of bread daily, one pound of meat, and a bowl of soup. Three
times a week they have stewed beans in addition to the other food.

[Illustration: AN OLD OFFENDER.]

"A prisoner whose sentence exceeds one month is compelled to work, but
he is paid for his labor; one-half his wages go to his family if he has
any, and the rest is saved up by the prison authorities until the man is
discharged, when the money is given to him. This seems to me an
excellent system, and it should be adopted in our own country. In that
case an ex-convict would have something to live upon for a while,
instead of being, as is too often the case, driven into crime to save
himself from starvation.

"To show the character of Mexican offences, I will quote from the
records of the prison for one month. The whole number of prisoners was
1278, and they were charged with crimes as follows:

"Thefts, 198; fighting, 109; stabbing, serious, 518; stabbing, slight,
313; wounding with sticks or clubs, 140.

"Observe that two-thirds of the number were in prison for the use of the
knife, and you get an idea of the propensities of the lower classes of
the population.

"We have already mentioned the adroitness of Mexican thieves, and we
heard several stories while visiting the prison that confirm what we
have heard. There's a saying here that if you drop a coin it will be
caught before it reaches the ground. They told us a story about the
Chief Magistrate of Mexico City which we were assured was entirely true;
it sounds like a 'chestnut,' but is good enough to be repeated. Here it
is:

"The magistrate was one day on the street when he remarked to a friend
that he had left his watch hanging over the head of his bed at home. In
less than an hour a thief was at the door with a fat turkey; he said
that it was sent by the magistrate, who wished his wife to send him his
watch, which he had left at the head of his bed.

"She sent the watch, and when his Honor came home that night he learned
of the trick that had been played. He consoled himself with the
reflection that he had a fat turkey for the next Sunday's dinner, and
would not be obliged to buy anything for that important meal.

"But the next day an accomplice of the watch-stealer called and said the
magistrate had sent him to get the turkey, which they desired to produce
in court. The man who stole the watch had just been arrested, and the
turkey was needed to secure his conviction, as it was one of the
'properties' in the case. Of course it was promptly sent.

"So the good man lost both his watch and his turkey, and never heard of
either of them again."

There is a short road to justice called _ley de fuga_, which is
sometimes travelled in Mexico; it may be translated into "running the
gantlet." By Mexican law an officer has the right to shoot a prisoner
trying to escape. Sometimes, when bandits or murderers are captured,
they are allowed to try to escape, and in their effort to secure their
freedom they take the chances of being killed. Recently this disposition
was made of seven bandits who murdered a German named Müller in the
State of Durango, and then robbed his house, compelling Mrs. Müller to
show where the valuables were kept. They were captured while seated at
table in Müller's house after completing the robbery, a party of
soldiers happening to arrive there most opportunely. As their conviction
and execution were certain, they accepted the offer of the officers to
permit them to try the _ley de fuga_, but not one of them succeeded in
escaping.

[Illustration: SCENE OF THE CAPTURE.]




CHAPTER XV.

THE PASEO DE LA REFORMA.--BRIGANDAGE NEAR THE CITY.--STATUE OF CHARLES
IV. OF SPAIN.--STATUE OF COLUMBUS.--A RELIC OF MAXIMILIAN.--AQUEDUCTS
FROM CHAPULTEPEC.--MONTEZUMA'S TREE.--CHAPULTEPEC; ITS HEIGHT AND
EXTENT.--MONTEZUMA'S BATH.--THE PALACE.--"THE FEAST OF
BELSHAZZAR."--NATIONAL MILITARY COLLEGE.--MOLINO DEL REY.--GENERAL
SCOTT'S ADVANCE UPON MEXICO.--CAPTURE OF VERA CRUZ.--BATTLE OF CERRO
GORDO.--ENTERING THE VALLEY.--CONTRERAS AND CHURUBUSCO.--FALL OF
CHAPULTEPEC.--GENERAL SCOTT'S ENTRANCE INTO THE CITY.--TREATY OF
PEACE.--GENERAL GRANT ON THE MEXICAN WAR.


[Illustration: A CORNER OF CHAPULTEPEC.]

One of the most attractive drives in the neighborhood of Mexico is along
the Paseo de la Reforma, the avenue leading to Chapultepec. In point of
fact, it is generally the first drive taken by a visitor, and he is
pretty certain to be favorably impressed with it. Chapultepec was a
royal residence before the Conquest; during the Spanish rule it was the
home of the viceroys, and since that time the President of the republic
has generally lived there when he could live at all in the city or its
vicinity. Maximilian selected it for the location of the Imperial
Palace, and enlarged the then existing buildings; the avenue leading to
it owes its origin to his ambition, and is a monument of his taste for
the beautiful.

[Illustration: MONTEZUMA'S TREE.]

Whether the ride to Chapultepec is taken by the tram-way or in a
carriage, the stranger will find it full of interest, and he would do
well to try both means of making the visit. If he is an equestrian he
will hire a saddle-horse, and make the excursion on horseback between
seven and nine o'clock in the morning, when it is the fashion to appear
thus on the Paseo. Doctor Bronson and his young friends followed the
prevailing custom, and through the aid of the manager of the hotel were
satisfactorily provided with steeds. But they were very modestly mounted
in comparison with some of the Mexican equestrians, whose saddles and
saddle-cloths were elaborately ornamented and said to have cost all the
way from one to two thousand dollars each. Some of the horsemen were
armed with sabres and revolvers--a souvenir of a custom which is no
longer necessary, but was emphatically so not many years ago. The road
to Chapultepec, and indeed the roads anywhere in the suburbs, were
infested with brigands, who used to rise up from unexpected spots as
though at the hand of a magician, and perform their work in a very
expeditious manner.

The enterprising brigands were not content with robbing people on
horseback or in carriages, but occasionally devoted their energies to
kidnapping residents and holding them for ransom. As an illustration of
their performances Frank made note of the following story:

"One evening while a gentleman was at dinner with his family, in the
suburb of Tacuba, a party of brigands appeared and commanded silence on
the part of all under pain of death. They harmed no one, and did not rob
the house, but they hurried the gentleman into a carriage, and drove
away with him. It was naturally supposed that he had been taken to a
place of concealment among the foot-hills of the mountains that encircle
the valley; but it turned out that his captors drove directly to the
city and secreted their victim in the cellar of a house. There he was
kept for several days, until the police were so closely on the track of
the kidnappers that they fled and left him to make his escape.
Subsequently they were captured and executed; but the circumstance was
not at all a pleasant one for suburban residents to contemplate."

Fred observed that the Paseo de la Reforma begins at the equestrian
statue of Charles IV., very nearly a mile from the Plaza Mayor. It may
also be said to begin at the Alameda, a beautiful garden of poplar and
other trees, and occupying a historic site. The Alameda includes the
ancient Indian market-place and the Plaza del Quemadero, where the
victims of the Inquisition were burned to death on a stone platform
which was long since removed. Successive viceroys improved it, and
within the last few decades it has been planted with flowers and
otherwise beautified, so that it is now a very attractive spot.

The statue of Charles IV. is a fine work of art, and notable as the
first bronze casting of any magnitude on this side of the Atlantic;
Humboldt pronounced it second only to the statue of Marcus Aurelius, and
it has received the unstinted praise of many critics who have seen it.
It was cast in 1802, and placed upon its pedestal in the following year.
During the War for Independence it was, in 1822, covered with a large
globe of boards painted blue, and in this condition it remained for two
years, when it was taken down and placed in the court-yard of the
University. In 1852, when the hostility to the Spaniards had somewhat
abated, the statue was restored to its pedestal, and has peacefully
rested there ever since. The casting is in a single piece, and weighs
thirty tons, and the height of horse and rider is only a few inches less
than sixteen feet.

[Illustration: STATUE OF COLUMBUS ON THE PASEO DE LA REFORMA.]

From the foot of the statue to the base of Chapultepec is a distance of
3750 yards; the Paseo de la Reforma runs straight as a sunbeam along
this measured length, and it has a width, including the sidewalks, of
fifty-six yards. At regular distances there are _glorietas_, circular
spaces like the _Rond-Point_ of the Champs-Elysées, in Paris, which are
intended for statues of men eminent in the history of Mexico; one of
them is already occupied with a statue of Columbus, who is represented
drawing away the veil that hides the New World. At the corners of the
pedestal are four life-size figures in bronze, and Frank and Fred were
pleased to observe that one of them represented the good missionary Las
Casas, who labored earnestly for the protection of the Indians. A statue
of Guatemozin, the last of the Aztec kings, is destined for the next
space, but had not been erected at the time of the visit of our friends;
the third space was intended for a statue of Cortez, and the fourth for
one of Juarez. The occupants of the other glorietas had not been named,
but they will be men famous in the history of Mexico. From present
indications Maximilian is not likely to be chosen as one of the heroes
to be preserved in bronze. The glorietas are 400 feet in diameter, and
surrounded with stone benches for the accommodation of pedestrian
visitors.

The Paseo is lined with shade-trees, so that it affords pleasant walks;
the centre of the road-way is reserved for people on horseback, while
the carriages move along the sides. On pleasant afternoons the vehicles
are so numerous that the police have sufficient occupation to keep them
in proper line, and the turnout is a fine one in every way. Frank and
Fred compared the display one afternoon with that of London, Paris, and
New York, under similar circumstances, and after careful consideration
they agreed that the Mexican pageant was more attractive than any one of
the rest.

"The ground is level, the road finely macadamized, and the way perfectly
straight; the horses and carriages are the best that can be procured;
the equestrians are splendidly mounted, and their apparel and equipments
are picturesque; the ladies are handsomely attired, and many of them
have pretty faces; the panorama of hills and mountains loses none of its
grandeur, and altogether we are in love with the Paseo de la Reforma."

So wrote Frank, and his cousin gave his hearty indorsement of the
opinion thus presented.

[Illustration: SAN COSME AQUEDUCT.]

"Don't forget," said Fred, "to make mention of the aqueducts that supply
the city with water, as they are in sight from this drive. One comes
from back among the hills near the old convent of El Desierto, and the
other leads from a great spring at the foot of Chapultepec. The latter
aqueduct gave shelter to our soldiers during their attack on the gates
of the city after the storming of the castle; from one pillar to another
of the aqueduct they dodged the fire of the Mexican artillery and
infantry, and so gained the front of the gate-way."

[Illustration: MONTEZUMA'S BATH.]

"I'll not forget that," replied Frank, "nor the old cypresses under
which Montezuma is said to have sat and walked; but before we get to
them we'll mention that an American company proposes to make an
extension of the city of Mexico by building a suburb on the level tract
of land through which the Paseo runs. This was one of the dreams of
Maximilian, but he had no time or opportunity to put it into practical
shape. His idea has been taken up by the peaceful invaders from the
North, and if it is carried out as they propose, it will not be many
years before the land is materially transformed. Artesian wells have
been sunk in this level space and have found an abundance of water, and
the projectors of the suburb say they will have their own supply without
depending upon either of the aqueducts."

[Illustration: CHAPULTEPEC AND ITS GARDENS.]

"Chapultepec is a delightful spot," wrote Fred, "whether considered as a
public resort, a royal or Presidential residence, or for the panoramic
view presented to the visitor as he looks from its top. It is an
isolated rock, or hill, rising about 200 feet, and with a length of 1000
or 1200 feet, and the top is crowned with the buildings, which have seen
many changes among their occupants as well as in themselves. The sides
are steep in some places, but gradual in others, the steep parts
predominating. All around the base are cypress-trees, whose age is
unknown; but they are certainly very old; and their venerable appearance
is increased by the moss that depends from their limbs.

"The tree of the greatest interest to us was that which bears the name
of Montezuma. If tradition is correct, the Emperor sat beneath its
shade; and it was possibly while resting here that he received the news
of the approach of those strange white men who had landed upon the
coast, and rode upon animals the like of which were never before known
in America. It is a wonderful tree 170 feet high, and forty-six in
circumference. Like the other great trees of Chapultepec, it is a
cypress; and like the others, too, it is heavily draped with moss, as
though in mourning for the aboriginal ruler, whose kingdom was torn away
by the invader.

[Illustration: EL SALTO DEL AQUA.]

"From the tree of Montezuma we went to his bath, which is not far away,
and is the famous spring that fills the aqueduct already mentioned. The
water is cool and clear, and supplied the ancient Tenochtitlan, just as
in later days it was made to supply the Spanish city which rose on the
site of the Aztec one. The aqueduct through which the water flows is
exactly on the line of that of the Aztecs. The Spanish aqueduct was
begun in 1677, and has 904 arches from its starting-point at Chapultepec
to its terminus in the Salto del Agua, or Water-fall, in the city. The
water of Chapultepec is called _agua delgada_, or thin water; while that
supplied by the San Cosme aqueduct is _agua gorda_, or thick water. From
time immemorial the spring has been flowing, and it is supposed to be
fed by underground channels from the mountains.

"After the tree and the baths we visited the palace, or such part of it
as was open to the public. There is not much worth seeing inside the
building, the most interesting feature about it being the view from the
roof. All the Valley of Mexico, with its girdle of mountains, was before
us; it was like the view from the cathedral tower, with the difference
that the city formed a part of the horizontal view in one direction,
while from the tower it lay beneath and around our feet; and the same
view that included the city embraced also the snowy peaks of
Popocatepetl and the 'White Woman,' which lay a little to the right of
the cluster of domes and roofs standing between us and the silvery sheet
of Tezcoco. In the opposite direction was Tacuba, the spot where Cortez
thought of rebuilding the city which was to rise in place of the
Tenochtitlan he had destroyed. It is to be regretted that he did not do
so, as the site is better adapted to a city; it admits of good drainage,
which the present one does not, and would undoubtedly be healthier.

[Illustration: AN AZTEC RELIC.]

"The present palace stands on the site of the one occupied by Montezuma.
Chapultepec was called the 'Hill of the Grasshopper' by the Aztecs, and
in their maps of the valley the hill is represented with a grasshopper
as large as itself perched on the top. We are wondering whether they
really had grasshoppers of that size. What a famine they would create if
they were as numerous as they are to-day in some parts of the West!

"What a magnificent place this must have been in the time of Montezuma,
according to the description in Prescott's History! Here was an aviary
that alone required 300 attendants, and there was a menagerie of
corresponding extent. Then the King had granaries of immense extent, to
guard against suffering in case of famine; and there were armories with
weapons sufficient for a military force of thousands. The halls of the
palace were spacious, and the royal dining-table was supplied with
delicacies of all kinds from every part of the dominions. Fresh fish
were provided daily by a line of couriers in the same way that they
were supplied to the Khan of Tartary in the days of Marco Polo, and also
to the royal table of Japan. According to the accounts, the runners made
the journey from the coast to the city in very nearly the same time that
it is now made by the railway.

"We were shown through the palace, which has large halls and galleries,
and is surrounded by terraces paved with marble and affording fine views
of the valley and mountains. Some of the halls and galleries are
elaborately ornamented, while others are quite plain; a portion of the
decorations ordered by Maximilian still remain, and others have been
covered or partly obliterated. The most interesting hall was the grand
saloon, where banquets are occasionally given. It is memorable for
having been the scene of Maximilian's 'Feast of Belshazzar,' as the
Mexicans call it--his grand banquet on his return from Orizaba, just
before he started for Queretaro, for capture, and for execution. Many of
the porcelain dishes marked with the imperial cipher were broken at this
banquet, and are kept as souvenirs by those who secured them. A friend
of ours in New York has one of them; it is part of a saucer, and was
given to him by a gentleman who was in Mexico shortly after the fall of
the Empire.

"The national military college is at Chapultepec, and adjoins the palace
building. We were told that it is conducted on a plan similar to that of
our military academy at West Point, and contained between three and four
hundred students. There was a military school here at the time of our
war with Mexico. The cadets enlisted for the defence of Chapultepec,
fought splendidly, and many of them were killed in the battle. A few
years ago a monument commemorating their gallantry was erected in the
garden on the side of the hill, and it should be visited in honor of the
brave youths who fell here.

"And this brings us to the incidents of the capture of Chapultepec.

"'Do you see that large building back of the grove?' said our guide,
pointing his finger in an easterly direction.

"We followed the direction with our eyes, and indicated that we saw it.

[Illustration: THE VALLEY OF MEXICO, FROM THE AMERICAN OFFICIAL MAP.]

"'Well,' said he, 'that is Molino del Rey, the King's Mill, and there's
where some of the hard fighting took place. Just beyond it is the Casa
Mata, and over there, and there, are the fields of Contreras and
Churubusco. From this point you can take in the whole range of General
Scott's battles in the valley that resulted in the fall of the city of
Mexico.'

"We studied the situations, and since then we've read up the history of
the battles, and will try to tell you something of them."

Frank and Fred kept their promise, and wrote an account which we are
permitted to give in their words:

[Illustration: VIEW OF THE FORT OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA FROM VERA CRUZ.]

"It will be remembered that before the battle of Buena Vista a part of
General Taylor's army was sent to join General Scott in his advance upon
the capital of the republic. General Scott proceeded to besiege Vera
Cruz and the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa, which protects it. The
fortress is a strong one, and the Mexicans were so confident of the
abilities of Vera Cruz to hold out against any force the Americans could
send against it that they left a garrison of only 5000 men, did not
provision the city against a siege, and neglected to send away the women
and children. The Americans besieged the city on the land side, the
whole army landing without accident or opposition. The siege began on
the 9th of March, 1847, and on the 26th of the same month the city and
castle surrendered.

[Illustration: BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO.]

"Then began the march towards the capital as soon as the provision
trains could be made ready. The Mexicans made no opposition until the
Americans reached the foot of the mountains, where the battle of Cerro
Gordo was fought on the 18th of April, the Mexicans being commanded by
General Santa Anna, and the Americans by General Twiggs. The Mexicans
were defeated with a loss of 1000 killed and wounded and 3000 prisoners,
including five generals and many other officers. General Santa Anna fled
from the battle-field on a baggage mule, and the Mexicans were very much
demoralized.

[Illustration: GENERAL SANTA ANNA.]

"Perote and Puebla were occupied soon after the victory of Cerro Gordo,
and then the army halted in its advance to wait for reinforcements which
were on their way from the United States. It was not until the beginning
of August that General Scott was ready to move towards the capital, and
when he gave the order it was with only 10,738 men to follow him.
Colonel Childs, with 1400 men, was left at Puebla, which was a very
important point on the road by which supplies were to be forwarded.

"Three days the army struggled up the eastern slope of the mountains
that surround the valley. When they looked down on the beautiful valley,
with its lakes glistening in the sun, the towers of the city rising in
the centre of the level expanse, the black fields of lava, the hills
rising here and there, the green expanse of cultivated land, and the
causeways covered with people, the soldiers gave a loud cheer, and in
spite of the fatigue of the ascent were ready to dash forward to battle.

"To oppose them General Santa Anna had assembled an army of three times
their number, and erected forts to guard every approach to the city.
After carefully surveying the ground, General Scott decided to advance
to the south of the lakes. If he had continued on by the National Road,
which leads from Mexico to Vera Cruz, he would have encountered the
fortress of El Peñon, on which fifty-one guns had been mounted. The
engineers said he would lose one-third his army in capturing the fort,
and hence his decision to go to the south of the lakes.

"General Worth's division advanced to San Augustin, nine miles from the
city, where there is a large field of lava known as the Pedregal, which
artillery or cavalry could not cross. The Mexicans had intrenched camps
at Contreras and also at San Antonio, and General Scott decided to
attack both these points at once. Generals Twiggs and Pillow were to
advance upon Contreras while General Worth moved towards San Antonio.

"During the night of the 19th of August it rained, and the men camped
without fires. Early in the morning of the 20th the order to march was
given. The Mexicans were taken a good deal by surprise. Contreras was
won by a sharp fight that did not last long, and the invaders pushed on
to San Angel, which was evacuated as they approached. Some of the
cannon taken by the Americans were those which were lost at Buena Vista,
and the men who lost them were the very ones who had the good-fortune to
make the capture.

[Illustration: BATTLE OF CHURUBUSCO.--CHARGE OF "THE PALMETTOS."]

"San Antonio was abandoned before the Americans reached it, but a stand
was made at Churubusco, farther on; this was attacked in front and rear
at the same time. Santa Anna considered it the key of the Mexican
position, and the place was defended by 30,000 men. They made a good
defence, and at one time it looked as though the assailants would be
repulsed. Some of the most gallant fighting of the day was performed by
a South Carolina regiment ('The Palmettos') in a charge upon a Mexican
force largely their superior in numbers and backed by a battery of
artillery.

"Churubusco and Contreras had fallen, and it would have been easy for
the Americans to advance and take possession of the city before the
Mexicans had recovered from their panic. Under injudicious advice,
General Scott offered an armistice, to enable negotiations for peace to
be made; it was promptly accepted and lasted a fortnight, but resulted
in nothing. When Santa Anna felt that he had repaired his damages, he
sent an insulting message to General Scott, and hostilities were
resumed.

[Illustration: STORMING OF MOLINO DEL REY.]

"Very early on the morning of September 8th the advance began, the
troops moving in the direction of the Casa Mata and the Molino del Rey.
The Molino was attacked by the artillery and afterwards by the infantry.
At one time the Americans recoiled under the shower of bullets and their
heavy loss in men and officers, but it was only for a moment. The Molino
was carried, the Mexican cavalry behind it was put to flight, and the
road was clear to Chapultepec, the home of the Montezumas and the
viceroys. For four days the army rested, and on the 12th the order to
advance was given.

[Illustration: GENERAL SCOTT'S ENTRANCE INTO MEXICO.]

"The cannonade against Chapultepec began at daybreak on the morning of
the 13th, and at eight o'clock General Quitman advanced along the Tacuba
road, and General Pillow from the Molino del Rey. The Mexicans fought
stubbornly, but the Americans pressed on, and while the garrison was
occupied in one direction an attack was made in another, and the
position was taken. When the Mexicans fell back to the city, General
Scott ordered the pursuit to be continued on both the roads leading from
Chapultepec to the city gates of Belem and San Cosme. Away went the
pursuers; and here, as stated elsewhere, they found great advantage
from the aqueducts. Springing from one archway to another, they managed
to dodge the Mexican bullets and get close to the gates. There they
adopted the plan of boring through the houses, as they had done at
Monterey, and in this manner by sunset they were practically, though not
literally, in possession.

[Illustration: CAPTURED AT CHAPULTEPEC.]

"This was the end of the fighting. At midnight a party of Mexican
officers came out with a flag of truce and proposed the surrender of the
city, and at the same time the remnant of the Mexican army marched out
of the northern gate and fled to Guadalupe Hidalgo. On the morning of
September 14th General Scott entered the city, and, surrounded by his
staff and principal officers, rode in triumph to the Grand Plaza through
the crowd of men that thronged the streets and scowled as they clutched
their knives and muttered threats against '_Los Yanqueis!_' He was
followed by six thousand men of his army; their uniforms were ragged and
soiled with mud, but their weapons were in ready condition for service,
which happily was no longer needed.

"Negotiations for peace were begun immediately, and on February 2, 1848,
the treaty was signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo. It was ratified in the
following May, and as soon as it could be done conveniently, Mexico was
evacuated by the American troops, and the two nations became friends
again. And we shall all hope that the friendship will never be broken.

"Commenting on the war with Mexico, General Grant said: 'For myself, I
was bitterly opposed to the measure [the annexation of Texas], and to
this day regard the war which resulted as one of the most unjust ever
waged by a stronger upon a weaker nation. It was an instance of a
republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not
considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.'"

[Illustration: A SCENE OF PEACE.]




CHAPTER XVI.

THE NOCHE TRISTE TREE.--A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CONQUEST OF
MEXICO.--DEPARTURE OF CORTEZ FROM CUBA.--HE LANDS IN YUCATAN.--FOUNDING
THE CITY OF VERA CRUZ.--DEFEATING THE TLASCALANS.--ENTRANCE TO
TENOCHTITLAN.--RECEPTION BY MONTEZUMA.--RETURN TO THE COAST.--EXPULSION
OF THE SPANIARDS.--BESIEGING THE CITY WITH THE AID OF THE
TLASCALANS.--CAPTURE OF THE CITY, AND DEATH OF GUATEMOZIN.--BEGINNING OF
THE RULE OF THE VICEROYS.--THE CHURCH OF GUADALUPE.--STORY OF THE
MIRACULOUS APPARITION.--RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL HOLIDAY.--PILGRIMAGE TO
GUADALUPE.--_PENITENTES_; THEIR SELF-INFLICTED TORTURES.


[Illustration: THE NOCHE TRISTE TREE.]

The tree of Montezuma and the traditions connected with it called the
attention of the youths to another famous tree of Mexico. It was the
_Arbol de la Noche Triste_, or tree of the mournful night.

When it was mentioned to Doctor Bronson the latter said:

"Before we go there I wish you to inform yourselves about the tree, so
that we can talk intelligently concerning its historical associations."

Frank and Fred promised to comply with his request; and in their case a
promise was equivalent to its performance.

A day was set for the excursion to Popotlan, where the tree stands. On
the morning of that day Frank said they were ready with their story; it
was presented to the Doctor at the breakfast-table, and pronounced
satisfactory. Here it is as it was read by Fred:

[Illustration: DEPARTURE OF CORTEZ FROM CUBA.]

"Those who have studied history carefully know that Cortez sailed from
Cuba to make the conquest of Mexico. He had a fleet of eleven vessels;
the largest of them was of one hundred tons, three were of seventy tons
each, and the rest were open barks. His whole force consisted of one
hundred and ten seamen, five hundred and fifty-three soldiers, two
hundred Indians, and a few Indian women for servants. His regular
soldiers consisted of sixteen horsemen, thirty musketeers, and
thirty-two cross-bowmen; all the rest of the soldiers were armed with
swords and spears. In addition to these he had fourteen pieces of
artillery, with an abundance of ammunition; and he had sixteen horses,
which were the first ever seen in America. This was the force with which
he started for the conquest of a people numbering millions, and ruled
by a king, with a large army equipped with spears and bows and arrows,
and protected by coats of mail of thick wadding.

[Illustration: THE FIRST MASS IN THE TEMPLES OF YUCATAN.]

"He landed first on Cozumel Island, near the coast of Yucatan, where he
proceeded to convert the natives to Christianity. He did it in a very
summary way: by calling on the natives to destroy their idols and
embrace the new religion. When they declined to do so, he set his
soldiers to breaking and overturning the idols and throwing them out of
the temples. Then he erected an altar, reared a cross and an image of
the Virgin, and ordered one of the priests who accompanied him to
celebrate mass, which was done in the presence of his kneeling
followers.

[Illustration: BATTLE WITH THE INDIANS.]

"From Yucatan he sailed for the coast of Mexico, which he reached at the
mouth of the Tabasco River. Here he landed, and after a fight with the
Indians, which was won chiefly by the terror inspired by his horses and
the sound of the guns, which the natives took for thunder, he occupied
Tabasco. Shortly afterwards he had another battle with a force which his
historians estimated at 40,000. This army he defeated, and he celebrated
mass on the battle-field in thanks for his triumph over the heathen.

"'Then,' writes Diaz, 'after dressing our wounds with the fat of the
Indians whom we found dead, and having placed good guards round our
post, we ate our supper and went to our repose.'

"Peace was arranged with the Indians on condition that they should
submit to the authority of Cortez, and accept the religion he brought
them. They had no alternative, and immediately became Christians. When
this was accomplished he continued along the coast of Mexico, and laid
the foundations of Vera Cruz. There he first heard of the Emperor
Montezuma, and the story of his great wealth determined Cortez to make
the conquest of Mexico."

"That was where he burned his ships," remarked Frank, as Fred paused for
a moment.

"Yes," answered Fred, "he burned his ships partly in order to make
retreat impossible, and partly that he might increase his force with the
110 seamen. He left a small garrison at Vera Cruz, and then advanced
towards the city. Taking part with the tribes who had been annoyed by
the tax-collectors of Montezuma, he secured their friendship. He
conquered the Tlascalans in four severe battles, and then induced them
to join him in a march upon Montezuma's capital, as they were not on
good terms with the Aztecs; but he could not prevail upon them to
renounce their religion and adopt Christianity.

[Illustration: FIRST VIEW OF THE MEXICAN CAPITAL.]

"He reached Tenochtitlan, Montezuma's capital, in November, 1518, with
6000 Indian allies, in addition to his force of Spaniards. Ambassadors
from Montezuma met him on the road, and he was welcomed with great
courtesy and ceremony. A palace was assigned to him, and he immediately
fortified it. While he was laying his plans for taking possession of the
country and its immense store of gold, he learned that his garrison at
Vera Cruz had been attacked and one of his soldiers killed; and not only
was the soldier killed, but his head was sent to Montezuma.

"The death of one soldier may not be thought a very serious matter,"
Fred remarked, by way of explanation, "but it was so for Cortez. Down to
that time the Mexicans supposed the Spaniards were supernatural beings;
they were the children of the sun, and therefore immortal, but the
receipt of the head of the slain soldier undeceived them.

[Illustration: THE MEETING OF CORTEZ AND MONTEZUMA.]

"He at once took Montezuma prisoner, and having captured the men who
attacked Vera Cruz, he burned them alive in the public square in front
of the palace. Montezuma took the oath of allegiance to the King of
Spain, and was set at liberty after paying an enormous amount of gold
and precious stones by way of ransom.

"Just as Cortez thought everything was quiet he learned that the
Governor of Cuba had sent an army under Narvaez to deprive him of the
command of the country. As the army was much larger than his own, the
situation was desperate; but Cortez was equal to it.

"He left 200 men in the city under charge of one of his officers, and
then hastened to the coast, where he defeated and killed Narvaez, and
added his men to his own forces. Thus the army of 900 men, with eighty
horses and twelve pieces of artillery, that had been sent to conquer
Cortez became really his reinforcement. He returned with them to Mexico,
where, meantime, the people had risen against the Spaniards, killed
Montezuma, and under their new emperor, Cuitlahua, driven the invaders
out of the city. If you want a brilliant account of the evacuation of
the city, you will find it in Prescott's History; it is too long to be
given here.

"There is a reminiscence of the terrible retreat," continued Fred,
"which is shown to every visitor to the city. It is the Salto de
Alvarado, or Alvarado's Leap, in the street which bears the name of that
warrior. They tell us that where the line of house-fronts is broken, and
shut off by an iron railing, was formerly a canal in the ancient city of
Tenochtitlan. This is said to be the exact spot where Alvarado leaped
across the canal, and saved himself from the death which overtook so
many of his comrades. He commanded the rear-guard, and was one of the
few who escaped. Bernal Diaz says the opening was so wide, and the sides
so high, that no man in the world could have jumped across, no matter
how strong might be his limbs."

"Now we are coming to the Noche Triste tree," remarked Frank.

"Yes," answered Fred. "Cortez is said to have sat all night under this
tree at the time of the evacuation, lamenting over his misfortunes and
laying plans for the future.

"Do you think it is really so?" Fred asked, turning to Doctor Bronson.

"The legend is a romantic one," the Doctor replied, "and I would not
care to disturb it; but if I read the character of Cortez correctly, he
was not the man to sit down and mourn under any circumstances. Quite
likely he stopped under the tree on that eventful night of July 1, 1520;
but it is more probable that he was planning what to do next instead of
wasting his time in vain lamentations. It is time to go now," said he,
glancing at his watch, "and we'll have the rest of the story at the foot
of the famous tree."

Fred folded his manuscript and consigned it to his pocket, and then the
trio, accompanied by their guide, proceeded to Popotla by the railway.
Taking a car at the west side of the Plaza Mayor, they reached Popotla
in little more than half an hour from the time of their departure. They
passed through Tacuba, which was anciently an important town, but is now
a suburb of the great city, with a population of between two and three
thousand.

The tree is a species of cedar, called _Ahuehuete_ by the Indians, and
_Sabino_ by the Spaniards. Down to a few years ago it was in fine
condition, but one night a fire was kindled against it and seriously
injured its trunk. Several of its limbs have since died and been
removed; and to prevent its utter destruction by relic-hunters, the tree
has been surrounded by an iron railing, and is carefully watched by a
policeman. Visitors may pick up any twigs lying outside the railing, but
they are forbidden to tear anything from the tree, however
insignificant.

After inspecting the tree, and commenting upon the fact that it was
certainly old enough for Cortez to have sat a whole night beneath it and
indulged in any amount of lamentation, our friends resumed the story of
the Conquest.

"During the retreat," continued Fred, "the rear-guard of the Spaniards
was destroyed; the retreat lasted for six days, and then a battle was
fought, on the 7th of July, 1520, on the plains of Otumba. Here Cortez
was victorious, but he was not strong enough to attempt to retake the
city.

"He went to Tlascala, where he assembled a large force of natives, and
again marched upon the capital. Meantime the Mexicans prepared for
defence, and the Emperor having died of small-pox, which the Spaniards
introduced, the throne was taken by Guatemozin, the son-in-law of
Montezuma. Guatemozin assembled a large army and fortified the
causeways, so that he believed the place impregnable; but he was not
equal to the warlike skill of the Spanish commander.

[Illustration: THE BATTLE UPON THE CAUSEWAY.]

"Cortez had again been 'reinforced' by the Governor of Cuba; the latter
had sent two ships to the aid of Narvaez, of whose fate he was ignorant,
and when these ships arrived at Vera Cruz they were seized, and the men
of the expedition were easily induced to join Cortez.

"Approach by land being so well guarded, Cortez decided to attack the
city by water. Timber for thirteen brigantines was prepared on the other
side of the mountains, and carried on the shoulders of 8000 Tlascalans
to the bank of a small stream flowing into one of the lakes. There the
boats were put together, and though the Mexicans made many attacks, they
were always defeated.

"Each boat carried a piece of artillery and twenty-five Spaniards, and
the fleet was sufficient to wipe the war-canoes of the Mexicans out of
existence. When all was ready the fleet moved to the attack, and at the
same time the land forces proceeded against the city along three of the
causeways.

[Illustration: THE CAPTURE OF GUATEMOZIN.]

"Altogether the siege of the city lasted seventy-seven days; it ended on
the 13th of August, 1521, and that day may be taken as the commencement
of the reign of the Spaniards in Mexico. Guatemozin attempted to escape
in a boat, but was captured and treated as a prisoner of distinction.
The Mexicans again endeavored to drive out their invaders, but were
unsuccessful, and Guatemozin was put to death under circumstances of
great cruelty. He was burned on a bed of coals by order of Cortez, along
with several of his nobles and leading men.

"And this ends our story of the conquest of Mexico," said Fred. "Those
who think it dry reading are at liberty to skip, but if they have read
thus far there will be no need of doing so."

"What became of Cortez after the Conquest?" Doctor Bronson asked.

"He was rewarded by the King with the appointment of Governor and
Captain-general of Mexico, and a marquisate with a large revenue. But
his success aroused jealousy, as it generally does, and while he was
busy with the conquest of the outlying provinces of Mexico his property
was seized, and his retainers were imprisoned. He returned to Spain in
consequence of this, was received with distinction, and returned to
Mexico for new enterprises, but he found himself under the orders of a
viceroy, who had been sent to rule over him.

"He went back to Spain once more, where, with great difficulty, he
obtained an audience with the King, and was very coldly received. He
soon dropped out of sight, and the closing years of his life were passed
in utter obscurity in Seville."

"Very much like the closing years of the life of Columbus," Frank
remarked.

[Illustration: PONCE DE LEON.]

"Yes," added the Doctor, "and you may continue the parallel further
among American discoverers and conquerors. Americus Vespucius, or
Amerigo Vespucci, died in poverty; Balboa and Sir Walter Raleigh were
beheaded; Pizarro was assassinated; Magellan was killed in battle; and
De Soto never lived to know the value of his discovery of the
Mississippi. Hendrick Hudson was forced into an open boat at sea by a
band of mutineers, and never heard of afterwards; and Captain John Smith
died in retirement after having passed some time in a French prison.
Ponce de Leon, who went to Florida to find the fabled fountain of youth,
was mortally wounded in a fight with the natives of that country, and
his followers were forced into a disastrous retreat."

Absorbed with the train of thought aroused by Doctor Bronson's remark,
the youths silently accompanied that gentleman on the return trip to the
city. Frank concluded that he would never lead an expedition for the
discovery of a new world, and Fred decided that he did not care to make
a name in history by the conquest of a country that had done him no
harm.

[Illustration: THE CHURCH OF GUADALUPE.]

In the afternoon they went to the hill which is notable for the church
bearing the name of "Our Lady of Guadalupe." It is about three miles
from the city, and in a direction opposite to that of Chapultepec. The
present road is comparatively modern, the old one having been given up
to the line of railway from the capital to Vera Cruz. The new road and
the old one are parallel; the former has fourteen shrines along the
way-side, where pilgrims to the church used to pause to say their
prayers, but the new one is not so well provided. The tram-cars run at
a rapid rate, the mules often dashing into a gallop, but coming suddenly
to a halt when the conductor blows his horn.

The youths inquired as to the origin of the church, which is the most
famous of all the places of worship in the country, and the object of
many a pilgrimage every year. The result of their inquiries was the
following story:

"The Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe stands on the spot where the
Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a poor shepherd, an Indian named
Juan Diego, in 1531, ten years after the capture of the city of
Tenochtitlan by Cortez. He lived in a mud hut near the base of the hill,
and one day, his father being ill, he went to obtain medicine for him,
and was stopped by the Virgin, who upbraided him for the slowness of the
Mexicans in accepting the religion which the conquerors offered them.
She announced that she was to be the patron saint of the Indians, and
told him to go and tell the bishop what he had seen and heard.

"He went to the house of Zumarraga, who was then Bishop of Mexico, but
was turned away unbelieved and almost unheard. The Virgin appeared to
him again, and told him to gather some roses from the top of the rock
and carry them in his blanket to the bishop. He did so, and when the
blanket was opened the picture of Mary was found to be painted upon it,
and surrounded by the imprint of the roses. The bishop was incredulous
at first, but when he reflected that the Indian could not paint, and was
too poor to employ an artist, he accepted the miracle, and it was soon
after adopted by the nation.

"It was not easy to identify the spot, and so the Virgin appeared again
and stamped her foot upon the ground. Immediately there burst forth a
spring which is said to possess wonderful healing properties, and it has
continued to flow ever since. A small chapel was immediately erected,
and soon afterwards the foundations of the church were laid. Pope
Clement VII. officially proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the
patron saint of Mexico, and the adoration of the picture spread
throughout the whole of America and also to Catholic Europe.

"At one time," said Frank, in his account of the visit, "the church of
Guadalupe was one of the richest in Mexico, second only to the great
cathedral; but the greater part of its treasure was taken by the Liberal
Government, and coined into money, at the time of the confiscation of
Church property. The golden frame of the picture of the Virgin was
carried away, but afterwards returned. The altar railing, of solid
silver, was not disturbed. Its value must be very great, as it is
massive, and the metal is said to be of the highest standard.

[Illustration: STATUETTE OF THE VIRGIN MARY.]

"The original painting is kept in an iron frame above the high altar,
and is shown only on rare occasions. By paying a fee to the sacristan we
obtained a view of it. The material on which the painting appears is of
a very coarse fabric, but the picture is distinct, and its colors seem
to be admirably preserved. Copies of the picture are to be seen
everywhere. Hardly a house in the country is without one of them, and
they are for sale in all shapes and kinds to suit the most economical
purse. Peddlers offer them to you on the streets, and no pious Mexican
would be without at least one image of the patron saint of his country.

[Illustration: MAKING A PILGRIMAGE COMFORTABLY.]

"Pilgrimage to this place is constantly going on, but the great and
especial day of the year is the 12th of December, the anniversary of the
miraculous appearance. On that day thousands of pilgrims are here from
all parts of Mexico and Central America, and at the conclusion of the
ceremonies there is an exhibition of fireworks in front of the church.
After this display the natives perform the _mitate_, one of their
ancient dances, in one of the halls attached to the church. The high
dignitaries of the church are present at the fireworks and also at the
dance. According to what we learned of it, the mitate has a resemblance
to some of the dances in the Hindoo temples of India. We are told that
the priests facilitated the adoption of the Catholic religion by
permitting the natives to retain some of their heathen customs, and the
mitate is one of them.

"In the War for Independence the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe was
borne on the banners of the insurgents, and their rallying cry was
'Guadalupe.' The priest Hidalgo, who originated the insurrection, was so
identified with the shrine and its use during the war that his name was
incorporated with it and given to the town which surrounds the church.
After the independence of the country was secured it was decreed that
December 12th should be kept as a national holiday, and consequently the
date is political as well as religious. The treaty of peace between the
United States and Mexico was signed here on February 2, 1848, and is
consequently known in history as the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo."

This is the church to which the Emperor Maximilian walked with bare feet
from the city, three miles away. He established a title and decoration
of the Order of Guadalupe, and during his brief reign it was conferred
upon distinguished and other persons who had rendered, or might render,
services to the empire or its ruler.

The mention of the devotional act of Maximilian in walking barefooted to
the church of Guadalupe reminded one of the youths of an account he had
read not long before of the way in which many of the pilgrims to the
shrine were accustomed to inflict self-torture in days gone by. They
lashed themselves and one another with whips, gashed their flesh with
knives, and in other ways personally injured themselves. Of late years
the practice has fallen into disuse, but occasionally a _Penitente_, as
he is called, may be seen punishing himself for some real or fancied
sin.

[Illustration: THE PENITENTES WALKING ON CACTUS-LEAVES.]

Doctor Bronson told the youths that in some parts of the country a
favorite act of the Penitentes is to walk over cactus-leaves, or to
crawl upon them on their bare knees. A cross is set up, in the yard of a
church and the ground in front of it is strewn with the thorny cactus.
On this dreadful pavement the Penitentes walk to the foot of the cross,
and believe that when they have accomplished the journey they have
expiated all the sins committed by them since the last ceremony of the
same kind was held. The Doctor said the priests had tried to abolish
this practice, which was established by the old Franciscan missionaries
about 200 years ago, but it has so strong a hold upon the Indians that
they refuse to give it up.

When the missionaries established the Order of Penitentes, their
principal dogma was that no sin could be forgiven without confession
and expiation. The society increased in numbers, and at length became
practically independent of the Church; it adopted several dogmas of its
own, one of them being the converse of the original, and to the effect
that no sin could be so great that it could not be washed away by
expiation. This new dogma gave the priests much trouble, especially
among the natives of New Mexico and the neighboring provinces of the
republic.

[Illustration: SAN FRANCISCAN MISSION.]




CHAPTER XVII.

AREA AND INHABITANTS OF MEXICO.--CHARACTER OF THE POPULATION.--INDIANS,
EUROPEANS, AND MESTIZOS; THEIR RESPECTIVE NUMBERS AND
CHARACTERISTICS.--INCLINATIONS OF THE MIXED RACES.--TENDENCIES OF
EDUCATED INDIANS.--PRESIDENT JUAREZ AS AN EXAMPLE.--HOW THE INDIANS
LIVE.--HOW THE SPANIARDS TOOK POSSESSION OF THE LAND.--CREOLES AND THEIR
ORIGIN.--THE MESTIZOS.--LEPEROS AND THEIR CHARACTER.--ADROIT
THIEVES.--PAWNING A CHURCH ORGAN.--THE LEPEROS AND THE BRIGANDS.--CHURCH
OF SAN DOMINGO.--SHORT HISTORY OF THE INQUISITION IN MEXICO.--THE
_AUTO-DA-FÉ_.


On the day following the visit to the church of Guadalupe Doctor Bronson
was occupied with some business matters that rendered his movements
somewhat uncertain. Frank and Fred thought it a good opportunity to make
some statistical notes about Mexico which they had been for some time
contemplating, but had postponed in consequence of there being no hurry
about the matter. The figures were at hand whenever they chose to use
them, and so they had no anxiety on the subject.

[Illustration: INDIAN OF NORTHERN MEXICO.]

"First," said Fred, "we will see the extent of the country, learn how
large the population is, and of what it is composed."

"Very well," was Frank's reply; "you may put down the figures and other
memoranda as I read them off."

The youths settled down to their work, Fred at table with note-book and
pencil, and Frank with an array of books before him. For an hour or two
their heads were, as Dr. Holmes says, "ant-hills of units and tens," as
we shall see from the following, which they have permitted us to copy:

"Mexico lies between the 15th and 33d parallels of latitude, and the
86th and 117th meridians of longitude. Its greatest length is only a
trifle less than 2000 miles, and its greatest width 750 miles. At the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec it narrows to 140 miles; and this is the place
where Captain Eads proposed to make a railway for transporting ships
from one ocean to the other. We'll have something to say about this
proposition in another place.

"We cannot find that there has ever been an exact survey of the country
or a careful census of the inhabitants. No two authorities agree
concerning the area and population; but an average of the best of them
shows that the country measures about 800,000 square miles, and has
10,500,000 inhabitants. It is divided into twenty-seven States, one
Territory, and one federal district; the federal district includes the
capital city, and may be regarded as the equivalent of the District of
Columbia in the United States, though it is much larger in area.

[Illustration: A MESTIZO WOMAN.]

"One-half the population consists of mestizos, or 'mixed people;'
one-sixth are Europeans or their creole descendants; and one-third and
more are of pure Indian blood. The following figures are from the last
census:

  Indians                                   3,200,000
  Europeans and their descendants           1,500,000
  Mestizos--mixed races                     5,800,000
                                           ----------
  Total                                    10,500,000

"Señor Garcia Cubas, a Mexican gentleman who has written a statistical
work about Mexico, published at the office of the Minister of Public
Works, says of the different races of people in the country: 'The
difference of dress, customs, and language shows the heterogeneous
character of the population.... The habits and customs of the people
that make up the creole portion of the population are essentially
European, and conform particularly to the fashions of the French, with
some features borrowed from the Spanish. Their national language is
Spanish; French is considerably used; and English, German, and Italian
are receiving increased attention. The nearest descendants of the
Spanish, and those less mixed up with the natives of Mexico, belong by
their complexion to the white race. The natural inclination of the mixed
races to the habits and customs of the whites and creoles, as well as
their estrangement from those of the natives, is the reason that many of
them figure in the most important associations of the country, by their
learning and intelligence, including in this number the worthy members
of the middle classes. From this powerful coalition the force of an
energetic development naturally results, which is inimical to the Indian
race. Many of the natives themselves contribute to this fatal
consequence, as they have joined the body I have referred to, and
founded new families with the habits and customs of the upper classes.'"

"President Juarez may be cited as an example of the pure Indian of
Mexico," Fred remarked, "who leaves behind him the traditions and
customs of his race, and adopts those of the enlightened classes."

"I presume so," replied Frank, "and every Indian who has adopted the
dress and ways of the European, and identified himself with the
nineteenth century habits of thought, is helping to assimilate the
aboriginal race with the new one. In this way the population will in
time become essentially European, but it will take hundreds of years to
bring about such a state of things. Railways, commerce, education, and
liberal ideas will accomplish it; and the Mexico of the twentieth
century promises to be a great improvement upon that of the eighteenth.
There is now no political distinction on account of race, and the social
one cannot last much longer."

Having given utterance to this sage remark, Frank blushed at his
audacity in hazarding a prophecy, and referred again to the books before
him.

"Wouldn't it be well," said Fred, "to say something about the natives,
and compare them with the Indians of the Western States and Territories
of our own country?"

"It certainly would," responded Frank, "and so here goes:

[Illustration: INDIAN GIRL SPINNING COTTON.]

"The Mexican Indian is not much unlike the American one in general
appearance, as he is of a brown or olive color, and has little or no
beard. His cheek-bones are high, and he has slender limbs and a broad
chest. Owing to his having been so long accustomed to carrying burdens
on his back, he is inclined to stoop, while the American Indian stands
erect. The Mexican Indian is also liable to stoutness, while the
American one is not. His dress is pretty much the same in all parts of
the country, varied, of course, by the conditions of the climate. Short
and wide trousers of coarse cotton cloth, a loose jacket of the same
material, a serape or blanket for cool weather or at night, a straw
hat, and a pair of sandals form his costume. The different tribes are
distinguished by the colors of the clothing, but this distinction is
slowly being effaced."

"Now a few words about the creoles," suggested Fred.

[Illustration: PEDDLER OF WOODEN TRAYS.]

"But I have not done with the Indians yet," replied Frank, "as this is a
good place to say something about their houses. We have mentioned them
in another place, but I want to add that in the hot country the Indian
dwelling is made of wood, thatched with palm or banana leaves, while in
the uplands it is of adobe, with a flat roof covered with clay supported
by beams and stamped or beaten hard. A fire is generally kept burning
day and night, and near it are the cooking utensils, which cost
altogether only a few dollars at most. The hut has no furniture except a
few stools and some mats of cane or rushes, which serve as beds at night
and seats by day. A whole family lives in a space which we should
consider small for one person and altogether too restricted for two.

"When the Spaniards conquered the country they took possession of the
lands and everything else; they allowed the Indians only sufficient
space for their villages, and a plot of ground 3600 feet square for
agricultural purposes, which all the inhabitants of a village were to
cultivate in common. They still have this common garden, but the
majority of them abandon their rights in it, and earn their living by
hiring out with land-owners or miners. In former times a Spaniard spoke
of himself as _gente de razon_, or man of intelligence, while he
designated the Indian as _gente sin razon_, a man of no understanding.
The Indians accepted this distinction, and often speak of themselves in
this way. Of course this is not the case with the superior ones, who
have adopted the European ways of living.

[Illustration: CHARCOAL VENDER.]

"Now I come to the creoles," said Frank, "who are either Europeans or
people of European parentage. They were formerly the ruling class of
Mexico in every sense of the expression, but since the Revolution and
the Laws of the Reform their position is changed, as they are compelled
to recognize the equality of the educated Indian, which in olden times
they absolutely refused to do. When Juarez, who, as already stated, was
an Indian of pure blood, became President it was a great shock to the
sensibilities of many of the old aristocrats, but they survived it
because they were compelled to do so. The hostility has generally died
out, but a good deal of it lingers and will remain for many
generations."

[Illustration: OF THE OLD ARISTOCRACY.]

"I am reminded," said Fred, "of a transaction which is attributed to the
Pilgrim Fathers of New England when they landed at what is now
Plymouth."

"What is that?"

"They are said to have held a meeting, and passed the following preamble
and resolution:

"'_Whereas_, it has been decreed that the saints shall inherit the
earth;

"'It is therefore _Resolved_, that we are the saints.'"

"The Spanish conquerors of Mexico evidently did not think it worth
while to pass any resolutions or hold any meetings," answered Frank,
with a laugh. "They went ahead and inherited the earth without bothering
themselves about formalities. The Indians were considered to have no
rights that the white men were required to respect, and were made to
understand that it was owing to the great mercy and tenderness of the
Spaniards that the natives were not slaughtered down to the last of the
race. And there is little doubt that they would have been slaughtered
had they not been needed for menial work and to make life easy for the
newcomers.

[Illustration: A CREOLE RESIDENCE.]

"As before stated, the creoles have the manners, customs, and dress of
Spain to a large extent, though they follow the fashions of France in
several particulars. The account of a Mexican courtship shows how the
women are secluded, as in Spain. The men have the Spanish taste for
gaming, bull-fights, and gallantry, and they have lost little of the
polite forms for which Andalusia is famous. Where their means permit
they are princely in their hospitality, and no grandee of Castile could
stab his intimate friend with a stiletto more gracefully than can the
Mexican creole in case of a misunderstanding. That the creole women are
pretty and possessed of most fascinating manners is the testimony of all
who have seen them.

"In regard to the mestizos," said Frank, "I will quote a few words from
'Mexico and the Mexicans,' and let you write them down."

Fred assented, whereupon Frank slowly read out the following:

"The noblest of the Aztecs fell in battle with the Spaniards. Their
property fell into the hands of the victors, who at the same time became
possessed of the families of those who had fallen. The rude warriors
married the dusky daughters, who became their equals by baptism. It was
not considered a _mésalliance_ to marry a noble Aztec girl. The sons of
Montezuma, who were educated in Spain, received the title of count. The
Indian aristocracy adopted Christianity, and became amalgamated with the
new population.

[Illustration: GROUP OF MEXICAN HORSEMEN.]

"The mestizo is thus the child of a white father and an Indian mother.
He is a magnificent horseman; one might take him for an Arab as, lance
in hand, he rushes past upon his light steed. In the warmer regions he
wears, on Sundays, a carefully plaited white shirt, wide trousers of
white or colored drilling, fastened round the hips by a gay girdle,
brown leather gaiters, and broad felt hat, with silver cord or fur band
around it. The mestizos include the great majority of the _rancheros_,
or farmers, and the _arrieros_, or mule-drivers; many of them are
educated, and take a leading part in law, politics, and medicine, where
they often attain high rank. They are excellent soldiers, especially on
horseback, and it is this class of Mexicans that have given the Mexican
cavalry its high reputation."

"How about the leperos?" queried Fred. "Don't they belong among the
mestizos?"

"Yes," was the reply, "that is what the books I am looking at say of
them. They come from the union of the worst of the two races, and are
said to possess the vices of both with the good qualities of neither.
They are the class from which the thieves and beggars of Mexico are
recruited. One writer says, 'A lepero is a thief from infancy, and is
able to steal as soon as he leaves his mother's arms.' The Chief of
Police says that nine out of ten of the men and boys selling lottery
tickets or newspapers on the streets are thieves and pickpockets, and
their legitimate business is simply a cloak for the illegal one.

"Another authority says that on the line of the Mexican Railway from
Vera Cruz to the capital nothing that two men can lift is left
out-of-doors after dark. All car-couplings must be carried into the
stations; and the rascals used to steal the spikes that held the rails
to the ties until the company adopted the plan of riveting them to the
rails after they were driven into place.

"Brantz Meyer tells about an Englishman who was walking along one of the
principal streets of Mexico, when he suddenly felt his hat rising from
his head. He looked up and saw it sailing towards the window from which
the thief had caught it by the dexterous use of a hook.

"Another story that he tells is about a Mexican who was stopped on the
road by three others, who robbed him of his cloak. They told him to wait
where he was and he would be able to make something by doing so; out of
curiosity he waited, and in a little while an accomplice of the thieves
came and handed him a pawn ticket. He accompanied the gift with a
graceful bow, and explained that the cloak had been pawned for thirty
dollars. 'We wanted the money and not the cloak,' the thief explained,
'and as the garment is worth at least a hundred dollars, you can redeem
it and make seventy dollars by the transaction.'

"There was once a lepero who pretended to be converted by the preaching
and teaching of a missionary, and the good man gave him employment as
janitor of the church. One day an organ was delivered at the church, and
the missionary appointed a time when it should be exhibited to his
friends. The party assembled accordingly, and the missionary was
surprised to find that the janitor was absent. He was still more
surprised when he found that the organ had followed the janitor's
example and was missing. The janitor had carried it away during the
night to a neighboring empeño, and pawned the instrument for whatever he
could obtain on it."

[Illustration: A SOCIETY BELLE.]

We may add to Frank's account of this gentry that the brigands were of
the lepero class, though very often they had leaders of a higher rank in
life. The Government has executed a good many of them in its efforts to
break up the system of highway robbery, and altogether the natural
instincts of the leperos have been greatly curbed in recent years. They
are almost always armed with either knife or pistol, and make ready use
of these weapons on frequent occasions. At nearly every festival or
assemblage of any kind, fights among leperos form a part of the
proceedings. It is not customary to interfere between the combatants,
the bystanders forming a circle and looking calmly on until one of them
falls.

[Illustration: A MEXICAN GRANDEE.]

Fred laid aside his pencil and note-book, while Frank closed the volumes
he had consulted. This done, the youths went out for a stroll, intending
to submit the result of their labors to the Doctor when next they met
him.

[Illustration: A SERMON IN THE CHURCH.]

Their walk took them to the Church of San Domingo, which was once a
magnificent building, but has suffered greatly in its proportions and
decorations in recent years. It was the church of the Dominican order of
priesthood, and had a large convent near it. The convent, or more
properly monastery, has been destroyed, and the church has lost some of
its parts by reason of the extension of streets which were needed for
the business of the city.

[Illustration: CHURCH OF SAN DOMINGO.]

Close to the church is the School of Medicine, which is partly supported
by Government and partly by fees received from the students. The
building was interesting to Frank and Fred because it was once the
tribunal of the Inquisition, which was established in Mexico in 1571,
and suppressed in 1813. Immediately after the suppression of the
Inquisition the building was converted into a prison; afterwards it was
the office of the Government lotteries, and then a barrack for soldiers.
The Mexican Congress met here for a time; and in 1854 the building was
adapted to its present use as a School of Medicine.

One day the youths accompanied Doctor Bronson in a visit to the school,
and while he was busy with medical matters they accompanied their guide
in looking up the few traces that remain of the Inquisition. Some of the
cells where prisoners were confined were shown to them, and also the
room where they were tried. After their return from the inspection the
youths tried to obtain a full history of the Inquisition, but were
unsuccessful. Doctor Bronson told them that no satisfactory and
impartial history of it had ever been written, all the works that have
appeared on the subject being either very hostile or very friendly.

"Briefly we may say," added the Doctor, "that the Inquisition was
formally established in the thirteenth century, and came to an end in
the first part of the nineteenth; but trials and punishment for heresy
had taken place as early as the fourth century. The Inquisition was more
powerful in Spain than in any other country of Europe; and it never had
any hold of consequence outside of Spain, Italy, and France, and the
colonies of Spain. One historian (Llorente) says that during the whole
period of the Spanish Inquisition--from 1483 to 1808--31,912 persons
were burned alive, 17,659 were burned in effigy, and 291,456 were
subjected to rigorous pains and penalties. The accuracy of his
statements is doubted, Prescott considering them greatly exaggerated and
his figures most improbable; and other writers share Prescott's opinion.

"The decree by which the Inquisition was established in Mexico
especially exempted the Indians from its operations, and thereby secured
its popularity among them, as the public burning of Spanish and other
heretics afforded much amusement to the natives, and was a sort of
substitute for the human sacrifices of the Aztecs, which the Conquest
had abolished. The Mexican Inquisition was under the special charge of
the Dominican order, the same as in Spain, and hence was associated with
the Church of San Domingo.

"There is," continued the Doctor, "a popular misapprehension concerning
the _auto-da-fé_, or profession of faith. It is generally believed to be
the burning of the condemned, whereas the _auto-da-fé_ was simply the
public ceremony that followed the secret trial by the Inquisition. The
members of the tribunal, and all others assembled with them, made a
public _auto-da-fé_, or profession of their faith in Christianity and
the doctrines of the Church. After this was done the list of the
condemned was read, together with the punishments accorded to them, and
then the victims were handed over to the civil authorities for
punishment. The trial and sentence were the work of the Church, but the
punishment was that of the civil power only.

"The first _auto-da-fé_ in Mexico was in 1574, when 'twenty-one
pestilent Lutherans' were burned, and from that time on the public
burnings were frequent. How many people perished in these affairs is not
known; but it must not be understood that all the victims who suffered
were burned alive. In most instances, even where the body of the
condemned man was burned, he was killed by strangling; thus in one case
where fifteen persons perished, fourteen were first strangled, and only
one was burned alive. The penalty of death by burning was visited only
upon heretics and sorcerers.

"And here," added the Doctor, "is a photograph of four victims of the
Inquisition, whose skeletons were found in the wall of the building
which was the seat of the tribunal in Mexico. They are supposed to have
been built into the wall at the time of its construction, but nothing is
actually known concerning them.

[Illustration: TORTURE CHAMBER.]

"The trials of accused persons were always held in secret; the
unfortunates were not permitted to see their accusers, or even know
their names. The punishments were death by fire or on the scaffold,
imprisonment for life or shorter terms, with or without hard labor,
forfeiture of property, civil infamy, and in mild cases public
retraction and penance. Accused persons might be tortured to make them
confess their guilt, and an accomplice might be a witness against an
accused individual."

"What a horrible system!" exclaimed Frank.

"Yes," replied the Doctor, "but you must remember that it was very
nearly the same form of procedure as that of the civil tribunals of the
same countries and times, and not unlike what is known in some parts of
the world at the present day. And, furthermore, remember that while the
Inquisitors of Spain and Mexico were doing the deeds which have been
proven against them, persecution was by no means unknown in England and
America. Perhaps at the very hour when a victim of the Inquisition was
being put to death in Mexico, the Christian people of Salem,
Massachusetts, were hanging somebody accused of being a witch, or the
English Puritans, under Cromwell, were putting Charles I. to death!"

[Illustration: PRISONERS OF THE INQUISITION.]




CHAPTER XVIII.

ASCENT OF POPOCATEPETL.--"THE WHITE WOMAN."--GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF
THE VOLCANO.--FIRST ASCENT BY WHITE MEN.--AMECAMECA.--HIRING HORSES AND
BUYING PROVISIONS.--EQUIPMENT FOR THE EXCURSION.--DANGER OF
ROBBERS.--PEONS AND VOLCANEROS.--FIELDS OF BARLEY AND FORESTS OF
PINE.--AN INDIAN TRADITION.--FATE OF THE GIANT AND GIANTESS.--ICE FROM
POPOCATEPETL FOR THE CITY OF MEXICO.--SULPHUR FROM THE CRATER.--SLEEPING
AT TLAMACAS.--ARRIVAL AT LA CRUZ.--THE ASCENT ON FOOT.--DIFFICULTIES OF
CLIMBING IN THE RAREFIED AIR.--THE PICO DEL FRAILE.--CAUGHT IN A CLOUD.


[Illustration: A RESIDENCE IN THE FOOT-HILLS.]

It was the most natural thing in the world that the daily view of the
snow-covered mountains, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, roused in the
youths a desire to ascend to the top of the former. Doctor Bronson was
not ambitious to undertake the expedition, but he encouraged the youths
in their desire, and arranged to accompany them as far as the foot of
the cone, where the saddle-horses are left. Frank was appointed the
historian of the affair, and performed his work in a manner that
secured the hearty commendation of the Doctor. Our readers may judge for
themselves of the young man's literary abilities; we have not changed a
line or a word of his account, which was as follows:

"Popocatepetl means 'The Mountain that Smokes,' and Iztaccihuatl is _La
Mujer Blanca_, or 'The White Woman.' The name of the great volcano is
generally shortened to 'Popo' or 'Old Popo,' and for the sake of saving
time and space I shall follow the fashion occasionally, and not give the
name in full.

[Illustration: THE VALLEY OF AMECAMECA.]

"The name of 'The White Woman' comes from the resemblance of the top of
the ridge to the body of a woman lying upon a bier and covered with a
shroud. The face is quite perfect, but the rest of the figure requires
considerable aid from the imagination. Old Popo is not altogether a
smoking mountain, as there are times when no smoke comes from it, though
it constantly throws out fumes of sulphur; in one sense it may be called
an active volcano, while in another it should not be so designated.
According to the historians, it was quite lively during the first years
of the Conquest, but for a very long time it has been peaceful enough,
and only at rare intervals shows any signs of a return to business
activity.

[Illustration: IZTACCIHUATL, THE WHITE WOMAN.]

"Geographically it is forty-five miles from the city of Mexico in a
south-southeasterly direction; it is in latitude 19° north and longitude
98° 30' west, and according to the measurements of Humboldt and others,
it is 17,540 feet high. The latest Mexican atlas makes it 17,884 feet;
General Ochoa, the owner of the crater, says it is 19,673 feet, and
still another measurement gives the height of the summit at 21,373 feet.
You may take your choice of these figures.

"Popocatepetl was first ascended in 1522 by Francisco Montano, who was
lowered 450 feet into one of the craters by means of ropes. He did not
succeed in reaching the summit, nor did several other explorers who made
the attempt during the time of Cortez.

"It used to be a much more tedious journey to the summit of Popo, as it
was necessary to go on horseback about sixty miles from the city of
Mexico, and the expedition required a large outlay for horses, guides,
and escort, and consumed from ten to fifteen days. Now the railway is a
great help in the matter, and we utilized it to the utmost. Before the
railway was opened, the journey to Amecameca was made by diligence.

"Two American gentlemen, Colonel Watson and Mr. Arms, both of New York,
were stopping at the hotel with us, and on learning that we wished to
visit Popocatepetl, they invited us to join them. Of course we accepted
at once, and Colonel Watson offered to make all the arrangements about
horses and guides. His first step was to obtain a letter of introduction
from General Ochoa, who owns the crater of the volcano and carries on an
extensive business of mining for sulphur; the letter was addressed to
his agent and major-domo at Amecameca, Don Domingo Zela, and asked him
to facilitate the movements of the party in any way in his power, and
allow us to sleep in his _rancho_ at Tlamacas.

"Colonel Watson went to Amecameca one morning accompanied by Fred, who
was to act as interpreter, as the colonel was a little rusty in his
Spanish. Doctor Bronson, Mr. Arms, and I followed the next day, and the
colonel had everything ready for us on our arrival. We went by the
Morelos Railway, starting from the station of San Lazero at 7.30 in the
morning, and reaching Amecameca in about two hours. The distance is
fifty-eight kilometres, or thirty-six miles.

"The town is of goodly size, and has a prosperous appearance. It was
once the resort of robbers, who occasionally dashed out upon the roads
in the direction of the city, and after plundering everybody who came in
their way they retired as speedily as they came. The people of the town
screened them whenever they were pursued by the military, and some very
vigorous action was necessary before the business was broken up. Most of
the three thousand inhabitants are Indians, and since the advent of the
railway and the consequent increase in the number of visitors they show
a laudable ambition to make the most that they can out of the strangers
who come within their reach.

"Through the aid of Don Domingo Zela, Colonel Watson had secured a
sufficient number of horses and mules to give everybody a good mount,
and also for the transportation of the baggage. He had engaged some
_volcaneros_, or mountaineers, men whose ordinary occupation is the
transportation of sulphur from the mines in the crater; they know every
inch of the way, and are accustomed to all the peculiarities of the
mountain. Nobody should attempt to ascend Popocatepetl without a
sufficient number of volcaneros; one to each traveller is none too many.

"Then there were several peons, or general servants, and there were
arrieros to look after the animals and see that none of them were lost.
Altogether we made quite a cavalcade, and must have presented an
imposing appearance to the crowd that assembled to see us off.

"It did not take long to pack our baggage on the mules; we did not have
a large quantity, and, moreover, it was in bags or bundles suitable for
the pack-saddle. It included heavy blankets for keeping us warm at
Tlamacas--where we were to spend two nights close to the
snow-line--heavy overcoats, canned meats and other provisions, and our
travelling-bags containing the little odds and ends that one wishes for
his own use. We were told that we could get most of the things we needed
at Amecameca, but it might happen that the usual supply-shop would be
'out' just then, and we had better make sure by procuring in the city
the things that we wanted. Then we had goggles to protect our eyes from
the glare of the sun on the snow, thick mittens and mufflers to keep out
the cold from hands and faces, and heavy woollen stockings to put over
our boots to prevent slipping on the ice.

"The boots that we wore were not our ordinary ones, but heavy affairs
specially made for the purpose, and having sharp nails in the soles to
give us a good grip on the ice. We did not put them on until reaching
the snow-line, and when we came back we gave them to the volcaneros as
souvenirs of our visit. If the fellows were sharp they probably sold the
boots at a good price to the first party of tourists who happened along
without this sort of an equipment.

[Illustration: ALONG THE TRAIL.]

"There was some difficulty in getting away, as Colonel Watson's horse
insisted upon having a private dance just to show off his ability, and
as the dance took place in the midst of the other horses, it made a
disturbance until we could get out of the way. The example became
contagious, and very soon some of the other horses joined in the dance,
but we managed to quiet them all down without accident.

"We had been warned in the city that robbers occasionally interfered
with visitors between Amecameca and Tlamacas, and if we could procure an
escort it would be a wise precaution, and possibly save us from plunder
or a fight. Colonel Watson brought a letter to the commander of the
_Rurales_, or Rural Guards, at Amecameca, and that gentleman kindly gave
us an escort of four men to accompany us to Tlamacas and back, waiting
there while we were making the ascent of the mountain. Quite possibly
these fellows had been brigands, and may have carried on business in
this very place, but this was no affair of ours. They served us
faithfully, and we were not interfered with in any way.

[Illustration: DWARF PINES AT A HIGH ELEVATION.]

"That robberies have been committed, and murder too, was evident from
the great number of crosses along the road. There is said to have been a
time when a man known to have five dollars, or even one dollar, in his
pocket was not safe along this route. There were men who were ready to
commit murder for a trifling amount; anybody who wanted to be rid of the
presence of another had only to mention it to one of this gentry, and
accompany the mention with a suggestion that it would be worth five or
ten dollars to have the obnoxious individual disappear. In a day or two
he would be found dead by the way-side; a slight stir would be made by
the police, but if no reward was offered for the murderer the affair was
soon forgotten.

"At any rate, that is what the chief volcanero, who acted as our guide,
told us, when we asked him about the crosses. But before we go out of
Amecameca, or Ameca, as it is often called, let me say that it is a very
pretty place, and reminded us of Interlachen or Meiringen, in
Switzerland. It is 8000 feet above the level of the sea, lies in a sort
of valley, and has an abundant supply of water, which rolls down from
the mountain and sparkles in numerous rivulets that flow through every
street. The water serves to keep the streets clean, and the clean
streets seem to have impelled the inhabitants to keep their houses in
presentable condition; the walls are white or in bright colors, and
altogether Amecameca is one of the most attractive little towns we have
seen since we crossed the Rio Grande.

[Illustration: THE DOME OF POPOCATEPETL FROM TLAMACAS.]

"There was a crowd of people in the Plaza Mayor, and in the
market-place, and the people seemed to move around more actively than in
the capital. Perhaps it was the greater purity of the air, though one
might think that its increased rarity would have an enervating effect.
Anyhow, it was cooler at Ameca than in the city, and that may have been
the cause of it. Many persons predict that this little town at the foot
of the great mountain will be a fashionable resort at no distant day, as
it certainly has many attractive features.

"We had a ride of fifteen miles to the rancho of Tlamacas, where we were
to spend the night. The pack-mules went off in advance, while we sat
down to a good breakfast which the colonel had ordered in the Hotel
Ferrocarril. Then we mounted our horses, and after the dance I have
mentioned we got away.

"Our road led among fields of barley, the lines between them being shown
by hedges of maguey or other members of the cactus family, and now and
then by rows of poplar and willow trees. The way ascended with more or
less steadiness, and after a time we passed from the cultivated ground
into forests of pine and other mountain trees. Some parts of the lower
hills were devoted to pastures, and the cattle in them were in good
condition. They are nourished upon a rich bunch-grass that grows here;
and scattered about here and there we saw a good many thistles, together
with beds of mountain flowers. We passed a few haciendas, the last being
that of Tomacoco, where there is a church very much in ruins.

[Illustration: MEXICAN SAW-MILL.]

"The pine forest begins after we leave the plain, and as we go up among
the hills the pines are reduced in size, as they always are on the sides
of high mountains. Our horses have hard work to scramble up the steep
path, but they are evidently accustomed to it and toil on bravely. The
guide warns us to be very careful in case we dismount, as the horses
have a trick of snatching their bridles out of one's hands and starting
down the mountain at the best speed they can make. Fred's horse tried
this and succeeded, but he didn't go far, as he was caught by one of the
soldiers, who happened to be in the rear, where the path was narrow.

[Illustration: HACIENDA OF TOMACOCO.]

"Do not suppose that the trees were small; some of them were two feet
and more in diameter and seventy or eighty feet high, and the air was
full of the sweet resinous odor for which a pine forest is famous and
that is so welcome to most nostrils. For one, I do not know a more
charming perfume than that of a forest of pines; and Fred agrees with me
in this. It was difficult to realize that we were in Mexico. Had I been
brought here blindfolded, and then asked to guess where we were, I
should have named New England, Wisconsin, or California long before
thinking of the land of the Aztecs. We passed several saw-mills of the
most primitive character. They were operated by two men, one standing
above the log and the other below it, and alternately pushing and
pulling the saw. The cutting was done by the downward stroke of the
saw, as in the ordinary saw-mills of the Eastern States.

[Illustration: VOLCANEROS (MINERS).]

"Higher and higher seemed the great mountain as we slowly zigzagged in
his direction. Sometimes he was hidden from our view by the trees or the
shape of the hills, and again he came suddenly before us and seemed to
signal us to persevere. Up and up we went; and when we reached Tlamacas
we were 13,000 feet above the sea, or more than 4000 feet above the town
whence we set out in the forenoon.

"Our guide told us that there is a tradition among the Indians that Old
Popo and the White Woman were once living beings. They were a giant and
giantess, and for some disobedience of the gods they were changed into
mountains. The giantess was struck dead, and that is why she lies
stretched out on her bier and covered with a white robe; Old Popo was
the giant, and he was merely rooted to the spot where he stood. He shows
his grief by occasionally shedding tears of lava, which rolls down in
great floods, and in the sobbing and sighing that form a part of his
weeping he breathes huge volumes of smoke. Sometimes his grief is so
great that he shakes in agony, and then the whole earth is moved.
Evidently he doesn't feel as badly now as he used to, as he has behaved
very well for three centuries and more.

"It was lucky we brought a supply of bedding and provisions, for there
was absolutely nothing at Tlamacas except some huts of rough boards and
stone. The rancho stands in a valley, and we descended quite a little
distance before reaching it; this descent seemed to us a waste of labor,
as we would be obliged to make up for it by another ascent.

"Several times during the day we met donkeys and mules laden with ice
and sulphur, the two commodities which are produced by the great
mountain. Ice is cut from the places where it accumulates. The city of
Mexico has long been supplied from here, just as the cities at the base
of Mount Etna are supplied from that famous volcano. It is packed upon
mules or donkeys and carried to the railway or to the canal at Chalco,
whence it is brought to its destination. The sulphur is taken from the
crater, as we shall presently see, brought as far as the snow-line on
the backs of men, or slid down the steep side of the mountain; and from
there it goes to the railway on the backs of beasts of burden.

"Ice-machines in the city have somewhat interfered with the business of
the Indians who bring ice from the mountain, and may possibly break it
up altogether. The ice is like that from glaciers all the world over,
and resembles snow more than it does the product of the New England
lakes and rivers in the winter season. It is sold in the city as _nieve_
(snow), and the boys who peddle ice-cream in the capital call out,
'_Nieve! tome nieve_!' as they go about with their wares.

"We managed to sleep fairly well in the huts at Tlamacas, and were tired
enough to go to rest very early. From our supply of canned provisions we
made up an excellent supper, and there was a material addition to it in
the shape of some fresh chickens, which one of our muleteers had brought
along just as a speculation. He argued to himself that we would be glad
to buy chickens in addition to the stock of food we had on hand, and so
we were. We gladly paid him double what the chickens would have cost at
Amecameca. Mr. Arms suggested that possibly the chickens had cost the
man nothing, as they were probably taken from a chicken-house during the
night while the legitimate owner was slumbering.

[Illustration: IN THE PINE REGION.]

"The thermometer went down to forty-two degrees during the night, and
when we started in the morning it was forty-seven degrees. The volcanero
was to call us at five o'clock; and for fear he would not be around at
that hour, Colonel Watson set an alarm clock, which he had stowed away
in his hand-bag. The clock fired itself off at five and waked everybody,
the volcanero included.

[Illustration: EL PICO DEL FRAILE.]

"We shivered in the sharp air of the morning while taking coffee and
biscuits for an early breakfast, and were mounted and off before six
o'clock. Between us and the volcano there was a strip of pines and then
a stretch of black volcanic sand up to the snow-line. It was a hard
struggle for our poor horses, and Fred and I wished to dismount and
spare them the exertion; but the guide warned us to save all our
strength for the climb that we would be compelled to make on foot, so we
stuck to our saddles in spite of our sympathy for the suffering brutes.

"We had a magnificent view as we ascended, and Doctor Bronson, who went
no farther than the snow-line, said he was amply paid for his fatigue,
even though he was obliged to forego the view from the top. We looked
down into the Valley of Puebla, we studied the landscape as though it
were an out-spread map, and we watched the sunlight playing on the hills
and on the great cone that dazzled before us. Many times Fred and I were
reminded of our ascent of Fusiyama, but we found the scene far more
grand and extensive. The summit of Fusiyama is nearly four thousand feet
lower than that of Old Popo, and it can be readily understood that the
monarch of Mexico far surpasses that of Japan in grandeur. Fusiyama,
too, does not exhibit any valleys like those of Mexico and Puebla, deep
set in the encircling mountains, and gemmed with lakes that flash in the
clear sunlight. And, furthermore, it has no towering peak like that of
Orizaba to pierce the horizon, and no masses of mountains at nearly all
the points of compass to suggest that the earth was once a raging sea
that had suddenly become petrified.

"We reached the side of a deep barranca, and descended to where a stream
dashed along a rocky bed. Then we slowly climbed the other side of the
barranca, and a little way above it we came to the limit of the trees.
They did not dwindle to tiny dwarfs a foot or so in height, as we often
find them on mountains, but stopped all at once while yet of respectable
size, though much smaller than when we first entered the pine forest.
Beyond the barranca we entered the worst of the volcanic sand, and our
horses stopped repeatedly to take breath as they waded through it.

"In about two hours after leaving Tlamacas we came to a rocky ridge on
which was a cross.

"'This is La Cruz,' said our guide, 'and here you must leave your
horses. They can go no farther.'

"We dismounted. According to Humboldt's figures, we were 15,000 feet
above the level of the sea, and 2500 below the summit of the volcano. We
were 1000 feet higher than the summit of Fusiyama, nearly as high as
that of Mont Blanc, and 9000 feet above that of Mount Washington, and
yet we still had almost half a mile of perpendicular height to make
before reaching our destination!

"There was a wide strip of sand between us and the snow-line, and
through this we walked painfully, slipping and sliding backward almost
as fast as we went on. Our progress was very slow, and the effort
required was great. Fred and I were glad that Doctor Bronson did not try
it, as he would have been sure to break down long before the snow-line
was reached. Mr. Arms is spare and tall and a fine walker, and Colonel
Watson is a small man, full of youthful vigor. It was fortunate that
they were, and it was also fortunate that Fred and I had had experience
in hill climbing, and then, too, we were younger than either of the
others.

[Illustration: NOT A GOOD CLIMBER.]

"When we reached the edge of the snow we sat down and rested. Some of
the peons had fallen behind, and we prided ourselves that we had shown
the Mexicans that Americans know how to climb high mountains without
turning back for want of breath.

"We ate some of the solid food and drank some of the cold tea we had
bottled expressly for the occasion before leaving Tlamacas. When we had
thoroughly rested and refreshed ourselves we put on our spiked shoes,
covered them with the woollen stockings, and, armed with alpenstocks and
aided each by a volcanero, we attacked the great icy cone of the giant
Popocatepetl. The volcaneros carried our overcoats and had them ready to
wrap around us whenever we stopped.

"Fortunately for us, the snow was in the best condition for ascending;
it was like a very hard drift, softened by the sun just enough to give a
good foothold but not sufficiently to let our feet sink more than an
inch or so below the surface. Our principal guide went ahead and we
followed in his tracks; every few minutes we paused to rest and breathe,
and long before we reached the crater the lightness of the air was such
that our halts were longer than our periods of ascent.

"The blood rose to our faces, our veins throbbed, and for a time our
heads seemed on the verge of bursting. We appreciated the advice of a
gentleman in the capital, that no one with the least tendency to heart
trouble, or one with weak lungs or a tendency to corpulence, should
undertake the ascent of the volcano; and if we were to add anything to
the advice, it would be that everybody else should refrain from making
the attempt; it is the hardest venture we ever made in mountain
climbing, and we certainly would not again undertake it or urge a friend
to do so.

"We left to one side the Pico del Fraile, a pinnacle of porphyry that
shoots up into the air like the spire of a church. There was a deep
chasm like an enormous moat at the side of the Pico, and we asked our
guide if anybody had ever passed the chasm and climbed to the dizzy top.
His face wore a smile of incredulity as he pronounced the feat
impossible, and furthermore said there was nothing there to pay for the
effort. Colonel Watson asked him, in sheer bravado, if he would
undertake to escort us there, but he shook his head without making any
audible reply. It is quite possible that he suspected the colonel of
'chaffing.'

"Suddenly we were enveloped in a cloud so dense that we could see only a
few yards in any direction. The guide ordered us to keep close together;
and if by any accident we should become separated, we were to call out
immediately, and also keep our faces and feet directed to the ascent of
the mountain. We obeyed his instructions, but it was our good-fortune
that the cloud did not long remain to trouble us. It disappeared as
suddenly as it had come, and we had a fine view of the Valley of Puebla
and of the great mountain, the White Woman. As we rose to and above its
level it lost all resemblance to the recumbent figure that gives its
name, and became nothing but a broken mass of rocks and snow-drifts."

[Illustration: "NO MOUNTAIN FOR ME!"]




CHAPTER XIX.

THE ASCENT OF POPOCATEPETL CONTINUED.--LAST STEPS OF THE UPWARD
JOURNEY.--LOSS OF LIFE ON THE MOUNTAIN.--HOW THREE INDIANS
PERISHED.--THE CRATER OF THE VOLCANO.--HOW THE SULPHUR-MINERS
EXIST.--DANGERS OF THE CRATER.--THE SOLFATARAS.--CAUGHT IN A
STORM.--VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.--SCENES IN THE CRATER.--A RAPID
DESCENT.--TOBOGGANING ON A GRAND SCALE.--HOW THE SULPHUR-MINE
ORIGINATED.--NO ERUPTION IN SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS.--RETURN TO
AMECAMECA.--EXPLORATION OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY.--TOMBS AND THEIR
CONTENTS.--CURIOUS INSTANCE OF PRESERVATION.--MONTE SACRO.--"MODERN
ANTIQUITIES."--INDIANS WORSHIPPING THE VOLCANO.--EXPERIENCE WITH A
RATERO.


"The snow hardened a good deal as we neared the summit," continued
Frank; "in fact it was much more like ice than snow, and the walking
became more difficult every minute. In some places it was as smooth as
glass, and but for our outside stockings and the spikes in our shoes we
would have been constantly slipping. Even as it was we had a good many
falls, but nobody was seriously hurt by them. There was no danger of a
long slide down the mountain, as the guide took us along a route where
there were many hummocks, or pillars of ice, so that we brought up
against them whenever we had the misfortune to fall down.

[Illustration: "HURRAH FOR THE TOP!"]

"Our woollen mittens were a great protection to our hands, which often
came in contact with these pillars and would have been cut by them, as
their tops and edges were sharp. We are told that persons who have made
the ascent without gloves or mittens have had their hands so badly
lacerated that they could not be used for days afterwards.

"We had no serious accidents, which is not always the case with parties
making the ascent of Old Popo. Sometimes the snow slides down in the
form of avalanches, and occasionally the sand does the same thing. To be
caught by one of these avalanches is almost certain death, but happily
the guides know the mountain and its peculiarities so well that such
accidents are rare. Parties have been overwhelmed by storms of hail in
the same way that a party on Mont Blanc lost their lives several years
ago. Considerable areas of sand and snow are sometimes set in motion by
the tread of one's feet upon them, and the unfortunate climber who has
caused it is carried down and dashed to death on the rocks below.

"One story that we heard was of three Indians who were descending the
volcano. One of them saw a depression in the snow like a furrow, and
thought it offered an easy footing. He went to it, and suddenly
disappeared from the sight of his companions. As they moved towards the
place to ascertain what had happened, they felt the crust sinking
beneath them, and had barely time to scramble back before a considerable
area disappeared in a crevasse. No trace of the missing Indian was ever
found.

"It seemed as though our toil would never end, when suddenly Fred, who
was in advance, gave a shout and sat down. He swung his hat in the air,
and I wondered what he meant by it.

"'Here we are!' shouted Fred; 'we're at the crater.'

[Illustration: THE CRATER OF POPOCATEPETL.]

"I hurried up as fast as I could, and sure enough there it was, a great
chasm a thousand or more feet deep, and fully half a mile across. The
sides narrow somewhat, so that a little way down you can make out pretty
nearly all of the outline. The bottom of the crater can be called flat
in a general way, though it is the farthest possible from the ideal of a
ball-room floor. Steam and the vapors of sulphur rise from solfataras
scattered over the bottom, and from these solfataras the sulphur is
constantly forming. The supply is inexhaustible, as the formation goes,
on a great deal faster than the miners can remove the product.

"We scrambled down perhaps 200 feet, to where the edge of the crater
hung over like a precipice. Here there is a _malacate_, or apparatus for
hoisting out the sulphur. The men working in the sulphur-mines descend
and ascend by this apparatus; in fact there is no other way of getting
in or out of the crater.

"Our guide told us that the men run great risks, as stones are
constantly falling from the sides of the crater, whence they are
dislodged by the frost and by the action of the steam and sulphur jets.
Rumblings like the premonitions of an earthquake are frequently heard,
and sometimes the ground trembles so much as to make one's footing
unsteady. In addition to this is the effect of the sulphur, which rots
the clothes of the men, and causes their teeth to fall out. They sleep
in caves in the sides of the crater, and on two or three occasions a
caveful of men has been overwhelmed and killed by the stony avalanche.
Altogether the place did not appear attractive as a residence, and I was
not surprised to learn that the men receive high wages, and even at the
rate of pay they are not easily obtained. They remain a month at a time
in the crater without leaving it, and are then replaced by new men and
allowed a vacation among their friends in the country at the base of the
mountain.

[Illustration: BRINGING ICE FROM THE MOUNTAIN.]

"We could have been lowered down by the malacate, but concluded not to
make the attempt. We could not do so without spending the night in the
crater, and this we were not prepared for; Doctor Bronson would be
waiting for us, and would fear some accident had happened; though, as
for that matter, we could have sent one of the peons to tell him; and
furthermore, we thought we should run more risk than we would be
compensated for by the experience. A party of three gentlemen went down
there a few weeks before we did, and one of them became exhausted, and
his life was saved with great difficulty. Our guide said, whether
truthfully or not we don't know, that a German gentleman died there a
few years ago, and since then the miners do not desire visitors among
them.

"The crater is not at the top of the mountain, the highest point of
Popocatepetl being to the west of this great chasm, and about 1000 feet
more elevated. It is a sharp cone, and so difficult of ascent that few
have succeeded in reaching the summit. There is some dispute as to
whether it has actually been ascended, as the Government offers a reward
of $500 to any one who proves that he has been to its top. Some American
gentlemen in the capital city say it has been done, but the difficulty
of officially proving the accomplishment of the feat would be more than
the value of the reward. Hence it is not claimed at all; and
consequently, the negative testimony favors the assumption that no one
has yet scaled the height of Popocatepetl.

"We remained nearly two hours on the summit, shivering in the cold air
in spite of our thick overcoats, while at the same time the heat of the
sun scorched our faces. While we were there a _borrasca_, or storm, came
on, and the air was suddenly darkened. We sought shelter beneath a
projecting rock, and watched the cloud of snow as it eddied and whirled
around the crater. At such times it becomes so dark in the crater that
the men cannot work; they retire to their caves and wait till the storm
is over. At the same time the fires of the solfataras become very
distinct, and recall the description of Dante's Inferno.

"The storm lasted about twenty minutes and then cleared away, the sun
coming out as brightly as ever and the air growing comparatively still.
These storms are rarely of long duration, but they are to be dreaded
whenever they come; the temperature falls far below the freezing-point,
and the wind blows a gale. But down in the crater it is warm enough, in
consequence of the steam and heat from the solfataras. The snow melts as
soon as it strikes the bottom, and renders walking a matter of
difficulty.

"The story of our descent of the mountain is quickly told. The workmen
had dug a straight trench in the volcanic sand, and it is down this
trench that they send the sulphur by the simple force of gravity. It is
placed in sacks, the sacks are piled on a _petate_, or mat of bulrush,
and when once started the mat and its cargo slide down with great
velocity.

"For two reals each of us hired a petate of one of the men at the
hoisting-works, and with our volcaneros to guide the impromptu
toboggans, we went down with great rapidity and ease and without
accident. It reminded us of the descent of Vesuvius; the sand is much
like that of the famous volcano of Naples, and we were very glad to be
able to make use of it.

"I said we came without accident; for the sake of exactness I must add
that Colonel Watson was pitched out of his vehicle at the end of his
ride, and stopped with his head and shoulders buried in the sand. Fred
had a similar experience, with the difference that he went in feet
foremost; as neither suffered any injury, and was ready to laugh over
the mishap, my original statement holds good.

[Illustration: PACK-TRAIN FROM TLAMACAS.]

"The Doctor had gone back to the sulphur rancho at Tlamacas, and thither
we followed him as soon as we found our horses. It was too late to get
to Amecameca that evening, and so we had another night among the sulphur
refiners. The sulphur is brought here just as it is dug from the crater
of the volcano; it is refined at Tlamacas and made ready for market, and
is sent thence to Amecameca on the backs of donkeys or mules. General
Ochoa says that in spite of its abundance he cannot compete at the coast
towns with the sulphur from Mediterranean ports, and his only market is
in the interior of Mexico. He intends to place some improved machinery
at the edge of the crater, so as to reduce the expense of hoisting out
the crude material; and in this way he hopes to lower his price. His
plan is to run his machinery by means of the jet of air from one of the
large solfataras, which he estimates at twenty horse-power.

"While we were absent on the mountain General Ochoa's agent told Doctor
Bronson the following story about how the general came to own the
mountain:

"'Serious attention to the richness and abundance of sulphur in the
crater of Popocatepetl was first called by Baron von Humboldt; the
existence of sulphur in the crater was known long before, as the
Spaniards seem to have made use of it in the time of the Conquest. In
one of his letters to the Emperor Cortez says, "As for sulphur, I have
already made mention to your Majesty of a mountain in this province from
which smoke issues; out of it sulphur has been taken by a Spaniard, who
descended seventy or eighty fathoms, by means of a rope attached to his
body below his arms; from which source we have been enabled to obtain
sufficient supplies, although it is attended with danger." There is
other evidence that the conquerors obtained sulphur from the mountain,
but their methods were of the most primitive character.

[Illustration: AN IMPROVED REFINERY.]

"'About the year 1850, an enterprising Mexican named Corchado visited
the crater, and brought away samples of the sulphur, which he carried to
Puebla. A company was formed, and a considerable amount of sulphur was
taken out, but owing to lawsuits and political troubles, the enterprise
was soon abandoned. When General Ochoa was a student in the mining
section of the military college his tutor was a gentleman who had known
Baron Humboldt, and was greatly impressed with his remarks about the
value of the sulphur deposits in the volcano. Through this gentleman's
advice the general applied to the Government for permission to work the
deposits, and he obtained a concession that gave him control of the
mountain down to the limit of vegetation. Afterwards he purchased the
rancho of Tlamacas, and established a refinery there; he has spent a
great deal Of time in the crater, and as he is an able geologist he has
much to say about it that is interesting.'

"According to his theory, which is based on the lignite formed at the
bottom of the crater, there has not been an eruption of Popo for seven
thousand years; by that he means an eruption on a scale corresponding to
the size of the mountain, and not an occasional disturbance, in which
the crater throws up a few discharges of stones and an unusual quantity
of steam and sulphur vapors. In Prescott's 'History of the Conquest of
Mexico' there is an account of an eruption in 1521, taken from a letter
of Diego Ordaz, one of the captains under Cortez; but modern writers
think that Ordaz mistook a violent thunder-storm on the summit of the
volcano for an eruption. From what we saw at the crater we can readily
believe that he made such a mistake.

[Illustration: LOOKING FROM THE TOP OF POPOCATEPETL.]

"The view from the top of the mountain was the grandest we have ever
taken, and one we will never forget while we live. The air is so clear
that distance is strangely diminished; towns and villages that seem to
lie at our feet are really many, many miles away, and as we looked to
the eastward our guide told us that the streak of silver bordering the
horizon was the Gulf of Mexico. Mountain, valley, table-land, lakes,
plain, forest, all were spread before us, and in the range of vision
from the top of Popocatepetl an area of twenty thousand square miles is
said to be included. On one side of the mountain you can look down into
the _tierra caliente_ of the coast region, while on the other the eye is
lost among the mountains and table-lands that stretch away until lost in
the limitless distance."

So ends Frank's account of their visit to the great mountain of Mexico.

[Illustration: A DANGEROUS PLACE.]

The party returned to Amecameca, and determined to remain there a day or
two to make some explorations in the vicinity, and also to rest from
their fatigues. During their stay Fred found the following description
of a visit to the crater of Popocatepetl by an artist, Mr. Frank
Kellott, which he carefully copied into his note-book. We have obtained
the youth's permission to copy the account, and it is certain to
interest our readers.

"We followed a narrow foot-path," said Mr. Kellott, "until we reached a
shelf, where we were seated in a skid and let down by a windlass 500
feet or so to a landing-place. From this we clambered down to a second
windlass and a second skid, which was the most fearful of all, because
we were dangling about, without anything to steady ourselves, as we
descended before the mouth of one of those yawning caverns which are
called _respiraderos_, or 'breathing-holes' of the crater. They are so
called from the fresh air and horrid sounds that continually issue from
them. But we shut our eyes and clung to the rope as we whirled round and
round in mid-air until we reached another landing-place about 500 feet
lower. From this point we clambered down as best we could until we came
among the men digging up cinders from which sulphur, in the form of
brimstone, is made.

"We took no measurements while in the crater, and heights and distances
can only be given approximately. We only know that all things are on a
scale so vast that Old Pluto might here have forged new thunder-bolts,
and Milton's Satan might have here found the material for his sulphurous
bed. All was strange and wild and frightful.

"We crawled into several of the breathing-holes, but nothing was there
except darkness visible. The sides and bottom were for the most part
polished by the molten mass which had passed through them, and if it had
not been for the ropes around our waists, we should have slipped and
fallen we knew not whither. The stones we threw in were lost to sound
unless they hit upon a projecting rock and fell from shelf to shelf. The
deep darkness was fearful to contemplate. What must have been the effect
when each one of these breathing-holes was vomiting up liquid fire and
sulphur into the basin where we stood? How immeasurable must be the lake
whose overflowings fill such a cavity as this!"

The region around the base of Popocatepetl seems to have been densely
peopled at some remote period, if we may judge by the ruins that lie
scattered about, by the numerous tombs on the hills and in the valleys,
and by the great quantity of pottery brought to light by excavations.
Some antiquarians who have made researches here think that the cradle of
the human race is to be found in Mexico, and that the people of this
region gave the arts and sciences to Egypt and the rest of the Old
World.

This conundrum was a perplexing one for our young friends. They did not
try to solve it, but contented themselves with investigations on their
own account.

The first object of their attention was Monte Sacro, which is in the
town of Amecameca. It is a volcanic hill about 300 feet high, and
contains a grotto that was turned into a hermitage at the time of the
Conquest. A church was built there and a cemetery laid out, and as the
traditions of the old time became mingled with those of later days, the
place acquired great sanctity. It abounds in tombs, some of them very
old, and there were strange figures upon many of these resting-places of
the dead, which none of the party could decipher.

[Illustration: RUINS OF TLALMANALCO.]

At Tlalmanalco, a few miles from Amecameca, there are the ruins of a
convent which was begun in the time of Cortez, but was never finished.
There are the fragments of walls, with a portico formed by five arches;
these arches are supported by slender columns, which are covered with
delicate carvings and suggest an Oriental character; they reminded our
friends of what they had seen in temples in India, and Fred was so
interested in them that he made a sketch of the ruins. According to M.
Charnay, the carvings were executed by Indian artists, after designs
furnished by the Spaniards. That the arches have stood so long is proof
of the excellence of their construction.

[Illustration: BURIAL-GROUND OF TENENEPANCO.]

All around this place great quantities of pottery have been unearthed.
The story goes that thousands of vases and other precious things were
found during the construction of the railway; they were divided among
the contractors and are widely scattered, few, if any, of them ever
having reached the National Museum.

[Illustration: VASES FOUND AT TENENEPANCO.]

Quantities of so-called antiquities were offered to our friends, but
they had been warned long before and did not purchase any. The
"antiquities" are modern, and so great is the demand for them that a
considerable number of people is employed in their manufacture. The
dealers heighten the imposition by enjoining great caution on the part
of the purchaser, lest the Government shall ascertain that he is in
possession of the precious relic, and despoil him of it.

A few years ago an enterprising antiquarian spent several days in the
neighborhood of Tlamacas, on the very foot of Popocatepetl. Among other
places, he examined the cemetery of Tenenepanco, which seems to have
been of considerable extent; he opened a great many tombs, and found
that the bodies had mostly been buried in a sitting posture, after the
manner of many ancient people. A curious circumstance which he
discovered was that while the bones were so decayed that they crumbled
to dust on being touched, the brain was very often intact and well
preserved. He attributed this condition to the high elevation and the
peculiar salts in the soil; one brain in particular was in perfect
condition, while all the skull was mouldered away. He was in some doubt
at first, but an examination showed that there was no mistake; the two
lobes were there, and the lines of the blood-vessels were distinctly
traceable. The same chemical combination that destroyed the bones
preserved the soft tissues of the body.

He took out a great number of vases, cups, marbles, necklaces, toy
chariots, kitchen utensils, beads, caricatures of warriors, and many
other things illustrating the life of the people who made them. Some of
the cups were beautifully decorated, but unfortunately their exposure to
the air caused the colors to fade. Ordinary utensils of earthen-ware
were very soft when brought to light, and had to be handled with the
greatest care, but they hardened by exposure and were solid enough after
a few hours.

[Illustration: CARICATURE OF AN AZTEC WARRIOR.]

The youths learned that one tribe of Indians was accustomed to worship
the great volcano as a deity at the time of the Conquest, and the
practice is still maintained. They have caves in the forest on the
easterly side of the mountain, and once a year they go there to perform
their worship; no stranger is allowed to accompany them, and any one who
persists in following them runs the risk of his life. Some years ago, so
the story runs, an inquisitive white man followed a party of these
Indians into the forest, and was never seen again. What became of him is
a mystery; the Indians claimed that they knew nothing of his fate, and
there is no positive proof to the contrary.

Frank had an experience of the skill of the Mexican thief during his
stay at Amecameca. He had dismounted from his horse in front of the
Hotel Ferrocarril, and while he was busy arranging the stirrup on one
side of the saddle, a thief crept up and stole the other one. He not
only stole the stirrup but the strap that held it, and the youth was
obliged to invest in another.

"I'm surprised you've had nothing of the kind before," said the
proprietor of the hotel when he heard of the occurrence. "That was the
work of a _ratero_."

"What is a ratero?" Frank asked.

"He's a thief peculiar to this part of Mexico," was the reply, "or
rather, I should say he belongs to the whole country, and the finest
quality of him is produced around here. He will open and rob a trunk
while carrying it on his back between the hotel and the railway-station;
he will cut off the lining of a railway-carriage in less than two
minutes, steal railway-ties, and anything else that he can lift; and as
for ordinary thefts, his superior cannot be found anywhere. Several
years ago the authorities of this town decided to light it with
petroleum lamps, but the very first night they did so the lamps were
stolen by the rateros, and the town was in darkness as it had been
before."

Frank was able to add a few notes to what he and Fred had already
ascertained about Mexican thieves. The youths discussed the subject, and
came to the conclusion that the tropics produced more adroit pilferers
than the temperate zones, at least such had been their experience.

"It is no wonder," said Fred, "that these people have become experts in
stealing. Think how they have been despoiled by the Spaniards, who stole
their country and all it contained, and reduced the people to the
condition of a subject race. No wonder they have sought to revenge
themselves on their conquerors, and their mildness of conduct is to be
greatly admired, in view of what they have suffered. The condition of a
Mexican peon is such that, if I may be permitted the paradoxical
statement, he is obliged to steal in order to make an honest living."

Thus musing, they returned to the city with the Doctor and their late
companions in the ascent of Popocatepetl.

[Illustration: ANCIENT AZTEC VASES.]




CHAPTER XX.

RAPACIOUS CARGADORES.--OLD BOOK-STORES IN THE PORTALES.--PUBLIC SCHOOLS
IN THE MEXICAN CAPITAL; THE PUPILS IN ATTENDANCE.--THEATRES AND
HOSPITALS.--A THEATRE SUPPORTING A HOSPITAL.--THE BROTHERS OF
CHARITY.--INSIDE THE THEATRES.--A PERFORMANCE OF OPERA.--A MINOR
THEATRE.--LISTENING TO A MEXICAN PERFORMANCE.--BULL-FIGHTING IN
MEXICO.--A DISGRACEFUL SPORT.--ORIGIN OF THE BULL-FIGHT.--MARIONETTE
THEATRES.--THE PROCESSIONS.--MEXICAN LOVE FOR
COCK-FIGHTING.--COMMINGLING OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIALS AND
AMUSEMENTS.--THE POSADA AND THE PASTORELA; THEIR PECULIARITIES.--KILLING
JUDAS.


[Illustration: WANTS A SOUVENIR.]

The train by which our friends returned to the capital left Amecameca at
1.20 in the afternoon, and reached the San Lazero station at 4 o'clock.
A crowd of cargadores swooped down on the baggage, and for a time
threatened to disappear with it in as many directions as there were
single pieces, but by dint of watchfulness and energy it was rescued and
placed in charge of a runner from the hotel. The Morelos, or
Interoceanic Railway, the one by which the party had travelled, is
distinctively a Mexican line; it was built by Mexican capital, or
capital borrowed by Mexicans, and the management is Mexican throughout.
When finished it will be literally what its name implies, as it will
connect the Atlantic Ocean at Vera Cruz with the Pacific at Acapulco. At
the time our friends were in Mexico work was being pushed on the eastern
division of the line (between Vera Cruz and the capital), and its
managers were confident of completing it by the end of 1890 or 1891. At
last accounts the completion of the western division (from the capital
to Acapulco) was very much in the future.

It seemed to Frank and Fred that they had been away from the city for a
month or two, when in reality they had been gone less than a week. The
next morning they were out early to ascertain if any changes had taken
place during their absence--whether any new buildings had been erected
or old ones demolished, new streets opened, or new avenues laid out.
They strolled through the _portales_, and stopped at the little shops
established between the arches of the covered way that shelters the
sidewalks from sun and rain, to bargain for old books and odds and ends
of curiosities. Fred had received a letter from a friend at home asking
him to pick up certain old books if they were to be found, and he made
many inquiries for the volumes. One after another, he found them, and
the search roused in him a fever for book-buying which did not abate
until he had invested several dollars in antique specimens of the
printer's art.

"How does it happen that so many old books are sold at these stalls in
the portales?" he said to Doctor Bronson on his return to the hotel.

[Illustration: RUINS OF SAN LAZERO.]

"It comes from the confiscation of the Church property," was the reply.
"For three centuries the churches and monasteries had been gathering a
fine collection of books for their libraries, and the confiscation of
ecclesiastical buildings under the Laws of the Reform threw the most of
these libraries into the market. Some of them were bought for
speculation and others for private use; in either case they were pretty
sure to drift sooner or later into the hands of the dealers. Gentlemen
familiar with the subject say that Mexico is to-day the best place in
the world for a book-collector to find what he is looking for."

From the portales the youths extended their walk through several of the
principal streets, and reached the hotel just in time for breakfast. On
their way they passed a school just as the pupils were going in, and
this circumstance gave a hint on which they acted at once.

[Illustration: ON THE WAY TO CHURCH.]

They proceeded to collect information concerning the public schools, in
addition to what they had already learned. They found that there were in
the capital 101 free secular schools, with an aggregate attendance of
7400 pupils; then there were thirty-seven Protestant and twenty-four
Catholic schools, all free--the former with 1300 pupils, and the latter
with 4000. The Catholic schools are held in large buildings, as will be
readily seen from the number of pupils in the twenty-four schools;
while the Protestant establishments are on a smaller scale. There are
something more than 100 private schools for primary instruction, with an
average of thirty pupils to each school. All the wealthy families have
their children taught by private tutors or governesses, but the grade of
their education is not high. The whole number of educational
establishments in the city is a little short of 300, with an attendance
in the aggregate of about 16,000.

[Illustration: MONKS AT THEIR MUSICAL EXERCISE.]

Mention has already been made of the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts,
the Conservatory of Music, the Military Academy, and the Medical
College. To these should be added the Law School and the preparatory
schools and colleges of Architecture, Theology, Commerce, and Astronomy.
Some of these have been founded by the Government in recent times, while
others are descended from those established by the Catholic Church in
its days of prosperity.

Of some twenty hospitals and asylums of different names and kinds, fully
two-thirds are the successors of benevolent institutions founded by the
Church. The oldest is the hospital of Jesus Nazareno, and was founded by
Cortez; he left a large endowment for it, and the hospital is still
supported by it in spite of many attempts by governments and individuals
to break his will. The last effort in this direction was in 1885, when
the will was sustained by the Mexican courts. The bad management of the
hospital in its early days led to the founding of the San Hipolito
hospital by Bernardo Alvarez in 1567. The pious people that joined him
became a regular monastic order under the name of Brothers of Charity.
The order was suppressed in 1820; the hospital fund passed into the
hands of the municipality, and afterwards went to the general
government. Since that time the city has managed the hospital, and
provided the necessary funds for it.

[Illustration: A BELLE OF THE OPERA.]

One of the theatres in the city (the Teatro Principal) owes its
beginning to the necessity for money to support the Hospital Real,
which was in the hands of the Brothers of Charity during the seventeenth
century. The first theatre was in the hospital building, and the players
were hired by the Brothers. Tradition says that the noise made by the
performers and audiences seriously disturbed the sick, while the
management of a theatre by a religious order caused a great scandal
among pious people. The Brothers argued that, no matter what the origin
of the money was, it was used for a good purpose, and they continued to
enjoy the revenues of the theatre until the hospital was discontinued.
The theatre, and with it part of the hospital, was burned one night in
1722, after the performance of "The Ruin and Burning of Jerusalem." The
common people regarded the conflagration as a sign of heavenly
disapproval, but the Brothers rebuilt immediately. A few years later
they rebuilt again; and in 1752 they laid the foundation of the present
theatre, and finished it in the following year. It has been changed so
much since that time that very little now remains of the original
edifice.

[Illustration: A STAGE BRIGAND.]

The theatre is one of the institutions of Mexico, and liberally
patronized. On this subject Frank wrote the following:

"The Teatro Principal is not what its name implies, as it is not the
principal theatre at all. It may have been so when it was the only one,
but it certainly has not been of much account in late years. The most
fashionable theatre is the Nacional. Italian and French opera are given
there, and the place is open for one thing or another pretty much the
whole year. It is the fashion to have the commencement exercises of the
military and other colleges in the Teatro Nacional, and since we came
here there has been a grand concert in the building.

"We went to the opera one night. The performance was fairly good, but
nothing remarkable, and we came away with the impression that the
Mexicans go there more to see and be seen than to listen to the
performance. The ladies were in full evening costume, and the men
seemed to be about equally divided between dress-coats and
double-breasted ones. There are boxes on two balconies and also around
part of the parquet. The prices for seats and boxes vary according to
the attraction, and the house is said to be generally well filled.

"Most of the men left their seats between the acts, some of them to
smoke cigarettes in the lobby, and others to call on their lady friends
in the boxes or send packages of _dulces_ (sweetmeats) to them. The
pretty women in the boxes seemed to enjoy being stared at, if we could
judge by the way they smiled when opera-glasses were aimed at them. Many
of the men paid no attention to the performance, but constantly eyed the
beauties, and eyed them with their lorgnettes instead of their natural
organs of sight. They came back just before the curtain rose on each
act, and then each man stood up and made a survey of the horizon of
boxes, reminding us of the quartermaster of a ship at sea looking for a
sail. They tell us that the Mexican belles feel slighted if they are not
thus stared at, and there is a keen rivalry among them as to who shall
be the recipient of the greatest amount of attention.

"We have been accustomed in other parts of the world," continued the
youth, "to hear the voice of the prompter at the opera, but we were not
prepared for it in an ordinary theatre where the performance was a play
in dialogue and not a musical one. We went one night to the Hidalgo
Theatre to see and hear a Mexican play. The prompter pronounced every
sentence before the actor did, and it was heard all through the house.
It completely spoiled the play for us, and we left before it was over.
What we liked a good deal better was the arrangement of the office,
where there were five or six ticket-sellers seated in a row behind a
grating, so that there was no delay in getting places.

"They showed us a plan of the theatre in which the seats were marked by
pegs in holes. We selected three places, paid our money, and then the
ticket-seller drew out the pegs and handed them to us. The pegs were
numbered to correspond with the places, and we handed them to the usher
as checks for our seats. We found that we could buy seats for a single
act or for two acts, or three, just as we liked, on the same plan as in
some of the cities of Europe.

"In addition to the theatre and opera, the Mexicans inherit the Spanish
love for the bull-fight. This form of sport has had its ups and downs in
the capital. It was abolished in the federal district for some time, but
was recently re-established or permitted, and now there are bull-rings
at the northern end of the Paseo and in San Cosme. There is always a
large attendance, but it is chiefly of the lower classes of the
population.

[Illustration: TIVOLI GARDEN, SAN COSME.]

"We have seen a bull-fight, but it was not a real one. It was given at a
marionette theatre, and was said to be an excellent representation of
the actual performance. The figures were about four inches high, and
operated by cords invisible to the audience. It was interesting and
funny, and we had a good laugh while looking at it. During Lent this
marionette theatre has exhibitions called _Los Processiones_, in which
long processions of various church dignitaries and characters are drawn
slowly along a stage or walk extending the whole length of the room. At
the time we saw the miniature bull-fight the walk had been removed, and
the stage was at the end of the hall. The audience was of the lower
class of natives, and we kept a good watch over our pockets.

"The real bull-fight was something we did not want to see, and we
refused several invitations to witness it. It is a brutal, degrading
sport, from our point of consideration; but probably the Spaniards and
Mexicans would not agree with us.

[Illustration: TEASING THE BULL.]

"Mr. Brocklehurst, the author of 'Mexico To-day,' says the bull-fight
here is almost as attractive as in Spain, and the sporting men of Mexico
have their preferences in regard to the _ganderias_, the farms on which
bulls are raised, just as the same class in England have their favorite
stables for horses. The bulls are of proper age for fighting at from
three to five years; they are reared as carefully as race-horses in
other countries, and brought to the plaza during the night before the
day on which they are to do battle.

"On their arrival they are shut in a dark pen, and when wanted for the
fight they are driven from this pen, one by one, to the _toril_, which
opens into the arena. The ring is a great amphitheatre, without a roof,
and the seats _al sol_ (on the sunny side) are only half the price of
those _al sombre_ (on the shady side). To the discredit of the people be
it said, the seats are generally well filled to witness this cruel
sport, and the great mass of the people seem to be more interested in it
than in the choice of a President or the opening of a new railway.

"The performance begins with a procession of the fighters, and then the
master of ceremonies asks the judge for the key of the toril, which is
thrown to him. He then goes to the toril and lets in the bull, the band
and all other persons not concerned in the fight having judiciously
retired from the ring.

[Illustration: PICADORES.]

"The _picadores_, or mounted men, are on miserable horses, whose eyes
are bandaged so that they cannot see the bull; as the animal enters he
looks around in astonishment at the horses and their riders, at the
_capeadores_, with their scarlet cloaks to attract the bull's attention,
and at the _banderilleros_, whose duty it is to stick darts in the
animal to enrage him. Sometimes the darts have fire-crackers attached in
addition to the long ribbons with which they are always ornamented.

[Illustration: THE MATADOR'S TRIUMPH.]

"The most cruel part of the performance, and one which generally sickens
the foreign spectator, is when the poor, broken-down, and blindfolded
horses are gored by the maddened animal which has been brought into the
ring only to be killed. The most interesting part of it is when, after
killing several horses, and being worried for half an hour by his
tormentors, the bull is turned over to the _matador_, who, after several
feints and skilfully avoiding the charges of the animal, plants his
sword up to the hilt between the bull's shoulders. The matador is a hero
who is worshipped by the populace as much as is the champion base-ball
player in the United States, or the jockey in England who wins the
Derby. Once in a while a matador is killed by his four-footed adversary;
an occurrence of this kind adds interest to the sport, though it may
plunge the whole country into grief.

[Illustration: THE FINAL BLOW.]

"Next to the matador, the men who run the greatest risk are the
picadores, the fellows who fight on horseback. They are protected by
leather armor, which impedes their movements, and when a horse is thrown
down by the bull they often fall with him, and are unable to extricate
themselves. When this occurs, the capeadores, who are also called
_chulos_, endeavor to draw away the bull's attention by waving their
cloaks in front of him; the ruse generally succeeds, and the unfortunate
picador is assisted out of his dangerous position as quickly as
possible. Sometimes the bull will not be diverted from his attack on
horse and rider, and it is in such cases that the picador may be gored,
perhaps to death. If he is hurt but not killed, the spectators show
their appreciation of his bravery by tossing silver dollars into the
ring; and a wounded picador has been known to gather up a hatful of
these welcome coins before retiring.

[Illustration: SCENES AT A BULL-FIGHT.]

"A priest is always waiting in a room near the toril, in order to offer
the last sacrament to any luckless combatant who may be fatally injured.
When a bull is killed his body is dragged off by a team of richly
ornamented mules; these mules form part of the procession that opens the
performance, but they never seem to manifest any special pride in their
work.

"We are told that the spectators are often wild with excitement over the
incidents of a bull-fight; they smash the furniture and railings, and
have been known to wreck a considerable portion of the wood-work of the
ring in their fury. Sombreros by the dozen, of all kinds and values, are
thrown into the arena, and a gentleman tells us he has seen hundreds of
spectators leaving the place bareheaded at the end of an exciting day.
From four to six bulls are killed at a performance--four being the usual
number--and ten or twelve horses.

[Illustration: A BULL-RING OF THE HIGHEST CLASS.]

"That will do for the national sport of Mexico," concluded the youth;
"it is only given because a description of the country would be
incomplete without it. Doctor Bronson says that bull-fighting was
originally a compromise with the Roman custom of gladiatorial combats,
and furnished a substitute that met the desire of the populace to
witness bloodshed. It was brought to Mexico by the Spaniards, partly as
a reminiscence of their home country, and partly to take the place of
the human sacrifices of the Aztecs. It has become a part of the life of
the people, and the government that endeavors to suppress it would run
the risk of being overturned."

[Illustration: A SCHOOL ON THE OLD MODEL.]

From theatres and bull-fights the conversation naturally turned to the
other amusements of the Mexicans. That the people are fond of gambling
the youths had already learned, also that one of their sports was
cock-fighting. Game-cocks are carefully trained for the work they are
expected to perform, and fights between them are of frequent occurrence.
A traveller in Mexico tells how he once visited a school where each of
the pupils had a game-cock, which he carried constantly with him, and
during school hours the birds were supposed to be tied up so that they
could not get at each other. The noonday recess was generally devoted to
a battle between two of the feathered champions, and sometimes the
teacher, who possessed several game-birds, joined in the sport with his
pupils.

Cockpits are more numerous than bull-rings, for the reason that their
construction is inexpensive. Only a few posts and a thatched roof are
necessary. The birds are placed in the centre of a ring, and the excited
spectators crowd as closely as possible to the ropes in order to witness
the sport. Pretty nearly all the money in their possession changes hands
during or at the end of the performance, and sometimes the peons are so
warmed up to the business that they wager their hats, coats, and nearly
all their garments, together with everything else they possess.

The religious observances of the country are closely mixed up with
amusements, as the festivities established by the Church are almost
invariably combined with entertainments in greater or less variety. In
this respect they have their counterpart in the Christmas festivities of
most Protestant countries.

"They can't have Christmas here as we do," Frank remarked to Fred, while
they were discussing the subject.

"Why so?" Fred asked.

"Because," was the reply, "they have no chimneys, and consequently no
way for Santa Claus to get into the house after the time-honored
fashion."

"That's so," answered Fred; "but you may be sure they have their fun,
and quite as much as we do. We'll look into that subject, and find out
about it."

Fred investigated, and here is the result of his inquiries:

"The Mexicans have a longer Christmas than we do, as it begins on the
17th of December, and lasts until New Year's Day. During their Christmas
they have an amusement called the _posada_, or inn; it is based upon
occurrences of the time when Cæsar Augustus ordered the whole world to
be taxed, and Joseph and Mary came to Judea from Galilee to be enrolled.
Bethlehem was so filled with strangers that they wandered from inn to
inn for nine days without finding accommodations, and then sought
shelter in the stable in which Christ was born.

[Illustration: THE FIGURE OF JOSEPH (PROCESSION OF THE POSADA).]

"In commemoration of the nine days of wandering, Mexican posadas last
nine days. In many houses processions are formed, and the people of a
family join in it, carrying tapers and singing litanies; figures of
Joseph and Mary are carried in front of each procession, and every door
that is passed on the round is knocked upon in the effort to obtain
shelter. The sound of the litanies is to be heard all over the city;
court-yards and windows are hung with numerous lanterns, and all the
public places are richly ornamented, and abound with pleasure-seekers.

"The principal sport of the posada is breaking the _pinate_, an earthen
jar filled with dulces. The jar is richly decorated on the outside, and
ornamented with ribbons of paper. The pinates are made in the shape of
all known and many unknown birds and beasts, and also in the shape of
dolls, some of them being of great size. Peddlers go about the streets
with these things suspended from a pole, and the number sold at
Christmas-time is very large.

"When the ceremonial procession is over the party goes to the patio, or
to a large room of the house, and there the fun begins. A pinate is
suspended from the ceiling, or from a cord stretched across the patio,
and then one of the party, blindfolded and armed with a stick, sets
about breaking the pinate; sometimes half a dozen are blindfolded at
once, and then the fun is lively. When the pinate is broken the dulces
fall to the floor, and everybody scrambles for them. Altogether, the
game reminds us of blind-man's-buff and some of our other home sports.

"A good many people omit the religious part of the posada and come at
once to the jug-breaking. In wealthy families posadas often cost many
hundreds or even thousands of dollars; the ladies receive handsome and
valuable presents, and the broken pinates have been known to yield
showers of rings and gold coins, instead of the regulation sweetmeats.
The affair concludes with a grand dance, and the participants do not
reach home until a very late, or early, hour.

"All through the Christmas and New-year festivities there are grand
balls, dinners, theatre parties, and the like; everybody indulges in
festivity according to his means, and not infrequently beyond them; and
when the affair is over, and the realities of life come again, the
tradesmen who seek to collect their bills make the time doubly serious.
In some parts of the country the _pastorela_, or pastoral, takes the
place of the posada; the amusements are pretty much the same, the
principal difference being that another incident of the nativity is
taken as the ground-work of the ceremonial.

[Illustration: THE RAILWAY JUDAS.]

"Another popular festival is on the last day of Holy Week, which is
devoted to the death of Judas. Effigies of Judas abound everywhere; they
are hung on trees and from windows, on lamp-posts, balconies--in fact,
everywhere they can be made to hang. You see them on the front of every
locomotive on that day, and on many another vehicle; in fact, it would
be easier to say where Judas is not than where he is. The figures are of
all dimensions, but usually of life size. They are filled with fireworks
of various sorts, so that they explode when a match is touched to them.
If from any cause they do not explode, they are torn in pieces when they
fall to the ground. In thus destroying them the people indicate their
detestation of the betrayer of his Master. Not infrequently the figures
that are hung from private houses have thirty silver dollars pasted upon
them, as a reminder of the thirty pieces of silver which were the
traitor's price. Of course there is a lively scramble for these coins
when the Judas falls to the ground."




CHAPTER XXI.

EXCURSION TO TULA.--AN ANCIENT CITY OF THE TOLTECS.--CHURCH OF THE TIME
OF CORTEZ.--MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE TOLTECS.--TOLTEC KINGS, COURTS,
AND KNIGHTHOOD.--RUINS OF THE TEMPLE AND PALACE.--JOURNEY TO
MORELOS.--INTEROCEANIC RAILWAY.--MORELOS AND HIS SERVICES TO
MEXICO.--CUAUTLA AND ITS ATTRACTIONS.--TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.--DOWN
THE SOUTHERN SLOPE.--IN TIERRA CALIENTE.--VISITING A SUGAR ESTATE.--TO
YAUTEPEC AND CUERNAVACA.--RIDE OVER THE MOUNTAINS.--SITUATION OF
CUERNAVACA.--OLD CHURCH AND PALACE OF CORTEZ.--A FORTUNATE
FRENCHMAN.--ROMANTIC INCIDENT IN THE CAPTURE OF CUERNAVACA.


One of the volumes in which our young friends were interested during
their stay in Mexico was "The Ancient Cities of the New World," by M.
Charnay. The perusal of this book led them to wish to visit Tula, which
is famous for having been a city of the Toltecs, and a flourishing place
at the time of the Conquest.

Leaving the city of Mexico at half-past seven o'clock one morning by the
Central Railway, they reached Tula at 9.40 A.M.; the distance is about
fifty miles, and the route is the same as already described, through the
Nochistongo cut. The returning train at 4.40 P.M. brought them back to
the city at seven o'clock, and the trio unanimously voted that they had
passed a most agreeable and instructive day. The heads of the youths
were filled with archæology, and they felt themselves almost competent
to write a history of the Toltecs and their migrations, in spite of the
obscurity of many of the traditions about this remarkable people.

Instead of a history, they acted upon Doctor Bronson's suggestion, and
contented themselves with an account of what they had seen, with a few
supplementary notes by way of explanation. From this account we will
make a few selections.

[Illustration: WARRIOR'S PROFILE, FOUND AT TULA.]

"Tula now has a population of less than 2000," said Frank in his
note-book; "but according to the histories, it was a rival of
Tenochtitlan, the ancient name of the city of Mexico, at the time of the
Conquest. The inhabitants were firm supporters of Cortez, and among the
first people to accept the new religion and become his allies. Its
ancient name was Tollan, which is said to mean 'the place of reeds,' and
also 'the place of many people.' Cortez built a church there very soon
after he conquered the place. There is a church now standing which was
begun in 1553 and completed eight years later.

"It is one of the best built churches in Mexico; at any rate, one of the
best that we have seen. Doctor Bronson thought it must have been
intended as a fortress as well as a church, as the walls in some places
are seven feet thick, and built in the most substantial manner. And it
wasn't a small building either, as it is 192 feet long by 41 wide. The
body of the church is more than 80 feet high, and it has a tower whose
top is 125 feet from the ground. The architects that came with Cortez
evidently understood how to erect substantial buildings.

[Illustration: CHURCH AND PART OF PLAZA AT TULA.]

"Exactly how many inhabitants there were in Tula when Cortez came nobody
seems to know; but it is certain, from the extent of the ruins, that the
city covered a wide area. There is a small and not particularly clean
river that winds through a plain around the base of Mount Coatepetl,
and the city stretched over this plain and was dominated by the
mountain. Great quantities of sculpture have been found here in
ploughing the fields or clearing the bed of the river, and explorers and
antiquarians have done a great deal of work with profitable results.
Some of the 'finds' have been taken to the museum in Mexico, some have
gone out of the country, and a good many large pillars and pieces of
statues remain in Tula to interest and instruct the visitor.

[Illustration: TOLTEC KING AND HIS THRONE.]

"According to the historians, the Toltecs founded Tula, or Tollan, in
the year 648. We have told elsewhere how the discovery of pulque brought
about the ruin of the nation, but whether this is really so or not the
historians cannot say positively. At any rate, the ruins of Tula are of
great antiquity, and as we walked and stood among them we tried to make
a mental picture of what was to be seen here a thousand years ago.

[Illustration: RUINS OF A TOLTEC PALACE.]

"We imagined that we saw a long line of soldiers, armed with spears,
light javelins, bows and arrows, and also with clubs studded with copper
or silver nails. They were protected by cotton tunics thickly quilted,
that must have been very warm when the wearers were marching, but
evidently made an excellent armor. They had leggings of the same
material, and they had wadded capes over their shoulders, but kept their
arms bare for greater facility in handling their weapons. We pictured
their king wrapped in a thick mantle knotted across his breast, with his
hands bare, and his feet protected by sandals. These sandals were held
in place by a thong passing between the first and second toes--exactly
after the style of the foot-gear worn by the Japanese at the present
time. His head was covered with a conical cap resembling that of the
Persians, and his ears were ornamented with heavy rings that glistened
through his long hair.

"At one side of the field where the soldiers are standing in
battle-array we see some buildings which they tell us are storehouses
where grain is laid away in times of abundance as a provision against a
period of famine. This was a custom of the Toltecs, and on several
occasions saved them from great suffering.

"One building which we cannot clearly make out is a tennis-court, so M.
Charnay says, and if we have any doubt about it now we can be convinced,
as one of the tennis-rings is still in place. Then there is a temple on
the top of a hill, and the procession that is going towards the temple
is in honor of a warrior who is receiving the honor of knighthood.

"You will be interested in learning that they had a regular system of
knighthood here centuries before Columbus discovered America. When a
candidate was to be presented the knights accompanied him to the temple
in a solemn procession. At the temple a priest pierced the cartilage of
his nose with an eagle's claw, and then twigs were inserted in the wound
to keep the flesh from uniting as the sore healed. He was clad in a
coarse tunic, and then they painted him black all over, gave him one
tortilla and a little water once a day to save him from starvation, and
compelled him to lie on a mat on the cold ground. They allowed him to
sleep only a few minutes at a time, and waked him by a prod with a
thorn. Several times a day they sat down and feasted in front of him,
called him every mean name their language contained, and heaped all
sorts of insults upon him. They kept this up for sixty days; if he lost
his temper at any time and 'talked back' at their insults, or asked for
any of their food, the ceremony stopped and he wasn't made a knight.

"If he held out bravely and patiently to the end of the sixty days, he
was then taken to the Temple again, and the whole order of the knights
received him with high honors. His mean garments were removed from him
by the oldest knight in the assemblage, and he was decorated with the
insignia of the order and dressed in fine clothes. The use of the hole
in his nose was now apparent, as the jewel that indicated his rank was
hung there. The Apache and other south-western Indians occupy the
country dwelt in by the Toltecs before their migration to Mexico. These
Indians wear ornaments in their noses, and are supposed to have derived
the custom from the ancient inhabitants.

[Illustration: THE PYRAMID OF THE SUN AT TULA.]

"So much for the past. Let us see what there is here now. Here are the
ruins of the Temple of the Sun, where the people worshipped that great
luminary; they made offerings of fruits and flowers, and sometimes of
birds, and, unlike the Aztecs, they did not indulge in human sacrifices.
The temple is now only a heap of stones partly overgrown with trees, and
it is said that a great deal of material was taken from it for building
the houses of the Tula of to-day.

"We went from the temple to the ruins of the palace. These ruins were
unearthed by M. Charnay, and cover a considerable area of ground. The
guide who accompanied us was the same that aided the author of 'Ancient
Cities of the New World,' and he pointed out the different rooms in the
palace and their probable uses. One room, he said, was supposed to have
been devoted to a sort of 'Happy Family' of wild and domestic animals,
as it was the fashion of those times for every palace to have a
menagerie attached to it. Then they had coops and cages for turkeys,
ducks, and other fowls destined for the table, yards for goats and other
domestic quadrupeds, tanks for fish, and chambers for reptiles and birds
of prey. Servants' quarters were arranged very much as in modern
palaces; and altogether the Toltec kings had a good deal of comfort
about their residences.

[Illustration: PARTS OF A COLUMN, TULA.]

"In the plaza we saw some broken columns, which appear to have been
wrought with a great deal of skill and carefully mortised together.
There was also the lower portion of a caryatid. Fred made a sketch of it
with the guide standing at one side, so that you can see the proportions
of the figure. Only the legs and feet remain, and they are more than
seven feet high. Taking this height for a calculation, the head of the
complete figure before it was broken must have been nearly twenty feet
from the ground.

[Illustration: TOLTEC CARYATID, TULA.]

"The Toltecs built their houses of uncut stone laid in mud, and covered
with hard cement; this cement seems to have been of an excellent
composition, as it is well preserved in spite of the centuries that have
elapsed since the city was built. The floors are levelled with the same
cement, and some of them are smooth enough for skating-rinks. The palace
that we visited contains thirty or forty rooms, and there is a smaller
palace in another part of the town which we did not see. One of the
Toltec stone basins is used as a baptismal font for the church, and the
ruins supplied much of the material of which the walls are composed.

"We dined fairly well at the Hotel de Diligencias, having taken the
precaution to order the dinner as soon as we arrived. We allowed
ourselves scant time for the meal, as we wished to utilize our stay as
much as possible in seeing the sights of Tula. If we ever turn
excavators of ruins, we will come to Tula and see what can be found. Our
interest is somewhat stimulated by the story that an Indian boy once
found a jar here containing 500 gold coins; he was ignorant of their
value, and sold the entire lot for a few coppers. If you hear of our
doing anything of this sort, please let us know."

On their return to the city Doctor Bronson found at the hotel a letter
which contained an invitation to visit a sugar plantation in the State
of Morelos; the invitation included the youths, and was accepted at
once. Immediate acceptance was necessary, as the proprietor of the
estate was to leave the city on the following morning, and wished the
visitors to accompany him, and on their part they desired the pleasure
and advantage of his company on the road.

The party took the morning train on the Interoceanic Railway, the line
by which they went to Amecameca on their excursion to Popocatepetl.
Their destination was Cuautla (pronounced Kwat-la) or Cuautla-Morelos,
as it is officially designated.

"It was named in honor of the patriot Morelos," said Señor Domingo, the
gentleman whose sugar estate our friends were going to visit.

"I have seen his name in the list of Mexicans who have made their names
famous," replied Fred, "and must refresh my memory concerning him."

[Illustration: NATIVE HUT ON A SUGAR ESTATE.]

"I will save you the trouble of consulting the histories," the gentleman
answered, "by giving you a brief sketch of his life."

The youths bowed their acknowledgments of his courtesy as Señor Domingo
continued:

"You doubtless know about the insurrection led by the priest Hidalgo, in
1810, which was the beginning of the War for Independence. Well, Morelos
was one of the curates under Hidalgo, and when the insurrection began he
joined in it, and raised a force of patriots to oppose the Spaniards and
drive them from the country. He began with five negro slaves as the
nucleus of his army, and soon had a following of several thousands. He
was successful at first, and his defence of Cuautla was one of the most
heroic affairs known in Mexican history.

"Morelos had taken his position in the town, and was attacked by the
Spanish general Calleja, in February, 1812. He repulsed the attack, and
then the Spaniards laid siege to the place. For more than two months the
siege was kept up; provisions grew very scarce and the besieged were
near the point of starvation. Rats sold for one dollar each, and a cat
was worth five or six dollars. Lizards became valuable, and a fair-sized
one was worth two dollars, and could not be readily obtained at that
price."

"Was the patriot army forced to surrender?" Frank asked.

"No," was the reply, "it held out for sixty-two days, and then Morelos
managed on a dark and rainy night to evacuate the place and retreat. He
fought several other battles, but was finally captured. He was tried for
treason, and condemned to death, and it is notable that his conviction
was one of the last acts of the Inquisition in Mexico. Morelos was shot
in December, 1815; his memory is preserved in the name of the State we
are about to visit, and also in that of his native city, Valladolid,
which is now called Morelia."

[Illustration: HENEQUIN PLANT.]

"To be shot for treason seems to be the fate of the majority of Mexican
leaders," one of the youths remarked.

"Yes," was the reply. "An intimate friend of Morelos, and one of his
ablest officers, was the priest Matamoras. He was captured and shot by
Iturbide, in 1814, and in revenge for his execution Morelos is said to
have butchered 200 Spanish prisoners. And Iturbide, as you know, was
disposed of in the same way, when he set foot on Mexican soil after his
banishment. It may seem strange to you to see the portraits of Iturbide,
Morelos, and Matamoras side by side in the public hall at Cuautla, and
to know we revere them all as heroes; but it shows you the ups and downs
of Mexican history better than anything else I know of."

The conversation just related occurred as the train was wending its way
from Mexico to Amecameca. Beyond that town there were numerous curves in
the railway line, and the youths were interested in studying the rapidly
changing panorama as the train wound among the mountains in its descent
from Ozumba to Cuautla. Before the ride was ended they declared that
they had nowhere seen a more crooked railway, and expressed unfeigned
admiration for the engineer that built it.

But their admiration was checked when Señor Domingo pointed out the
scene of one of the most terribly fatal accidents known in the history
of railway management.

[Illustration: FIGHT BETWEEN REGULARS AND INSURGENTS.]

"This is the place," said he, as they reached the deep barranca of
Malpais. "The railway was opened on the 18th of June, 1881, and there
was an excursion from the city, with a grand banquet at Cuautla.
President Diaz and nearly all the notable men of Mexico were on the
excursion and banqueting party; in fact there was hardly any government
left in the capital on that day. The banquet was given in an old
convent, which had been converted into a railway-station, and a very
good station it makes.

"There was a regiment of soldiers at Cuautla at the time, and just six
days after the excursion and the opening of the line it was ordered to
the city. The soldiers were placed on platform cars, and several other
cars loaded with barrels of aguardiente were attached to the train.

[Illustration: RAILWAY CROSSING A BARRANCA.]

"It was dusk when the train started, and the night came on very dark and
rainy. The soldiers broke open some of the barrels of the fiery liquid,
and drank heavily to keep out the effects of the rain. The foundations
of the bridge at this barranca had been badly built, and were made
unsafe by a flood; when the train came along, the bridge gave way and
the cars were thrown into the abyss. The barrels of aguardiente took
fire, the cartridges in the belts of the soldiers exploded, the men who
were not killed outright or stunned by the fall were crazy with drink
and excitement, and shot and stabbed each other; many were swept away by
the torrent, and altogether the accident was the most horrible ever
known upon a railway, so far as I have read or heard. More than three
hundred lives were lost, and many persons think the real number was not
much below five hundred."

[Illustration: A PRODUCT OF CUAUTLA.]

Frank and Fred shuddered as they looked from the windows of the car
into the deep barranca, where the stream was rushing along in its wild
fury. The fallen train, inky darkness, the tropical storm, men crazed
with drunkenness, burning aguardiente, exploding cartridges, knives,
bayonets, and loaded rifles combined to make a picture terrible to
contemplate.

[Illustration: TRAVELLERS RESTING.]

The change from the Valley of Mexico to the warm country south of the
encircling mountains is very perceptible in the distance between Ozumba
and Cuautla, and more so where the line continues to Yautepec, fifteen
miles farther on. Cuautla is eighty-five miles from Mexico City, and
before the railway was opened it was very difficult of access.

The railway, as before stated, is entirely Mexican in character; it is a
narrow-gauge line, and owes its existence to the owners of the sugar
estates in the region of which Cuautla and Yautepec are the commercial
centres. Through the political influence of these men a Government
concession and subsidy were obtained, with extra subventions for speedy
constructions. To the insecure character of the work, owing to the speed
with which the line was built, may be attributed the accident at the
Malpais barranca.

Cuautla has about 12,000 inhabitants, and is 3500 feet above the level
of the sea; the rapidity of the descent of the railway will be realized
when it is remembered that Amecameca is nearly 5000 feet higher up in
the air, and less than fifty miles away. That the region is tropical a
glance from the car windows as the station is approached will readily
show.

Cuautla contains a very good and venerable church, and a well-built
town-hall; the alameda is pretty, and when these have been seen the
stranger has practically finished with the place. Señor Domingo did not
allow our friends an opportunity to inspect the town, as his carriage
was waiting at the station and they were off in a few minutes. They did
not see the sights of Cuautla until their return.

[Illustration: OVER THE HILLS.]

They had breakfasted lightly before starting in the morning, and
substantially at Ozumba; it was half-past three in the afternoon when
they ended their railway ride, and the drive to the sugar estate
occupied fully two hours. The drive was along roads lined with tropical
trees and plants, and among plantations of bananas, sugar-cane, oranges,
and other products of the warm region. The air was dense and hot, and by
no means an agreeable change from the pure atmosphere of the Valley of
Mexico.

Sugar is the chief product of the State of Morelos, the annual yield
being over 60,000,000 pounds, or 30,000 tons. Next to sugar comes corn,
the value of the corn product being nearly two-thirds as much as that of
the sugar. Coffee, rice, wheat, and fruits are the remaining yields of
the soil; and there are several silver-mines in Morelos, but they are
not of great repute. The story is that they swallow up a great deal more
than they produce, and are only worked when a capitalist happens along
who has a few hundreds of thousands he is willing to part with.

[Illustration: A SCORPION OF CUERNAVACA.]

A late and bountiful dinner was served at the plantation, and after a
pleasant evening with the family of their host the strangers retired to
rest. They were out early the next morning, ready for an investigation
of the sugar-making process as it is conducted in Mexico.

Here is what Fred wrote on the subject:

"We have seen sugar-making in several parts of the world, so that there
is nothing particularly new to us here. They have the most improved
machinery for crushing, boiling, and refining, and there is a portable
railway for transporting the sugar-cane to the mills. This railway is
shifted from one part of the estate to another as it is wanted, and the
saving of horse or other quadrupedal power is very great. The peons
appear to be well fed and happy; but it must be remembered that it takes
very little to support this class of the population. Nearly all the
sugar consumed in Central Mexico is grown in the State of Morelos and
the tropical region which immediately borders it. It is said that the
business is less profitable now than in former times, owing to the low
price of sugar.

[Illustration: A CHURCH GOING TO DECAY.]

"The process of making sugar has been described so often that it would
be superfluous to give it a place here. Some of the estates date from
the time of Cortez, and we were shown a building that was erected about
1540, if the tradition concerning it is correct. Of course the processes
for obtaining sugar from the cane have greatly improved since that time,
and the sugar-makers of three hundred years ago would be very much
astonished if they could wake up and see what is going on here now."

Doctor Bronson and his nephews spent two or three days around Cuautla,
and then continued on to Yautepec, where they took horses for a five
hours' ride to Cuernavaca. They took the advice of Señor Domingo, and
spent the night at Yautepec, so as to make the horseback journey in the
early hours of the day, and thus escape the heat of noon.

"We had a rough ride," said Frank, "but were amply repaid for it, not
only by the scenery along the way but by the quaint and picturesque
position of Cuernavaca. It has a commanding site on a promontory
projecting into the Valley of Cuernavaca, several hundred feet above it.
The valley is exceedingly fertile, and so is the ground on which the
town, with its twelve or fourteen thousand inhabitants, is located.
There was a town here when Cortez came to Mexico, and it was captured
and converted to Christianity before the siege of Tenochtitlan was
begun.

[Illustration: MEXICAN HOUSE WITH TILED ROOF.]

"There is a wonderful supply of tropical fruits, and also, we regret to
say, of tropical insects, the scorpion having a prominent place among
them. The widest street is the Calle Nacional, and the most interesting
buildings are the church and the palace of Cortez. The conqueror had a
grant of land from the King, which included the Valley of Cuernavaca; he
established his private residence here, and had a large estate, where he
introduced the cultivation of the sugar-cane and other useful growths of
the hot lands. His palace is now used as the public building of the
State of Morelos, which has its capital here; it has been changed a good
deal since his time, and we had some doubt as to the veracity of the
guide, who pointed out the different rooms and told the uses which the
great warrior made of them.

"The church is well worth seeing, and according to the historians it was
founded in 1529, along with a convent of the order of San Francisco.
There is another church, which was built by a Frenchman who came to
Mexico a poor boy and was so successful in mining enterprises that he
accumulated a fortune of $40,000,000. He spent a million dollars in
building the church, and another million in making a garden which is one
of the finest in Mexico, though it is far from being what it was in its
best days. We went through it and were fairly enraptured with what it
contains. The whole flora of the tropics seem to have been gathered in
this garden, and not only that of the tropics, but also of a large part
of the temperate zone.

"This fortunate Frenchman was named Joseph de la Borde, which is changed
in Spanish into José de la Borda. Lest you might think of coming here to
make his acquaintance, I will add that he was born in the year 1700, and
therefore isn't around very much just now.

"Cuernavaca means 'cow's horn,' but we looked in vain for something to
remind us of the weapon of the favorite animal of the farm-yard. It was
explained to us that the word is a corruption of Quauhnahuac, which
means 'where the eagle stops.' This was a better definition, as the site
of Cuernavaca is one which an intelligent eagle might select for
building his nest, provided there were no human beings around to molest
him. The ill-fated Maximilian followed the supposed example of the
eagle, as he was fond of coming here; it was his favorite dwelling-place
whenever he could snatch a few days from the cares of state. Most of the
houses are roofed with red tiles, which make a fine contrast with the
foliage of the tropical and semi-tropical trees.

"We visited the springs of Guadalupe which supply the town with water,
and found some charming scenery among the neighboring hills. Cuernavaca
lies between two barrancas, with very steep sides, and thereby, or
therein, hangs a bit of history. The barrancas offer an excellent
protection against assault, and when the army of Cortez came here there
seemed to be no point of access. You must remember that Cortez had no
Krupp or Armstrong cannon with which he could lie off at his ease to
batter the town to pieces and care nothing for the intervening chasms.

"The Spaniards were at bay for some time, till at last some of the
soldiers found a place where two trees had fallen across the barranca,
and made a perilous but possible bridge. Over this passage-way they
crept, one by one, some of them growing dizzy and falling off, to be
dashed to death on the rocks below. Silently they effected the transit,
formed their ranks on the other side, and then, with the blare of
trumpets and the fire of musketry, they dashed forward and captured the
town. How it must have astonished the people when the position they had
considered impregnable was thus captured by the white men from beyond
the sea!"

[Illustration: CLIMBING THE HEIGHTS.]




CHAPTER XXII.

OVERLAND TO ACAPULCO.--SCENES OF LONG AGO.--PRESENT MODE OF TRAVEL.--TEN
DAYS ON HORSEBACK.--WAY-SIDE ACCOMMODATIONS.--ACAPULCO'S HARBOR.--RETURN
TO THE CAPITAL.--EXCURSION TO GUADALAJARA.--DOCTOR BRONSON LEFT
BEHIND.--OLD BRIDGES AND THEIR HISTORY.--BATTLE BETWEEN HIDALGO AND THE
SPANIARDS.--STORIES ABOUT BRIGANDS.--SLAUGHTER BY PRIVATE
ENTERPRISE.--HOW SEÑOR PEREZ SECURED PEACE.--ATTRACTIONS OF
GUADALAJARA.--THE CATHEDRAL AND OTHER CHURCHES.--THE GREAT
HOSPICIO.--WHAT THE EARTHQUAKE DID.--PUBLIC SCHOOLS.--A DAY ON A CATTLE
HACIENDA.--A RODEO.--RETURN TO THE CAPITAL.


[Illustration: A WAY-SIDE SHRINE.]

At Cuernavaca our friends learned that they were on the road from Vera
Cruz and Mexico to Acapulco, and the youths greatly wished to continue
to the Pacific Ocean. It is the old route of commerce between Spain and
Asia, and was travelled for hundreds of years by long trains of
pack-mules laden with the products of the Orient on their way to Europe,
and with those of Mexico and Europe destined for Asia. It seems
incredible that such a route should have been so long maintained across
the continent, with no track for wheeled vehicles, over mountains and
through deep gorges, with the dangers of robbers, pestilence, and the
hundred accidents that are liable to occur in such a country and such a
time; but so it was. Over this route were carried the cargoes of many
richly freighted galleons; along these dangerous path-ways thousands of
soldiers marched to glory or the grave, and hundreds if not thousands of
civilians went in search of new lands from which they could gather the
wealth they coveted.

[Illustration: ON THE ROAD TO ACAPULCO.]

It is eighty leagues, or 240 miles, from Cuernavaca to Acapulco, the
port which once enjoyed a profitable commerce but is to-day of
comparatively little moment. Spasmodic efforts have been made at
different times for the construction of a wagon-road, but they have
never been carried far. There is a wagon-road between Cuernavaca and
Mexico City, a distance of about forty-five miles, and over this a
diligence runs three times a week each way, and wagons laden with
merchandise pass in fair number. But the business of the route is less
than it was two hundred years ago; the Mexicans hope for a revival when
the railway is completed from Vera Cruz to Acapulco, and a line of
steamers between Acapulco and China is under consideration.

Doctor Bronson's plans did not include the overland journey to Acapulco,
and by way of consolation the youths determined to write a description
of the route from what they could learn from others. By consulting those
who had made the journey, and by references to some of the volumes in
their possession, they composed the following:

"There is no regular system of hiring horses and baggage-mules for the
journey, and the traveller must make his bargain with an arriero. A
horse to carry himself, and a mule for the baggage, will cost about
forty dollars, twenty for each animal; if there are several persons in a
party the price can be reduced somewhat. It should be carefully
stipulated that the arriero pay his own expenses and those of his
animals, or the traveller will find himself mulcted for a considerable
sum as he goes along. The arriero will want to be paid in advance, a
demand that should be strenuously refused; the affair can be compromised
by paying half down, and the other half at the end of the journey, which
is ordinarily made in ten days.

"As we start from Cuernavaca we find ourselves on a carriage-road, and
wonder how it happens that we were told we must go in the saddle. The
reason is soon apparent, as the carriage-road comes to an end after a
little while. It reminds us of that famous turnpike somewhere in the
Western States that began with a macadamized road fifty feet wide, and
steadily dwindled till it became only a squirrel-track and ran up a
tree, or a similar road that terminated in a gopher-hole. One gentleman
says the route from Cuernavaca to Acapulco is spoken of as a _bueno
camino de pajaros_ (a good road for birds), and he is about right.

"The country is rough and the scenery wild and interesting, except that
one wearies of mountains and valleys after seeing a few hundreds of
each. Portions of the way as we leave Cuernavaca behind us are through
the sugar region. We pass large fields of cane and meet trains of mules
laden with sugar. At irregular intervals we find villages or isolated
houses, and in the construction of these buildings we observe that the
cane is very prominent. Houses in this region are mostly built of cane,
and their roofs are heavily thatched to keep out the heat of the
tropical suns and the heavy downpour of tropical rains.

[Illustration: A COUNTRY HOTEL.]

"This is the regular routine: We make an early start in the daybreak,
take a long rest in the middle of the day, then ride in the late
afternoon, and put up in a meson, or inn, or in the hut of some
villager. The accommodations are of the most primitive character, but
they are the best the country can afford, and we accept them without
murmuring. For food, we have eggs, chickens, fried bananas, tortillas,
and always the national dish, frijoles. We can get milk in the morning
but not at night, as they milk their cows only once a day.

"Some of the rivers are fordable, others have been bridged, and others
swollen by rains must be crossed in boats. Some of the boats are large
enough to ferry our animals along with ourselves, while at the crossing
of others we are transported in dugouts, and the horses and mules are
compelled to swim. Of course in such a case everything must be removed
from the backs of the animals, and this causes a considerable delay. We
think ourselves fortunate in getting through in ten days when all the
hinderances of progress are considered. In some places there is
absolutely no track, as we follow the beds of streams, where at each
rise all traces of previous travellers are washed away. In the time of
floods these river-beds are abandoned, and the banks of the streams are
followed.

[Illustration: GALLEON OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.]

"Years and years before New England and New York were settled the
Spaniards were traversing this route with long trains of beasts of
burden, laden with the treasures of the East. If you want to know what
they carried, read Bret Harte's poem of 'The Lost Galleon:'

  "'In sixteen hundred and forty-one
  The regular yearly galleon,
  Laden with odorous gums and spice,
  India cotton and India rice,
  And the richest silks of far Cathay,
  Was due at Acapulco Bay.

         *       *       *       *       *

  "'The trains were waiting outside the walls,
    The wives of the sailors thronged the town,
  The traders sat by their empty stalls,
    And the Viceroy himself came down.
  The bells in the town were all atrip,
  Te Deums were on each father's lip,
  The limes were ripening in the sun
  For the sick of the coming galleon.

  "'All in vain. Weeks passed away,
  And yet no galleon saw the bay;
  India goods advanced in price;
  The Governor missed his favorite spice;
  The señoritas mourned for sandal
  And the famous cottons of Coromandel;
  And some for an absent lover lost,
  And one for a husband tempest-tossed;

         *       *       *       *       *

  "'And all along the coast that year
  Votive candles were scarce and dear.'

"A thousand mules and donkeys were required for the transport of the
freight of one of these galleons; a cargo was often valued at
$2,000,000, and the return one to the East was of equal worth. The
return cargo consisted mostly of silver, cochineal, cocoa, and other
Mexican products, together with European goods from Spain. The cargoes
from Asia were taken to the city of Mexico, and whatever did not find a
market there was sent to Spain by way of Vera Cruz. The old chroniclers
say that the Mexicans had the first selection of the goods, and often
aroused the jealousy of their friends in Spain in consequence.

[Illustration: TOWN AND CASTLE OF ACAPULCO.]

"Well, here we are at Acapulco, and for the last time dismount from our
steeds. We look upon the blue waters of the little harbor, but can see
no galleon at anchor, only a few sailing-ships and one of the steamers
of the Pacific Mail Company, which has just come into port and lies
fuming uneasily, as though impatient to continue her voyage. Were it not
for the semi-monthly visits of the Pacific mail steamers, Acapulco would
have no regular connection with the rest of the world. The place has a
population of three or four thousand only, and it has a fort on an
island which lies opposite the town, cutting off the long swell of the
Pacific Ocean, and forming one of the best harbors on the western coast
of Mexico."

[Illustration: A SCENE ON THE DILIGENCE ROAD.]

Frank and Fred returned with Doctor Bronson to the city of Mexico by
diligence. The road is rough, and they were severely jolted in their
eight hours' ride; they managed to shorten the rough part to six hours
by leaving the diligence at Tlalpan and coming thence to the city by the
tram-way.

Hardly had the youths shaken the dust of the road from their garments
than they looked around for "new worlds to conquer." Their attention was
drawn to Guadalajara (pronounced gwa-da-la-_ha_-ra), a city that is not
often visited by tourists, for the reason that it lies off the main
route of travel. It is the capital of the State of Jalisco, has a
population of some eighty or ninety thousand, contains a fine cathedral,
and other public buildings, and altogether is worth a good deal more
than a passing thought.

"We can go there by train," said Frank, "as the branch line from the
Mexican Central Railway at Irapuato has been recently opened."

"How long will it take us to get there?" queried Fred.

"About twenty-two hours," was the reply. "We can leave here at 8.10
P.M., and if not delayed, the north-bound train will get us to Irapuato
at 6.57 the next morning. The train for Guadalajara leaves Irapuato at
8.40 A.M., and we are due in that city at 6 P.M."

"But perhaps Uncle will not wish to go there; what will we do in that
case?"

"Why, go alone, to be sure, if he can spare us the time."

The plan was duly laid before Doctor Bronson, who at once gave his
permission for the youths to make the excursion without him. He did not
care particularly for it, and said he would be satisfied to look at
Guadalajara through their eyes.

They immediately secured places in the Pullman sleeping-car for
Irapuato, and were off by the train that evening. By good-fortune they
were introduced during the day to a Mexican gentleman, Señor Sanchez,
who had a large hacienda near Guadalajara, and was then on his way to
it.

With the customary politeness, he informed the youths that his "house
and all it contained were theirs;" he followed up the formality by
inviting them to spend a day or two with him, either on their outward or
return journey. They took the hint, and concluding that he desired to
have a little time to himself on his arrival, they arranged to stop off
on their return from Guadalajara.

It is 353 kilometres from Mexico City to Irapuato, and 260 from that
station to Guadalajara, a total of 613 kilometres, or 380 miles. The
country from Irapuato is for the most part broken, but it contains few
high mountains, and here and there the youths found themselves looking
across plains of considerable extent. The region is well peopled, and
there are several towns or cities along the route, each of them
containing upwards of 5000 inhabitants. There are many _arroyos_ and
barrancas that severely taxed the abilities of the engineers, but they
are insignificant when compared with the great barrancas between
Guadalajara and the western coast. Construction parties are at work on
the western section of the route, and in due time the locomotive from
Guadalajara will sound its whistle at San Blas, on the shore of the
Pacific Ocean.

[Illustration: AN INTERIOR TOWN.]

"There are some interesting bridges along the old diligence-road," said
Mr. Sanchez, "that have excited the admiration of travellers. A few
miles this side of Guadalajara there is a stone bridge of nineteen
arches which crosses the Rio Grande de Santiago. Nobody can tell when it
was built; it bears at one place the date 1740, but whether that refers
to the construction or to the repair of the bridge I am unable to say.
At each end there are the statues of the King and Queen of Spain at the
time of erection, but they are so worn by time and defaced by vandals
that they cannot be recognized.

[Illustration: AT THE HACIENDA.]

"There is another old structure near Zapotlanejo, called the Bridge of
Calderon, which crosses a narrow but deep arroyo. It is of interest to
the student of Mexican history, as it is the point at which the patriot
Hidalgo, with 80,000 Indians, was defeated by a few hundred Spaniards.
His men were armed only with bows and arrows and spears, in addition to
a few old muskets and some wooden cannon that burst at the first fire;
the Spaniards were well armed, and had six or eight cannon, which
wrought havoc among the followers of the patriot priest. They were so
ignorant of the power of gunpowder that they rushed up to the cannon and
crowded their hats into the muzzles, in the expectation that they would
thus prevent the pieces from going off. Thousands of them were mowed
down, and finally the remnant were driven from the field. This was the
last great battle fought by Hidalgo; he retreated to Chihuahua with a
hundred followers, and not long afterwards was betrayed, captured, and
executed.

"The country around here was formerly terribly infested with brigands,"
he continued, "but they are rarely heard of now. A large number were
killed off by the Government troops, others by private enterprise, and
finally those that remained were induced to quit the business of
robbery, and become members of the Rural Guard."

"You mention private enterprise as a way of getting rid of brigands,"
Fred remarked. "I do not understand it exactly."

[Illustration: A CORNER OF THE MARKET-PLACE.]

"I can best explain the matter by giving an illustration," Señor Sanchez
replied. "There is a hacienda called Venta de Los Pagarros about
twenty-five miles from Tepotitlan, which belongs to Señor Perez. It is
twenty miles long, and there are nearly 50,000 head of cattle upon it.
Señor Perez bought it for a very low price, as the robbers had driven
away the former occupants, and nobody dared live there. He strengthened
his buildings so that nothing but artillery could do anything against
them, and then he organized his men into a military force and armed and
drilled them till they were excellent soldiers. They were all well
mounted, and he had thus a force of 200 men about him, ready to start at
an hour's notice by day or night. When a band of robbers was heard of,
it was pursued and hunted down, and no prisoners were taken. In two
years nearly 100 robbers were killed by Perez and his men, and the
country became quiet. Other proprietors followed his example and brought
about a peaceful state of affairs."

"That is very much the plan on which the owners of the great mills at
Queretaro protected themselves," Fred remarked, and then the
conversation changed to other topics.

There were broad fields of wheat and barley visible from the windows of
the train, and Fred observed that the fields were separated, and
protected from the incursions of cattle, by fences or hedges of cactus.
Their new friend explained that it was the cheapest fence in the world
to make; they had only to take the long shoots of the organ cactus, cut
them into proper lengths, and stick these lengths, or sections, into a
trench where the fence was to be. The dirt piled around the end of the
sections serves to keep them in place, they soon take root and grow, and
as they live for a hundred years or so the owner has no further trouble
with them. No animal larger than a rabbit can get through such a fence,
and it is equally impervious to a man unless armed with a hatchet.

Señor Sanchez left the train at a station about forty miles east of
Guadalajara. The youths named a day when they would visit him, and then
continued their journey to the city.

For what they saw and did in Guadalajara we will refer to Fred's
note-book:

"It is a handsome city," said the youth, "and we are not surprised to
learn that it is considered next to Mexico in importance. It has a dozen
or more fine churches, and its cathedral, which was completed in 1618,
is one of the oldest in the country, and is considered next to those of
the capital and Puebla in point of wealth and grandeur. It occupies one
side of the Grand Plaza, has two tapering steeples and a handsome dome,
and altogether is well calculated to impress every beholder, whatever
may be his religious leanings.

"The interior reminded us of the cathedral of Mexico in a general way,
though the detail is greatly varied. What surprised us most was the high
altar, which is thirty feet high and broad in proportion, and as rich as
carving and precious metals can make it. It was made in Rome, and hauled
here, we cannot tell how, over the terrible roads between this place and
Vera Cruz. Some of the blocks weigh several tons, and we shuddered as we
thought what an expenditure of muscle, human and quadrupedal, must have
been required to bring these masses of stone from the sea-coast 500
miles away.

[Illustration: COURT-YARD OF A PRIVATE HOUSE.]

"The building has suffered from the elements, the cupolas of the towers
having been thrown down by an earthquake in 1818. Some time in the
sixties lightning struck the cathedral during service, and two of the
organists were killed by the shock. There are many valuable paintings in
the cathedral, and in the vaults beneath it are the bones of the bishops
and priests that have died here during the last 300 years and more.

"We visited several other churches, and went to the great hospital of
San Miguel de Belan, which is generally known as 'The Belan.' It is
near the centre of the city, and covers, or rather encloses within its
walls, about eight acres of ground. It was founded about 100 years ago,
and at one time had a very large revenue; but successive revolutions and
robberies have plundered it of nearly all its possessions. It had an
income of $1,000,000 a year in its best days, but has barely ten or
fifteen thousand at present.

[Illustration: IN THE POOR QUARTERS.]

"It is the best constructed hospital edifice we ever saw, and we're very
sorry Doctor Bronson is not here to see and appreciate it. The buildings
are only one story high, so that the patients, doctors, and nurses have
no stairs to climb, and the rooms are twenty-five feet from floor to
ceiling, and well ventilated. The thick walls and roof make the place
warm in winter and cool in summer; and they told us there is no
artificial heating, and but little change of temperature throughout the
year.

"There is another immense establishment, called the Hospicio de
Guadalajara, which is an asylum rather than a hospital, and an asylum
for everybody. It was founded about the same time as the Belan hospital,
by some gentlemen of immense wealth, and they are said to have expended
eight or ten millions of dollars in building and endowing it. Sixteen
hundred people are accommodated there, from infants only a few hours old
up to people who are nearing the end of a century of life. It has
sixteen departments that comprise an Infant Asylum, Reform School,
Juvenile School, Orphan Asylum, Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Blind Asylum, Home
for the Aged and Indigent, High-schools for Boys and Girls, School of
Arts, Schools of Trades, Workshops, College, and Hospital!

"We saw boys in the workshop making shoes, clothes, hats, and other
articles of wear, while others were at work at carpentering, and still
others were setting type and working a printing-press of the
old-fashioned kind. In the girls' section there were classes in sewing,
knitting, lace-making, and the like; and there were classes of young
women who were learning fine embroidery, music, and painting, to fit
them for governesses in families. It would take too long to write down
all we saw and heard, and you might get tired before you read it
through. We couldn't help wishing that some of our very rich men would
endow just such establishments in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and
other large cities of the United States, and take their reward in the
knowledge that they had done a great deal of practical good.

"We were told that the city has an excellent system of public education,
and many of its people think it is the best in the whole country. There
are twenty primary day schools, five evening schools, and two
high-schools or _liceos_, one for boys and one for girls. The girls'
high-school is in an old convent which was confiscated at the time of
the Reform, and is admirably adapted to its uses. The boys' high-school
is in an equally spacious building, and the two schools have each four
or five hundred pupils, with a proportionate number of teachers. The
boys' school has a library of 30,000 volumes, gathered mainly from the
monasteries and convents. Then there are a School of Arts and Industries
and a School of Painting similar to that of San Carlos, though somewhat
smaller.

[Illustration: MEXICANS PLANTING CORN.]

"They have an opera-house and theatre here, and of course such an
enlightened city as Guadalajara must have a bull-ring. This ring is
equal to the principal one at the capital, and the 'sport' in it is
liberally patronized. There are four large cotton-factories here, and
there is a considerable industry in making pottery. We have mentioned
elsewhere the pottery of Guadalajara, which is famous throughout the
country and largely exported. We have bought a considerable number of
the clay statuettes that are sold here; they represent all the
industries and characters of Mexico, the prominent men of the country,
and in fact of the whole world. Statuettes twelve inches in height and
well modelled and colored are worth about twenty-five cents each, and
you can buy smaller ones as low down as a cent or even half a cent
apiece. They offered to make busts or statuettes of Frank and myself
for three dollars each, and have them ready in two days, but we declined
the proposal.

"As for the people and the sights and scenes of the streets, they are so
much like what we have described elsewhere that I will not venture upon
an account for fear of repetition. We will say good-by to this
interesting city, and return to the capital, stopping a day at the
hacienda of Señor Sanchez."

[Illustration: A RODEO.]

They kept their promise and visited that hospitable gentleman, who
organized a _rodeo_, or cattle-muster, for their benefit. The
_vaqueros_, or herdsmen, rode away in different directions, and after an
absence of an hour or two reappeared driving numbers of cattle before
them. These cattle were assembled in a large drove, and there was a
continuous pawing, bellowing, and dashing here and there as long as they
were together. The vaqueros showed their skill in lassoing the animals,
seizing them by the leg or horn according to previous announcements of
their intentions. The performance ended with a contest of skill in
picking up hats or other objects on the ground. Frank placed a silver
dollar edgewise on the ground, and half a dozen vaqueros, one after the
other, endeavored to secure it.

The first, second, and third missed it by only a fraction of an inch.
The fourth tumbled it over but did not catch it. It was set up again for
the fifth, who missed, and saw the coin taken in by the sixth and last
as he rode past at a gallop.

Their host pressed the youths to remain longer, but they felt that they
might interfere with Doctor Bronson's plans by so doing, and therefore
declined the invitation. They returned to the capital without any other
break in their journey, and were warmly congratulated by the Doctor on
the good use they had made of their time.

[Illustration: DRIVING A HERD.]




CHAPTER XXIII.

INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT DIAZ; HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND HISTORY.--A
CHECKERED CAREER.--SAVED FROM THE SEA.--THE FAITHFUL PURSER AND HIS
REWARD.--CHARACTERISTICS OF DIAZ'S ADMINISTRATION.--MADAME DIAZ.--A
DIPLOMATIC MARRIAGE.--THE ARMY AND NAVY OF MEXICO.--THE POSTAL
SERVICE.--NEWSPAPERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS.--PRINCIPAL WRITERS OF
FICTION.--FROM MEXICO TO PUEBLA.--HOW THE MEXICAN RAILWAY WAS
BUILT.--DIFFICULTIES OF ENGINEERING.--APIZACO.--THE CITY OF THE ANGELS;
ITS CATHEDRAL AND OTHER CURIOSITIES.--MANUFACTURES OF
PUEBLA.--BATTLE-FIELD OF _CINCO DE MAYO_.


It was a fortunate thing for the youths that they did not remain another
day at the cattle-hacienda of Señor Sanchez. After listening to a short
account of what they had seen, Doctor Bronson told them that he had a
pleasurable surprise in store for the next day.

"If it's a surprise," said Frank, "I suppose we must wait and ask no
questions."

"There's no occasion for secrecy," responded the Doctor. "The American
Minister has arranged for me to have an interview to-morrow with the
President of the Republic, and you can accompany me."

"That is a pleasurable surprise, indeed," said Frank, and Fred promptly
expressed a similar opinion.

"I am to go to the legation at eleven o'clock," continued Doctor
Bronson, "and meet the Minister, who is to present me to the President.
The interview is fixed for half-past eleven at the National Palace."

It is unnecessary to add that Frank and Fred were ready at the appointed
time, and that a carriage left the door of the hotel early enough to
deposit the trio at the door of the legation a few minutes before
eleven. The arrival at the palace was duly arranged, and the party was
in the anteroom of the President when an official came to call them to
an audience with the President.

The time of the chief of a nation is valuable, and the interview was
over in about twenty minutes. There was nothing official about it, and
the visitors came away much pleased with the way they had been received.
The conversation ran upon general topics; it related chiefly to what the
strangers had seen during their visit to the country, and some pleasant
allusions on the part of the President to the United States and a few of
its public men. He did not follow the customary form of politeness by
saying that his house and all it contained were theirs, but as they rose
to leave he shook hands with them cordially, and said that if he could
be of any service during the rest of their stay, he hoped they would not
hesitate to apply to him through his and their friend, the American
Minister.

[Illustration: PRESIDENT PORFIRIO DIAZ.]

"A more courteous gentleman than President Diaz," wrote Frank, "it would
be difficult to find, and I believe this is the testimony of his
opponents as well as of his friends. Perhaps you would like to know
something about his history; well, here it is:

"Porfirio Diaz was born in August, 1830, in Oajaca, and was educated
there. He began the study of law, but in the war between the United
States and Mexico he entered the army and fought in defence of his
country. He remained in the army and studied military science for
several years, when he went back to law again, on account of the triumph
of the party that gave the Dictatorship of Mexico to Santa Anna. He
fought in the revolution that drove Santa Anna away in 1855, and a few
years later he joined the Liberal party in the War of the Reform. He
continued with the Liberals during the French occupation; at the capture
of Puebla by the French, in 1863, he was made prisoner, but escaped. He
was then given the command of the Liberal army, but accepted it on the
condition that he should soon be replaced, as he was afraid that his
youth might cause the older generals to be jealous of him.

[Illustration: VIEW IN OAJACA.]

"He fought all through the war under great discouragements, was captured
a second time, and a second time escaped. After the retirement of the
French from Mexico, in 1867, he rapidly increased his army, and
besieged and captured Puebla; then he laid siege to the city of Mexico
at the same time that Maximilian was being besieged by another part of
the Liberal army at Queretaro. In the following autumn he was a
candidate for the Presidency, but was defeated by Juarez; then he laid
plans for a revolution, but was unsuccessful and obliged to flee from
the country. He went to New Orleans, and after a time was permitted to
return; then he was concerned in another revolution, and went again into
exile, whence he was called back by his friends in Oajaca, who had
revolted against the Government.

[Illustration: SAVED FROM THE SEA.]

"In his return he ran a great risk, as he was obliged to come to Mexico
by way of Vera Cruz. He took passage under an assumed name, and remained
in his room on the steamer under pretence of being sea-sick. When the
steamer was leaving Tampico he suspected that his identity had been
discovered by the officers of a Mexican regiment, which had been taken
on board at that port. Discovery and arrest meant execution, and he
jumped overboard and endeavored to swim to the shore, which was about
ten miles away. The captain thought he was a lunatic, and sent a boat
after him; he fought against being rescued, but was taken into the boat
and returned to the ship. The purser took charge of him, and Diaz
immediately told who he was, and asked for protection.

"The purser promised it. The colonel of the regiment suspected that Diaz
was on board, and in the hearing of the latter offered $50,000 for
information that would lead to his capture. Diaz tells how his heart
sank when he heard the offer, and how it beat with satisfaction when
the purser replied that he knew nothing about the insurgent leader.

"The purser smuggled him on shore disguised as a coal-heaver, and Diaz
reached Oajaca in safety. After his elevation to the Presidency one of
the first things he did was to appoint that purser a consul to represent
Mexico at a French seaport, and afterwards gave him the consulship at
San Francisco.

"The Oajaca revolution was successful; Lerdo, who was then (1876)
President, was driven out of the country, and there was a very disturbed
state of affairs for a time. It ended in the election of Diaz as
President; he held the office from May, 1877, till November, 1880, when
he was succeeded by President Gonzales, the Constitution then in force,
and originally proposed by Diaz, forbidding the President to succeed
himself. He succeeded Gonzales in 1884 for a second term of four years;
in 1887 the Constitution was modified so as to permit the President to
serve for a third term, and in consequence of this modification he was
again elected in that year. On the 1st of December, 1888, he took the
oath of office, in accordance with the Constitutional provisions, and
began his third term, which will expire December 1, 1892.

"There you have a personal history boiled down. President Diaz is a
thorough believer in general education, and in railways, telegraphs, and
other modern enterprises; in this belief he has been bitterly opposed by
the Reactionary party, which is principally composed of the old
aristocracy. In his first term concessions were granted for the
construction of railways by American companies, and other concessions
have been made since that time. One writer who is not particularly
friendly to the President says: 'Under the administration of Diaz
manufactures have increased, the resources of the country have been
developed, commerce has multiplied, education has been advanced, the
revenues have been appropriated to the purposes for which they were
designed, travel is safe, bandits have been dispersed, and railroads and
telegraphs are extending.' And from all we can learn this is by no means
an overstatement of the case."

For the benefit of his young lady friends at home Fred added to Frank's
sketch that President Diaz had been twice married, his present wife
being the daughter of Hon. Romero Rubio, Secretary of the Interior. She
is said to be a beauty of the brunette type, charming in manners, an
accomplished linguist, speaking several languages, of which English is
one, and an exquisite judge of feminine apparel. Her dresses are made by
Worth, the famous man-milliner of Paris, and therefore she may justly be
considered the leader of fashion in the capital of Mexico. Her duties
are less onerous than those of the wife of the President of the United
States, as there are no receptions similar to those of the White House,
and consequently the Mexican capital is free from the social ferment
which is constantly going on at Washington.

[Illustration: HOUSE WITH TILE FRONT.]

Doctor Bronson added a note to the effect that there was a considerable
amount of diplomacy in the marriage of President Diaz with his present
wife. Her father was one of the leaders of the Church party, and the
marriage strengthened Diaz with the Conservatives by making them less
hostile to him and his policy; the party was further conciliated when
Señor Rubio became Secretary of the Interior, and other members of the
old opposition were provided with places under the Government. But
though the hostility of the Church party has been diminished it still
exists; its leaders are ready to take advantage of any mistake of the
Government, and if they could again obtain control they would speedily
overthrow the present Constitution, whose authority they have never
acknowledged.

"The hostility of the two political parties in Mexico to each other,"
added the Doctor, "is far greater than that between the two great
parties of the United States. The Liberal party in Mexico believes in
general education, in the construction of railways, the encouragement of
manufacturing and other commercial enterprises, and a complete
separation of Church and State. The Clerical party believes in the
condition of affairs which existed before 1858, in a union of Church and
State, and the control of education by the Church, and it has been a
steady and consistent opponent of the railways that connect Mexico with
the United States. It looks with alarm upon the present influx of
foreigners and the adoption of their ideas by the Mexicans. It is
proper to add that this alarm is shared by many adherents of the Liberal
party, who fear that their country is being denationalized, and will
some day be gathered into the fold of the United States."

[Illustration: AMERICAN RESIDENTS OF MEXICO.]

Frank and Fred examined the Constitution of Mexico, and found that it
had many points of resemblance to that of the United States. Each of the
States has the right to manage its own local affairs, but all are bound
together for general governmental purposes. The central government
consists of legislative, judicial, and executive branches, as in the
United States; the President is the executive head, and the Senate and
House of Representatives form the legislative branches. There are two
Senators for each State, and one Representative for every forty thousand
inhabitants; Senators and Representatives alike receive $3000 a year.
Congress meets on April 1st and September 16th, and each of its sessions
lasts two months. During the interim between the sessions a permanent
committee of both Houses remains at the capital. Representatives must be
twenty-five years of age, and Senators thirty years, and both must be
residents of the States they represent. All religions are tolerated, but
no ecclesiastical body is allowed to acquire landed property.

Regarding the army and navy Fred wrote as follows:

"The President is commander-in-chief of the military and naval forces,
just as he is in the United States. According to the official figures,
the war footing of the army comprises 3700 officers and 160,963 men;
these are divided into 131,523 infantry, 25,790 dragoons, and 3650
artillerymen. On a peace footing the army includes about 30,000 men of
all arms of the service, including the Rurales, who keep the brigands in
order, as we have described elsewhere. A friend at my elbow says the
officers are almost as numerous as the privates, and he has known a
garrison where there were twenty-nine officers and only twenty-seven
soldiers.

[Illustration: A MILITARY POST.]

"The navy won't take long to describe, as it contains three small
gunboats and two larger ones. The small gunboats each carry one 20-pound
gun, and the larger boats two guns of the same calibre. They are
unarmored vessels, are not fast, and from all we can learn we don't
think the navy of the United States need have any fear of that of
Mexico, at any rate, after we complete some of the ships we are now
building."

[Illustration: A COUNTRY POST-OFFICE.]

"While we are considering public matters," wrote Frank, "let us look at
the Postal Department. There are about 1200 post-offices in the
republic, or one for every 8750 inhabitants; in the United States we
have a post-office for every 1200 inhabitants, or seven times as many as
Mexico in proportion to the population. The number of pieces of mail
matter handled in a year in Mexico is an average of two to each
inhabitant, while in the United States the average is fifty-one. The
Mexican mails are increasing in importance every year, and will continue
to do so as the people become better educated. The extension of the
railways causes many new post-offices to be established, and also many
telegraph offices. There are more than 20,000 miles of telegraph and 500
telegraph offices; 14,000 miles of telegraph belong to the Government,
and the remaining portion is the property of private companies,
railways, and individuals.

"If you want an example of progress look at the railways. Mexico had 379
miles of iron roads in 1879, while in 1887 it had 3962 miles open for
traffic, including 92 miles of city and suburban lines. The length of
railway completed and in operation at the end of 1888 was something more
than 4600. Competent authorities say that by the end of 1889 the length
of railways in operation in Mexico will exceed 5000 miles. A great many
concessions for railways have been granted by the Government for lines
that are not likely to be constructed in the life of the present
generation. At one time there seemed to be a mania for railway
concessions, and the holder of a permission to build a line over an
impracticable route, between two insignificant points, believed that he
would be able to sell it for a fortune to an English or American
corporation.

"Newspapers and other publications have increased in the last few years,
but not as rapidly as have the railways. The number is constantly
changing, new publications being started and old ones discontinued; and
sometimes the starting and discontinuance are very close together, as is
the case in other parts of the world. Altogether there are about 300
newspapers in the republic, and of this number fully one-third are
published in the capital. Mexico City has as many newspapers as New York
or Chicago in proportion to its population, but their circulation is not
by any means as large; Mexican publishers are not obliged to stretch
their consciences by making affidavits every morning as to the hundreds
of thousands of copies they printed on the previous day, or the
hogsheads of ink they used for each edition. But though they may not
print and sell as many copies as the New York dailies, it is certain
that the Mexican papers are steadily gaining in circulation and
influence, and the future is full of promise for them.

[Illustration: COMPOSITOR FOR "THE TWO REPUBLICS."]

"The capital city has a daily paper called _The Two Republics_, which
is printed in English; it is specially interesting to strangers, as it
has a list of the things and places they wish to see, and contains
time-tables of the railways. Sometimes it has special despatches from
the United States and other parts of the outside world, but as it has no
competitor and its circulation could not be greatly increased by a large
expenditure, it wisely studies economy to an extent that would not
succeed in New York. There's a weekly paper called _The Mexican
Financier_, printed in English and Spanish; it circulates all over the
world, and is an excellent authority for everything relating to
railways, banking, and commercial matters in general. The _Financier_
discusses important questions relating to the affairs of the Government,
attacks abuses of every kind, and suggests ways in which the prosperity
of the country and the welfare of the people may be improved.

"The French population is large enough to have a daily paper in its own
language, and the Germans have a weekly one. There are twelve or fifteen
dailies in Spanish, and they represent all shades of politics. Generally
it pays better for a newspaper to be on the side of the Government than
against it; but some of the opposition papers are profitable, and edited
with much ability. The style of opposition writing here is to attack
very savagely, and sometimes the editors find themselves in prison on
account of the bitterness of their editorials and their sweeping charges
against public men and measures. Some of the editorials we have read
since we came here surpass anything in New York or Chicago papers in the
heat of political campaigns, and that is saying a great deal. The
editor-in-chief of _El Monitor Republicano_ served a sentence of seven
months in the Penitentiary for a too free use of his pen. He was
charged with exciting sedition; he was ably defended, and his case was
carried to the highest court in the country, which affirmed the decree
of the lower courts.

"You couldn't remember them all if we should give a list of the daily
papers in Mexico, and so we refrain; still worse off would you be with
the names of thirty or more weekly papers, and as many monthlies and
other periodicals. You can find publications here on almost any topic
that one could name, and you can find an abundance of romances, at least
that is what they tell us. The popular novels deal mostly with Mexican
life, manners, and history; a friend tells us that we should read
'Guadalupe,' by Irenio Paz, 'Calvario y Tabor,' by Vincente Riva
Palacio, and 'Paisajes y Leyendes,' by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano. The
first is a novel, describing Mexican home scenes and life; the second is
chiefly concerned with the reign of Maximilian, and the sufferings of
the people during the foreign invasion; and the third is an account of
the manners and customs of the Mexican people in former times and at
present. We intend to get these books, and read them at our leisure on
the way home."

The delightful and interesting visit of our friends to the Mexican
capital came to an end, as all things must. Farewell calls were made
upon friends and acquaintances, and early one morning the trio left the
hotel for the station of the Mexican Railway, as the line from the
capital to Vera Cruz is called. The daily passenger train leaves at 6.30
A.M., and reaches Vera Cruz, or rather is due there, at 7.33 P.M. The
distance is 263 miles, and there is a branch line to Puebla twenty-nine
miles in length.

The manager of the hotel told our friends that it was advisable for them
to procure tickets, and check their trunks in the afternoon preceding
their departure, else there might be mistakes and consequent delay in
getting away. Assisted by one of the runners of the hotel, Frank
attended to these formalities, and completed them to his entire
satisfaction. Tickets were taken to Puebla, and baggage checked to that
place; the trunks were carefully weighed, and all exceeding thirty-three
pounds to each passenger was heavily charged for. Frank remarked that
evidently the managers of the line were not running it for fun, but to
make money.

"And well they may," said an American gentleman who was talking with the
Doctor when the youth returned from the station. "This line of railway
is one of the most expensive in the world," he continued, "partly in
consequence of the difficult engineering over the mountains and partly
by reason of the wastefulness of its builders. According to the report
of the Minister of Finance, its total cost was $36,319,526, or at the
rate of more than $123,000 per mile; it was built with English capital,
aided by Mexican subsidies.

"It was begun in 1852, though there had been a concession for a line as
early as 1837. The concession included a Government subsidy, and one of
the conditions was that construction should be pushed from both ends of
the line towards the middle. This necessitated the transportation to the
city of Mexico of rails, locomotives, cars, and all sorts of building
material over the old diligence-road; the transport of these things gave
employment to great numbers of men and animals, but increased the cost
enormously, probably twice what it would have otherwise been. The work
was suspended several times by revolutions, wars, lack of funds, change
of government, and other obstacles; and the line was not completed until
the end of 1872. It was inaugurated by President Lerdo, on the 1st of
January, 1873, having been solemnly blessed by the Archbishop of Mexico
the previous day.

[Illustration: SURVEYING UNDER DIFFICULTIES.]

"When you see the section between Boca del Monte and Orizaba, where the
railway descends 4,000 feet in twenty-five miles, with numerous curves
of 300 feet radius and gradients of three or four per cent., you will
not wonder that a great deal of money was expended in crossing the
mountains. While the surveys were being made it was frequently necessary
to lower the engineers by means of ropes over the precipices, and the
workmen were often suspended in this way until they could cut deep
enough into the side of the mountain to obtain a foothold."

There was not much of interest along the railway line as the train
rolled out of the capital. Our friends found themselves skirting Lake
Tezcoco, and they had a near and farewell view of the famous church of
Guadalupe; in order to avoid heavy grades, the railway takes a
circuitous course, and is much longer than the wagon-road connecting the
capital with Puebla. For many miles it is bordered on both sides by
fields of maguey; Frank and Fred estimated that the acres of maguey
plants they had seen since entering the country were sufficient to
supply pulque enough for a population three times as large as that of
the republic at the present time.

As they neared Apizaco they saw some changes in the general aspect of
the country, but it was still the _tierra fria_, or cold region, in
which they had been so long sojourning. At Apizaco they changed to
another train, which took them over the branch line to Puebla, landing
them at the station of that city at the hour of noon. They sought the
Hotel Diligencias, and found it a comfortable establishment, from a
Mexican point of view.

Puebla is a city of 70,000 inhabitants; it is old and wealthy, and its
cathedral is one of the finest in Mexico--some do not hesitate to give
it higher rank than the cathedral of the capital. Our friends went the
usual round of sight-seeing in the city, and according to custom, one of
the first things they saw was the cathedral.

"Stop a moment," said Frank, "the cathedral was not the first object to
attract our attention. Our eyes had been fixed upon the great volcano,
Popocatepetl and his white sister; they are in full view from the city
and much nearer than at Mexico, so that they are far more impressive.
Then, too, we had a view of the noble peak of Orizaba, of which we
shall have more to say later on.

"Puebla has so many churches," continued Frank, "that you can't expect
us to visit all of them. We went to the cathedral, which was consecrated
in 1649, and therefore is a venerable building; additions have been made
to it at various times since then, and within the last two or three
years a handsome monument to Pope Pio Nono has been erected on the
terrace on which the cathedral stands. The building has two fine towers;
we climbed to the top of one of them, and had a fine view. Fred and I
did the climbing, while the Doctor remained below.

"You can judge of the richness of the interior when I tell you that the
high altar cost more than $110,000. There are eighteen bells in the
tower, the largest of them weighing nine tons, and an inscription on the
tower tells that this large bell cost $100,000. The chapels abound in
sculpture and paintings, and if we should make a list of them, without
any comment whatever, I'm afraid you would find it too long for patient
perusal. The cathedral is 323 feet long by 100 wide, and occupies an
imposing position which is well calculated to impress the beholder.

[Illustration: RUINS OF THE COVERED WAY TO THE INQUISITION.]

"We visited two other churches, the San Francisco and La Compañia, and
found them well worth the time we devoted to them, and a great deal more
than we could spare. Our guide showed us the ruins of the covered way to
the Inquisition; for Puebla, no less than the city of Mexico, had a
branch of this institution of the Church. Puebla has always been noted
as a religious city; it was founded as an antidote to heathen Cholula,
which is only a few miles away, and its full name is Puebla de los
Angeles--'Town of the Angels.' Before the Laws of the Reform went into
force four-fifths of the valuation of real estate and other property in
Puebla belonged to the Church, and one-fifth to private individuals.

[Illustration: CATHEDRAL OF PUEBLA.]

"Puebla has extensive manufactures of cotton cloth, glassware, and
pottery. Like Guadalajara, it is famous for its pottery, and it is also
famous for glazed tiles, which have been liberally used for ornamenting
the houses, both inside and out. Domes of churches and their outer and
inner walls are covered with these tiles, and the same is the case with
many private buildings. The effect is very pretty, though sometimes too
gaudy for our taste; but then, you know, the Mexicans are fond of color.
Another famous manufacture of Puebla is braided straw-work. Baskets and
mats were offered to us in great quantity and variety, and we found them
so pretty that we invested a handful of dollars in these articles. They
will come in very well at Christmas-time for friends whom we wish to
remember.

"The city has a Plaza Mayor, a Zocala, an Alameda, and a Paseo, just
like any and every Mexican city. We gave a glance at them, and then went
to the battle-ground of the _Cinco de Mayo_ (5th of May, 1862). It is on
the hill of Guadalupe, and from one point we have a view of three
snow-covered volcanoes, together with a fourth mountain that just barely
misses reaching the snow-line. A much more important battle than that of
the _Cinco de Mayo_ was fought here April 2, 1867, when General Porfirio
Diaz, now President, stormed Puebla and captured the imperial garrison."

[Illustration: STREET SCENE IN PUEBLA.]




CHAPTER XXIV.

FURTHER SIGHTS IN PUEBLA.--ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDINGS.--SCHOOLS,
HOSPITALS, ASYLUMS, AND OTHER PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.--CHOLULA AND ITS
GREAT PYRAMID.--FIRST SIGHT OF THE PYRAMID; ITS CHARACTER, SIZE, AND
PECULIARITIES.--ANCIENT CHOLULA.--MASSACRE OF INHABITANTS BY
CORTEZ.--RUMORS OF BURIED TREASURES.--HOW A CRAFTY PRIEST WAS
FOILED.--VISIT TO TLASCALA.--THE STATE LEGISLATURE IN SESSION.--BANNER
CARRIED BY CORTEZ.--FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA.--ANCIENT PULPIT
AND BAPTISMAL FONT.--A REVERED SHRINE.--FROM TLASCALA TO APIZACO AND
ONWARD TOWARDS THE GULF.


[Illustration: PART OF PUEBLA.]

"In the height of its glory," said Fred, "Puebla contained more than
ninety churches. In 1869 it had sixty churches, nine monasteries,
twenty-one collegiate houses, thirteen nunneries, and numerous chapels
and shrines. The confiscation of ecclesiastical property has reduced the
number of the churches to little more than twenty, abolished the
nunneries and all the monasteries except two, which are really
hospitals or almshouses for old and disabled priests. Some of the
confiscated buildings have been sold for private uses, and others
converted into schools, hospitals, libraries, and other Government
establishments for local, State, or general government use.

"Doctor Bronson had a letter of introduction to the superintendent of
the Hospital de Dementes, or Insane Asylum, which is in the building
that was formerly the nunnery of Santa Rosa. We accompanied the Doctor
when he went to deliver the letter, and were politely received and shown
through the establishment. The hospital appears to be well managed, and
Doctor Bronson was much interested in it. Of course the building was
particularly attractive to Frank and myself, as we wanted to see how the
nuns were lodged in the olden times. They certainly had a most
delightful home so far as the eye was concerned, and I don't wonder that
the nunneries in Mexico were popular among the women. The decorations
everywhere were of beautiful tiles; the courts and their walls, the
walls of rooms, the ceilings, the oratories, the bath-rooms, and even
the kitchens and cooking stoves, were all covered with finely painted
and glazed tiles. It is easy to keep such rooms clean, and we certainly
have never seen a cleaner and neater building anywhere. We did not ask
whether the attractions of the place had any beneficial effect upon the
insane patients, but certainly they ought to have.

"From all we could observe, the city is admirably provided with
hospitals, schools, and asylums, and no doubt the fact that so many
suitable buildings were ready at hand had something to do with their
number. Then, too, the Church had made liberal provision for the sick
and suffering, and the Government here, as in other cities, had the
good-sense not to undo the philanthropic work which was so long carried
on under religious auspices. In the general hospital half the patients
are treated by allopathy and half by homoeopathy. The advocates of
either system can readily demonstrate its superiority over the other, as
they can in other countries besides Mexico."

[Illustration: PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.]

Every visitor to Puebla should go to Cholula, and particularly to its
great pyramid, which is, in some respects, the most remarkable edifice
on the American continent. In point of fact, very few visitors fail to
see it, and many of them go to Cholula before doing anything else.

"It is an easy excursion," wrote Frank, "as Cholula is only six or seven
miles from Puebla, and can be reached by a tram-way which deposits you
at the very foot of the great pyramid. A special car for sixteen persons
or a smaller number can be had for ten dollars, and it is as much
subject to your orders as a private carriage would be. As we were three
instead of sixteen, we decided to go in the ordinary way, paying fifty
cents each for the round trip. The cars afford a fine view, and
altogether we greatly enjoyed the excursion.

"We took a guide from the hotel, and he called our attention to the
various buildings and other objects, of which there were so many that
they are considerably confused in our recollection. We crossed the
Attoyac Valley, which abounds in fields of grain, and is dotted with
ruined churches and monasteries, one of the latter having been converted
into an iron-foundery and another into a cotton-mill. There is an old
Spanish bridge crossing the Attoyac River, and the Mexicans have shown
their ability to utilize the water-power of the stream by building
several mills upon it.

"We had not gone far before our eyes took in the mound, or pyramid of
Cholula, and also the great volcanoes of Popocatepetl and the White
Woman all in one view. The mound did not seem insignificant, although
backed by these great mountains; they are thirty miles away, though
they seem much nearer, while the pyramid is close upon our horizon and
steadily swells into the sky as we approach it.

"This is a good place for a bit of history. Cholula was an important
city, and covered a large area, when Cortez came to Mexico; under the
conquerors it had at one time fifty churches and other ecclesiastical
buildings, but now it has dwindled to a population of less than 5000,
and most of its former edifices are in ruins. The great pyramid is the
principal monument of the Aztecs, and in fact it is the best preserved
of their monuments to-day in all Mexico. For a picture of what it was
when Cortez looked from its summit, we have read with great interest the
description in Prescott's History. Here it is:

[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID.]

"'Nothing could be more grand than the view which met the eye from the
truncated summit of the pyramid. Towards the north stretched the bold
barrier of porphyry rock, which Nature has reared round the Valley of
Mexico, with the huge Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl standing like two
sentinels to guard the entrance of this enchanted region. Far away to
the south was seen the conical head of Orizaba soaring high into the
clouds, and nearer, the barren, though beautifully shaped Sierra de
Malinche, throwing its broad shadows over the plains of Tlascala. Three
of these volcanoes, higher than the highest peak in Europe, and shrouded
in snows which never melt under the fierce sun of the tropics, at the
foot of the spectator the sacred city of Cholula, with its bright towers
and pinnacles sparkling in the sun, reposing amidst gardens and verdant
groves. Such was the magnificent prospect which met the eye of the
conquerors, and may still, with slight change, meet that of the modern
traveller, as he stands on the broad plateau of the pyramid, and his eye
wanders over the fairest portion of the beautiful plateau of Puebla.'

[Illustration: SPORT AT CHOLULA.]

"We are quite willing to adopt Prescott's description for our own, as
the scene is the same to-day as in the time of Cortez, except that there
is little left of the sacred city of Cholula, with its spires and
pinnacles, its gardens and verdant groves. The pyramid is a stupendous
structure, and worthy a place by the side of the great pyramids of
Egypt. It was long thought to be a natural mound, but all the
excavations that have been made in it show that it is an artificial
work, built by time and patience and the muscle of many thousands of
men. Its interior is of earth, and its exterior was once stone and
adobe, but time has covered much of the outside with earth, in which
trees, grass, and bushes have taken root and grow luxuriantly.

"The car stopped at the foot of the pyramid, and there we alighted.
There is a sloping road leading to the summit; it was built by the
Spaniards, and in its construction much of the old masonry was removed.
We ascended partly by this road, and partly by steps, pausing several
times on the way in order to rest and take in the ever-changing view. We
did not take the measurements of the mound, and therefore must give you
the figures of others.

"Humboldt says the mound is 1400 feet square, covering forty-five acres
of ground, and 160 feet high; another authority makes it 177 feet high,
and 1425 feet square. Another, and probably the most exact measurement,
gives the following figures:

"North line, 1000 feet; east line, 1026 feet; south line, 833 feet; and
west line, 1000 feet.

"The summit is a platform, or plateau, measuring 203 by 144 feet, and
having an area of not far from one acre. This plateau has a stone
parapet around it, and there is a chapel in the centre; the mound was
evidently built in four stories, like some of the oldest pyramids of
Egypt; but they are less distinct than the stories or stages of the
famous pyramid of Sakkara, on the banks of the Nile, which is said to
have been built by the children of Israel during their captivity.

[Illustration: LOCAL FREIGHT TRAIN.]

"The sides of the pyramid correspond to the cardinal points of the
compass, north, south, east, and west; and in this respect the structure
resembles the great pyramid of Cheops. Nobody can tell when it was
built; the Aztecs found it here when they came, and the Indians whom
they conquered said it was not the work of their ancestors. The Aztecs
dedicated it to their god Quetzalcoatl, and every year they sacrificed
on the summit of the mound thousands of victims in the manner we have
described in our account of Tenochtitlan. When the Spaniards came here
they found a statue of the Aztec deity on the place where the chapel
now stands; one of the first acts of Cortez was to destroy the statue,
and order the erection of a church in its place.

[Illustration: A RELIC OF THE PAST.]

"In his report to the King, Cortez said the city of Cholula contained
20,000 houses and the suburbs as many more. The people received him
kindly, but he learned, or pretended to learn, that they were plotting
against him. So he called a meeting of all the dignitaries, under
pretence of a consultation, and when they were assembled he ordered a
general massacre. Six thousand of the people were slain, and for two
days the city was given over to be pillaged by the Spaniards and their
allies the Tlascalans, who were bitter enemies of the Cholulans. The
Tlascalans were, of course, gratified with the slaughter and pillage,
but Cortez offended them deeply when he refused to permit the sacrifice
of the prisoners captured in the affair.

"We remained nearly two hours on the summit of the mound enjoying the
magnificent view, and trying to picture the place as it was in and
before the days of Cortez, and shuddering as we thought of the blood
that had been shed there in sacrifices and by the swords of the
conquerors. Fred made a sketch of the view, and then we descended and
looked through the village, which contained very little of interest;
next we took a Mexican dinner at the Fonda de la Reforma, a small but
clean restaurant on the Plaza Mayor. The plaza is as large as that of
the capital city, but so little used that it is grass-covered in many
places. There were few people there when we saw it, but they told us
that it is quite lively on market-day, when everybody in the town comes
there; there is a Zocala in the centre of the plaza, but it offered so
few attractions that we did not visit it. We strolled through the ruined
churches, and our guide told us that one of them, the Capilla Real,
which consists of three churches in one, was built for the especial
accommodation of the Indians. The massacre which Cortez ordered is
supposed to have begun on the plaza, but no one knows the exact spot.

[Illustration: INDIAN FARM LABORERS.]

"The natives have a tradition that there are vast amounts of treasure
concealed in the pyramid of Cholula, and we remark that this tradition
seems to prevail concerning old structures in all parts of the world. We
heard it in Egypt, India, Japan, China, Palestine, and other countries,
and presume we shall continue to hear it wherever we go until we give up
travelling and settle down to home life.

"Mr. Brocklehurst tells a good story about a priest who once learned
through the confessional that one of his parishioners had discovered the
cave where Montezuma's treasures were hidden. He explains that there is
a belief common through Mexico that at the time of the invasion
Montezuma hid all his treasures, and afterwards he and his high-priest
put to death all that assisted in the hiding, so that only they two
should possess the secret.

"The priest persuaded the Indian to show him the cave, but it was only
on the condition that he should be blindfolded while going to it. The
priest thought to outwit the Indian, and so he managed to drop the beads
from his rosary, one by one, as he walked along; in fact he had provided
himself with several rosaries, so that he would have beads enough for
the road.

"The priest saw the treasures in the cave and then walked home
blindfolded, as he had come. When home was reached, the Indian remarked
to his reverence, 'You had the misfortune to break your rosary, and drop
the beads on the road; I picked them up, and if you count them you'll
find they're all here.' And to this day no white man has found out where
those treasures are concealed.

[Illustration: AN AZTEC RELIC.]

"Secrets are preserved generation after generation by these people;
there may or may not be any treasures of Montezuma in the caves around
Mexico, but if the Indians know of their existence and the place of
their concealment, and believe it their duty not to reveal the
hiding-place, nothing can ever wring the secret from them. Persuasion,
threats, punishment, torture, have been tried repeatedly upon these
primitive people, but all to no purpose.

"There is a document among the records of Tlascala which says a tribe of
Tlascalans brought in large quantities of gold-dust, and gave to the
Church enough to make and pay for the crown of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Spaniards tried to find out whence it was obtained, but the Indians
would not reveal the locality of the placer. Losing all patience, they
tied up several of the Indians, and flogged them 'within an inch of
their lives.' The Indians bore the pain without a murmur, and within a
week the whole tribe left for Guatemala, and with them all who knew the
location of the placer. To this day it has not been revealed."

From Puebla our friends went to Tlascala, which is interesting on
account of its connection with the Conquest of Mexico by Cortez.
According to history and legend, it was an important city when Cortez
landed at Vera Cruz; now it has barely 4000 inhabitants, and the greater
part of its public buildings have disappeared. When Montezuma learned of
the approach of Cortez he asked permission to send ambassadors to him
through Tlascala, which was then at war with the Mexicans; the crafty
Tlascalans gave the desired permission, but at the same time despatched
an embassy to negotiate an alliance with the Spaniards, and join hands
with them in subjugating the Mexicans. Of course this was exactly what
Cortez wished, and the treaty was made before Montezuma could be heard
from.

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF AN OLD CHURCH.]

"We went by the morning train towards Apizaco," said Fred, "and stopped
at the station of Santa Anna, nineteen miles from Puebla. There we found
a tram-car, which carried us to our destination, three or four miles
from the line of the railway. It took us through the curious and sleepy
little town of Santa Anna, where not even the dogs showed any signs of
activity, with the exception of one that was biting a flea. Then we
passed some ruined churches, went at full speed into the valley of the
Attoyac, passed another town whose name I've forgotten, and pulled up at
Tlascala in front of the hotel where we expected to have breakfast and
pass the night. It was not a prepossessing hotel, but we thought it
might be endured for our brief stay; the result was better than we
anticipated, as the food, thoroughly Mexican, proved toothsome, and the
beds were hard enough to get us up early in the morning without any
summons from a night porter.

"The State Legislature was in session, for Tlascala is the capital of
the State of the same name, which happens to be the smallest
commonwealth of the Mexican union. We looked in upon the meeting and
found the members seated in two rows, facing each other; there were
eight of them, and all were smoking as unconcernedly as though in their
own homes. Doctor Bronson told us that smoking is permissible at all
times in the Mexican Congress, and therefore the State Legislatures only
follow the example which is set by the higher body. At one end of the
hall is a railing which shuts off a space for the President and his
secretaries, and close by the rail there is a tribune where the members
stand when making speeches.

"After looking at the Legislature and listening for a few minutes to a
discussion relative to an appropriation for making a road from somewhere
to somewhere else, we looked at the curiosities in the Legislative
building, which seems to be quite a museum in its way. They showed us
the banner which Cortez carried in his conquest of Mexico, and
afterwards presented to the Tlascalans in acknowledgment of the great
services they had rendered him. It is about ten feet long and forked, or
'swallow-tailed,' at the end; the fine and heavy silk of which it is
made was once a beautiful crimson; but it has faded to the complexion of
a decoction of badly made coffee; and the tassels and cords are
somewhat frayed and worn. Considerable sums of money have been offered
for this banner on behalf of Spain, but the Tlascalans have refused all
propositions for its sale. We saw also the grant of arms to the city
signed by Charles V. of Spain, and the city charter bearing the
signature of Philip II. and dated at Barcelona, May 10, 1585.

"There is a mass of official documents, all of great age, that we had no
time to examine, but which would be of great interest to a student of
Mexican history. They showed us the treasure chest, which had four
locks; and it was explained that anciently the city was ruled by four
chiefs, each of whom had a key to one of the locks. Each of these chiefs
had a palace of his own, and when the Spaniards came they destroyed the
palaces and erected churches upon their sites. Time is destroying the
churches, and only their ruins remain to show where the palaces were.

"One of the documents preserved here is the Spanish translation of an
order commanding that 80,000 picked men should march with Cortez against
Mexico. Cortez personally gave orders for the translation of this
historic paper. In the same room is the war-drum of the Tlascalans--a
hollow log two and a half feet long and six or eight inches in
thickness, and covered with curious carvings.

[Illustration: FIRST CHRISTIAN PULPIT IN AMERICA.]

"The object of greatest interest to us was the first Christian church
and the first Christian pulpit erected on American soil. They told us
that the structure now standing is the original one built by order of
Cortez; it is in good preservation, and evidently has been well cared
for. On the pulpit is an inscription which relates that the church was
the first erected in 'New Spain.' Not far from the pulpit is the font in
which the four chiefs of Tlascala were baptized in 1520; it is cut from
a single block of black lava, resembles a huge bowl, and is of very
creditable workmanship. The portraits of these four chiefs are preserved
in the Legislative building, and each of them has 'Señor Don' prefixed
to his Indian name; other portraits are in the same building, and there
are many paintings in the church, but few that we saw possess any merit
beyond that of an ordinary tavern-sign.

[Illustration: OLD BAPTISMAL PONT, TLASCALA.]

"While we were strolling about the town," continued Fred, "we saw some
Indians coming in from the mountains with logs of wood which were to be
cut into planks, and beams already shaped and finished. We judged that
these timbers weighed not less than 400 pounds apiece, and some of them
little, if any, below 500 pounds. They carried these timbers as they
carry most other burdens, slung over their backs and supported by straps
crossing their foreheads. These are the descendants of the people that
carried over the mountains the timber for the brigantines of Cortez
which he launched on Lake Tezcoco and used for the reduction of
Tenochtitlan. We examined a beam that one of the carriers had placed on
the ground, and found it to be of hard pine, twenty feet long, ten
inches wide, and six inches thick. You may make your own calculation as
to its weight if you think our estimates too high.

[Illustration: ANCIENT BELLS.]

"There are several old churches in Tlascala in addition to the one we
have mentioned, and we visited some of them more to pass away the time
than with the expectation of finding anything of interest.

"In the afternoon we went to the shrine of Ocatlan, which is on a hill a
mile or more from the grand plaza. This, we learned, was similar to the
church of Guadalupe near the capital, as it commemorates the miraculous
appearance of the Virgin to a poor, ignorant, but benevolent Indian
named Juan Diego, in the years not long after the Conquest. The shrine
is mostly of modern construction, and is greatly revered by the Indians,
who come here in large numbers from all the surrounding country."

The party spent the night at Tlascala and left the place in season to
connect with the train from Puebla, which meets the downward train at
Apizaco from Mexico for Vera Cruz. Their trunks went by the train of the
previous day, and were waiting for them in care of the Apizaco
station-master. They had an abundance of time for breakfast at the
junction; the through trains stop there twenty minutes for meals, and
our travellers arrived fully a quarter of an hour in advance of the
train by which they were to depart.

Apizaco is eighty-six miles from the city of Mexico. For the next sixty
miles of the journey there was nothing of special interest along the
route, which traverses the table-land at an elevation of nearly 8000
feet above the sea. The highest point on the line is at the siding of
Ococotlan, between the stations of Guadalupe and Soltepec, where the
elevation is 8333 feet. At Esperanza, near the edge of the great
plateau, 152 miles from Mexico City, the barometer shows a height of
7900 feet. Here they met the up-train from Vera Cruz, which had left
that city at 5.30 A.M., and was due in the capital at 7.30 P.M.

Just beyond Esperanza the train reached Boca del Monte, or "Mouth of the
Mountain," and here began the descent to the _tierra caliente_. What our
young friends saw in this descent will be told in the next chapter.

[Illustration: A NATIVE PLOUGHMAN.]




CHAPTER XXV.

DOWN THE _CUMBRES_.--A MONSTER LOCOMOTIVE.--MALTRATA.--EL BARRANCA DEL
INFERNILLO.--IN _THE TIERRA TEMPLADA_.--PEAK OF ORIZABA; HOW IT WAS
ASCENDED.--AN OLD AND QUAINT TOWN.--EXCURSIONS IN THE ENVIRONS OF
ORIZABA.--FALLS OF THE RINCON GRANDE.--MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES.--CERRO
DEL BORREGO.--THE MEXICAN ARMY ROUTED.--CORDOBA.--HOW TO RUN A COFFEE
PLANTATION.--BARRANCA OF METLAC.--PASO DEL MACHO.--_TIERRA
CALIENTE_.--DRY LANDS NEAR THE SEA-COAST.--VERA CRUZ.--ZOPILOTES AND
THEIR USES.--YELLOW FEVER; ITS SEASONS AND PECULIARITIES.--NORTHERS AND
THEIR BENEFITS.


[Illustration: THE "PORTALES," OR COVERED WALKS.]

The plateau terminates suddenly at Boca del Monte, and here begins the
descent of the _cumbres_. At Esperanza the train exchanged the ordinary
locomotive for a monster one of great power; it looked like two
locomotives placed end to end with a tender between them, and was
specially built to take the trains over the extraordinary grades on this
part of the road. High speed was out of the question, or at all events
dangerous, and in descending the slope the train moved not faster than
fifteen miles an hour. The schedule time of the ascent is twelve miles
an hour, and the Brobdingnagian locomotive is taxed to the utmost of its
ability.

[Illustration: MAP OF RAILWAY BETWEEN CITY OF MEXICO AND VERA CRUZ.]

Frank learned from one of the officials of the road that there are no
fewer than 148 bridges between Vera Cruz and Mexico, and on the branch
to Puebla. These bridges are of various lengths, the longest being the
Puente de Soledad, which measures 742 feet. The longest of the tunnels
is 350 feet, and there are fifteen tunnels in all.

"Nowhere else in the world," wrote Frank, "have we seen finer
engineering work than on this railway. It reminded us of the railway
from Bombay to Poonah in India, the line from Colombo to Kandy in
Ceylon, and the Saint Gothard and Semmering railways in the Alps. We
looked down from dizzy heights where the train would have been ground to
atoms had it rolled from the track into the abysses below; we crept
along the edges of precipices, or in niches cut in perpendicular walls
of rock; we crossed deep chasms upon slender bridges; we darted into
tunnels in rapid succession, and swept around curves so sharp that it
seemed as though the brakeman on the rear of the train might have shaken
hands with the engine-driver. We looked into the beautiful Valley of
Maltrata, which lay spread far below us, a gem of floral and arboreal
beauty among the rugged hills; and we wound and turned among the
sinuosities of the track so that our locomotive faced to all points of
the compass a dozen times over in a single hour. In a direct distance of
two and a half miles, as the bird flies, the railway goes twenty miles;
looking down, we saw the track far beneath our level, and looking up we
could trace its zigzags along the slopes and precipices. It was the
railway passage of the Alps, the Caucasus, the Sierra Nevadas, the
Indian Ghauts, and the Blue Mountains of Australia all in one.

[Illustration: DOUBLE-ENDER LOCOMOTIVE ON MEXICAN RAILWAY.]

"We stopped a few minutes at the station of Maltrata, which is on an
artificial platform that was built up from the slope; it was originally
intended as a passing-point for the up and down trains, and for several
years after the completion of the line the daily trains each way met at
Maltrata. From this point onward the descent was as rapid as before; the
locomotive held the train back instead of pulling it, and the brakes
kept up a continual grinding against the wheels. We shuddered to think
what would have been the result if the brakes had given way and the
locomotive failed to restrain us. But in such an event our agony would
have been brief, as the whole business would have been ended in a few
minutes. They told us that once when a freight train was climbing the
mountain two of the rear wagons became detached and started down the
slope. Fortunately there was no one on these wagons to lose his life;
they jumped the track at one of the curves, and were dashed a thousand
feet or more down a steep hill-side into a rocky valley.

"A little distance below Maltrata we skirted one side of the Barranca
del Infernillo, a great chasm which made our heads swim as we looked
into it. Twelve miles from Maltrata we reached Orizaba, where we had
arranged to spend a day, and therefore we left the train as it drew up
at the station.

"We observed a change in the vegetation as we descended the slope; we
had left the _tierra fria_ behind us, and were now in the _tierra
templada_, or temperate region. The maguey and cactus gave way to darker
and richer verdure, which was certainly far more pleasing to the eye
than the scanty vegetation of the great plateau. Orizaba is 4000 feet
above sea-level, 181 miles from the capital of the republic, and
eighty-two from Vera Cruz. It has 20,000 inhabitants, and is a favorite
resort of the people of Vera Cruz in the hot and sickly season.

"We expected to have a fine view of the peak of Orizaba from the town of
the same name; but in this we were disappointed, as there is no part of
the great volcano visible from here, except a thin strip of white over
the top of a nearer and lower mountain; even this strip cannot be seen
from all parts of the town, but only by climbing to the roof of the
hotel or the tower of one of the churches.

"Doctor Bronson asked if we wished to ascend the peak of Orizaba; we
gave a prompt negative to his question, partly for the reason that his
plans would not permit us to stay here long enough, and partly because
the sensation was pretty well exhausted at Popocatepetl. The ascent is
quite as difficult as that of Old Popo; Orizaba is a beautiful peak,
shaped like a sugar-loaf, and wearing constantly a mantle of purest snow
upon its regular and beautiful cone. According to Humboldt, it is 17,378
feet high; a party of American officers ascended it in 1848; three years
later a Frenchman named Doignon followed their example, and found the
flagstaff they left there, with the torn fragments of the American flag
which marked their visit.

"There was a town here at the time of the Conquest, and Cortez left a
small garrison to hold it when he pushed on to Mexico. It has an
agreeable climate, the frequent rains and the mists from the Gulf
keeping it well moistened, so that the trees, plants, and green things
generally are in a high state of luxuriance. Coffee and tobacco are
grown here in large quantities. The town has quite a manufacturing
industry, and contains the repair and construction shops of the railway
company. We greatly enjoyed a stroll through the streets, which seemed
rather dull and sleepy after those of the capital. Most of the houses
are covered with red tiles, which give the city a very picturesque
appearance when it is looked upon from the heights surrounding it. Like
all old towns of Mexico, it has an abundant supply of churches, and the
inhabitants are mostly of the Catholic faith. Not many years ago it was
unsafe for a Protestant woman to appear on the streets wearing a hat or
bonnet of foreign make; she was liable to be pelted with mud and stones,
and her life was by no means out of danger. A milder feeling prevails at
present, and the old bigotry is steadily passing away.

[Illustration: VIEW OF ORIZABA.]

"We made a pleasant excursion in the environs of the city, which are
very attractive, owing to the luxuriance of the vegetation. Fields of
coffee, tobacco, sugar-cane, oranges, and bananas alternate with each
other and show the mildness of the climate of Orizaba; some of the
plantations are of great extent, and we received many invitations to
make a leisurely visit and spend whatever time we liked in their
examination.

"One of the sights of the place which we were told not to omit were the
falls of the Rincon Grande, about three miles from the city. We did not
omit the falls, and will always hold them in pleasant recollection. The
Rio de Agua Blanco, which supplied the water for the falls, is a deep
and swift stream coming from the mountains to the eastward of Orizaba.
Much of its course is through a deep cañon; but where the falls begin, a
part of the river flows along the surface of the mesa which forms one
side of the ravine, and breaks over the side to join the main stream
below.

"The fall is perhaps fifty feet from top to bottom, and a cloud of mist
rises like that from Niagara or Montmorency. Both sides of the fall are
bordered with a luxuriance of tropical verdure, rendered especially
luxuriant by the moisture from the plunging waters. The trees are
covered with bunches of Spanish moss, some of them several feet in
length, and by numerous parasitical plants, nearly all gaudy with
flowers. Some of the trees are so completely in the grasp of the
parasites that hardly anything of the original trunk or limbs can be
seen. They showed us one tree that had been killed by the parasites; the
wood had decayed and crumbled, and the vines were so thick where it had
stood that they remained erect as though unaware that their former
support had passed away.

"We saw the falls from above and also from below; and while both views
were interesting, each had an especial beauty of its own. The shrubbery
was so dense that we could walk only in the paths that had been cut for
the purpose; and the growth of vegetation is so rapid that these paths
require to be trimmed out several times a year. There is no possibility
of straying from the path, for the simple reason that it is impossible
to proceed in the dense undergrowth except by the aid of a _machete_.
Though at an elevation of 4000 feet above the sea, Orizaba has a
tropical climate; its location places it in the _tierra templada_, but
its temperature and characteristics would seem to include it in the
_tierra caliente_. And not only its temperature but its mosquitoes give
it a tropical character, as they are of the kind with which the
traveller in equatorial regions has a disagreeable familiarity.

[Illustration: THE RIVER AT ORIZABA.]

"There's a pretty river flowing through Orizaba, and it is useful to the
inhabitants in many ways. When we saw it there was not much water in its
bed, but they tell us that at some periods it is a rushing torrent of
great force and volume. It turns several mills, and is the resort of the
women whose duty it is to cleanse the soiled linen of the rest of the
inhabitants. Laundry-work here is about as it is in the rest of Mexico,
and the rough handling of shirts and other garments by the lavanderas
converts them into rags in a very short time. This is good for the
cotton-factories of Orizaba, which turn out a fair quality of goods, but
are said to be unprofitable for their owners. We have better reports of
the flouring-mills here, and also of a paper-mill which was established
by an American several years ago. As the Mexicans become better educated
the demand for paper is likely to increase; at present it does not take
a large number of mills to supply their wants in this respect.

[Illustration: HILL OF EL BORREGO.]

"The people of this city are less eager to point out the hill of El
Borrego than are the Pueblans to indicate the scene of the battle of
_Cinco de Mayo_. The latter was a Mexican victory, while the battle of
Borrego was a disastrous defeat. Four or five thousand Mexicans were
surprised and put to flight by a few hundred French troops. The French
say there were not over one hundred in the attacking party. It was a
night surprise, and the French had all the advantages of a nocturnal
assault. In justice to the Mexicans it should be added that the
assailants were old soldiers, while the surprised army was composed of
raw recruits, who are proverbially easy to throw into a panic,
especially in the darkness. The same troops made a good record for
themselves later in the war."

From Orizaba our friends continued their railway journey into the
_tierra caliente_, passing Fortin and Cordoba, the latter the centre of
a coffee-growing district of considerable importance. A German gentleman
who had a coffee estate near Cordoba was in the carriage with Doctor
Bronson and the youths, and gave them some account of the industry;
Fred made notes of his remarks, and afterwards wrote them out in full,
with the following result:

"Cordoba is less important now than it has been, owing to the decline in
the prices of sugar and coffee; it was founded in the early part of the
seventeenth century, and for a long time its industries were the growing
of sugar-cane and tobacco. Coffee is a comparatively recent
introduction; we produce annually in the Cordoba district about
10,000,000 pounds of coffee, and five times as much tobacco, and our
coffee and tobacco have a high reputation in the market. Coffee grows in
the lower regions of Mexico, and up to elevations of four, or even five,
thousand feet; the best site for a plantation is about 3000 feet above
sea-level; but it must be remembered that the coffee-tree requires a
great deal of moisture, and unless a region is warm and wet it will not
answer for a successful experiment."

[Illustration: ORANGE GROVE IN CORDOBA.]

Frank asked how soon after a plantation was started the trees would
begin to bear.

The gentleman replied that he had seen coffee-trees bearing two years
after they were planted, and it was very common to gather fair crops
from trees three years old. But they could not be relied upon for a
profitable yield until they were four or five years old, and they
continue to bear for twenty years. When a plantation is five years old
it does not cost much to keep it up, but before that time it is a heavy
outlay, with little or slight return.

[Illustration: COFFEE-DRYING.]

"You may grow tobacco or bananas between the young coffee-trees when you
set them out," he continued, "and the profit from these products will
cover a part of your expenses. In fact you should set out enough bananas
or plantains to shelter the young plants, which are liable to be injured
by the sun and rain and wind in their infancy. The coffee-tree would
grow to a height of twenty or twenty-five feet if we permitted it to do
so; we cut it off about six feet from the ground, and thus force the
vigor into the branches; we want it low enough to pick from without too
much reaching or climbing, and this would not be the case if we allowed
the tree to run up as it would naturally."

Then he gave the youths an account of the harvesting of the crop, and
its preparation for market, but as this has already been described
elsewhere[5] Fred did not make a record of it. The culture of coffee is
pretty nearly the same all the world over wherever the plant is grown.

[5] See "The Boy Travellers in Ceylon and India," chap. xix.

The conversation with the coffee-grower had not prevented our friends
from observing the scenery which lies between Orizaba and Cordoba along
the line of the railway. They were especially impressed with the
engineering which was required for crossing the barranca of Metlac; this
barranca is about 200 feet deep, by twice that width, and the first
thought of the engineers was to throw a bridge directly across it. A
bridge of a single span of 400 feet would be very costly, and piers 200
feet in height to support a lighter structure could not be built without
great expense. Consequently the plan was adopted of descending to where
the barranca is less wide and high before attempting to span it.

"The bridge," wrote Frank, "is on eight piers of iron, resting on
masonry, and it curves in its course from one side of the barranca to
the other on a radius of 325 feet. It is 400 feet long and 92 feet high;
the railway is cut into the slope of the barranca on each side, and as
it nears the bridge it enters a tunnel that curves so as to give the
necessary approach. The incline of the railway on each side of the
barranca is about three feet in a hundred, and for quite a distance the
opposite tracks are almost parallel to each other. The sides of the
barranca are covered with a dense growth of tropical trees and
underbrush, and the picture it presents is very attractive to the
traveller, however disheartening it may have been to the men who planned
the railway. Many a railway engineer in Mexico has regretted that
barrancas were ever invented, and, on the other hand, has congratulated
himself that their number is no larger than it is."

[Illustration: BRIDGE OF ATTOYAC.]

From Cordoba to Paso del Macho the fine scenery continued, the train
winding among hills and mountains, disappearing into tunnels, crossing
deep valleys upon graceful bridges, and steadily unfolding a panorama of
great beauty. Frank made note of the bridge of Attoyac, 330 feet long;
the Chiquihuite bridge, 220 feet long; and that of San Alego, three
miles before reaching Paso del Macho, which is 318 feet long. In twenty
miles there was a descent of 1200 feet, and the scenery steadily assumed
more and more a tropical aspect.

But beyond Paso del Macho the country changed again and grew sterile, as
though they were once more in the region of the _tierra fria_.

"How is this?" queried Fred. "Here we are coming all the time nearer the
sea both in elevation and distance; I thought we should have it a
perfect forest of tropical growths all the way to Vera Cruz."

[Illustration: IN TIERRA CALIENTE.]

"Those who have studied the subject," answered the Doctor, "say that
this strip of land along the coast is not touched by the moist vapors
which blow inland from the sea. They are attracted by the mountains and
highlands, and blow over this region to shed their moisture at a greater
elevation."

Evidently the youths were disappointed, but they consoled themselves
with the reflection that they were not intending to settle in the
country, and therefore it didn't matter much to them what it was. Paso
del Macho is about 1500 feet above sea-level, and forty-seven miles from
Vera Cruz. The slope of the land from here onward is regular, and no
unusual engineering skill was required for the construction of the
railway. Fred noted the names of four stations, Camaron, Soledad, Purga,
and Tejeria, before they reached Vera Cruz; but there was nothing
attractive about any of those places to render them worthy of further
record. Historically, Soledad is memorable as the scene of the
convention between generals Prim and Doblado in 1862, which led to the
occupation of the country by the French troops and the invitation to
Maximilian to become Emperor of Mexico. Fred asked if there was any
monument at Soledad to commemorate the event, and was not at all
surprised at receiving a negative answer.

[Illustration: VERA CRUZ, LOOKING SEAWARD.]

Night had fallen when they rolled into the station at Vera Cruz. Fred
watched for the fortifications, of which he had read so much, and was
disappointed to learn that they had followed the fate of the walls of
most European cities and been levelled out of existence. Modern
artillery has rendered all defences of this kind of no value for
military purposes, and it is an act of common-sense to destroy them and
make practical use of the ground they occupy.

The air was close and warm and offered no inducements for a stroll. By
the time our friends had located themselves at the Hotel de Diligencias,
which was said to be the principal one, and partaken of a not very
appetizing supper, they had more thoughts of bed than of anything else.

Next morning the youths were out in good season for the local sights.
The first objects of interest were the _zopilotes_, or vultures, that
act as a street-cleaning bureau, in taking possession of everything
edible (from their point of view) in the refuse of the streets. Frank
and Fred had seen these birds before on many occasions, but never in
such numbers; they are analogous to the turkey-buzzards of the Southern
States of North America, and are said to be scientifically of the genus
_Cathartes_. They roosted on the house-tops, and walked through the
streets, constantly on the lookout for something in their line. They are
protected by law, and are faithful scavengers, working without pay other
than board and lodging. They lodge in the open air, and board upon what
no other living creature would eat, so that they are inexpensive
luxuries. They have never been charged, like street-cleaning bureaus
elsewhere, with obtaining money under fraudulent contracts.

"The streets were quiet," wrote Fred, "and we were not surprised to
learn that the population of Vera Cruz is under 20,000 and not
particularly prosperous, although for a long time nine-tenths of the
foreign commerce of the country passed through this port. Since the
railways from the United States were opened to the capital the trade of
the city has greatly declined. Most of the business is in the hands of
foreigners, so that the chief connection a Mexican has with it is to
handle the goods as they are transferred from ship to railway or
warehouse. The streets are straight and mostly narrow, and the open
drains require to be constantly flushed, to keep down the stenches and
unhealthy miasmas. In the sickly season the drains are nightly supplied
with disinfectants to keep off that dreaded scourge the _vomito_, or
yellow-fever.

[Illustration: AFTER THE VOMITO.]

"We had heard much of the unhealthiness of Vera Cruz, and particularly
of the vomito, which sometimes carries off hundreds of victims in a
single week, and makes the road to the cemetery the best travelled one
in the whole city. Forty or fifty deaths a day are by no means uncommon;
the old inhabitants do not seem to mind it, as they claim that a person
who has once had the fever is ever after safe from it. A few years ago
Dr. Trowbridge, the American Consul, was removed from the office which
he had held for twelve years; his successor arrived during the
prevalence of yellow-fever, and died on the thirteenth day of his
occupation of his new place. Dr. Trowbridge and his family had the fever
lightly when they first arrived, and never afterwards suffered from it.

"They tell us that yellow-fever is most dangerous in summer months, and
least so in the winter. It is not advisable for a stranger to come here
in the sickly season, and so well is this recognized that the betting
men of Vera Cruz are said to make wagers as to the probable length of
life of a visitor from Europe or North America when the vomito is
prevalent. A Yankee whom we met up-country says that when he came to
Vera Cruz a polite individual called upon him at the hotel and solicited
his patronage, 'which he was sure to need.' He did not feel very
comfortable on learning that the polite man was an undertaker, and fled
from the city by first train. It used to be said that a life insurance
policy was vitiated if the holder remained more than twenty-four hours
at Vera Cruz.

"Yellow-fever is as dangerous for the Mexican from the table-lands as it
is to the North American, and some authorities say that the stranger
from over the sea is less liable to it than the Mexican from the _tierra
fria_. It begins in May, is worst in August and September, and then
declines to December, when it practically disappears under the influence
of the strong 'northers' that blow during the autumn equinox. Were it
not for these northers Vera Cruz would be altogether too unhealthy for
human habitation."




CHAPTER XXVI.

THE ALAMEDA OF VERA CRUZ.--TROPICAL GROWTHS.--THE _PALO DE LECHE_ AND
ITS PECULIARITIES.--A DANGEROUS PLANT.--FOUNTAINS AND
WATER-CARRIERS.--GOVERNOR'S PALACE.--BRIEF HISTORY OF VERA
CRUZ.--PILLAGED BY PIRATES AND CAPTURED IN WARS.--FORTRESS OF SAN JUAN
DE ULLOA.--HORRORS OF A MEXICAN PRISON.--EXCURSION TO JALAPA.--THE
NATIONAL BRIDGE.--CERRO GORDO.--GENERAL SCOTT'S VICTORY.--JALAPA.--A
CITY OF MISTS.--STAPLE PRODUCTS OF THE REGION.--JALAP AND ITS
QUALITIES.--PRETTY WOMEN.--PECULIARITIES OF THE STREETS.--ORIZABA AND
PEROTE.--NEW RAILWAY CONNECTIONS.--TAMPICO AND ANTON LIZARDO.--DELAYED
BY A NORTHER.--DEPARTURE BY STEAMER.--FAREWELL TO VERA CRUZ.


The walk of our young friends took them to the Alameda, which proved
unusually attractive, as it was filled with tropical plants and trees to
which their eyes had not been accustomed in the upland region. They
welcomed the palm-trees as old friends; the palm does not flourish in
Mexico at a greater elevation than 1500 feet above the level of the sea
excepting under peculiarly favorable circumstances. The palms of Vera
Cruz are finely developed, but they do not attain the size of those at
Medellin, twelve miles down the coast. Medellin is a summer resort of
the Veracruzanos; they go there for recreation during the hot season, or
at least such of them as cannot afford the longer journey to Orizaba and
the mountain regions.

Many of the trees and bushes in the Alameda were bright with flowers. As
if there were not enough floral products growing in sight, several
flower-sellers came around with their wares, which they persistently
offered to the visitors. Frank asked for the _palo de leche_, but the
flower-sellers did not have it, though one enterprising dealer
endeavored to substitute a common blossom in its place, with the gravest
assurance that it was the article sought.

"I haven't heard of that flower before," said Fred. "Why were you asking
for it?"

"I read about it last night," was the reply, "and had a curiosity to see
what it was like."

"Well, what did you read that was interesting?"

"The description said that the term _palo de leche_ means simply 'milky
plant,' and is applied to several plants from whose stems a milky
substance exudes. We have the same kind of plant in the North, such as
the milk-weed and its kindred. There are many varieties of the palo de
leche in Mexico, and they belong to the family of _Euphorbia_.

"One kind is used by the Indians for fishing; they throw the leaves into
the water and the fishes are stupefied and rise to the surface, where
they are easily taken before the effect of the narcotic has passed away.
The same writer says that if the milk is thrown upon a fire it gives out
fumes which produce nausea and severe headaches that often last for
several hours. Taken internally, the milk of some of the Euphorbia is a
deadly poison; it will produce death or insanity, according to the size
and preparation of the dose or the condition of the person to whom it is
administered. There is a popular belief among the Mexicans that the
insanity of the ex-Empress Carlotta was caused by this poison. While
many deny this and point to the fact that she became insane after going
to Europe, they admit that the palo de leche is to be feared when in the
hands of unscrupulous persons. On the other hand, it is claimed that the
Indians can so prepare and use the poison as to regulate the time at
which it will cause death or insanity."

"If that is the case," replied Fred, "it is no wonder that the
flower-sellers do not deal in what you wanted. Perhaps it would not be
altogether safe for a Mexican to ask for it, as he might be suspected of
evil designs and bring the police nearer than would be comfortable."

The subject of palo de leche was dropped and the walk continued.

[Illustration: A COFFEE-CARRIER.]

At a fountain they saw quite a group of men and quadrupeds, and a glance
showed that the same system of water supply prevails here as in most
other cities of Mexico. Water is carried by the _aguadores_ either on
their own backs or on those of donkeys. An aguador who possesses a
donkey is an aristocrat in his line of business, and looks down upon the
poor wretch who is obliged to be his own beast of burden. The mule and
donkey are important animals at Vera Cruz, and a good part of the
carrying business is in their hands--or on their backs.

[Illustration: FOUNTAIN AT VERA CRUZ.]

Frank and Fred paused to look at the Governor's Palace, an imposing
edifice of two stories with a high tower at one corner. There are wide
balconies on each of the stories, where the occupants can sit in the
shade and enjoy the cool breeze whenever it happens to blow. A drawback
to sitting there is the presence of the mosquitoes, which fill all the
space not taken up by the Governor and his household. Not only do the
inhabitants of Vera Cruz maintain a constant warfare with mosquitoes,
but they associate intimately with fleas, ticks, and other bodily
annoyances. Official station offers no exemption; the insect pests are
indiscriminate in their attentions, and light on the brow of the
Governor or the general in command of the post just as readily as on
that of the humblest peon. If there is any difference it is in favor of
the peon, as his tougher skin renders him less inviting to the
diminutive assailants.

[Illustration: THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE.]

"Vera Cruz has had an interesting history," wrote Fred in his journal.
"It was founded by Cortez in 1519, who gave it the name of Villa Rica de
la Vera Cruz (the rich city of the true cross). The original site was a
little north of the present one, and altogether the location of the
city has been changed three times. The last change occurred in the year
1600, and brought it to where the first buildings were erected by the
Spaniards before Cortez made the formal location of what he intended as
the maritime metropolis of the New World.

"The city has suffered in a great many ways. Leaving out the annual
visitation of yellow-fever, which we have already mentioned, it has had
occasion to mourn the advent of buccaneers, pirates, hostile fleets and
armies, and occasional conflagrations and hurricanes. In 1568, and again
in 1683, it was sacked by pirates, and many of its inhabitants were
killed. In 1618 it was nearly burned to the ground by a fire that broke
out during a northerly gale. In 1822 and 1823 it was bombarded by the
Spaniards, who held the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa, on the island
opposite the city, in the struggle of the Mexicans for independence. In
1838 it was bombarded by the French, and nine years later by the
Americans. The latter captured it by coming ashore on the beach some
distance below the city and attacking it from the land side, so that the
surrender was rendered imperative. Some of the Mexicans complained that
General Scott did not 'fight fair,' as he made his attack where they
were least prepared for defence. Evidently they expected him to march
up to the muzzles of their guns instead of going around to the
undefended rear of the city as he did.

"The shipping in the harbor was destroyed by a hurricane in 1856, and it
has suffered serious damage in other years. President Juarez was
besieged here in 1859 by General Miramon; two years later the city was
taken by the French and Imperialists, and remained in their hands until
1867, when the death of Maximilian and the collapse of the Empire
restored it to Mexican possession."

[Illustration: ON THE WAY TO THE FORT.]

After breakfast the party arranged to visit the fortress which stands on
the island of San Juan, already mentioned. At the mole, or pier, the
only one of which Vera Cruz can boast, they hired a boat in which they
were rowed to the fort; the distance is nearly a mile, and our friends
were easily able to understand the unsafe character of the harbor of
Vera Cruz. It is little better than an open roadstead; when high winds
prevail landing from or embarking upon a steamer is impossible, and
during heavy northers steamers sometimes put to sea for safety. There
are no docks where vessels can lie; everything must be discharged or
received by boats or lighters, and the uncertainties of the weather make
the time of a steamer's departure very uncertain. The dangerous
character of the harbor is said to cause the insurance companies to
increase their rates when Vera Cruz is given as a vessel's destination.

"The fort is a grim-looking place," said Frank; "its walls are thick
enough to justify the belief of its builders that it was impregnable.
Whatever it may have been in ancient times, it is not of much
consequence at present, and short work would be made of it by modern
artillery. No attempt is made to keep it in condition to resist a
determined attack, all the cannon which it possesses being of ancient
date; many of these cannon would be quite as dangerous to the garrison
as to the enemy in case they were discharged. The story goes that it
cost so much to build the fort that the King of Spain once called for a
telescope, and pointed it at the west.

"'For what is your Majesty looking?' inquired one of his officers of
state.

"'I am looking for San Juan de Ulloa,' he answered; 'I have spent so
much money on it that I ought to see the fort standing out on the
western sky.'

"Our guide pointed out some great rings of copper that were built into
the wall of the fortress on the face next to the city. These rings were
intended for ships to tie to under protection of the guns, but in the
past two hundred years the water has become so shoal that only a small
boat can come near enough to make any use of the fastenings. There are
large court-yards inside the fort, where a whole regiment could parade,
and the casemates are sufficiently capacious to hold a garrison six
times as large as the Government keeps here. Parts of the walls are
broken down, and no effort is made to keep them in repair. The chief use
of the once celebrated fort is as a prison; they told us that about
sixty or seventy prisoners were kept there, some of them being sentenced
for life. We looked into some of the vacant dungeons, and thought them
the most horrible places of imprisonment we had ever seen. They are
badly ventilated, very little light can enter them, and the walls are
damp and almost dripping with moisture. Escape is out of the question,
as the water around the island swarms with sharks, and a prisoner who
should attempt to get away by swimming to the shore would be eaten by
these monsters of the sea."

An excursion of a pleasanter character was made to the city of Jalapa
(ha-_la_-pa--_a_ as in father); it should be called a journey rather
than an excursion, as it consumed no less than three days. Jalapa is
seventy-four miles from Vera Cruz and 4000 feet above the sea, and one
of the prettiest places in Mexico. Our friends were obliged to rise at a
very early hour, as the train starts at 5 A.M.; they went by steam for
sixteen miles to Tejeria, and there changed to a tram-car, drawn by
mules, for a ride of sixty miles. The old diligence-road between Vera
Cruz and the capital passes through Jalapa, but it is not much used
since the completion of the railway.

[Illustration: THE NATIONAL BRIDGE.--ROBBING A COACH.]

General Scott marched by that road, and the youths were on the watch for
_El Puente Nacional_, or the National Bridge, where he was sharply
resisted by the Mexican army. It is thirty-five miles from Vera Cruz,
and is an immense viaduct, built in the early part of the present
century, when the road to the capital was begun. In the happy days of
brigandage it was the favorite spot for stopping coaches and plundering
passengers; many a traveller has given up his valuables at this spot,
under the potent influence of a pistol in the hands of a Mexican
"road-agent."

"Sixty miles by mule-power was a long distance," said Fred, "and we
wondered how it was to be accomplished. The mules went along at a good
pace, considering that it was an ascending grade; they were urged by the
whip in the hands of the driver, and he was certainly not a merciful
one, perhaps for the reason that the mules belonged to the railway
company and not to himself. Part of our ride was through a comparatively
desert region, and we rejoiced that it was early in the morning while
the sun was not high and hot. The train was composed of three cars; each
car had four mules for its motive power, and the vehicles were divided
into first, second, and third class. First class fare is $6.63; second
class, $4.08; and third class not far from $2.00. My memorandum for
third class is so blurred that I cannot make the figures out to a
certainty. The mules were changed every two hours, and seemed very well
satisfied when their terms of service were ended.

[Illustration: SKETCHED AT RINCONADA.]

"We stopped at Rinconada, where we breakfasted, and changed mules for
the second time, the first change having been made at the National
Bridge. The second station from Rinconada was Cerro Gordo, where General
Scott defeated the Mexicans in 1847. It is a narrow pass bordered by
high hills, and connects the lowlands of the coast with the regions of
the _tierra templada_. How an army could get through the pass in the
face of anything like determined and intelligent opposition by a force
superior in numbers, it is difficult to understand. An English writer
who has visited the spot says of it as follows: 'That 10,000 Americans
should have been able to get through the mountain passes, and to reach
the capital at all, is an astonishing thing; and after that, their
successes in the Valley of Mexico follow as a matter of course. They
could never have crossed the mountains but for a combination of
circumstances.'

"After passing Cerro Gordo, in which we had no such difficulties as
beset General Scott, we found ourselves in a less tropical region than
the one behind us. Cornfields were numerous, and so were fields of
barley; that we had not left the region of warmth altogether was evident
by the sugar-cane and the coffee-trees that abounded in many places.
They continued up to and into Jalapa, whither our mules went at a
gallop, and came to a halt about half-past four in the afternoon. Twelve
hours for a journey of seventy-four miles, up a slope of 4000 feet, and
sixty miles of the distance by mule-power, isn't so bad after all.

[Illustration: PART OF JALAPA.]

"There was a drawback to the interest of the scene in the shape of a
cloud of mist in which we were enveloped as we entered the city; but the
wind swept it away and we had some beautiful views; then it came on
again, to our aggravation, and in fact it kept up a sort of peep-show
performance all the time we were there. They told us that a good deal of
rain falls at Jalapa, and when there is no rain there is generally a
mist of more or less density. We were reminded of Ireland and Scotland,
and in more ways than one; the mists that obstruct the view are the
glory of Jalapa in keeping everything green, even to our memory of it.
It does not rain, nor is the sky obscured all the time, else there would
be no ripening of fruit in the gardens; and the gardens of Jalapa are
among the finest in the world.

"The great staple of Jalapa is coffee, but there is a large product of
sugar; and as for plantains, bananas, mangoes, and similar fruits, they
are to be had in abundance and for little more than the asking. We
looked for that old-fashioned drastic medicine, jalap, which takes its
name from the city, but were told it is no longer exclusively produced
here. Doctor Bronson says the drug was introduced into England from
Mexico in 1609, and was in use for 200 years before the plant from which
it came was known. It belongs to the same family as the 'four-o'-clock'
of our gardens, and grows wild in the mountains in the neighborhood of
Jalapa. As this city was then the centre of commerce in this article,
the name adhered to it, just as the name of Calicut adhered to the cloth
called calico, which originally came from that town of India.

"Another staple for which Jalapa is famous is pretty women; but so far
as we have been able to observe, it has no monopoly of them against the
other cities of Mexico. They have been praised by many travellers, and
there is a Mexican saying that '_Las Jalapeños son muy halagüeñas_'
('the women of Jalapa are very charming.') We have seen many pretty
faces, and if the weather had been uninterruptedly fine perhaps we could
have seen more.

[Illustration: A NARROW STREET.]

"The streets resemble those of Spain more than do any we saw in Mexico,
Puebla, or Vera Cruz; they are narrow, crooked, and irregular, and
separating solid old buildings with thick walls and heavily grated
windows. The city has about 15,000 inhabitants, and there is said to
have been an Indian town here at the time of Cortez's arrival. The
houses cling to the hill-side as though afraid of falling off, and there
is a good deal of uphill and down-hill in a walk through the streets; in
fact it seems to be uphill no matter which way you go. An excellent
feature about the streets is their cleanliness.

"Another vegetable product of the region around Jalapa is the vanilla,
which was cultivated here long before the Conquest. The Indians had
practically a monopoly of it at one time, but its cultivation has spread
to other parts of Mexico and Central America, and also to distant
countries. The best quality still comes from this part of Mexico, and
the Indians show great skill in harvesting and curing the pods. The
drying of the pods takes a long time, and if any mistake is made in the
process, it greatly injures the value of the product.

"We had a fine view of the peak of Orizaba and the famous mountain of
Perote, which, from its shape, is known as the _cofre_, or casket. At
the base of this mountain is the town of Perote, which was famous during
the Mexican War as the place where some Americans were imprisoned.
Doctor Bronson says there was a novel of that time called 'The Prisoner
of Perote,' which had a very large circulation.

"Downhill is easier than uphill all the world over, and nowhere more so
than on a tram-way. We started from Jalapa at seven in the morning, and
went flying down the road, turning curves at a gallop, dashing on as
though pursued by a Nemesis or a pack of wolves, and raising clouds of
dust wherever the roads were dry. Our hair stood on end half the
time--figuratively at least; and I wished the mules could have told us
what they thought of such recklessness. We breakfasted again at
Rinconada, and at a little past four in the afternoon rolled into Vera
Cruz."

Jalapa is to be connected with Puebla and the city of Mexico by the
Interoceanic Railway, perhaps before these words appear in print, as a
part of the line is already built and work is being pushed on the
remainder. As has been shown on previous pages, it is the intention to
carry the railway through to the Pacific Ocean by making use of the line
already completed from the capital to Morelos and Yautepec. Another
Pacific line has been surveyed from Puebla through the State of Oajaca,
and a part of the road has been built.

On their return trip from Jalapa to Vera Cruz our friends made the
acquaintance of a railway engineer who had been at work upon the line
from Tampico westward. He was enthusiastic about the future of Tampico,
and predicted that when the railway had formed its connection with the
National and Central lines Vera Cruz would be "out in the cold," as he
expressed it. "Tampico has," said he, "a harbor that can be greatly
improved by dredging away a part of the bar, which is now dangerous; the
town is five miles up a river, and affords the shelter which a ship
cannot find at Vera Cruz. With the dredging I mentioned, the port can be
used by the same class of vessels that now go to Vera Cruz. Tampico will
get all the business when the railway is completed and the line opened
to the capital."

[Illustration: EXTERIOR OF A CHURCH.]

Filled with the idea of the importance of Tampico and the ruin that
awaited Vera Cruz, before leaving the latter city Frank had a
conversation with an advocate of another port of future importance. The
new claimant for commercial favors was Anton Lizardo, which lies some
distance down the coast and was selected as the starting-point of the
Mexican Southern Railway. It is claimed to be in a healthy locality, and
to have a fairly good harbor capable of improvement by the use of the
dredge and the construction of piers at which vessels may lie. General
Grant was the President of the Mexican Southern Railway, and since his
death the enterprise has languished, and our friends were unable to
learn that it showed any positive signs of activity.

It was Doctor Bronson's intention to leave Vera Cruz on the day
following their return from Jalapa, but his plans were rudely upset by a
norther, which set in furiously and for two days cut off all
communication with the ships in harbor or out of it. Frank and Fred
climbed to the top of the highest tower they could find, and watched the
waves breaking on the walls, and also on the long line of beach north
and south of the city. At times the island of San Juan de Ulloa seemed
to be half buried in the spray; the ships rose and fell unpleasantly as
they tugged at their anchors, and some of them took the course of
prudence and steamed away seaward. Two or three small craft were torn
from their moorings and driven ashore; that similar accidents may befall
larger vessels was painfully evidenced by an English steamer which lay
high and dry on the beach, where she had been wrecked in a norther a few
weeks before.

But all things have an end, and so did the gale, which blew itself out
after cleansing the city of all miasmatic impurities, and rendering it
healthy for a while. The sea went down, and as soon as the steamer on
which they were to leave had completed her cargo and was ready for sea,
the travelling trio went on board. An hour later they were moving over
the dark waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with their faces turned in the
direction of the equator.

[Illustration: A TOURIST.]




CHAPTER XXVII.

THE COATZACOALCOS RIVER.--ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC.--TEHUANTEPEC RAILWAY
AND SHIP-CANAL.--THE EADS SHIP-RAILWAY.--AN IDEA OF CORTEZ.--PLANS OF
CAPTAIN EADS.--A RAILWAY-CARRIAGE WITH 1200 WHEELS.--SHIPS CARRIED IN
TANKS.--ENGINEERING AND OTHER FEATURES OF THE SHIP-RAILWAY.--MAHOGANY
TRADE.--FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THREE LOGS.--FRONTERA AND
TABASCO.--RUINS OF PALENQUE.--LORILLARD CITY.--EXPLORATIONS BY STEPHENS
AND CHARNAY.--PALACE OF PALENQUE.--TEMPLE OF THE CROSS.--TEMPLE OF
LORILLARD.--REMARKABLE IDOL.--A REGION ABOUNDING IN RUINS.--REMAINS OF
MITLA.--PILLAR OF DEATH.


The steamer on which our friends were embarked was a small one engaged
in the coasting trade. She drew less than twelve feet of water, and was
therefore able to enter the shallow harbors of some of the Mexican and
Central American ports where large vessels cannot go. On the morning
after leaving Vera Cruz she was off the mouth of the Coatzacoalcos
River, and a little after sunrise she crossed the bar and steamed slowly
against the current of that tropical stream.

[Illustration: ON THE RIVER'S BANK.]

Dense forests, broken here and there by clearings, covered the banks of
the river, and reminded our young friends of the Menam River, in Siam,
or the Me-Kong, in Cambodia. Thirty miles from the mouth of the river
brought them to Minatitlan, a tumble-down village or town with a few
hundred inhabitants, who are chiefly engaged in doing nothing, if one is
to judge by appearances. The business of Minatitlan is not large, and is
chiefly connected with trade in mahogany and other tropical woods.

The river and the town have an international importance, as they are on
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which has long been under consideration as
the route for a canal to connect the Atlantic with the Pacific. The
width of the isthmus from ocean to ocean is 143 miles, but by making use
of the rivers on either side the length of a canal would be little, if
any, more than 100 miles. The route has been surveyed at different
times, notably in 1870, by Captain Shufeldt of the United States Navy,
who declared that there was no insurmountable obstacle to the
construction of a ship-canal.

Recently the Mexican Government has given to an English company a
concession for a railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. One of the
surveyors of this company was a passenger on the steamer with our
friends, who fell into conversation with him during dinner, and learned
many things of interest. The engineer told them that work was to begin
immediately on the railway, and they hoped to have it completed by the
end of 1889.

Doctor Bronson recalled the fact that in 1842 a concession was granted
to Don José de Garay for the Tehuantepec Railway, but nothing was
accomplished, for the simple reason that the money for the work could
not be obtained. As soon as the Garay concession fell through, the
United States Government offered $15,000,000 for the right of way across
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, but the offer was declined. During the
California gold excitement a Tehuantepec transit line was established.
Steamers ran between the isthmus and San Francisco on the Pacific side,
and to New York and New Orleans on the Atlantic. Passengers were carried
across the neck of land in stage-coaches. The enterprise proved
unprofitable, and was abandoned after a few years.

[Illustration: A STEAMSHIP ON A PLATFORM CAR.]

What interested Frank and Fred more than anything else at this point was
the suggestion that huge ships might yet be transported across the
isthmus, not by canal but on a railway. Their new-found friend told them
about the project of Capt. James B. Eads, an enterprising American
engineer, and referred them for further information to an article in
_Harper's Magazine_ for November, 1881. With their usual good-fortune
they found a copy of the magazine in the hands of the purser of the
steamer. Aided by it and the points given them by the engineer, together
with some from Doctor Bronson, they wrote the following while the
steamer was continuing her voyage from Minatitlan.

"Any one who thinks the idea of a ship-railway here is a new one is
grievously mistaken. It originated with no less a personage than the
conqueror Cortez, who visited the isthmus, examined the river
Coatzacoalcos, made soundings, and walked across from ocean to ocean,
with a view to establishing a portage by which ships could be carried
overland for the commerce between Spain and the far east of Asia.

[Illustration: PLANE AND ELEVATION OF TERMINUS.]

"Cortez reported favorably upon the enterprise, and suggested a broad
road carefully graded by which ships could be transported on rollers or
wheels from one ocean to the other. It must be remembered that the ships
of his day were much smaller than those of the present time, and their
transportation a hundred miles overland would not have been a very
difficult matter.

[Illustration: TANK CARRIAGE.]

"Somehow the Spanish Government did not favor the proposal sufficiently
to authorize the expenditure of the necessary cash. The matter slumbered
until 1814, nearly 300 years, when the Government consented to the
undertaking, but the revolution then going on prevented anything like
actual work on the road. The Garay Railway concession in 1842 was the
next project. Three canal concessions have since been made to Mexicans
and one to Americans; then came the concession to Captain Eads for a
ship-railway, and last of all is the concession already mentioned for an
ordinary railway to be built by an English company.

"We will remark here that if concessions would build railways Mexico
would have been gridironed with them long before this. It is probable
that two or three hundred concessions have been granted in the last ten
years, and nine-tenths of them are not likely to go beyond the
'permission to build' which the concession grants.

"The idea of Captain Eads was that wherever a canal can be built to
float a ship a railway may be built to carry one. His theory was laughed
at by a great many people, but has been accepted by eminent engineers
all over the world who have carefully studied his plans. Like every
novel scheme, it has met with much opposition, and many objections have
been made to it; but they are chiefly by men whose minds are not
scientific. It should be borne in mind that the steam-railway, the
steam-boat, the ocean steamship, the telegraph, in fact every great
enterprise of modern times, has encountered similar opposition, and in
some instances has had no support even from scientific minds. Doctor
Bronson says there is fair reason to believe that the ship-railway of
Captain Eads will be in operation before the end of the century, and
vessels of five or six thousand tons will safely pass over dry land from
one ocean to the other.

[Illustration: SECTION OF PART OF CRADLE CARRIAGE.

Scale 1 inch to the foot.]

"Captain Eads proposed to build a line of twelve rails, with a grade of
not more than fifty feet to the mile at each end. The line descends into
the water, to enable ships to be placed in the cradles in which they are
to rest during the transit. The grade of one foot in a hundred, or
fifty-two and eight-tenths feet to the mile, would carry the line to a
depth of thirty feet in a length of 3000 feet. Here the ship, in a
landlocked basin, will be floated to a cradle and made fast. The cradle
and ship together will be hauled out by means of stationary engines on
land, just as ships are hauled upon marine-railways or dry-docks.

"The cradle is an enormous platform car 300 feet long, or it may be a
tank of the same length in which a ship can float. In either case it
will be the width of twelve rails spaced to standard gauge (4 feet
8-1/2 inches), and will have 100 wheels on each rail, or 1200 wheels in
all. This will give a pressure of five tons to each wheel, supposing the
cradle to be carrying a ship of 4000 tons, which is no more than the
burden of the wheel of an ordinary freight car with its load. Thus is
answered the objection which has been made, and very naturally, about
the enormous pressure upon the cars and road-bed. Taking the area into
consideration, the pressure is no greater than that upon an ordinary
railway when a loaded train goes over it.

"The cradle will be drawn along the railway by four locomotives, each of
them as powerful as five ordinary freight locomotives of the
Pennsylvania or other great railway company. Of course there can be no
curves on the railway, as the cradle can be no more flexible than the
ship. All bends on the line will be made at turn-tables; but the nature
of the country is such that only two of these, or possibly three, will
be needed."

The youths paused at this point to look at the drawings which showed the
design for supporting the cradle on its carriage. Fred observed that the
axle of each wheel was independent, and that there was a pair of springs
above each and every wheel. He asked Doctor Bronson why it was so many
springs were needed, as it was evident that with twelve hundred wheels
there would be twenty-four hundred springs.

"I suppose," was the reply, "that it is to facilitate the change of the
carriage from a level to a grade, or _vice versâ_. In going from an up
grade to a level there would be a greater pressure at the ends than in
the centre, and the same would be the case in going from a level to a
down grade. The springs are intended to regulate this; the railway is
intended to form an upward incline from each end towards the centre,
where there will be a level of several miles."

Frank asked how fast the train, if train it could be called, was
expected to run in making the transit of the isthmus with a ship.

"From eight to ten miles an hour," replied the Doctor. "Captain Eads
proposed not to keep a vessel more than twelve hours out of the water,
and he thought it quite likely the time might be reduced to ten hours."

[Illustration]

Then the youths looked at the map and studied out the course of the
proposed ship-railway. Frank slowly dictated while Fred jotted down the
names of the places mentioned.

"The bar at the mouth of the river must be dredged out so as to admit
ships, which will then find plenty of water up to a point called Ceiba
Bonita, on the Uspanapan River, which runs into the Coatzacoalcos just
below Minatitlan. There the ship-railway will begin, and it runs in a
straight line to the mountains, where there is a depression only 650
feet high. In fact there are two of these depressions, and either of
them may be taken. These are the passes of Chivela and Tarifa. By the
former the railway may run to the town of Tehuantepec, and there make a
bend by turn-table, and continue to the Pacific Ocean; and by the latter
pass it may go to Salinas Cruz, which lies on a lagoon, where a harbor
must be dredged out."

"And how much will be the cost of this great work?" one of the youths
asked.

"I believe the estimate is seventy-five millions of dollars," was the
reply, "including the construction of the railway and its equipment with
cradles, tanks, locomotives, and everything else needed for operating
the line.

"The saving of distance," continued Doctor Bronson, "for a ship going by
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec instead of Cape Horn from New York to
Hong-Kong is 8245 miles, and from New Orleans to Hong-Kong 9900 miles.
The route from England to the ports of Eastern Asia and Australia is
also considerably shortened, and there can be little doubt that the
completion and successful operation of the ship-railway would be of
great advantage to the commerce of the world."

[Illustration: MAHOGANY HUNTERS.]

While at Minatitlan the youths saw a vessel loading with mahogany logs
for a port in Europe, and they naturally made inquiries about the wood
and where it was procured. They learned that it grew on marshy ground in
the valleys of rivers in Southern Mexico, Honduras, and Central America
generally, and also in the West India Islands, tropical South America,
and tropical Asia and Africa.

"It is," said their informant, "the most valuable of all the tropical
trees, as you will see when I tell you the prices at which it is sold.
Logs fifteen feet long and thirty-eight inches square have been sold for
two or three thousand dollars each, and in one instance three logs from
one tree brought $15,000."

Frank asked if that was the regular price for the timber or only an
exceptional one.

"In these cases it was exceptional," was the reply, "the value depending
upon the peculiar 'curl,' or grain of the wood. But the work of getting
out the logs is so great that unless high prices were paid for all
mahogany the business would be abandoned. The mahogany-cutters search
through the forest for trees, and then they build roads, often for many
miles, to haul the logs to the banks of the rivers. The logs are usually
from ten to sixteen feet long and two to three feet square; the length
of the logs will depend upon that of the tree and the number of cuttings
that can be made to the best advantage. The largest log I ever heard of
was cut in Honduras; it was seventeen feet long, fifty-seven inches
broad, and sixty-four inches deep; it weighed more than fifteen tons,
and was cut into 5421 feet of inch plank. Reduced to veneering
one-sixteenth of an inch thick, it would have covered very nearly two
acres."

Fred observed that the logs were square instead of round, and asked why
it was.

"There are two reasons for it," was the reply. "The first object is to
reduce the weight as much as possible without injury to the wood, and
hence the workman 'square' the logs roughly as soon as they have been
divided into lengths. In the second place, the squaring makes them less
liable to roll while upon the rough carts by which they are brought
through the forests to the rivers, where they are floated down to the
places of shipment. The cutting and hauling are done in the dry season,
and the work is timed so that it will be completed when the rainy season
sets in. Then the rivers swell and the logs are floated; the system is
in many respects analogous to lumbering operations in Maine, Minnesota,
and other Northern States of America."

After leaving the Coatzacoalcos River, the steamer headed for Frontera,
at the mouth of the river Tabasco, but she did not remain long enough
for our friends to go on shore, much to the disappointment of Frank and
Fred. They were consoled by a fellow-passenger, who told them that the
place was hot and unhealthy, and they would run the risk of taking the
fever by passing no more than a few hours on land. Another consideration
was that the anchorage was six miles from town, and the fare to the
shore was four dollars each way--at least that was what the boatmen
demanded.

[Illustration: TRAVELLING IN TABASCO.]

The Tabasco is a river of considerable size, and navigable for quite a
distance inland by small steamers. The capital of the State of Tabasco
is San Juan Bautista, about fifty miles from the mouth of the river. By
continuing up the stream the traveller can reach a point whence an
overland journey will bring him to the ruins of Palenque, one of the
archæological wonders of the western continent.

"We didn't care much for the modern part of Tabasco," said Fred, "as it
would not have been much unlike what we have already seen, but we did
want ever and ever so much to go to Palenque. We have read the
descriptions of the ruins by Stephens, who visited them in 1839-40, and
by Charnay, who went there in 1882. Both gentlemen agree that they are
wonderful to look at, even from the point of view of an ordinary
traveller.

[Illustration: PLAN OF PART OF THE PALACE AT PALENQUE.]

"They tell us of a ruined palace 238 feet long by 180 deep, and standing
on a mound or platform of earth and stone forty feet high and measuring
about 100 feet each way more than the palace does. The palace was built
of stone laid in a mortar of lime and sand, and seems to have been
covered with stucco in various colors. There is a great quantity of
bass-reliefs and hieroglyphics; many of these have been injured by time
and the Indians, but on the other hand a great number are still
perfect. Nobody can yet tell the exact extent of the city as it was in
the time of its glory. A dense forest has grown over the spot, and it
would take an army of men to remove the huge trees and clear away the
ground.

[Illustration: MEDALLION BASS-RELIEF.]

"You may ask how old the city is and when it was abandoned. That, as
well as the city's extent, is a conundrum. Some writers think it was
inhabited as late as the time of the Conquest. This is the theory of M.
Charnay; and a traveller who preceded him in 1774 says he discovered
'eighteen palaces, twenty great buildings, and 167 houses in a single
week,' which is more than can be found by one person in the same time
nowadays. According to the account of the expedition of Cortez to
Honduras, he must have passed quite close to the site of Palenque, but
his faithful chronicler, Bernal Diaz, makes no mention of the city, nor
is it referred to in the conqueror's reports to the King.

"M. Charnay made explorations through this region, and to the south-east
of Palenque he visited the ruins of another city; this he named in honor
of Mr. Pierre Lorillard, of New York, who had defrayed the expenses of
the expedition. He had hoped to be the first explorer of these ruins;
but on reaching the spot he found himself preceded by an enterprising
Englishman, Mr. Alfred Maudsley, of London. The latter generously
proposed that the Frenchman should name the town, call himself the
discoverer, in fact do anything he pleased, since he (Maudsley) was only
an amateur travelling for pleasure, and not for scientific purposes.
Charnay accepted the offer in so far as the naming of the place was
concerned, but he could hardly call himself the discoverer, as it had
been previously visited by residents of Tenosiqué, the nearest modern
town of any consequence, and one of them had described it in writing and
by drawings.

[Illustration: IDOL IN TEMPLE AT LORILLARD CITY.]

"One of the interesting objects found at Lorillard was an idol that has
a remarkable resemblance to the idols in the Buddhist temples of Asiatic
countries. It was in a temple that was greatly ruined. There are fifteen
or twenty temples and other buildings at Lorillard, and it is quite
possible that others may be found by a careful examination of the
forest. M. Charnay pronounced the idol one of the finest ever discovered
in tropical America. It represented a figure sitting in the attitude of
Buddha, with the hands resting on the knees; the head was surmounted by
an enormous head-dress intended to represent a cluster of feathers
surrounding and rising above a medallion and diadem. The garments worn
by the bust are a sort of cape covered with pearls and having a
medallion in front and on each side. There are heavy bracelets on the
arms, and there is a girdle around the waist with a medallion similar to
that which decorates the cape.

"The sacred character of the statue or idol is indicated by the
circumstance that all around it, and in fact all through the temple,
were many bowls of coarse clay, which were used for burning incense.
Some of the bowls contained copal, which was the substance used for
incense, and the walls of the temples were black with the smoke from the
offerings.

[Illustration: THE CROSS OF PALENQUE.]

"A singular feature about these temples, and also those at Palenque, is
the presence of the cross among the bass-reliefs and hieroglyphics. This
circumstance has given rise to the supposition that the temples were
built long after the Conquest, and that the natives had been converted
to Christianity; but the most careful students of the subject say that
the cross was a symbol of the Toltecs long before Columbus or Cortez was
born. The famous sculpture at Palenque was in the temple of the same
name, and represents a Roman cross on the top of which a bird is
perched; a man at one side presents an offering to the bird, and the
spaces beneath the arms of the cross are covered with hieroglyphics that
have not been deciphered.

"The whole sculpture on which this cross appears was upon three stones
placed side by side in the wall of the temple. One of them is still
there, the second is in the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, and
the third, which is the central one with the cross upon it, has been
taken to Las Playas, in the State of Tabasco.

"The whole country is said to abound with ruins that have never been
seen by white men, and some of which are not even known to the Indians
of to-day. It is certain that this region once contained a dense and
highly civilized population, and the ruins that have been explored show
that they had a good knowledge of the principles of architecture and
sculpture. Exactly who they were has not been revealed, but explorers
and scientists are slowly penetrating the secret, and in course of time
the history of these primitive people will be given to the world.

[Illustration: GRAND HALL AT MITLA.]

"The cities at Palenque and Lorillard were of Toltec origin; the Toltecs
were in Mexico previous to the Aztecs, as we have already mentioned, and
it is fair to presume that these cities now in crumbling ruins were
older than the Tenochtitlan which Cortez captured from the Aztecs. In
the State of Oajaca are the ruins of Mitla, an Aztec city, and they are
extensive enough to show that a powerful people once lived there.

"The ruins at Mitla are in two groups, each consisting of four
buildings fronting on a square like the plaza of modern times. There is
a hall with six columns of stone in the centre, each column being about
twelve feet high, and tapering towards the top like a slender
sugar-loaf. It is supposed to have formed a central support for the roof
that rested at its edges upon the walls, which are parallel to each
other. The walls are built of rough stones laid with cement, and they
seem to have been covered originally with stucco.

[Illustration: EXTERIOR OF TEMPLE AT MITLA.]

"On the outside the buildings at Mitla were built up with blocks of hewn
stone, and covered with a mosaic laid in stucco, and composed of stone
of different colors. The doors and windows are square, and have lintels
of hewn stone, and altogether the buildings had quite a resemblance to
those of the ancient Egyptians.

"There is a tradition at Mitla that vast amounts of treasure are
concealed in the temples and surrounding grounds, and the earth has been
repeatedly dug over in the search for these things. Under one of the
temples is a chamber, in which there is an upright column of stone,
called the 'Pillar of Death.' The natives believe that any Indian who
clasps his arms around this pillar will die in a short time, but white
men are not in any such danger."




CHAPTER XXVIII.

"THE MYSTERIOUS CITY;" STORIES AND RUMORS CONCERNING IT.--ACCOUNTS OF
STEPHENS AND MORELET.--FATE OF TWO YOUNG AMERICANS.--DON PEDRO
VELASQUEZ.--CARMEN AND CAMPEACHY.--UNDERGROUND CAVES.--HOW LOGWOOD IS
GATHERED; ITS COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE.--THE QUEZAL AND ITS WONDERFUL
PLUMAGE.--SNAKES AND SNAKE STORIES.--TRAVELLERS' TALES.--PROGRESO AND
SISAL.--HOW THE YUCATAN RAILWAY WAS BUILT.--_AGAVE SISALANA_.--DISCOVERY
AND CONQUEST OF YUCATAN.--A FEROCIOUS POPULATION.--REBELLIOUS INDIANS IN
YUCATAN; HOW THEY TREAT VISITORS.--TOWNS AND VILLAGES DEPOPULATED.


While considering the accounts of the ruins of ancient cities in Mexico
and the countries bordering it, our young friends came upon allusions to
a "mysterious city," somewhere in the unexplored region of tropical
forests lying to the southward. Their curiosity was excited, and they
wondered if such a city really existed.

[Illustration: IN THE FOREST.]

They found that two explorers, Stephens and Morelet, believed in its
existence, and though they tried hard to reach it were unable to do so.
Stephens learned of it from the _cura_ of Quiche, a native town of
Guatemala, who claimed to have looked upon the city from the wall of
rock surrounding the valley where it stands. He had heard of it many
years before at the village of Chajul. He was then young, and had
climbed to the top of the ridge which the Indians indicated, and from
his elevated stand-point looked down upon the plain and the white walls
and towers of the city glistening in the sun. It covered a large area,
and its people were advanced in the arts and capable of making a
vigorous defence against all intruders.

[Illustration: JOHN L. STEPHENS.]

"Wouldn't that be an expedition worth making?" said Frank to Fred, after
they had read the account in Mr. Stephens's book. "Just think of it! to
be able to discover the mysterious city which no white man has ever
returned from!"

"Yes, that's the tradition concerning it," was the reply. "Several white
men have gone there, but no one has ever returned from it to tell the
story of what he saw."

"Writers on the subject are not very encouraging," said Frank, "as they
assert that the Indians in this mysterious city murder every white man
who comes within their boundaries. Not even the Spanish _padres_ are
permitted to enter, and they are usually able to go where no other white
man dare try to penetrate."

Frank read and reread all the attainable descriptions of the mysterious
city, and his imagination was fired almost to the degree of explosion.
"The inhabitants understand," he remarked, "that a white race has
conquered the rest of the country, but they are determined not to be
conquered. They have no coin or other circulating medium, no horses,
cattle, mules, or other domestic animals except fowls, and they keep
these underground so that the crowing of the cocks will not be heard."

Probably Frank's belief was largely influenced by the circumstance that
such a careful explorer as Stephens accepted the story as true; in
speaking of it he uses these words: "I conceive it to be not impossible
that in this secluded region may exist, at this day, unknown to white
men, a living, aboriginal city, occupied by relics of the ancient race,
who still worship in the temples of their fathers."

[Illustration: SEEKING THE MYSTERIOUS CITY.]

In writing an introduction to the narrative of the travels of Arthur
Morelet, who spent several years in that country, and evidently believed
in the existence of the mysterious city, Mr. E. G. Squier says as
follows:

"There is a region lying between Chiapas, Tabasco, Yucatan, and the
Republic of Guatemala, and comprising a considerable portion of each of
those States, which, if not entirely blank, is only conjecturally filled
up with mountains, lakes, and rivers. It is almost as unknown as the
interior of Africa itself.... Within its depths, far off on some unknown
tributary of the Usumasinta, the popular tradition of Guatemala and
Chiapas places the great aboriginal city, with its white walls shining
like silver in the sun, which the cura of Quiche affirmed he had seen
with his own eyes from the tops of the mountains of Quezaltenango."

A Guatemalan gentleman, Don Pedro Velasquez, claims to have accompanied
two young gentlemen of Baltimore, who succeeded in reaching the
mysterious city a few years after the account of Stephens was published.
Having once reached the city they were not harmed; but when they
attempted to escape they were seized, and one of them was sacrificed on
the altar of the Sun, after the manner of the Aztec sacrifices already
described. The other made his escape, but was so badly wounded that he
died in the forest. Don Pedro and a few Indians who accompanied the
young gentlemen managed to get away with their lives, but only by
running great risks. The account he gives of their adventures is not
very clear, and it has not secured a prominent place in the history of
scientific explorations.

A few years ago an enterprising American naturalist, Mr. F. A. Ober, was
on the borders of this unexplored region, and was greatly tempted to
venture alone in search of the mysterious city, and particularly to
learn about the fauna and flora that abound in its vicinity. It would
have been madness for him to have undertaken the journey, and he wisely
refrained from doing so; he is still of opinion that the examination of
this unknown and unconquered region offers a fine field for the
naturalist, and for societies engaged in promoting scientific
investigation.

After mature deliberation Frank and Fred concluded that the exploration
of this unknown region was not practicable just at that time, but they
would keep it in mind, and perhaps might lead an expedition thither at
some future day.

Doctor Bronson suggested that in the mean while they could amuse
themselves by reading "The Phantom City," a romance based upon the
stories told by Stephens and others. He thought that the romance might
contain hints which would be useful in case they should fit out their
expedition. "At all events," said he, "it is an interesting story, and
will well repay perusal."

The steamer made a brief halt at Carmen, an insignificant town on an
island on the coast, and then proceeded to Campeachy, where she anchored
about five miles from shore. There was quite a ground-swell on the sea,
which would have made a journey to the shore somewhat uncomfortable,
with the possibility, in case the wind increased, of being detained
there until the next steamer happened along. So our friends concluded to
acquaint themselves with Campeachy by looking at it from the deck of
the vessel; all day they lay there, and long before the sun went down
the youths were impatient to be on their way.

As they looked upon the white walls of the city glistening in the sun,
it was no great stretch of the imagination for them to believe they were
repeating the experience of the cura of Quiche, and gazing from the top
of the mountain chain which he claims to have ascended. They learned
that Campeachy was once of more importance than it is to-day; it has a
population of 20,000, and is built of a white limestone that is very
abundant in the neighborhood. Its houses are nearly all of but one story
in height, and the city is surrounded by walls which were built by the
Spaniards when they founded a settlement here.

An interesting feature of Campeachy is the great number of subterranean
caves in the hills on which it stands, some of them natural and some
artificial. These caves were made by the Indians long ago; most of them
have been explored in search of treasure, of which very little was
obtained. Numerous skulls and skeletons were found there, and it is
evident that the caves were used as burial-places, and are much like the
catacombs of Oriental countries. A few of them have been utilized as
cellars by the inhabitants, but only a few; the Indians of to-day have a
good many superstitions concerning the caves, and look with an
unfriendly eye upon any one who desecrates them.

[Illustration: CAMPEACHY TOBACCO.]

A lighter came alongside with some cargo for the steamer, and Frank made
a note of what it brought. There were hides of cattle, deer-skins, sugar
in bags made of the _pita_ plant, bales of that textile product,
beeswax, and a considerable quantity of Campeachy cigars. The tobacco
grown in the States of Campeachy and Tabasco is of very good quality,
and the cigars are often sold for "Havanas" in foreign markets.

Frank learned that logwood is an important article of trade on this part
of the coast, but it is mostly shipped on sailing-vessels, on account of
the lower charge for freight. Carmen has a considerable commerce in
logwood, which grows so extensively that there is no immediate danger of
the exhaustion of the supply, especially as its cultivation has extended
to other countries by planting the seed or transplanting the young
trees.

"Logwood is used for dyeing purposes," wrote Frank, after he had
informed himself concerning it, "and also in medicine. There is a belief
that it is used by wine-makers in coloring claret quite as much as for
dyeing cloth or leather. The tree is usually about twenty-five feet high
and fifteen inches in diameter. Only the 'heart' of the trunk contains
the dyeing substance, and this is the part exported, the outer sap-wood
being cut off in the forest as soon as the tree is felled. The
logwood-cutters have a hard life, and their business is less profitable
of late years, owing to the extensive use of aniline dyes."

[Illustration: THE QUEZAL.]

A passenger who came on board the steamer at Campeachy had as part of
his baggage a cage containing a bird of remarkable plumage. It presented
a variety of colors--green, golden, red, and white--and its tail
feathers were so long that they seemed out of all proportion to the size
of the creature's body. Frank and Fred were immediately attracted to it,
and asked what it was.

"It is a _quezal_, or _quetzal_," was the reply, "which was at one time
the sacred and imperial bird of Mexico. The one you see here is not a
fine specimen. Sometimes you find these birds with the tail feathers
four feet long; and in ancient times none but the emperors were
permitted to wear them. Perhaps you saw the feather cloak of Montezuma
in the museum at the capital? Well, the feathers that adorn that cloak
came from the quezal, and the bird is so rare that it takes a long time
to gather feathers enough to make a single garment.

[Illustration: DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL IN CAMPEACHY.]

"The quezal is still regarded with much respect by the Indians of this
part of the country and of Central America, but less so than in the days
of the Montezumas. As it darts through the forest its feathers flash
like a moving rainbow, and remind us of the accounts that Eastern
travellers have given of the bird-of-paradise. It is rarely taken alive,
and is so shy that the hunter can only approach it with difficulty.

"This region abounds in birds," continued his informant, "and also with
less pleasing things to meet--snakes. Some of the serpents are large and
others are venomous. It is a fortunate thing for travellers in the
forest that the snake seeks safety in flight when he can do so, and does
not voluntarily attack man. Birds and small animals are his prey, and he
takes them after the same fashion as the serpents of the rest of the
world."

Fred asked what was the most dangerous of the serpents of this tropical
region.

"The worst I know of," was the reply, "is the _vivora de sangre_, which
causes the blood of man or beast to sweat through the pores of the body
until the veins are exhausted and the victim dies in a state of utter
weakness. It is literally a case of bleeding to death, though not in the
ordinary way of opening the veins."

Then he told of another serpent called the _mica_, or whipping-snake,
which when irritated flattens its head upon the ground and seems to
fasten it there. Then it lashes on either side with its tail like a
whip, and it strikes a blow of wonderful force when its size is
considered.

Then followed an extended conversation upon the natural history of
Campeachy and the regions bordering it, but the youths did not take
further notes, and so we are unable to repeat what was said. Some of the
stories of the traveller were impressed on the mind of Frank more on
account of their improbability than for any other peculiarity.

He told about serpents thirty feet long that suspended themselves from
trees which overhung path-ways, and swooped down upon cattle, sheep, and
other animals that came within their reach. Frank asked if human beings
were exempt from their attacks, and the stranger replied that those who
ate plenty of _chili colorado_ with their food were not disturbed, or at
any rate the snake would not swallow them, as he wasn't fond of red
pepper. He might kill them before finding out the fact, but as soon as
he had done so he would respectfully turn aside and seek other game.

Then followed a story about another variety of snake that kills a bird
on its nest and then proceeds to coil affectionately about the eggs and
hatch them out. When the young birds appear he cares for them tenderly,
bringing them food in the daytime, and at night nestling over them to
protect their unfeathered bodies from the cold and dampness.

"And I suppose," said Frank, "that when he has reared them to a suitable
size he proceeds to eat them up."

As to that the stranger could give no information, and accordingly the
youth concluded that the narrative was not based upon personal
observation.

From Campeachy the steamer held her course to Progreso, the principal
port of Yucatan. That honor formerly belonged to Sisal, but the
advantages of Progreso caused it to be preferred, and now it is the seat
of commerce. Not that the harbor amounts to much, as the shallow coast
prevents vessels of more than a few feet draught from coming anywhere
near it. The passengers were landed in a large row-boat that danced
very uneasily upon the waves and disturbed the digestion of some who
thus far had borne the movements of the sea without objection. It was a
long pull to the shore, but they reached it in safety and resigned
themselves to the custom-house officials who were waiting at the
landing-place.

[Illustration]

The inspection was not very rigorous, as the passengers were from
another Mexican port and not from foreign lands; in fact it was nothing
more than a form, and was quickly over. Then the strangers had a
half-hour in which to inspect the town of Progreso; they inspected it
and had fifteen minutes to spare. The place is simply a shipping-point,
and nobody lives there except those whose business connects them with
marine matters. It is surrounded by swamps and is damp and unhealthy. It
was desirable to get away from it as soon as possible, as it seemed an
excellent spot for incorporating fever-germs into the system. The
population is less than 2000, not including the tenants of the
cemetery, which is said to be liberally patronized.

[Illustration: TROPICAL RAILWAY TRAIN AND STATION.]

Merida, the capital, is about thirty miles from Progreso, and connected
with it by railway. The train rolled slowly along, taking nearly three
hours for the journey; but as it has no competition it has no occasion
to hurry. Passengers sometimes complain of the snail-like speed, and are
told that they can possibly do better by getting out and walking. Our
friends made no complaint, as they realized that even at a pace not
exceeding ten miles an hour it was much better than no railway at all.
The engine and cars were of American make, and the conductor was a New
Yorker who had become so bronzed by the sun as to be readily taken for a
Mexican.

"This railway was built like a good many other lines in Mexico," said a
passenger on the train who fell into conversation with Doctor Bronson
and the youths. "All the material was brought from foreign countries and
landed at Progreso; it was then hauled in carts to Merida, and the line
was built _from_ Merida _towards_ the sea. The same ideas prevailed as
in the case of the line between Vera Cruz and the city of Mexico; the
peace of the country would be endangered if the railway should be
constructed from the sea-coast inland.

"The story goes that the contractor received a liberal subsidy from the
Government only on condition that he built from Merida, and as he began
to use the line as soon as he had five or six miles completed, he made
money by the operation. There is another story, that he was allowed to
charge a high price for passengers while the road was under
construction, but must come down to a low figure when it was completed.

"The result was that the contractor stopped work before reaching the
coast, and did not resume for a long time; there was a mile or so of
unfinished road, and this gave him an excuse for exorbitant rates for
passengers. Complaints were so numerous that the Government was obliged
to interfere and compel him to carry out the spirit as well as the
letter of his contract."

[Illustration: FLOCK OF PELICANS.]

Frank watched from one side of the train while Fred kept a sharp eye out
on the other. Soon after starting, the train passed a lagoon which
abounded in aquatic birds--duck, teal, egrets, herons, curlews, snipe,
pelicans, and the like. Were it not for the liability to fevers, owing
to the unhealthy miasmas rising from the lagoon, the region would be an
attractive one for sportsmen. Even with its drawbacks a fair number of
hunters find their way there, and some of them praise the locality in
glowing terms. After passing the lagoon the road reaches the coral rock
which is the foundation of Yucatan and supports a thin and rather dry
soil.

The youths thought they were again among fields of the maguey plant and
haciendas for pulque-making as soon as the solid ground was reached, but
their new acquaintance undeceived them.

[Illustration: SISAL-HEMP.]

"These fields that stretch for miles in every direction between the
coast and the capital," said he, "are not covered with the maguey from
which pulque is made, but with _henequin_. Henequin belongs to the aloe
family, as does the maguey, and it is from this plant that a variety of
fibre like hemp is produced. When Sisal was the seaport the product took
its name; it is known in commerce as sisal-hemp, though very little of
it comes directly from that place at present. It grows, like the maguey,
on rocks or very thin soil where nothing else can flourish, and it
requires no water or but very little. Take away the henequin plant and
the fibre made from it, and Yucatan would be seriously crippled in its
commerce. Considerable corn is raised, but it is mostly needed for home
consumption. The value of the sisal-hemp export is above three millions
of dollare annually, sometimes exceeding and sometimes falling below
that figure.

"Yucatan has no rivers," he continued, "and the planters depend entirely
upon rains for irrigation. These are supplied by the moisture from the
Gulf of Mexico, and if this should fail the country would soon become a
desert."

The gentleman then gave some information relative to the cultivation of
henequin and the preparation of the fibre which we will reserve for a
later page, when the youths have had an opportunity to see the process.
Fred made note of the fact that the plant was indigenous to Yucatan, and
used for the production of fibre long before the advent of the whites.
Its exportation in large quantities is a matter of recent times, and is
steadily increasing.

Henequin is grown from shoots which are cut from the base of the old
plants. Three years after the shoots are set out the plant is large
enough for a first crop of leaves to be cut; the cutting goes on for
twelve or fifteen years, and in the mean time new shoots are set out
every year, so that a plantation is constantly being renewed. When the
plant is at its full size the leaves are four or five feet long. After
a plantation is fairly under way, and producing regularly, it requires
very little attention.

[Illustration: INDIANS OF YUCATAN.]

The scientific name of sisal-hemp is _Agave Sisalensis_ or _Agave
Sisolana_; properly speaking, it is not hemp at all, and reminds us of
the peddler of "hot mutton-pies" who replied, when a customer complained
that his wares were frozen, "hot mutton-pies is the name of 'em." The
true hemp is an annual plant, supposed to be a native of India, whence
its culture has spread through the world, and it has no resemblance
whatever to henequin, or Agave Sisalana.

While we have been talking on this and other topics the train has been
rolling on towards Merida. Frank recorded in his note-book that Yucatan
was first seen by the eye of a white man in 1506, and was first visited
and partially explored in 1517 by Hernandez de Cordova. The visit of
Cordova was not altogether encouraging, as the Indians killed or wounded
all but one of his companions, among the wounded being Bernal Diaz, the
historian of Cortez. Not discouraged by his injuries, Diaz came the
following year to Yucatan with Grijalva, and in 1519 with Cortez to the
same country and Mexico.

Mexico and its treasures attracted attention for the next decade or two,
and very little thought was given to Yucatan. In 1537 a settlement was
effected; but the Spaniards were opposed by a ferocious people, and
found time for nothing but fighting until 1540, when they defeated the
natives in a great battle on the present site of Merida. After
conquering the country they found they had achieved a barren victory, as
Yucatan contained neither gold nor silver, the object of all the Spanish
conquests in the New World.

After their defeat the Indians seem to have accepted the situation, and
acknowledged themselves vassals of the Spaniards. They became
Christians, like the people of Mexico, and though they may have been
somewhat perplexed in their endeavors to reconcile the precepts and
practices of the religion of the white men from beyond the sea, they did
not find it worth while to argue vigorously with their masters. From an
exceedingly warlike race they became a peaceable one, though they might
have been otherwise had their country contained gold and silver mines,
in which they would have been put to work as slaves.

According to history, they did not forget all the arts of war or lose
their instinct for it. In 1761, and again in 1847, they rebelled against
the Government and made a great deal of trouble; and even at the present
time there is a section of the country where the Indians are living in
open hostility to the authorities. A few thousand of them in the eastern
part of Yucatan have made a great deal of trouble, causing towns and
villages to be abandoned in consequence of the raids which they make at
irregular intervals. Several times they have come into the neighborhood
of Merida and caused a great deal of excitement.

Frank and Fred heard terrible stories about these Indians, and were
cautioned not to go anywhere near their country. "If they get hold of a
white man," said their informant, "they cut him to pieces immediately
without waiting for any explanation, or else they take him to one of
their villages and torture him in the most cruel manner for the
amusement of the women and children. They live among the hills, swamps,
and forests of the south-eastern part of the country, and though several
expeditions have been sent against them, it seems impossible to
penetrate to their retreats. They have a very little trade with the
English residents of British Honduras, but refuse to allow them to enter
their country; one Englishman who had dealt with them for several years
ventured to go there, and was never seen or heard of again.

"They are constantly making threats of destroying Merida, and as these
stories are circulated they greatly alarm the timid portion of the
inhabitants. It is not likely that they really intend anything of the
kind, as they would probably be defeated, but they know the value of
rumors and keep them constantly circulating. In this way they have
diminished the population and business of Valladolid more than one-half.
It was once a prosperous city, but is now languishing, and many of its
houses are in ruins."

[Illustration: RETREATING FROM HOSTILE INDIANS.]




CHAPTER XXIX.

RAILWAY-STATION AT MERIDA.--PUBLIC CONVEYANCES.--THE _CALESA_.--A RIDE
THROUGH THE STREETS.--WHEN MERIDA WAS FOUNDED.--PRACTICAL MODE OF
DESIGNATING STREETS.--PUBLIC BUILDINGS.--_CASA MUNICIPAL_.--DRESS AND
MANNERS OF THE PEOPLE.--INDIANS, SPANIARDS, AND MESTIZOS.--A CITY OF
PRETTY WOMEN.--CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAYA RACE.--THE MESTIZO
QUARTER.--SCENES IN THE MARKET.--BREAKFASTING AT A MEDIO
RESTAURANT.--EUCHRE OR YUCCA.--USES OF THE YUCCA PLANT.--GAMBLING IN
YUCATAN.--_LA LOTERIA_; HOW IT IS PLAYED.--AMERICAN COUNTERPART OF THE
YUCATEO GAME.--A POPULAR ASSEMBLAGE.


[Illustration: IN THE OUTSKIRTS.]

The train rolled into Merida and halted under the walls of an old
convent that has been converted into a public hospital. As the
passengers emerged from the station Frank and Fred were impressed with
the listlessness of the cab-drivers, who did not seem to care whether
they obtained customers or not. They stood or sat idly near their
vehicles, and one was sound asleep on his box, where he evidently did
not wish to be disturbed for so trivial a matter as earning a living.

[Illustration: THE CALESA.--ENTRANCE OF A MERIDA HOUSE.]

The carriages in waiting were of various kinds. That which first caught
the eyes of the youths was a _calesa_, a sort of chaise carrying two
persons, the driver being seated on the horse; the shafts were of
unusual length, and the weight was so placed that fully one-third of it
rested on the animal, in addition to that of the driver. The wood-work
was bright with paint and gilding, and over the frame was drawn a cover
of white linen to ward off rain and dust together with the heat of the
sun, which is by no means light in Yucatan. Fred suggested that it was a
wise provision of nature to seat the driver on the horse, as he could
not conveniently go to sleep there.

A somewhat rickety carriage to hold four persons was secured, and in
this conveyance the travellers proceeded to the only hotel of which
Merida can boast. Until recently the place had no hotel whatever, and
strangers were obliged to hunt lodgings for themselves or apply to their
consular representative or a foreign merchant. Even as it is, a letter
of introduction to a resident is a very useful document. Few travellers
go to Merida, and the universal testimony of those who have been there
is that the residents are hospitable. The same may be said generally of
the inhabitants of the towns, villages, and haciendas throughout
Yucatan.

The streets of Merida are broader than those of many other Mexican
cities, but their pavement does not attract attention by its excellence.
The houses are of stone, and mostly but a single story in height. The
entrance is generally through an arched door-way into a court-yard, and
the windows that face the street are invariably grated and nearly all
without glass. The construction of the houses suggests Moorish and
Spanish architecture, together with some features peculiar to the
dwellings of the natives.

Merida stands on the site of a native city, where a great and decisive
battle was fought in 1540. According to the Spanish historians, there
were 200 Spaniards against 40,000 Indians. Doubtless the figures are not
exact, but it is quite likely that the defeated army was vastly superior
in numbers to the invaders. The Spaniards had, of course, the advantage
of fire-arms, as they had in the conquest of Mexico, and we have seen in
previous pages what a great advantage it was. The Indians had only
spears, swords, and bows and arrows, and their bodily defences were
tunics of wadded cotton. These tunics were efficient against their own
kind of weapons, but of little use to repel a musket-ball. The cannon of
the Spaniards created terrible havoc among them, and one chronicler says
that when the Indians were heavily massed the cannon-balls tore through
them and mowed down hundreds at every discharge.

Where is now the Plaza Mayor was a mound of stone and earth at the time
of the Conquest. On the top of the mound was an altar, on which
sacrifices were made; but the natives were not as much addicted to them
as were the people of Mexico. This very circumstance had much to do with
the success of Cortez in his conquest. The Aztecs sought to take their
enemies alive in order to sacrifice them on their altars; and it is said
that Cortez himself was in their hands on two occasions. They might
easily have killed him, but while they were leading him away uninjured,
in order that he should be kept for sacrifice, he was rescued by his
followers.

The mound referred to was torn down for the sake of the building
material it contained; and the same was the case with many other mounds
and pyramids in its neighborhood. Very much of the material of which
Merida is constructed was obtained from these edifices.

The streets cross each other at right angles, and Frank observed
something which he thought quite original in the naming of the streets.
Here is his memorandum on the subject:

"For the convenience of the Indians who could not read or write Spanish,
or anything else, in fact, the streets were named after birds and
beasts. In addition to the Spanish name in letters there was the figure
of the creature after which the street was called. The Street of the Ox
had the figure of an ox in stone or plaster, or painted on the wall; the
Street of the Flamingo presented a tall flamingo with a beak of fiery
red, and the Street of the Elephant had a well-moulded figure of that
animal with enormous trunk and tusks. The idea is a capital one, and I'm
surprised it has been so little utilized."

"It is utilized more than you think," said Doctor Bronson, when Frank
called his attention to the subject. "You remember that in Russia and
other countries where large numbers of the population cannot read, the
shop-keepers ornament their signs with pictures of the things they have
to sell; and the custom is by no means unknown in our own land. A
watch-maker hangs out a wooden watch, a boot-maker displays a boot or
shoe, and a druggist shows a mortar and pestle. You remember how
convenient it was in the far East, for the servants who did not know a
single Roman letter, that the canned fruits, meats, and vegetables from
America and England bore on their labels a picture of the article
contained in the can?"

"Certainly, I do remember," replied the youth. "After all, there's
nothing new under the sun, though the application of the idea here is
something we have not before seen."

[Illustration: HOUSE BUILT BY MONTEJO.]

There are twelve or fifteen squares, or plazas, in the city, the most
important being, of course, the central one known as the Plaza Mayor.
The cathedral and the _Casa Municipal_, or City Hall, face upon this
square, and on one side of it is the oldest house in the city, dating
from 1549. The city was founded in 1542 by Don Francisco de Montejo, the
son of the Governor of the Province of Yucatan, and bearing exactly the
same name. Montejo, junior, was lieutenant-governor and captain-general,
and the old house just mentioned, which is one of the sights of Merida,
was built by him. The façade is ornamented with sculptures, which are
said to have been made by Indians after designs supplied by the
Spaniards. They represent the conquerors trampling on the bodies of
natives, who have been made non-resistant by the removal of their heads.
It was probably the idea of Montejo that the sight of these sculptures
would deter the Indians from any further resistance to the white men who
came from beyond the sea, and brought the Christian religion to replace
the paganism which they found here.

[Illustration: MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.]

The hotel in which our friends were lodged is also on the great square,
directly opposite the old house of Montejo, which was the first building
to which the youths gave special attention. Most of the buildings
fronting the square are of more than one story; in fact, the best
architecture of the place may be said to be in that neighborhood. The
Casa Municipal is an imposing building of two stories, with broad
porticos supported on arches. It has a high tower, from which watchmen
are supposed to be constantly on the lookout for fires; though, owing to
the material used in the construction of Merida, and the absence of
stoves and furnaces, fires are of exceedingly rare occurrence.

[Illustration; MUNICIPAL PALACE AND SQUARE, MERIDA.]

"The first thing to attract our attention as we strolled through the
streets," wrote Fred, "was the dress of the people. The men--I am
speaking of the native Indians--wear cotton trousers, or drawers, which
are tight at the waist, and descend to the knee or below it. Sometimes
they have shirts on their backs and sometimes none; but in the latter
case a man is reasonably certain to have one folded away in his hat, to
be worn on state occasions or when the rules of society demand. Some of
them wear a long shirt and no trousers, and altogether the wardrobe of a
native of the lower class is not costly. Frequently we see men with one
leg of the trousers rolled up and the other hanging down, and it is a
comical sight when a half a dozen thus arrayed are grouped together. A
very noticeable feature about the shirt is that it is worn with the
'flaps' outside, like a carter's frock or 'jumper,' and not inside, as
in northern countries.

"The dress of the women is a skirt hanging from the waist to the ground,
and a white _uipil_, or outer garment, that hangs from the shoulders to
the ground, like a loose wrapper. It is the traditional dress of 300
years ago, and the fashion has not changed at all in that time. On
Sundays and feast days both sexes are arrayed in spotless white, but on
other days their garments are apt to be more or less dingy. Compared to
the Mexicans, the Yucateos, as the people of Yucatan are called, are
wonderfully cleanly in their dress and ways, and it is as rare to see a
dirty Yucateco as it is to see a clean Aztec. The uipil of the women has
short sleeves, and is not as high in the neck as the close-fitted dress
of New England, but is a modest and neat-looking dress, and the
whiteness of the material makes a fine contrast with the dark skin of
the wearer.

[Illustration: DANCING SCENE.]

"Many of the women are pretty, and we do not wonder that the Spanish
conquerors were loud in their praises of the comeliness of the feminine
part of the inhabitants of Yucatan. Their eyes are black as coals, and
their sight is as sharp as that of the traditional Indian everywhere;
altogether the people have a close resemblance to the Malay race, and we
have but to close our eyes a moment to imagine ourselves once more in
Batavia or Singapore.

"The people are of the Maya race, and here, in the name, we have a near
approach to 'Malay.' By some they are supposed to be an ancient people
who lived here before the advent of the Toltecs, which happened about
the twelfth century; others believe them to be a combination of two
races, the Toltecs from the west and another race from the islands of
the Caribbean Sea. Landa, Stephens, Squier, and other writers say the
Mayas were the most civilized people of America; they had an alphabet
and a literature, cultivated the soil, had rude machinery for
manufacturing textile and other fabrics, possessed sailing-vessels, and
had a circulating medium which corresponded to the money of the Old
World.

"The great temples of Palenque and other cities of this part of the
world were built by this people, or by tribes and races closely allied
to them; we have shown by our accounts of Palenque and Lorillard City
that these temples were of no mean architecture, and we shall have more
to say when we come to the ruined cities of Yucatan.

"According to the Spanish historians, the people were ruled despotically
by a king, and were divided into nobles, priests, common people, and
slaves. The king, nobles, and priests held the greater part of the
lands; the land of the common people was held on the communistic
principle, and each man had enough to cultivate for the support of his
family. The commoners were obliged to supply the noble with fish, game,
salt, and other things he wanted; to cultivate his land, and follow him
to war whenever he chose to go on a campaign. In fact the condition of
the peasants in Yucatan was much like that of the subjects of a rajah of
India before the English took possession of the country, or of a daimio
of Japan. They had nothing they could call their own, not even their
lives, and their condition was not at all improved by the conquest of
the country by the Spaniards, except that they were not liable to be
taken for sacrificial purposes, according to the ancient custom.

[Illustration: NATIVE VILLAGE IN THE INTERIOR.]

"Slavery has been abolished, and imprisonment for debt is no longer
allowed by law; but every man between the ages of twenty-one and fifty
can be drafted for military service. When so employed he receives six
cents a day and supplies his own food!

"Merida has a population of about 50,000, by far the greater number of
them being of Indian blood either pure or mixed. There is a large
proportion of mestizos, or half-castes, and they are the handsomest part
of the population. We have seen some mestizo women who could compete
successfully in a beauty show including Mrs. Langtry and all the other
'professionals' of the day. The mestizos inhabit a part of the town by
themselves, where their thatched huts stand in quarter-acre lots planted
with grass and trees. These huts are said to be very much like those
occupied by the Indians before the Conquest.

"You know we always go to the market-place in every strange city that we
visit, and may be sure we did not omit that of Merida. It is not unlike
the market-places of Mexican cities in general, but has some features
peculiarly its own.

"Half the population of the city seemed to have gathered there--Indians,
mestizos, Spaniards, foreigners, and dogs; and there was a hum of voices
which never ceased for an instant. The manners of the natives are more
pleasing than those of the people in the markets of Mexico. They chat
good-naturedly and with many a smile, as though they enjoyed coming to
the market without regard to whether they sell anything or not. A great
deal of bargaining is necessary in making purchases, for the Indian has
no notion of the value of time; and for the matter of that, the tropical
resident, whatever his nationality, is rarely in a hurry. We passed many
picturesque groups, fruit-sellers with their wares in broad baskets,
their heads wrapped in rebozos either white or colored, and their eyes
shining like little globes of polished anthracite set in their brown
skins.

[Illustration: FRUIT-SELLERS IN THE MARKET-PLACE.]

"These fruit-sellers were so numerous near the entrance of the market
that it was no easy matter to get past them into the open space beyond.
A _medio_ would buy all the oranges, bananas, or mangoes that one would
care for. Frank and I invested two medios (twelve cents) in oranges, and
distributed them to a lot of boys that were strolling through the place.
They took the fruit with an air of gratitude combined with dignity, and
during the rest of our stay several of them followed us about in the
hope that our princely generosity would be renewed.

[Illustration: SITTING FOR HER PORTRAIT.]

"The square where the market was held was filled with little shelters to
keep off the heat of the sun. These shelters were made by sticking up
poles so as to hold a piece of matting or common cloth in a horizontal
position. Under each of these impromptu tents a vender was seated,
generally a woman or a girl, and the articles for sale were spread on
the ground. Eggs, fruit, lettuce, peas, beans, and kindred products of
the garden were thus displayed; and the wonder seemed to be that nobody
trod upon the wares, which were certainly endangered by careless feet.
Mules and donkeys with large panniers on each side brought loads of
things to be disposed of, but the greater part of the burdens were borne
on the backs of men. Occasionally a man on horseback appeared in the
market, and once in a while a policeman showed himself, though his
presence did not appear to be needed at all. We did not hear or see
anything that approached a quarrel, and were told that fights were of
very rare occurrence.

"Some of these shelters are restaurants on a small scale, and one day we
went to the market to take a medio breakfast, being assured that it was
one of the sensations of the country. We sought one of the most
attractive restaurants we could find, and squatted on the ground close
to the one individual who was proprietor, _chef_, head-waiter, waiter,
and everybody else. Our breakfast was a stew of frijoles, chile con
carne, and tortillas. It was served to us in _jicaras_, or half-shells
of some kind of tree-fruit whose name we did not learn. No spoons or
forks were supplied. We used the tortillas for spoons, and afterwards
devoured them in true Mexican style. As Sam Weller said of veal-pie, a
medio breakfast in a Yucateo restaurant is 'werry fillin'' at the price.
The Yucateos are as devoted to the tortilla as are the inhabitants of
the rest of Mexico, and the native cooks are expert in its manufacture.

[Illustration: IN THE MARKET-PLACE.]

"While in the market we met our acquaintance of the railway-train. His
first question was as to whether we had seen how the natives practise
gambling, and his second, 'Have you tried euchre?'

"We thought it a singular question, and Frank replied that neither of us
played that or any other game of cards.

"He laughed and said, 'I don't mean euchre; I mean yucca.'

"We looked rather puzzled I'm sure, and then with another laugh he
pointed to a pile of something that looked very much like 'ruta-baga'
turnips, such as cattle are fed with in some parts of the United States.

"'That,' said he, 'is yucca, and it belongs to the same family as the
maguey and henequin.' As soon as he said this we remembered to have seen
the plant in Mexico. We had just been talking about the fondness of the
people for gambling, and hence our misunderstanding.

"We bought a medio's worth of the article and tasted it. The flavor was
something like that of a sweet turnip, and not at all disagreeable. I
can readily understand that one might become fond of it, and our friend
said that it was quite nutritious. The root is eaten by the natives, the
fibres furnish a textile fabric like henequin, and soap is made from the
stalk and leaves. Recently an enterprising American has manufactured a
preparation for the hair from the yucca plant, and it is said to possess
remarkable powers for restoring hair to heads that for years have been
as smooth as an ostrich-egg.

"While on the subject of gambling we will mention the popular amusement
of _la loteria_, or 'the lottery.'

"Our guide took us into a large hall, which is open to the public, or
rather to anybody who can force his way through the dense crowd at the
door. All classes seemed to have assembled there; rich and poor were
seated at the same tables, and their object seemed to be amusement
rather than gain. The stakes were very small, ordinarily a medio, and in
a few instances _dos reales_. The room was hot as an oven, brilliantly
lighted, every foot of standing and sitting room was occupied, and white
people of all grades in life, gentlemen as well as ladies, negroes,
Indians, and mestizos crowded together at the tables, which were in two
rows the whole length of the hall.

"The amusement is licensed by the Government, which sells sheets of
paper for a real each on which the game is played. It is done by a
combination of numbers all the way from one to ninety. These numbers are
arranged on the paper or cards in different combinations, no two cards
being alike.

"Each player buys a card and places it in front of him on the table.
Then a hat or a basket is passed around, and each one puts in his medio
or whatever else the stake may be. When the money has all been collected
and the amount of the stake announced, the game begins. In addition to
his card each player has a pile of grains of corn in front of him, and a
stick with which to rap on the table when the time to do so arrives.

"The object is to get a row of five numbers on the cards from the
numbers which are drawn, and the one who first gets a row wins the
purse. On a platform, in full view of everybody, is a man with a bag
containing wooden or ivory balls, on which the numbers from one to
ninety are painted. When the game is to begin, this man draws a ball
from the bag and announces the number upon it, and the player who finds
that number on his card places a grain of corn over the figures. One
after another, numbers are called out in a voice that rises above all
the confusion of sounds with which the place is filled, and each time a
number is called it is marked with the corn.

"Everybody is intently watching his card, and there is a crowd of
spectators looking over the shoulders of the players. Men, women,
children--white, black, yellow, and all other colors possible to
humanity--are there; and so are all the dresses of Yucatan, from the
uniform of the high official and the satin or silk of the grand dame of
society down to the cotton garb of the Indian, and quite likely his bare
shoulders with no garb at all. Three-fourths of those present are
smoking, and the atmosphere is like a morning fog, only a great deal
worse.

"By-and-by somebody raps sharply on the table with his stick to indicate
that he has made a row of five numbers, and stands up in his place. Then
the man on the platform calls the drawn numbers again, and if the
announcement of the row is correct the winner takes the purse. As the
stake is small, he does not win a great deal; but evidently he is the
envy of his less fortunate neighbors.

"Mistakes occur sometimes, and then there is a tumult, in which knives
may be drawn and things become very lively for the bystanders. We did
not stay long in the place, you may be sure, but we came away convinced
that la loteria is less ruinous to the pockets of the players than many
other games of chance.

"An American gentleman with whom we talked on the subject said that this
game is not unlike one known in some other parts of the world under the
name of 'keno.' He told us that there were many other forms of gambling
in Yucatan, most of them being forbidden by the Government, and
consequently played less openly than the lottery. He told us that there
was heavy gambling in the clubs; in some of them the play is only for
gold, silver being considered too insignificant and bulky for the
amusement of gentlemen.

"We thought it was very much to the credit of the people of Merida that
the utmost good-nature seemed to prevail in the dense crowd at the hall
we visited. We did not hear a rude word, or witness a rude act of any
kind; and the only exceptions, we are told, is when there is a quarrel
growing out of the drawing of the numbers from the bag."

[Illustration: NO MORE "LOTERIA."]




CHAPTER XXX.

POTTERY AND HAMMOCK MARKETS.--HAMMOCKS IN YUCATAN; THEIR GENERAL USE FOR
SLEEPING PURPOSES.--YUCATEO SALUTATIONS.--AN AWKWARD
SITUATION.--FASHIONABLE, MESTIZO, AND INDIAN BALLS.--CHARACTERISTIC
INDIAN DANCES.--WORSHIP OF THE SUN AMONG THE ANCIENT YUCATEOS.--NATIVE
MUSIC.--ZOPILOTE DANCE.--VISIT TO A HENEQUIN HACIENDA.--THE _VOLAN
COCHÉ_; A VEHICLE OF THE COUNTRY.--A RACE AND HOW IT ENDED.--ARRIVAL AT
THE HACIENDA.--THE SCRAPING AND BALING MACHINERY.--STARTING A
PLANTATION.--PRICE OF THE FIBRE IN THE MARKET.--"NO MONEY IN THE
BUSINESS."--FIBRE-FACTORIES IN YUCATAN.--HOW THE OWNERS OF ESTATES LIVE.


[Illustration: HAMMOCK LODGINGS IN THE COUNTRY.]

"The market we have described," wrote Fred, "is for the sale of articles
of food only. There is another market where pottery, cotton fabrics, and
other miscellaneous wares are sold, and still another which is entirely
given up to the makers and venders of hats and hammocks. Hammock-making
is a great industry in Yucatan, and thousands of these articles are sent
to New York, London, and other foreign ports. A curious circumstance
about this industry is that the best hammocks are those for home
consumption; the foreign markets are unwilling to pay the prices of the
fine qualities, and consequently none are sent away except upon special
orders. When you next buy a Yucatan hammock in New York you may make up
your mind that it is one in which only a very poor man here would sleep.

[Illustration: VIEW ON A BACK STREET.]

"Hammocks are in use for sleeping purposes all through this country, and
the natives prefer them to beds. Our personal experience is that a
hammock is a very good thing to lounge in, or even to take a nap, but
for an all-night sleep it doesn't give the rest and refreshment to the
tired body that we find in a bed. But habit has a great deal to do with
this, as with many other things of life; a Japanese pillow is torture to
a European quite as much as the European one is to a Japanese.

"The advantages claimed for a hammock are that the sleeper is protected
from many insects that would trouble him in a bed, and the opportunity
for the air to circulate, which is a very desirable matter in a hot
country. Both these arguments are well founded, and so is the further
one that the hammock-sleeper can carry his bed with him, as it weighs
only a few ounces and can be rolled into a small parcel.

"We asked the prices and were staggered at the figures. In New York we
think $2 a good price, and the majority of the hammocks sold there bring
$1 or $1.50 each. The cheapest they showed us was $7, and they had them
all the way up to $15, $18, $20, $25, and even $30. The dealer said that
if these were not fine enough for our purpose we might have them made to
order, and he could give us something superb for $50. We bought some of
the cheapest kind, and they were far better than anything we ever saw at
home. The best qualities are made of very fine fibre, and if care is
taken with them they last for several years.

"While walking along the streets near the market we met some ladies to
whom we had been introduced. They recognized and saluted us; they were
on the opposite sidewalk, and at first we thought they were beckoning
for us to cross over to their side. Then we remembered what we had been
told about the Yucateo form of salutation, and replied by raising our
hats and bowing. This is what they did:

"Each lady raised her hand until it was on a level with her eyes, and
then she 'wiggled' her fingers back and forth in a way that is
impossible to describe in words. It is very much what one would do in
our country if she wished to speak to you, and we can readily believe
what we have been told, that this form of salutation is a great puzzle
to the stranger.

"One day an Englishman, who was thus saluted, went up to his fair
recognizer, a lady to whom he had been presented at a party on the
previous evening, and stood waiting for her to begin the conversation.
She was accompanied by another lady, neither of whom could speak
English, while the Englishman did not know a word of any language but
his own. The situation was awkward, and after both had pronounced
several phrases that the other side could not comprehend, the Englishman
bowed and proceeded to walk away. The lady repeated the Merida
salutation, and this puzzled the stranger more than ever, as he supposed
she wished him to follow. He gallantly complied, and walked demurely
along till he happened to meet the gentleman who had introduced him.
Explanations followed, and all parties concerned had a good laugh over
the occurrence. It is probable that the Englishman's laugh was less
hearty than that of the others, as he could not fail to be somewhat
mortified at his awkward misunderstanding.

"In the fashionable hours for strolling on the paseo everybody is there,
and no matter how often you meet any one whom you know you are expected
to salute. This keeps everybody on the alert, as the turns of the paseo
are likely to bring the same individuals face to face every few minutes.

[Illustration: SCENE IN A BALL-ROOM.]

"It was our good-fortune to be in Merida in the season of dancing, and
we were invited to go to a ball, in fact to several balls. We went first
to an aristocratic one, which was given in the Casino, a large,
two-storied building, with balconies or verandas all around, and
brilliantly lighted. It is built around a court-yard planted with
tropical trees and flowers in great profusion, and is a very attractive
place.

"The ball-room occupied three sides of the upper story of the building,
while the fourth contained the dressing and supper rooms. The orchestra
was in the corridor just outside the dancing-hall, and while everybody
could hear the music, very few could see the musicians. We got there
before the dance began and while the ladies were coming out of the
dressing-rooms and taking seats at the side of the ball-room, very much
as they are seated in other countries. We observed that the gentlemen
held the ladies by the hand as they escorted them to their seats, and
not by giving them their arms as we do.

"It was a real beauty show when the ladies were ranged along the wall,
and they seemed to know it just as well as did their admirers, who
congregated at one end of the hall and in the corridors, and smoked
cigarettes. The gentlemen chatted with each other with more or less
animation, but watched the line of señoritas, whose eyes sparkled like
diamonds and were a sharp contrast to their pearly white teeth. Under
the light the señoritas' complexions were as glowing as that of a young
English girl; of course, we cannot say how much of it is due to nature,
and how much to cosmetics. They all had splendid heads of coal-black
hair, arranged in the tasteful way for which Spanish ladies are famous.

"The music struck up for a waltz, and then each gentleman advanced
towards the lady of his choice, and whirled her away for the round of
the hall. The theory of these balls is that everybody knows everybody
else, and the gentlemen did not ask the ladies whether they wanted to
dance or not. Of course, it is to be presumed that they were there with
that object in view, but we thought it would be more graceful if they
had been consulted before being lifted from their seats and set in
motion.

"We had wondered how it was possible for people to dance in this hot
atmosphere, but when we heard how slowly the music played, and saw that
the waltz was only a slow gliding and sliding over the floor, as though
the waltzers were not more than half awake, we wondered no longer. It is
nothing like the exciting whirl of a waltz in northern countries; and
the same may be said of the other dances of this very select assemblage.
We remained half an hour or so, and then went to the mestizo ball, where
it was a good deal more animated.

"The mestizo girls wore the white dresses already described; some of
them had only a few ribbons or flowers for ornaments, while others were
loaded down with bracelets, rings, and other ornaments, in which
diamonds had a more or less prominent part. A gentleman who was with us
said many of the diamonds were hired for the occasion, and he had no
doubt that a good share of them were paste. The men were the most
comical sights you can imagine, as they all wore their hats, and the
most of them had their shirts waving outside, after the custom of the
country. Some of them had coats and jackets. A man thus clad was looked
upon as an aristocrat; but to be so considered he was obliged to suffer
some inconvenience, as the outer garment is a serious burden in the
heavy tropical atmosphere, made doubly oppressive by the heat of the
room. Two or three men carried their jackets on their arms, and some
flung them into a corner at the risk of never finding them again.

"The musicians were native Indians, who played with perfect time and
melody, as though they had graduated from the schools of the most
accomplished masters of Europe. All these people are natural musicians;
a very little instruction suffices for them, and with careful training
they ought to be able to astonish the world. The men and women dance to
perfection; we did not see a false step taken during the time we looked
on at the ball, and yet it is not likely that any of the dancers ever
had the advantage of a professional instructor. The members of the
orchestra at the mestizo ball were dressed in the shirt and drawers
already mentioned, and, like the dancing men of the party, retained
their hats all the time they played.

"The dances were more interesting than those of the fashionable ball,
inasmuch as the latter were European in character, while those of the
mestizos had a peculiarity of their own. One was called the zopilote, or
buzzard dance; a man and a woman each carrying a handkerchief which they
twirled above their heads, and in all sorts of directions whirled and
twisted themselves along the floor, all the while keeping perfect time
to the music of the performers. It reminded us very much of one of the
national dances of the Russians, which is often given by the ballet
troupes of the imperial theatres of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and may
be seen in its simplicity in almost any town or village of the great
northern empire.

[Illustration: INDIANS DANCING.]

"But more interesting to us than either of the balls we have mentioned
was that of the Indians, where they were indulging in historic dances
which have been preserved from ancient times. When we entered the room,
which was pretty well filled with people who respectfully made way for
us, the performance had already begun. We will remark here that the
ancient Yucateos, like the Parsees, were worshippers of the sun; the
reverence for that luminary has descended to this day, though it is by
no means preserved in its former purity.

"Mr. Ober, the author of 'Travels in Mexico,' seems to have witnessed a
better performance of this dance than we did, as he saw the beginning,
which we did not see, so we will quote his account, which is as follows:

"'The first thing these Indians did was to spread a banner in the centre
of the room, on which was painted a figure of the sun, with two people
kneeling in adoration of it. The chief of this band of about twenty
Indians then suspended from his neck a bright-colored representation of
the sun stamped on tin. At the foot of the banner-staff crouched an old
man, with a drum made by stretching the skin of a calf or goat over one
end of a hollow log; at the side of the drum hung the shell of a
land-tortoise, and the old man beat the drum and rattled the shell in
unison. The article with which he beat the drum attracted my attention,
and I examined it and found it to be the gilded horn of a deer. This
hollow drum, with turtle-shell and deer's antler, fully confirms the
statement that the music is aboriginal; for one of the old chroniclers,
in an account of a terrible battle with the Indians of Campeachy,
writing not long after the event, says that they made a most horrible
and deafening noise with these instruments: "They had flutes and large
sea-shells for trumpets, and turtle-shells, which they struck with
deer's horns."

[Illustration: PREPARING FOR THE BALL.]

"'After the banner was spread, the band ran around it in a crouching
attitude; in one hand each held a rattle, and in the other a fan of
turkey feathers, with a handle formed by the foot and claw of the bird.
Each one wore a wire mask, with a handkerchief over his head, and a
mantle embroidered with figures of animals, and hung with small
sea-shells. The costume was that of the mestizo women--a skirt from the
waist to the ankles, with their peculiar dress over it--just such an one
as was worn by their ancestors centuries ago, and by the ancient
Egyptians. On their feet they wore sandals, tied on with hempen rope.
The chief was distinguished by a high crown of peacock feathers. He
chanted something in the Maya language, and they replied, and then the
music struck up a weird strain and they danced furiously, assuming
ludicrous postures, yet all having seeming significance, shaking their
rattles and fans to right and left, and all keeping perfect time. After
nearly half an hour of dancing they stopped at a signal from the chief,
and gathered about the banner, gazing upon the image of the sun with
looks of adoration.

"'This was the dance of sorrow or supplication; after it came the dance
of joy, an Indian fandango; then the flag was furled and the floor
occupied by two couples.'"

Their night in the round of balls caused our friends to sleep rather
late the next morning. While they were at breakfast an invitation came
to visit a henequin hacienda near the city, in the company of one of the
owners, to whom they had been introduced. It is hardly necessary to say
that they accepted at once.

[Illustration: A VOLAN COCHÉ.]

They were to start at an early hour on the following morning, and at the
appointed time a _volan coché_ was announced at the door. Frank's
description of this vehicle will be interesting to our readers.

"It is the travelling carriage of Yucatan, and well adapted to the bad
roads of the country. It consists of a shallow box on two wheels, the
box being suspended on leather springs and having a thick mattress
spread over the bottom and just filling it. One or two Europeans form a
load for one of these carriages, but it will easily hold half a dozen
natives of assorted sizes. There are no seats; one is obliged to lie at
full length or sit Turkish fashion, and hold on with one or both hands.
Doctor Bronson says the volan coché is warmly recommended for
dyspeptics, as it is guaranteed to kill or cure them in a very short
time.

"The driver sits on the foot-board, very much as in a Canadian calèche,
and if there is any baggage it is piled on a projecting frame behind the
passengers. The carriage has a top to shelter passengers from sun and
rain, and there are curtains to be let down or rolled up as one may
wish.

[Illustration: A STREET IN MERIDA.]

"Three mules are the regulation team for a volan coché. They are
harnessed abreast, and under the control of a vigorous driver they get
over the roads with commendable rapidity, when all things are
considered. There is a great deal of swing to the vehicle, and it
overturns occasionally, though not often. The roads of Yucatan are not
at all good; one man told us they were made by Cortez three and a half
centuries ago, and have never had a dollar of expenditure for repairs
since they were constructed."

As our friends went to the door they met their host, who had just
descended from the carriage and was ready for them. Frank and Fred
wondered if all four of them, the host and his three guests, were to
ride in one coché, and while the wonderment continued another vehicle of
the same kind came dashing around the corner.

Their entertainer, Mr. Honradez, suggested that Doctor Bronson and
himself would ride in one carriage, while the two youths occupied the
other. As they were to spend a night at the hacienda, each of the
travellers carried a small hand-bag, and these articles, added to some
cushions which Mr. Honradez had thoughtfully placed in the seatless
vehicles, added considerably to the comfort of the ride.

Away they dashed along the rough streets of Merida and out through the
thickly shaded suburbs. They met dozens of natives bringing into the
city loads of country produce to sell in the market-place; the bearers
bent beneath their burdens, and many of them had travelled all night in
order to reach the city in the morning. The most conspicuous of these
porters were the sellers of _ramon_, the branches of a tree that serve
as food for horses and mules, which eat the leaves and twigs of ramon as
they do grass or hay. According to its bulk, the stuff is very light,
and a ramon-seller is completely hidden beneath his apparently enormous
but really comfortable load.

"Mr. Honradez made things interesting," said Fred, "by getting up a race
between our two carriages. He promised two reals to the driver who would
get first to a village which he named, and the fellows went at it in
earnest. They stood up on the shafts of their vehicles and yelled at
their mules; at the same time they were not sparing of their whips, and
the result was that the poor beasts went at a furious gallop for a mile
or more. Our driver got in advance, and as we saw that the race would be
kept up as long as the teams could run, Frank and I suggested to him
that we would give him three reals to let the other man win. He
immediately accepted the offer and dropped to the rear, shouting
something in Maya to his competitor as the latter passed him. After that
we went on at a more respectable pace, and were heartily glad that the
breakneck speed was not kept up.

"At the village, the name of which I have forgotten, we rested ten or
fifteen minutes and then went on, reaching the hacienda just as the
forenoon was beginning to be uncomfortably warm. The great heat of
Yucatan renders it desirable to make all journeys in the night as much
as possible, and hence our early start from Merida.

[Illustration: A PRIMITIVE SUGAR-MILL.]

"The hacienda covers a large area of ground, there being thousands of
acres devoted to the culture of henequin. Then there is a considerable
amount of sugar and corn grown on the place--enough for the use of all
the employés, and something more besides. In the sugar-making industry
the machinery is primitive, the cane being crushed in a mill propelled
by oxen in the old-fashioned way, and the sugar obtained from the juice
by the processes of half a century ago. The real profit of the hacienda
is in the production of fibre, and in this the latest machinery is in
use. The old process of making fibre by hand is altogether discarded as
unprofitable, and the stripping of the leaves of the henequin is
performed by great machines built in the United States or England, and
driven by a powerful steam-engine of American make.

"The machinery is not at all complex, and it is evident that no great
ingenuity was required to invent it. The scraper consists of a large
wheel armed with strong and blunt knives all around its rim. The
henequin leaves are pressed against this rim, and by means of a lever,
worked by the hand and foot of an Indian, the knives, drawn by the
swiftly revolving wheel, remove in an instant the pulp which covers the
fibre and lay it bare. Considerable dexterity is required for this work,
and we looked on in admiration at the deftness of the Indian who
performed it.

"The pulp being removed, the fibre is taken from the leaf in long strips
like a 'hank' of very fine silk thread of a beautiful green tinge. It is
made into small bundles and placed in the sun to dry. In drying it loses
its color and becomes white and silky, and when thoroughly dried it is
ready for baling. The only care requisite in the drying process is to
see that it does not get wet by the rain, and that all its natural
moisture is expelled. Unless this is the case it will ferment after
baling, and fermentation means a great reduction in the commercial value
of the article.

[Illustration: RAILWAY-STATION IN THE HENEQUIN DISTRICT.]

"We watched the machine turning out the fibre, and then went to the
baling-house, where the stuff was being put up by a cotton-press into
bales of about 450 pounds each. In this condition it is shipped to
market; one scraper, requiring the labor of four men to tend it, will
produce about one bale of fibre daily, provided the leaves are of fairly
good size and quality and the workmen are not novices. The average value
of henequin fibre is about $20 a bale, delivered at the nearest
railway-station; of course it has its ups and downs, like any other
commodity in the world."

After our friends had looked at the machines and partaken of a hearty
breakfast--the fact is that the breakfast came before the inspection of
the scraping and baling departments--they took a siesta, according to
the custom of the country, until the cool hours of the afternoon. Then
they mounted horses and accompanied Mr. Honradez in a ride over the
estate and through the fields of henequin plants. As they rode along,
and paused occasionally to contemplate objects of especial interest, the
gentleman explained some of the features of the business.

[Illustration: STOREHOUSE AT THE HACIENDA.]

"If you have decided to go into an enterprise of this sort," said he,
"you must first get your land by buying it from the Government or a
private owner, who is generally the descendant of somebody who obtained
an immense grant in consequence of some real or fancied service to the
Spanish Crown. The land is covered by a sort of scrub, which must be
cleared away. The clearing is effected by cutting and burning, the
cutting being done one season and the burning the next. Then the young
plants are set out in holes dug in the thin soil; they are set about
eight feet apart, and take root at once. You have doubtless learned
already that the plants are in condition for cutting when they are five
years old, and will yield leaves annually for fifteen or twenty years. A
good planter will so arrange it that new plants are constantly coming to
maturity; and this he will do by setting out a certain quantity of new
ones every year."

Frank asked how many leaves were required for a bale of fibre.

"From six to eight thousand," was the reply, "according as they are
large or small. Their size depends considerably upon the amount of rain
which falls in the few weeks preceding the time they are cut."

"Is all the fibre made at the hacienda sent out of the country?" queried
Fred.

"Not literally all," said the gentleman, "but for practical purposes the
whole of it is exported. Four-fifths of our product is sent to the
United States, where it is used for cordage, bagging, and many other
things of the same sort, and most of the rest to Europe. There are two
or three small factories here in Yucatan for making coarse cloth, ropes,
and twine out of the fibre; they are owned by Americans or Englishmen,
and their machinery is of foreign make, mostly American. With the
exception of the overseer, engineer, and machinist, all the employés are
natives, many of them being mestizo girls, who are as skilful as the
girls of any other country in tending the looms where the cloth is
woven. These factories purchase their fibre from the haciendas, but
their consumption is small. The Indians use a great deal of fibre in
making articles for their personal needs, but they generally scrape it
by hand. They are very conservative, and if permitted to have their own
way they would destroy every machine in the country before sunset
to-morrow."

[Illustration: A MORNING RUN.]

It was evening before the ride was concluded, and the party returned to
the hacienda, where a dinner of substantial character awaited them. Of
course Mr. Honradez insisted that there was "no money in the business,"
and said he would be glad to sell out for less than what his estate had
cost him. But Fred made a mental note of the fact that he did not name
any price at which he would sell, and that he lived in princely style
both at the hacienda and in Merida. He had two sons at school in Paris,
a daughter was being educated in Merida by a specially imported
governess, and the gentleman himself spent a good half of his time in
other countries. From these facts, and from information of various kinds
that reached them, the youths concluded that the henequin culture was
profitable; and in this view they have many supporters both in the
country and out of it.




CHAPTER XXXI.

FIRST NIGHT IN THE HAMMOCKS.--INSPECTING A _CENOTÉ_.--UNDERGROUND
WATERCOURSES AND LAKES.--HOW CENOTÉS ARE FORMED.--A SUBTERRANEAN
BATH-HOUSE.--A _NORIA_.--WATER TAX ON A DIRECT SYSTEM.--NATIVE
SUPERSTITIONS.--A LIZARD THAT SHAKES HIS TAIL OFF.--BITING A SHADOW, AND
WHAT COMES OF IT.--JOURNEY TO THE RUINS OF UXMAL.--A HEETZMEK.--YUCATEO
MODE OF CARRYING INFANTS.--BREAKFAST AT A HACIENDA.--GARDEN AT
UAYALKÉ.--EATING TROPICAL LIZARDS.--FRED'S OPINION OF LIZARD
STEWS.--BEES OF THE COUNTRY.--SUPERFLUOUS INDUSTRY OF YUCATEO
BEES.--EVENING PRAYER AT A HACIENDA.--ARRIVAL AT UXMAL.


"Would you like to see a _cenoté_?" said Mr. Honradez, just before our
friends retired for the night.

"Certainly," replied Doctor Bronson for himself and the youths, while
the latter wondered what a cenoté was.

[Illustration: A CORNER OF THE HACIENDA.]

"Well, I'll show you one in the morning," was the reply. Then there was
an exchange of wishes all around for a pleasant slumber, and in a little
while everybody was in bed, or rather in hammock. Our friends had
brought their hammocks as part of their baggage, and when they were
ready to retire they found those useful articles stretched in the
corridor of the principal dwelling of the hacienda, in a place that
afforded ample ventilation.

Whether it was owing to the expected cenoté or the unrestful character
of a night's novitiate in a hammock we are unable to say, but the youths
were up somewhat earlier than usual and eager to begin the day. Doctor
Bronson was not far behind them, and they did not have to wait long for
their host. When he appeared he was followed by a mozo carrying an
armful of towels, and after a hearty greeting led the way to a small
house at a little distance from the stables of the hacienda.

Fred suggested to his cousin, while their host was in conversation with
Doctor Bronson, that the cenoté was probably some kind of game, and they
would quite likely have it for breakfast. "Perhaps," said he, "they keep
it alive and kill it when wanted, and this house may be the place where
it is shut up."

"I think it's something to wear," replied Frank, "and the house is the
store-room. Possibly, though, it's some kind of vegetable like celery or
onions. Anyway, we'll find out soon."

They were speedily enlightened on the subject. On reaching the house in
question, Mr. Honradez explained that it was the entrance to a private
cenoté of his own.

"You are already aware," said he, "that there are no rivers in Yucatan,
and have learned from experience that we have plenty of water,
notwithstanding the absence of streams. Beneath the calcareous formation
on which the whole of the peninsula stands there are streams and lakes
of water, which are reached through natural or artificial openings in
the surface rock. These openings, whether natural or artificial, are
called cenotés, and some of them are of great depth. Sometimes they are
mere pits or wells, and, on the other hand, there are cenotés which form
large grottos with lakes of considerable area. The water is clear and
cool and entirely wholesome. We use the cenotés for obtaining our supply
of water and also for bathing.

"This is our bathing-house," he continued, "and I've brought you here
for your morning bath. You will find bathing-trousers in the rooms, and
can undress and come down as soon as you like."

He showed them the way into their dressing-rooms, and then disappeared
into a room of his own. When the youths reappeared, in appropriate
costume, their host called to them from somewhere down in the interior
of the earth, and they proceeded in the direction of the voice.

[Illustration: AN UNDERGROUND WALK.]

By a sloping and slippery stair-way cut in the rock they descended some
thirty-five or forty feet till they reached a pool of clear water over
which the rock rounded in a high dome nearly to the surface. A hole two
or three feet in diameter and covered with an iron grating opened in the
centre of the dome, and gave light enough to show the interior of the
place very fairly. Many stalactites hung from the roof, and stalagmites
stood up wherever they could find standing room. From the grotto where
our friends found themselves little nooks and small grottos opened, so
that the spot was by no means unattractive. Numerous lizards clung to
the rock or swam in the water; and these crawling and slimy things took
away many of the merits the bathing-place might have possessed.

[Illustration: FORMATION OF STALACTITES.]

"The lizards do no harm," said Mr. Honradez, "but they are not pleasant
to look at, and we would gladly drive them out if we could. There is a
curious bird called the 'toh' which lives in the cenotés; it has a soft
plumage, and sports a long tail of only two feathers, which have nothing
on their stems until the very tip is reached. If you look sharp you may
possibly see an eyeless fish similar to the fishes which are found in
the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky."

The youths looked in every direction, and though Frank thought he saw
one of these strange members of the finny tribe he was unable to capture
it. Frank asked if the cenotés communicated with each other or were
separately supplied from the rains sinking into the ground.

"We cannot say that all of them are connected," was the reply; "but it
is certain that some of them are. Many contain streams with perceptible
currents, and it has been observed that at times the cenotés are full of
alligators, while at others none can be found there. As the alligator
cannot pierce its way through solid rock, there must be channels which
connect with large bodies of water where the alligators live."

At the suggestion of alligators Frank and Fred intimated that they did
not care to stay long in the water, and their search for eyeless fish
was abandoned in favor of the larger game. Mr. Honradez laughed, and
said there was not the slightest danger, as no alligator larger than a
rat could possibly make its way into the place where they were, as all
the entrance channels were very small.

Thus reassured, they remained tranquil, and enjoyed the plunge and swim
in the cool water. Meanwhile their host explained that these sources of
water supply had been known from very ancient times; long before the
Conquest the inhabitants built their towns near the water-holes, and at
the present time any one desiring to establish a hacienda seeks first a
good cenoté, and locates his buildings near it.

On returning from the bath the host showed them the well which supplied
the hacienda with water. Peons drew the water in buckets at the end of a
long rope passing over a windlass, and poured it into a large trough,
whence it was taken by the servants from the kitchen, or allowed to flow
in pipes to the engine-house, stables, or wherever else it was needed.

[Illustration: AT A NORIA.]

"In nearly every village throughout Yucatan," said Mr. Honradez, "you
will find a well of this sort in the public square; it is called a
_noria_, and the usual mode of drawing water is by an endless rope
passing over a wheel and carrying small buckets. These bring up the
water from below, and as they turn over the wheel they pour their
contents into a trough. The system is almost an exact copy of that in
use in Egypt centuries before Yucatan was heard of. The rude machine is
propelled by a mule walking in a circle and driven by a boy. The mule is
invariably an old one, fit for no other work, and sometimes a horse or
ox, likewise old and poor, is found in its place."

"I suppose the village pays for the mule and the driver," one of the
youths remarked.

"Yes," was the reply; "and the payment is by direct taxation. Every
person who takes a jar of water is expected to leave a handful of corn
in payment. This corn goes for the support of the boy and the animal,
and to judge by the condition of the beast, the lion's share of the tax
is taken by the boy."

The conversation about the curious wells of Yucatan came to an end with
several stories concerning them. One was that in the town of Tabi there
is a large cenoté which shows down in the depths of the water when the
sun is at the meridian the perfect figure of a palm-tree, trunk, leaves,
and all being fully delineated. In another town there is a cenoté where,
according to the early chroniclers, any one dies instantly who enters
the water without holding his breath. It is needless to say that bathing
there is not at all popular. Other subterranean pools contain poisonous
lizards which cause violent and even fatal headaches by merely biting
the shadow of any person who passes them. Another lizard, when wounded,
is said to throw its tail at its assailant; it detaches and throws it a
distance of several yards, and if it strikes the flesh will cause death.
Many of the cenotés are reputed to be the haunts of demons and fairies,
the bad spirits being much more numerous than the good ones.

In the cool hours of the afternoon our friends started on their return
to Merida, and late in the evening drew up in front of the hotel. Their
host urged them to remain a week or two at the hacienda; with the
politeness customary to the country, he told them that the place and
everything about it were theirs--a declaration which was certainly in
earnest, so far as a prolonged visit was concerned. But they were
anxious to continue their investigations of Yucatan, and having already
arranged to go to Uxmal with an American gentleman residing at Merida,
were unable to remain longer with Mr. Honradez.

[Illustration: AT HOME IN MERIDA.]

The second morning after their return they started for the ruins of
Uxmal, which are about sixty miles from Merida. Doctor Bronson and Mr.
Burbank, his American friend, rode in one volan coché, and Frank and
Fred in another. A cart with the needed supply of provisions and cooking
utensils had left on the previous day, and was to meet them at Uxmal,
which contains no hotel or other accommodation for travellers. Lodgings
are taken in some of the deserted and ruined buildings; and with a
suitable equipment and a supply of food, one can get along very
comfortably.

The road presented the same scenes as the one they had taken a few days
before, and therefore does not need special description. At the first
village on the road the vehicles halted to allow the panting mules to
take breath and water, and our friends descended from their cramped
positions to stretch their limbs. Mr. Burbank spoke a few words to some
of the natives that gathered around them, and then asked the strangers
to go with them to see a _heetzmek_.

[Illustration: SCENE OF THE HEETZMEK.]

Wondering what a heetzmek was, they followed to a house a few yards
away, where a woman was walking around the dwelling carrying a very
young child astride her hip. Having completed the circuit, she repeated
it again and again, till she had walked five times around the dwelling,
carrying the child as before.

"This is a ceremony which corresponds to the christening of infants in
other countries," said the gentleman. "The woman that you see is the
baby's godmother; the position in which the Yucateos carry their
children astride the hip is like that of India and some other Asiatic
countries. The heetzmek is performed when the infant is about four
months old.

"The natives believe in the magic of the number five. You have seen the
woman walk five times around the house as she carries the child. Five
eggs have been buried in hot ashes, and as they break they will rouse
the five senses of the infant; if they fail to open, it will be of only
ordinary intelligence, but their breaking will insure extraordinary
mental ability."

"Probably," remarked Frank, "they take good care to have the ashes hot
enough to make sure that the eggs will burst."

"If they are as intelligent as they want the child to be, they certainly
will," replied Mr. Burbank. "In addition to the egg test there is a
further ceremony of putting into the infant's hands the implements it
will use when matured. The godmother is held in great respect by the
whole family, and especially by the child for whom she has stood
sponsor."

The heetzmek over, the journey was continued, the mules having rested
sufficiently.

It was nine o'clock in the forenoon, and about twenty-five miles of the
journey had been made when the walls of the hacienda of Uayalké came in
sight. The appetites of the youths were on a keen edge, and Frank
remarked to Fred that he could breakfast off the hind-leg of a donkey,
if only that ordinarily unattractive viand were presented.

"I think I scent breakfast," responded Fred. "They are famed for their
hospitality in Yucatan, and we'll probably find what we want at this
hacienda."

His prediction was verified, for hardly had he ceased speaking when the
foremost carriage turned towards the yard of the hacienda, followed very
naturally by the other. The drivers unhitched their mules beneath a
wide-spreading tree in front of the residence of the manager, and
proceeded to make themselves at home. The _mayordomo_ came out and
welcomed the strangers, and without waiting for a suggestion from Mr.
Burbank, whom he knew, he sent a servant to order breakfast. In a very
short time it was ready, and the travellers sat down; tortillas,
frijoles, stewed chicken, eggs, and fruit, disappeared in due course,
and the keen appetites were keen no longer.

"How about the posterior limb of the _equus asinus_ now?" whispered Fred
to Frank, as they left the table.

"_Non possumus_," was the only answer that occurred to Frank. His views
on the subject of edible things had materially changed in the last hour.

The youths made note of the fact that the hacienda of Uayalké was a
large and evidently a very prosperous one. The manager told them that
they had several thousand acres of land in henequin, and there were more
than 1200 men and women employed about the establishment and in the
fields. The engines and machinery were more ponderous and powerful than
at the hacienda already described; and the buildings of the
establishment, together with the huts of the laborers, formed quite a
settlement. There was a deep cenoté, from which a troop of women were
drawing water, by means of a wheel, with buckets on an endless rope; as
fast as their jars were filled they carried them away in the direction
of the garden, where the water was used for keeping bright the orange
and other trees that cannot live without water.

[Illustration: GARDEN OF THE HACIENDA.]

The garden, thus invigorated, was like a spot of green in a desert, and
reminded the youths of some of the oases they had visited in their
Oriental journeyings. Frank compared it to Biskra, in the Great Sahara,
and Fred declared that he saw a striking resemblance to some of the
gardens at the edge of the Libyan Desert. Beyond the garden in every
direction was the dry and repellent land covered with the hardy
henequin, which needs no water, or but the merest trifle of it.

They did not see an idler about the place, every one from the manager
down seeming to be fully occupied. Mr. Burbank said that no hacienda in
the whole country was better managed than this, and there was none where
the laborers were better satisfied with their employer and employment.
He added that here, as everywhere else in Yucatan, the laborers were
constantly in debt to the establishment, and therefore were unable to
quit work suddenly or "go on strike." A laborer who is in debt cannot
change employers, unless the new one assumes the responsibility of the
obligation to the old; and to bring this about requires considerable
negotiation.

After a stay of two hours and more at the hacienda, the journey was
continued. Six or seven miles farther on the travellers reached the
cenoté of Mucuyché, and made a brief halt to examine it. The cavern is
about forty feet deep, and the entrance is surrounded by a garden kept
green by the water drawn from the never-failing source. Our friends
descended by means of steps cut in the rock. These steps were overhung
by stalactites, which furnished convenient holding-ground for nests of
swallows and hornets in great numbers. What particularly pleased the
youths was that they found here an abundance of the blind fishes that
they sought in vain in their first exploration of underground Yucatan.
There was the same abundance and variety of lizards and other creeping
things as before; some of them were of goodly size, and Fred learned
that they were iguanas, and that they often appeared at table.

"I suppose you drive them away as soon as possible," he replied. "They
are not pleasant things to look at when one is eating."

"On the contrary," Mr. Burbank answered, "the iguana is a delicacy of
which I have often partaken. He appears at table, not in his live state,
but after passing through the hands of the cook."

[Illustration: NATIVE VILLAGE NEAR UXMAL.]

Fred thought he did not want any iguana then or at any other time, and
his mind was firmly made up on the subject. His views changed two or
three days later when, after eating heartily of a delicious stew, which
secured the praises of both Frank and himself, he learned that the stew
aforesaid was nothing less than the despised iguana. He quietly remarked
that great allowance must be made for prejudice, and then dismissed the
subject.

Two hours before sunset they reached a hacienda, where they received
the same cordial reception as at Uayalké. It had been intended to
complete the journey to Uxmal that day, but as the hour was late and
darkness would certainly overtake them before their destination could be
reached, Mr. Burbank decided to accept the pressing invitation of the
mayordomo to spend the night there.

[Illustration: HUNTING THE IGUANA.]

The mules were unharnessed and led away to the stables, where they were
bountifully fed on fresh grass cut and brought by the peons. There was a
fine garden here filled with all sorts of tropical trees; and not the
least interesting sight in the place was a large number of beehives of a
very primitive character. They were nothing else than sections of a
hollow log cut off with a saw, and the ends closed with dried mud, or
with boards fitted in, like the head of a barrel.

[Illustration: WHAT PERFUMES THE HONEY.]

Frank and Fred stood at a respectful distance as they looked at the
beehives. They were mindful of the proverb which refers to the prudence
of the burnt child; and having been stung by the honey insects on
several occasions, they did not wish a repetition of the experience. Mr.
Burbank walked fearlessly up to the hives and called to the youths to
follow him.

"Please excuse us," replied Frank; "the bees may recognize you, as
you've been here before, but they don't know us."

"Never mind _them_," the gentleman answered, with a laugh. "The bees in
this country are stingless, and you run no risk in making their
acquaintance."

Thus assured, the youths advanced and found themselves unharmed. The
bees circled about them in great numbers, but "left no sting behind."
Mr. Burbank told them that the hives were emptied every six or eight
weeks, and thus the bees were kept busy the year round. Why they collect
honey in a country where flowers are perpetually in bloom he could not
understand. "It speaks well for the industry of the insect," he
remarked; "he has no occasion to work, and only does so from the force
of ancestral habit. He has some imitators among the human race, but by
no means so generally as many of us might wish."

While discussing the subject of bee-keeping in Yucatan they were called
to supper, which was an excellent one, of purely Mexican character.
Turtle soup, chile con carne, frijoles, tortillas, and other national
dishes were served in abundance, and the meal ended with honey from the
beehives which they had investigated. Frank and Fred had observed a
delicious fragrance as they entered the room where supper was served,
and were unable at first to discover its origin. All the scent of the
finest flowers of Yucatan seemed to be gathered there. They looked
around for floral baskets or bouquets, but none were visible. When the
honey was served they found that this it was which furnished the
fragrance, and they asked Mr. Burbank about it.

"You are quite right," he answered; "it is the perfume of the honey that
fills your nostrils. In some seasons of the year it is much greater than
now; it spreads over the whole house, and is as powerful as musk or any
other famous perfume of the Old World."

[Illustration: THE SIERRA FROM THE GARDEN OF THE HACIENDA.]

Just as they rose from the supper-table the bell of the chapel rang for
_oracion_, or evening prayer, which was attended by our friends and all
the laborers and everybody else about the establishment. When the
service was ended each of the worshippers said "_Buenos noches, señor_"
(good-night, sir) to each of the strangers. Everybody went early to bed,
and by nine o'clock the whole place was in the deepest silence. This
remark will not apply to all seasons of the year; during the periods of
_fiestas_, or festivals, late hours are generally kept, and early rising
is not assiduously practised.

The hammocks of the travellers were slung in a corridor, and the free
circulation of air and the coolness of night, together with the fatigues
of a long ride over rough roads, insured sound sleep. In the morning
chocolate was served before six o'clock, and a little after that hour
the carriages were on their way. No direct payment for the hospitality
of the hacienda was in order, but indirect compensation was made in the
shape of fees to the mayordomo and the servants who had waited upon the
strangers.

Soon after leaving the hacienda the road ascended, and Frank ascertained
from the driver, who spoke Spanish fairly, that they were climbing the
sierra, a hilly ridge hardly worthy the name of mountain, though called
so by courtesy. It is the highest ground of Yucatan, and therefore the
inhabitants are to be excused for calling it a mountain, as they would
otherwise be without one.

From the top of the ridge they looked over a considerable area of
country covered with the scrub forest for which the country is noted,
and dotted here and there with the ruins of cities, which indicate the
existence of a numerous population in previous centuries. Down the other
side of the ridge they went at breakneck pace, the cochés being tossed
from side to side with such violence that the youths were compelled to
hang on with both hands to prevent being thrown out and left by the
road-side. Several times the vehicle narrowly escaped overturning; and
this, too, close to chasms where an upset would have sent them almost
perpendicularly down a hundred feet or so, and reduced vehicle, mules,
passengers, and baggage to an average value of fifty cents a bushel. And
the curious thing about the whole business was that on reaching level
ground the driver reined in his team and proceeded at a more dignified
pace.

[Illustration: SIDE OF ANCIENT ALTAR.]




CHAPTER XXXII.

A ROMANTIC LEGEND.--HOW THE KING WAS OVERCOME BY THE WITCH.--VISITING
THE DWARF'S HOUSE; ITS POSITION AND PECULIARITIES.--HOUSE OF THE NUNS;
ITS EXTENT AND CONSTRUCTION.--_CASA DEL GOBERNADOR_.--DESTRUCTIVE
AGENCIES AT WORK.--AT HOME IN A ROYAL PALACE.--MAYA ARCHES.--TROPICAL
TREES AND PLANTS.--DOUBLE-HEADED DOG OF UXMAL.--GARAPATAS AND THE
ANNOYANCE THEY CAUSED.--INSECT PESTS OF YUCATAN.--DR. LE PLONGEON AND
THE STATUE OF CHAC-MOOL.--GHOSTS AND GHOST STORIES.--BIRDS OF
YUCATAN.--AN ANCIENT WATERING-PLACE.


[Illustration: ARCHWAY OF LAS MONJAS, UXMAL.]

At nine o'clock they reached the hacienda of Uxmal, where they were
invited to breakfast. The invitation was accepted, and immediately after
the conclusion of the meal the party continued to the ruins, which were
about a mile farther on. The mayordomo invited them to make the place
their home as long as they were in the neighborhood. Mr. Burbank gave an
evasive answer to the invitation, at the same time earnestly thanking
their host for his courtesy. To decline absolutely might seem a
rudeness, and to accept would not accord with their arrangement to live
at the ruins of the ancient city.

[Illustration: HACIENDA OF UXMAL.]

On reaching the ruins the party halted to consider what should first be
investigated. Doctor Bronson asked the youths if they had any
suggestions to make, whereupon Frank intimated that he desired above
everything else to visit the Dwarf's House.

"Why so?" queried the Doctor.

"On account of the very pretty legend connected with it," replied Frank.
"It is given by Stephens, Charnay, and others who have been here, but
the best form of it is by Mrs. Le Plongeon."

Then he read the following from "New and Old in Yucatan:"

"'During the reign of a certain Maya king there lived a woman who was
both feared and respected, for she was a wonderful sorceress. A son was
born to her, and he became a great favorite, for he was good and clever,
though very small--in fact, a dwarf. Finally he became so
popular--probably the people fawned on him to please the formidable
witch--that the King grew jealous, and sought his destruction by giving
him difficult tasks, so that, failing, he might be accused of
disobedience. But, thanks to his mother, the boy always succeeded.

"'One day the King, out of patience, ordered the boy to build in one
night a high mound and a house on the top. The youth was at his wits'
end, but went, as usual, to seek maternal aid. "Oh, mother, mother! I
shall surely die, for the King has ordered me to do more than I can
possibly accomplish;" and he told her his trouble.

"'"Never mind, my child, don't be alarmed. In the morning the house will
be there."

"'It was, and from that day to this has been called the Dwarf's House.
The King was enraged. He sent for the dwarf. "I am greatly pleased with
the house. Now I want to break six cocoyoles" (small and _very_ hard
cocoanuts about the size of a walnut) "on your head, and then I will
give you my daughter in marriage."

"'The dwarf declined to accept the offer on these conditions. The
monarch insisted. "I want you to marry my daughter, and you must accept
my conditions."

"'Again the poor dwarf sought his mother in despair. "There is no hope
for me now."

"Oh yes, there is," replied the clever witch. "You go back to his
Majesty and tell him that you accede to his request provided he
afterwards allows you to break six cocoyoles on his own head."

"'And to this the King publicly agreed, because he was determined to
kill the dwarf with the first cocoyol.

"'Then the sorceress rubbed her son's head with something that made it
so hard nothing could possibly hurt it.

"'The King arrived, and the dwarf, in the presence of all the people,
laid his head on a stone. With another the King broke the cocoyol on the
head of his intended victim--broke all six of them--but the dwarf rose
unhurt.

"'Then it was the turn of the monarch to lay his proud head down, and as
his scalp was not prepared, the dwarf broke his skull, and thus got rid
of his enemy. The agreement had been faithfully carried out, so the
public had nothing to say. The dwarf then married the princess and
became king.'"

Of course the marriage of the dwarf to the princess was the end of the
story, and Frank so intimated. As the Dwarf's House was visible from
where they stood--in fact it is the most prominent object as the ruins
are approached--the party went to it at once.

"It stands on an artificial mound about 100 feet high," wrote Fred, in
describing the visit, "and therefore was quite a task for the dwarf to
accomplish in a single night. Do you doubt the truth of the story? Well,
here is the mound with the house upon it, and anywhere around here you
may gather cocoyoles in whatever number you like. Could there be any
further proof needed than these facts?

[Illustration: DWARF'S HOUSE AND EAST WING OF THE CASA DE LAS MONJAS.]

"We climbed to the top by a broad staircase of stone, and it was by no
means an easy climb. The steps are narrow and some of them have become
displaced, so that we were all tired enough to sit down when we reached
the house. The tradition is that when the priests threw the bodies of
the victims of sacrifice from the altars they rolled to the bottom of
the steps without stopping. The staircase is very wide, sixty or seventy
feet; and this great width, combined with the narrow steps, makes it a
dangerous one to ascend. A single misstep would send one rolling
downward, like the sacrificial victims.

"The house was evidently a place of worship, and in this respect
corresponds to the teocallis of the Mexicans, which we have already
described. Although generally known as the Dwarf's House, it is
frequently called the House of the Prophet; and there is a tradition
that prophecies were issued from it, as from the temples of ancient
Greece and Rome.

"It is seventy feet long and twelve wide, and is covered with sculpture,
some of it greatly injured by time, while the rest is well preserved.
There are many hieroglyphics that form an interesting study for the
archæologist. Several travellers have given translations of them, and I
believe that each one is able to demonstrate that his predecessors were
all wrong. We will not attempt to decipher them, as we do not wish to
run the risk of our work being overturned by the next comer.

"The building has three rooms; Doctor Bronson says that some of the
sculptures on the walls of these rooms are masonic symbols, and he
wonders if the race that erected the building were acquainted with the
mystic rite. Who can tell?

"Lower down is a sanctuary of two small but very high-ceiled rooms, and
having some fine sculpture on the outside. Over the entrance of the
sanctuary is the carved head of a mastodon, showing that the people were
acquainted with that animal, or at all events had his correct likeness.
There are masonic emblems on a cornice that extends around the
sanctuary, and on the lower part of the cornice are rings cut in stone,
from which curtains were suspended during the ceremonies that were
performed inside the building.

"We spent an hour or more inspecting the building and its sculptures,
and then gave quite a little time to the magnificent panorama that was
revealed from the top of the mound; indeed we had considerable enjoyment
of it while resting from the fatigue of the ascent.

"The pyramid rises from a plain, and at the elevation where we stood or
sat we embraced with our eyes a wide area. All the principal buildings
of Uxmal were at our feet, and we looked and listened attentively while
Mr. Burbank pointed them out.

"Nearest and to the west is the _Casa de las Monjas_, or 'House of the
Nuns,' but whether it was really a nunnery or is only called so for
convenience we are unable to say. On a broad and high terrace to the
south is the _Casa del Gobernador_, or 'House of the Governor,' and
there is a building close by called the 'House of the Turtles.' Turtles
did not live there, but figures of them are on the sculptures that adorn
the building. There were several other heaps of ruins, of which I noted
the names of only two, the 'House of the Old Woman,' and the 'House of
the Pigeons.'

"When we had finished our inspection of the Dwarf's House we descended
the steeply sloping pyramid, picking our way very carefully to avoid
accidents. Except where the stones are so thick as to afford no clinging
ground for vegetation, the sides of the mound are covered with bushes,
which are occasionally cut away by the proprietor of Uxmal.

[Illustration: FAÇADE OF WEST WING OF CASA DE LAS MONJAS.]

"We went first to the House of the Nuns, which is a building about 280
feet square, with a large court-yard in the centre. There is a high
gate-way on the south side by which we entered the house; the house has
eighty-eight rooms or apartments opening into the court-yard, but no
doors opening to the outside. As we entered the court our attention was
drawn to the sculptures on the interior façades of the building; on one
side there is a representation of two enormous serpents, so immense in
size that they run the whole length of the edifice, their exact
measurement being 173 feet. Their bodies are twisted together, and in
the spaces between the folds are many strange hieroglyphics. We seemed
to be once more in India, or some other Eastern country, where serpent
worship once prevailed and is by no means unknown at the present day.

[Illustration: GROUND-PLAN OF LAS MONJAS.]

"Mr. Burbank told us that the ruins have suffered a good deal in recent
years, and at the rate they are being destroyed there will be little
more than a few heaps of rubbish remaining here when the next century
begins. Nearly every visitor to them thinks he must carry away
something, and most people are not at all particular about defacing the
hieroglyphics or other sculptures. A large quantity of stone has been
taken from the ruins for building purposes at the Uxmal hacienda; and
the Indians do not seem to have any reverence, or but very little, for
the homes of their by-gone ancestors. There are the usual traditions
about buried treasures in the buildings, and every little while somebody
tries to find them. Nothing of value has ever been discovered, but the
digging that forms a necessary part of every search is a serious injury
to the sculptures and walls.

"The hand of man is ably aided in the work of destruction by the
tropical vegetation; around the building it is so thick that all access
would soon be cut off if the rapidly growing mass were not occasionally
cut away in places where paths are desired. The roof is overgrown with
yuccas and other plants, that convert it into a sort of hanging garden;
their roots, swelling in the crevices between the stones, are rapidly
breaking down the walls and converting the whole into a shapeless mass
of ruins."

[Illustration: CASA DEL GOBERNADOR.]

The next spot of interest was the Casa del Gobernador, which has been
alluded to in Fred's account of the view from the top of the pyramid.
Our friends went there and found not only an extensive ruin, but what
was of practical importance, the servants that had been sent on in
advance from Merida with the cart and camping equipments. They had
already taken possession of the best rooms in the house, and were
clearing them out for occupation.

One room served for kitchen and servants' quarters, and the other for
parlor, dining-saloon, dormitory, _salon de conversacion_,
reception-room, library, café, art-gallery, and wardrobe. A flat stone
made a very fair table, and other stones served in place of chairs;
hammocks were slung by means of ropes from one wall to another, and
altogether the place was comfortable enough for a temporary home.

The kitchen apparatus was not extensive, but it sufficed for the
preparation of satisfactory meals, doubtless rendered appetizing by the
exercise which the strangers were getting in the open air. In the
middle of the day it was too hot to wander about a great deal; the time
was passed in writing, reading, or possibly in the siesta, for which all
tropical and semi-tropical countries are more or less famed.

[Illustration: GROUND-PLAN OF CASA DEL GOBERNADOR.]

It fell to Frank to speak of the Governor's House, which he did as
follows:

"The Governor's House, or Royal Palace, as it is also called, is on the
uppermost of three terraces (it could not well be on either of the lower
ones), and is 322 feet long by 39 in depth. The building is about 25
feet high, and had a flat roof. Some of the ceilings were supported by
triangular arches, and others by beams; the beams have rotted away and
disappeared, but the stone arches remain intact. The roof was originally
covered with cement. The ancient Mayas seem to have possessed a very
good quality of cement; but it was hardly equal to that of some of the
Eastern nations.

"The top of the building is overgrown with yuccas and other plants, just
like the House of the Nuns, and from the top of each of the three towers
small trees shoot high into the air. There is not much ornament on the
lower part of the walls, but the upper portion is profusely decorated;
it is thought that the walls, as high as the cornice, about ten feet
from the base, were covered with stucco or cement; and this has been
removed by the climate, or possibly torn off during the wars that may
have prevailed here.

"The cornice runs around the building just above the three door-ways
that give entrance to the place. Above this cornice the whole wall is
covered with sculpture, and I can best describe it by copying what was
written by Stephens nearly fifty years ago: 'There is no rudeness or
barbarity in the design or proportions; on the contrary, the whole wears
an air of architectural symmetry and grandeur; and as the stranger
ascends the steps and casts a bewildered eye along its open and desolate
doors, it is hard to believe that he sees before him the work of a face
in whose epitaph, as written by historians, they are called ignorant of
art, and said to have perished in the rudeness of savage life. If it
stood at this day on its grand artificial terrace in Hyde Park, or the
Garden of the Tuileries, it would form a new order, I do not say
equalling, but not unworthy to stand side by side with, the remains of
Egyptian, Grecian, and Roman art.'

"One of the interesting features of the Governor's House and other
buildings of Uxmal is the 'Maya Arch,' which is formed without a
key-stone. The sides are built up with stones projecting one beyond the
other, and a flat stone is laid across the top. In spite of its
violation of the principles on which builders say the arch is based, the
work of the Mayas has withstood the ravages of time to a remarkable
degree. Specimens of this arch are found here in the Governor's House,
and in other parts of Uxmal; in fact they can be seen at Palenque,
Chichen-Itza, and other historic places in Yucatan and neighboring
countries. The archway of Las Monjas is an admirable specimen of this
work, and we send you a photograph of it so that you may judge for
yourself.

[Illustration: STATUE OF DOUBLE-HEADED DOG, UXMAL.]

"There was formerly a stone figure here representing a double-headed
dog, but it has been carried away. It was found in a mound of earth at
the corner of the second terrace, and not far from the House of the
Turtles. While we were walking about the terrace Mr. Burbank cautioned
us not to fall into one of the ancient reservoirs, or storehouses, which
are much easier to enter than to leave. They are a sort of stone jug on
a colossal scale--vaults or cisterns ten or twelve feet square and as
many deep, with an opening two feet across at the top.

"A friend of his fell into one of these jugs while incautiously walking
about. He was stout in figure, and slipped into the hole, with no
surrounding space to spare. When they came to get him out it was
necessary for him to remove the greater part of his clothing in order
that he could be hoisted from his prison; and even then the work was not
accomplished until the sides of the opening had been greased. At any
rate, that's the story Mr. Burbank told us.

[Illustration: DECORATIONS OVER DOOR-WAY OF CASA DEL GOBERNADOR.]

"We have mentioned the House of the Turtles, which is so called on
account of a row of turtles ornamenting its façade. It is on the corner
of the second terrace, and is supposed to have been the kitchen of the
Palace. Fred thinks that if it was really a kitchen the ornamentation
will go far to prove that the governor, whoever he was, had a fondness
for turtle soup, like a good many governors of modern times. Wouldn't it
be funny if turtle soup should prove to have had its origin in Yucatan?
Doctor Bronson says that though the Yucateos may have had the article,
they did not invent it, as turtle soup was known to the ancient Romans
many centuries ago."

Frank and Fred found that a residence in a royal palace had its
drawbacks, especially when night came and the bats appeared in large
numbers. Furthermore, there were lizards and other creeping things in
great abundance, and some of them were especially repulsive.

One of the worst annoyances of their visit to Uxmal was that whenever
they moved about they became covered with garapatas. The garapata is a
tick so small that it is hardly perceptible to the naked eye, but it is
capable of making a bite or sting like that of a red ant or a hot
needle. Frank and Fred were reminded of their troubles in Ceylon, when
they became covered with land-leeches in their journey to Adam's Peak.
Mr. Burbank told them that the best antidote to the garapatas was to
rub one's body with petroleum before venturing where the insects
abounded, and that they should change their clothing every time they
came in from a walk.

Here is Frank's note concerning these pests of Yucatan:

"They cause a frightful itching, and whenever the fangs of the insect
break off in the skin, and they do so very often, the wound is liable to
fester and be some time in healing. Their attentions are not confined to
humanity; they attack dogs and other animals, and the poor creatures are
sometimes killed by them. M. Charnay gives an account of how a pet dog
belonging to the wife of the consul at Merida suffered from the bites
of these insects while out one day in the country. The little animal
rolled on the grass and howled in agony, but the garapatas kept on with
their biting as though it was all fun to them."

[Illustration: AN UNWELCOME VISITOR.]

Fred asked Mr. Burbank how many kinds of insects, troublesome and
otherwise, Yucatan could boast, but the gentleman was unable to say with
any exactness. "There is enough of them to go around," said he, "among
the whole population, and some varieties go around with surprising
activity when the heat and languor of the climate are considered. And if
you camp out and sleep on the ground you may quite possibly be roused by
a snake trying to get into bed with you and coiling around your arm or
leg."

Our young friends were especially ambitions to discover a statue or some
other interesting relic of the by-gone race, and so make themselves
distinguished as explorers. But their inquiries as to the possibility
and advisability of such a proceeding were greatly discouraged when they
learned of the experience of Dr. Le Plongeon.

[Illustration: STATUE OF CHAC-MOOL.]

"You doubtless saw the statue of Chac-Mool, the god of fire, in the
museum at the capital?" said Mr. Burbank.

"Certainly," replied Fred.

"Well," continued Mr. Burbank, "Dr. Le Plongeon found that statue at
Chichen-Itza, where he made extensive excavations at his own expense. It
was nine feet in length--too large to be hidden in his coat-pocket, or
in any other ordinary way--and therefore he could not take it out of the
country. The Government claims all antiquities, no matter by whom they
are found, and the officials immediately took possession of Dr. Le
Plongeon's 'find,' and paid no attention to his protest.

"The same explorer dug up a statue here in the summer of 1881, and
describes it as the finest ever discovered in Central America. He and
his wife were working alone when the treasure was unearthed, and with
the recollections of the Chac-Mool experience before them, they
immediately covered up the precious discovery, and removed all trace of
their work.

"Learning wisdom by their experience, I would advise against any serious
expenditure of time and money in exploring the remains of Uxmal or any
other of the sixty or more ruined cities of Yucatan. If you find
anything of value it will go into the hands of the Mexican Government
and adorn the museum at the national capital. Antiquities of no value
can be taken to New York or elsewhere after paying certain duties upon
them for exportation."

Frank and Fred thought the advice excellent, and thanked Mr. Burbank for
it. They confined their investigations to making sketches and
photographs of the sculptures, and measuring the buildings and the
apartments in them. They did not undertake any digging operations, and
listened calmly to the stories of the natives concerning the vast amount
of treasures supposed to be concealed in the ruins of the buildings.

It may be remarked here that the natives were very unwilling to remain
around the ruins at night, and all of them who could do so hurried to
the hacienda of Uxmal immediately after sunset. They believe that the
ghosts of the former occupants revisit the ruins at night, and treat
with great severity any one whom they find there.

In support of their belief they told several stories of how Indians who
had ventured to spend the night in the ruins had disappeared and no
trace of them had ever been found. In other cases their dead bodies were
found in some of the rooms of the old buildings, and in each instance
the marks on their throats showed that they had been strangled at the
hands of the ghosts. A dead Indian was found in a tree-top, where it was
impossible to have climbed, or been placed by human hands; the inference
was that the ghosts had killed the rash man, and then carried his body
into the tree-top as a warning to future intruders.

For cooking and drinking purposes our friends obtained water from a
small pond, or _aguada_, which is supposed to have been the
watering-place of Uxmal in the days of its glory. It is now partly
overgrown with aquatic plants, and is a favorite haunt of the birds, or,
rather, one of their haunts, as there are several ponds in the
neighborhood of the ruins.

By skilful use of a shot-gun, which formed part of their outfit, the
youths obtained several ornithological specimens, which they carefully
skinned and preserved. Like the majority of tropical birds, their
plumage was brilliant, that of the crimson flycatcher being especially
so. Coots were numerous, and formed an agreeable addition to the bill of
fare of Uxmal, though our friends were unanimous in the belief that the
coots of Yucatan were far behind their namesakes of the Northern States
in the matter of edibility.

[Illustration: MAYA ARCHES.]




CHAPTER XXXIII.

A CHAPTER ON ARCHÆOLOGY.--NUMBER AND EXTENT OF THE RUINED CITIES OF
YUCATAN.--MAYAPAN, THE ANCIENT CAPITAL.--PYRAMID OF MAYAPAN.--AKÉ AND
ITS _PICOTÉ_.--AN ANCIENT WHIPPING-POST.--PYRAMIDS AT AKÉ.--HISTORICAL
CONUNDRUMS.--KABAH AND ITS MOUND.--SCULPTURE OF A MAN ON
HORSEBACK.--CHICHEN-ITZA.--CHURCH, NUNNERY, CASTLE, AND TENNIS-COURT AT
CHICHEN.--EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF THE SCULPTURES.--STORY OF THE CONQUEST
OF CHICHEN.--SKILFUL RETREAT OF THE SPANISH CAPTAIN.--OTHER RUINED
CITIES.--IDOLS OF COPAN.--PROBABILITIES OF CITIES YET TO BE DISCOVERED.


As before stated, the most interesting of the mined buildings of Uxmal
are the Dwarf's House, the House of the Nuns, and the Governor's House,
and these three we have already described. The ruins of other cities are
not far away, and when they had finished with Uxmal our friends
proceeded to visit those that were the most convenient. The information
obtained in their personal explorations, added to what they gathered
from residents of the country and the books already mentioned, was
embodied in the following joint work of Frank and Fred:

[Illustration: YUCATEO SCULPTURE.]

"There are not less than sixty ruined cities in Yucatan whose location
is known; who can tell how many more are hidden in the dense forests of
the rarely visited country of the rebellious Indians, and awaiting the
efforts of the explorers?

"To describe all these ruins would be a difficult task; and besides, it
would be dreary reading for anybody who is not an eager student of
archæology. We will touch only upon some of the most important.

[Illustration: GREAT MOUND AT MAYAPAN.]

"About thirty miles from Merida are the ruins of Mayapan, which is said
to have been the ancient capital of the country. They are spread over an
extensive plain, and though covering a considerable area, are less
interesting than the ruins of Uxmal. The ground is covered with a dense
growth of trees and plants, and every explorer who devotes any attention
to Mayapan is obliged to incur quite an outlay for labor in cutting
paths and clearing up the ground. We did not go there, but gathered our
information from a gentleman who has been on the spot several times.

"He told us that the most conspicuous object at Mayapan is a pyramid,
not unlike that on which the Dwarf's House at Uxmal was built. It is
100 feet square at the base, and about sixty feet high; it is ascended
by a stone staircase similar to that of the pyramid of the Dwarf's House
and about twenty-five feet wide. There is no building on the top of the
mound, only a stone platform, and explorers do not agree as to whether
there was ever any edifice there or not. Excavations have been made at
several places in the mound, and subterranean chambers discovered. Their
use cannot be positively determined; of course there are the usual
stories about the concealment of treasures within the mounds, but
nothing has ever been found there.

[Illustration: CIRCULAR EDIFICE AT MAYAPAN.]

"It is the general belief that most of the buildings of Mayapan were of
wood or sun-dried brick, instead of stone, as most of them have
disappeared. There is one curious-looking edifice still in position--a
circular structure twenty-five feet in diameter, and standing on a
pyramidal foundation thirty-five feet high. If you want a detailed
description of it look in Baldwin's 'Ancient America,' where there is a
picture which shows how it looks to-day.

"Dr. Le Plongeon made an extensive and careful study of Mayapan, which
is supposed to have been founded by the Mayas in the fifth century.
There was a constant warfare for centuries between the rulers of Mayapan
and Uxmal, and the fortunes of war alternated from one to the other.
According to the chronicles, King Cocom of Mayapan, with all his sons
but one, was murdered by his nobles in 1446, nearly a hundred years
before the Spaniards conquered the country, and fifty years before
America was discovered by Columbus. When the Spaniards came they found
Mayapan in ruins, and the early Spanish writers obtained the traditions
concerning it from the people in the surrounding country.

"The Mayas say that the first man of the human race was made out of
earth and grass, the former supplying his flesh and bones, and the
latter his skin."

At this point Frank asked if the "greenness" of many members of the race
was attributable to their grassy origin, as given by the Mayas. Fred
dismissed the question as trifling and irrelevant, and then the history
proceeded.

"Dr. Le Plongeon was convinced that the Mayas had a knowledge of
astronomy, as he found two stone columns on the platform of the mound
with a line marked in the pavement between them. These columns, or
stelæ, are perfectly 'Oriented' according to the points of the compass,
and by means of them the hour of the day could be told, and also the
time of the sun's declination. The apparatus was similar to that of the
ancient Egyptians and Chaldeans; the Mayas divided their astronomical
year into twelve months of thirty days each, and added five days when
the sun reached its greatest declination and was said to be 'at rest.'

"The doctor found in the ruins of Mayapan a stone slab bearing
inscriptions which referred to the god of fire; these inscriptions seem
to have been identical with those of the ancient Egyptians for their sun
god, and of the Assyrians for their corresponding deity. Certainly it is
a very curious circumstance that these people, so far apart in time and
distance, seem to have hit upon the same form of worship and of
astronomical calculations.

"We will leave Mayapan now and turn to another ruined city called Aké.
These ruins are about the same distance from Merida as those of Mayapan,
the former lying to the east and the latter to the south. They are on a
hacienda belonging to Don Alvaro Peon, who is always ready to facilitate
the visit of any one who desires to explore the ruins.

[Illustration: SCULPTURED HEAD OF YUCATAN.]

"The ruins include those of several large buildings, which are presumed
to have been palaces, a small pyramid and a large one, together with
some other structures, all grouped around an open space or plaza. In the
centre of this plaza is a stone pillar called a _picoté_; and what do
you suppose was its use?

"It was a stone of punishment, or whipping-post; it was in use
throughout this country both before and after the Conquest, and, in
fact, it is not unknown to-day. The culprit was stripped and tied to
this post and then publicly whipped, very much as in some of the United
States within the memory of men now living. M. Charnay says there is a
picoté in use to-day at the Indian village of Tumbala, near Palenque,
and presumably it can be found in other Indian villages. The funny part
of the business is that the Indians believe a sound thrashing at the
picoté makes a man's conscience clean, and to secure such a state of
mental affairs they often come forward and ask to be whipped when nobody
knows of anything to entitle them to punishment.

"We don't care for any picoté just now, and so we'll drop it. There is
at Aké a small pyramid about forty feet high, and built of large stones
that were put together without cement. There was once a house on top,
but it has crumbled away, and the sides of the pyramid are a good deal
dilapidated. Then there is a large pyramid with a broad top, and on this
top are three rows of stone pillars about ten feet apart one way and
fifteen feet the other. The esplanade on which these pillars stand
measures fifty by two hundred feet; the pillars are built up of flat
stones about three feet square by fifteen inches thick, and there are
ten stones in each perfect pillar. We have said there are thirty-six
pillars, but only twenty-nine are standing, and from several of these
some of the stones have been displaced.

[Illustration: PILLARS OF GREAT GALLERY, AKÉ.]

"Now, what was the use of these pillars? This is a conundrum that has
excited all visitors, and nobody has been able to make an explanation
that has not been overthrown by some one else. Some have argued that the
pillars and the stones of which they are composed were intended to mark
certain epochs of time; one writer says the pillars were built up by
placing single stones there at intervals, so arranged that each pillar
would take 200 years for its construction. According to this theory, the
erection of the thirty-six pillars would cover a period of 7200 years,
and thus make the foundation of the edifice older than that of the
oldest of the pyramids of Egypt.

"Opposed to this theory is that of the explorers who believe the
pillars, or columns, were the supports of the roof of a temple. The
roof, they say, was of perishable material and disappeared ages ago, but
the stones remain. The columns are from fourteen to sixteen feet high,
and the work of putting the stones in place was by no means small. The
builders understood architectural principles, and that they lived and
died long, long ago there can be no doubt. When it was that they lived
no one has yet been able to say positively.

"In some of its features this great pyramid of Aké is one of the wonders
of Yucatan. The platform on which the columns are ranged is reached by a
stone staircase that seems to have been built for giants. It measures
137 feet from one side to the other, the steps are more than four feet
from front to rear, and each step is sixteen inches high. When you bear
in mind that the steps of a staircase of modern construction are usually
about nine inches high, you will understand what a 'getting upstairs' it
is to ascend this great pyramid.

"A fierce battle was fought here between the Spaniards and Mayas at the
time of the Conquest, and the remains of a Spanish fort or redoubt can
be distinctly traced.

"From Aké we will turn to Kabah, which lies a few miles to the south of
Uxmal. Kabah was a large and very old city. How large it was nobody can
say exactly, as a dense forest covers the site, and a great deal of
cutting is required to visit any part of it. Every fresh visitor to
Kabah discovers something new whenever and wherever he penetrates the
forest. Some of the recent explorers have found many ruined buildings
that escaped the observation of Stephens, who thought he had examined
the entire extent of the city.

[Illustration: HEAD OF INCENSE-BURNER.]

"There is a stone-faced mound at Kabah nearly 200 feet square at the
base, and with a row of ruined apartments all around it. A few hundred
yards from the mound is a terrace about twenty feet high and measuring
150 by 200 feet on the top. There is a ruined building on this esplanade
which was evidently of great beauty and large proportions when it was
built. It was beautifully ornamented, according to the account of Mr.
Stephens, who says, 'The cornice running over the door-ways, tried by
the severest rules of art recognized among us, would embellish the
architecture of any known era.' He calls attention to the fact that
while at Uxmal the walls were smooth below the cornice, those at Kabah
were covered with decorations from top to bottom.

"In addition to the mound and the terrace Mr. Stephens described three
other large buildings, which he thought must have been palaces. One of
them was three stories in height, each story being narrower and shorter
than the one below it. It was 147 feet long by 106 wide, and built in a
manner that would be creditable to any architect of any age or country.

"Another building on a high terrace was 164 feet long but quite narrow
in proportion, and a peculiarity of it was that it had wide door-ways,
with pillars in the centre for support. One terrace 800 feet by 100 was
found, with several fine buildings upon it. The work of making the
terraces alone, without considering the buildings, must have been
something enormous. But all trace of the builders has gone, and no one
can tell to-day what is their history.

[Illustration: MAYA SCULPTURE (PROFILE).]

"A few years ago (June, 1881), Mr. Aymé, the American Consul at Merida,
visited Kabah and made a remarkable discovery. He found on one of the
walls of a ruined building a rude painting of a man mounted on a horse.
As the horse was unknown in Yucatan until after the arrival of the
Spaniards, M. Charnay argues from this discovery that the ruins of Kabah
are not of great antiquity, and that the painting was made during or
since the Conquest by a native artist. On the other hand, Dr. Le
Plongeon argues that the work is of very great age, and he refers to
some of the hieroglyphics in proof of his belief.

"You can take your choice between two experts, one placing the age of
the painting at less than 400 years, and the other at two or three
thousand years and perhaps more. For our part we prefer to believe in
the one who maintains that Kabah was an old city when the Romans built
the Coliseum, and had begun to decay long before Mohammed founded the
religion of Islam.

[Illustration: RUINED ARCH AT KABAH.]

"We must not forget to mention a beautiful arch at Kabah which is
wonderfully suggestive of the triumphal arches of the Romans and other
European nations. It stands apart from the other structures, and this
fact leads explorers to believe that it was built to commemorate an
important event in the history of the people or of one of its rulers.
The centre of the arch has fallen in, but the massive columns remain and
show that it was firmly built. The arch is not the straight-sided one of
the Mayas, but curves like the Greek and Roman arch. What a pity the
crown is gone, so that we do not know whether it was built with a
key-stone or not!

[Illustration: FAÇADE OF EL CASTILLO.]

"From Kabah let us go to Chichen-Itza. We will go in imagination rather
than in reality, as the ruins are in the region of the rebellious
Indians, and it isn't safe at all times to venture there. Let us call
the place Chichen 'for short.'

[Illustration: BASS-RELIEF, CHICHEN-ITZA.]

"It lies about thirty miles west of Valladolid, which was once a
prosperous city and contained the first cotton-mill ever erected in
Yucatan. Valladolid was deserted at the time of the rebellion of the
Indians in 1846, and has never regained its former population. The ruins
of Chichen cover an area of about two square miles, and have been
explored by Stephens, Norman, Charnay, Le Plongeon, and others; and the
historians say that the Spanish army that conquered Yucatan occupied the
ruins and found them useful as a fortification against the Indians.

"There is a building at Chichen which resembles the House of the Nuns at
Uxmal, and has the same name. It seems to have been erected at different
periods, and some of the explorers think a portion of it was altogether
destroyed and afterwards rebuilt, as the style of architecture is
different. The ornamentation is more elaborate than that of the House of
the Nuns at Uxmal. Over the door is a medallion representing a priest
with a head-dress of feathers; and there is a row of similar heads
running around the whole length of the frieze of the northern façade.
The upper story is ornamented with panels cut into the stone, and having
a raised figure in the centre. You can best understand this design if
you look at a picture which we have taken from 'The Ancient Cities of
the New World.'

"Connected with this building is one which the Spaniards call the
Church; it has only one room, and is twenty-six feet long by fourteen
wide and thirty-one high, and the outside is covered with carved
ornaments. Not a great way from it is a circular building twenty-two
feet in diameter and sixty feet high, and having four doors that are
placed exactly towards the cardinal points of the compass. The building
is on a mound, and is approached by a grand staircase forty feet wide
and having a balustrade formed of bodies of serpents twined together.
Serpents have a prominent place in the ornamentation of Chichen, as they
appear in one form or another on nearly all the buildings.

[Illustration: DOOR-POSTS IN TENNIS-COURT.]

"A very interesting building is the one which Stephens called the
Gymnasium or Tennis-court. It consists of two parallel walls 30 feet
thick, 274 feet long, and 120 feet apart, and in each wall there are
stone rings, or circles, four feet across, with holes one foot seven
inches in diameter in the centre. These holes are opposite each other
and twenty feet from the ground, and it is supposed that a game
something like tennis was played in the space between the walls.
Baldwin's 'Ancient America' says there were similar courts in other
cities of Yucatan and Central America, but no account of the games has
come down to us.

[Illustration: CASA COLORADA.]

"The Casa Colorada, or Red House, is a building that would be creditable
to the architects of any country and time, though it is not a large
edifice. It measures forty-three feet by twenty-three, and appears to
have been elaborately ornamented originally, but has been greatly
defaced by time, and also by the Indians, who formerly lived in the
vicinity. Before the Indian rebellion there was a town near Chichen
called Pisté; its inhabitants used to go to Chichen to practise shooting
against the ruined edifices there. Many of the buildings show the marks
of bullets, and it is probable that the people of that town caused quite
as much destruction as did the Indians.

"But the most conspicuous of all the buildings of Chichen is El
Castillo, or The Castle, which stands on an artificial hill, and is
reached by a wide and long staircase, so overgrown with weeds and
brushwood as to make the climbing difficult. It is the building usually
occupied by explorers, as it offers a good place of defence against any
marauding bands of Indians; whether it was a castle or not in the olden
times is a question, but it has certainly served as one in the days
since the rebellion of the Indians.

"This is a good place to repeat a story given by one of the Spanish
historians about an incident at the time of the Conquest. Under the
command of Montejo, an officer under Cortez, the Spaniards occupied
Chichen for two years, and were engaged in constant fights with the
Indians. Montejo lost 150 of the 400 men whom he took there originally,
and finally the Indians laid regular siege to the place, and pressed
Montejo so hard that he was forced to retreat.

[Illustration: HEAD OF WAR-GOD, FROM COPAN.]

"But it was no easy matter to get away, as the Indians would be sure to
fall upon the Spaniards in their flight, and probably destroy the entire
force. So they waited until a moonless and stormy night, and under cover
of the darkness managed to get away and be several hours on the road
before their absence was discovered.

"In order to deceive the Indians, Montejo caused the feet of the horses
to be muffled with cloths, and lest they might find by the silence that
the place was evacuated, he left a dog tied to a pole on which were a
bell and a piece of meat. Every time the dog tried to reach the meat he
rang the bell, and thus the Indians supposed all the while that the
Spaniards were still behind the walls of Chichen. It was not until
daylight that they discovered their mistake, and then there was not time
to overtake the fugitives before they reached the territory of a
friendly chief.

"Let us return to the Castle of Chichen. The pyramid on which it stands
is 175 feet square at the base, and 68 feet high; the staircase is
thirty-nine feet wide, and contains ninety steps. The building is about
forty feet square and twenty-one feet high, and its internal
arrangements show that it was probably a temple, like most of the
edifices of similar character throughout Mexico.

"The walls of the Castle are covered with inscriptions and sculptures,
and the greater part of them forcibly remind the visitor of the work of
the ancient Egyptians. The columns which support the sanctuary present
bass-reliefs of men supposed to be priests; and these figures are
repeated on the walls along with other sculptures. And to make a long
story short, and avoid the risk of being tedious, we will say that all
the buildings of Chichen are elaborately ornamented. Tradition is that
when the Spaniards came here there were many mural paintings in
beautiful colors, but the pious invaders thought it their duty to
destroy these pagan symbols, and so covered them with stucco and
whitewash! Had they left them alone we might have learned much more than
we now know about the ancient inhabitants of Yucatan.

[Illustration: IDOL OF COPAN (FROM STEPHENS).]

"We haven't space to describe all the sculptures, or even a quarter of
them, but must refer anybody who is interested in the subject to the
books of the explorers. And we must do the same for the other ruined
cities of Yucatan and the countries near it; Palenque with its palace,
Copan with its great wall and its wonderful idols and other sculptures,
Tikal with its temples constructed of large blocks of stone laid in
cement, each merits a separate chapter, but we have no room for it.

"The same may be said of other places, and it is quite possible that
there are dozens of cities buried in the tropical forests of which
absolutely nothing is now known. We may hope for a revelation of the
mysteries of the ancient cities of the New World whenever the work of
discovery is undertaken on an extensive scale.

[Illustration: DECORATION OVER DOOR-WAY.]

"Explorations have hitherto been made by individuals, whose means did
not permit the employment of a sufficient number of men for clearing
away the dense undergrowth and making the necessary excavations. The
natives are not well disposed towards explorers, and, as we have already
seen, some of the ruined cities are in the regions where the Indians are
in control. There is a large area which is practically unknown, and can
only be opened up by a force of men sufficiently large to take care of
itself against all local opposition. Only by the liberality of wealthy
men and societies, or aided by the arms of disciplined soldiers, can the
work be thoroughly accomplished."

Here the youths closed their account of the antiquities of Yucatan.
Frank carefully read what they had written, and as he paused at the end
of the narrative, Fred remarked,

"Perhaps we may have an opportunity some time to make the explorations
we have suggested."

"Let us hope so," replied Frank, with a "far-away" sigh as he spoke.




[Illustration]




CHAPTER XXXIV.

CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE REPUBLICS COMPOSING IT; A SKETCH OF THEIR
HISTORY; AREA AND POPULATION.--SNAKES, LIZARDS, AND OTHER CREEPING
THINGS.--COSTA RICA AND ITS REVOLUTIONS.--A PRESIDENT WHO COULDN'T
READ.--HONDURAS AND ITS RESOURCES.--VISIT TO TEGUCIGALPA.--YUSCARAN AND
ITS MINERAL WEALTH.--UNFORTUNATE FINANCIERING.--INTERESTING SOCIAL
CUSTOMS.--INTEROCEANIC CANALS; THEIR PRESENT STATUS.--THE NICARAGUA
CANAL; SURVEYS, ESTIMATES, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE; PROBABLE
ADVANTAGES TO THE WORLD'S COMMERCE; TERMS OF THE CONCESSION; ESTIMATED
COST, REVENUES, AND SAVING OF DISTANCES.--FAREWELL TO MEXICO.--THE END.


After completing their description of the ruined cities of Yucatan,
Frank and Fred looked around for something new to occupy their
attention. They were not long in finding it.

"I wish we could extend our journey to Central America," said Fred.

[Illustration: IN A CENTRAL AMERICAN FOREST.]

"So do I," answered his cousin, "but I'm afraid Doctor Bronson would not
consent. His plans do not include a journey farther south than Yucatan,
and besides, I don't think he would relish the idea of making a trip
through a region where the comforts of travel are as limited as they are
between here and Panama."

They sounded the Doctor on the subject, but did not receive any
encouragement. His arrangements were such that he was to be in New York
by a date that would make it impossible to accomplish the proposed
journey.

The youths cheerfully assented to the situation, and consoled themselves
by collecting a fair stock of information about Central America and
entering it in their note-books; Frank said this was the next best thing
to seeing the country for themselves.

[Illustration: GOVERNMENT PALACE, SAN JOSÉ.]

"Central America," wrote Frank, "is about 900 miles long, and varies
from 30 to 300 miles in width. It extends south about eleven degrees
from the eighteenth parallel of north latitude, and is therefore
entirely in the tropics. The geographers give it an area of 175,000
square miles, and a population of something less than three millions,
the greater portion being native-born Indians. The whites and creoles
are nearly all of Spanish descent, as the country was conquered and
occupied by the Spaniards soon after the Conquest of Mexico."

Fred suggested that a census of the snakes, lizards, birds, and beasts
of Central America would give a large population, as it was known to
abound in those things to a very liberal extent. He declared in advance
that he would not accept the office of animal census-taker, as he had
understood that the serpents were numerous and dangerous, as is the case
in tropical countries generally.

"I was reading this morning," said he, "of a snake of the constrictor
species that was killed close to a hacienda where the writer of the
narrative was stopping. It was fourteen feet long, and not unusually
large of its kind. The people of the hacienda said it was fortunate that
the creature had been despatched, as it would quite likely have killed
one of the children; and they related many stories about babies being
swallowed by these serpents.

"The same traveller, Mr. Wells, tells about a ceremony that he witnessed
where a tamagasa, one of the most deadly snakes of Central America, was
burned alive in the public square of a village. Two natives had found
the snake basking in the sun; one threw his poncho over the reptile
while the other held its head to the ground with a forked stick till its
mouth could be sewed up, so that it could do no harm. The snake was
about three feet long. The ceremony took place in the evening, and the
village priest pronounced a malediction upon the creature before it was
consigned to the flames. No remedy is known for the bite of this
serpent, nor for that of the taboba, another venomous product of Central
America."

"To go on with the country," said Frank, when Fred paused at the end of
his snake story, "we will remark that Central America comprises five
republics which are independent of each other, Costa Rica, Honduras,
Guatemala, San Salvador, and Nicaragua. Down to 1823 they were colonies
of Spain; in that year they formed themselves into a federal republic of
States and declared their independence. They continued thus until 1839,
when they dissolved their federation and became independent of each
other. Since then they have united again on two or three occasions, but
have not remained so for any length of time. Several attempts at a
federation (one of them in 1888), have resulted in nothing. Now and then
the republics have wars among themselves, but the rest of the world goes
on as if nothing had happened, as the moon did when the dog barked at
it.

"The governments of the States of Central America are republican in
form, modified by revolution and assassination; happily these
modifications are not applied as frequently nowadays as in former times,
but they are by no means unknown. To show how revolutions are started
and how they sometimes turn out, let us take a page from the history of
Costa Rica."

[Illustration: CENTRAL AMERICAN LODGINGS.]

Thereupon Frank read from "The Capitals of Spanish America" the account
of how the Government of that republic was overthrown, and a new one
established in 1871. Substantially it was as follows:

The Congress of Costa Rica had caused a railway to be surveyed from
ocean to ocean across the State. It was necessary to seek foreign aid
for the construction of the line, and the two banking houses at San
José, the capital city, were rivals for the appointment of Government
agent to negotiate the loan.

The defeated banker was, like his rival, an Englishman (married to a
Costa Rican lady), and the capital of his bank was English. In revenge,
and with a view to business, he determined to overthrow the Government
and set up one of his own.

To this end he negotiated with a cowboy named Thomas Guardia, who had
made a reputation as commander of a small force of cavalry in a war with
Nicaragua, to head a revolution, under promise of money and position.
The army of the republic comprised about 250 men, and they were easily
overcome by Guardia, who assembled half that number of cowboys and rode
suddenly into San José one morning, capturing the whole place by
surprise. It was one of the "revolutions before breakfast," to which
Central America is accustomed.

[Illustration: BANANA PLANTATION IN COSTA RICA.]

Guardia imprisoned all the Government officials who did not run away,
and appointed himself Dictator. Among the fugitives was the
constitutional President, and therefore it was necessary to hold an
election for a new President, Guardia being made provisional President
until the election could be held. The English banker, who had started
the revolution, named his father-in-law as the candidate for President,
and it was expected that he would be elected without opposition.

Guardia concluded, from his experience as Dictator, that it was not a
bad thing to be President, and when the election came off he ordered his
officers to secure the position for him, and leave the banker's
father-in-law out in the cold. He was unanimously elected; 2000 votes
were cast in a population of 200,000, and Guardia received them all.

He was unable to read or write when he became President, but he was a
man of decided ability, called wise counsellors to aid him, did
everything he could for the advancement of his country, and altogether
made an excellent ruler for the little republic.

[Illustration: DON BERNARDO DE SOTO, PRESIDENT OF COSTA RICA.]

The present President of Costa Rica is Don Bernardo de Soto, who was a
favorite of Guardia, and is a man of good education. He graduated at the
college in San José, and completed his studies in Europe; and since his
elevation to the high office he has shown ability and intelligence in
the management of public affairs.

During their investigation of Central America the youths met Mr. Wilson,
of New York, an old friend of Doctor Bronson's, who had just returned
from a visit to Honduras. He readily replied to all the questions that
were propounded by Frank and Fred, and his answers may be summed up as
follows:

[Illustration: GEN. LUIS BOGRAN, PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS.]

"I found Honduras very interesting," said Mr. Wilson, "and was sorry
that I could not remain longer. The country seems to have great promise,
as it is exceedingly fertile, and the mountain regions contain great
quantities of gold and silver. All tropical fruits grow there in
abundance, and there might be a large product of coffee and sugar. At
present the exports consist chiefly of cattle, mahogany, hides, and
rubber, of a total value of about two millions of dollars annually, and
the imports are nearly as much. The expenses of conducting the
government are not far from one million dollars a year, sometimes
exceeding the revenue, and sometimes falling below it.

"Honduras has been unfortunate financially," continued the gentleman,
"as it contracted a loan in England for building a railway across the
country from ocean to ocean, and the greater part of the money went into
private hands and not in the most honest way imaginable. Twenty-seven
million dollars' worth of bonds were negotiated in London, under the
guarantee of the Government, and all that the country has to show for
this large amount of money is about sixty miles of poorly built railway.
Since 1872 the interest on this loan has not been paid, and probably it
never will be; in the negotiations the Government and the purchasers of
the bonds were deceived, and the country never obtained more than a
small fraction of the benefit that was promised.

[Illustration: TEGUCIGALPA, CAPITAL OF HONDURAS.]

"Negotiations are now going on for wiping out the debt by issuing new
bonds for a part of it, and creating a new loan by which the
Interoceanic Railway can be completed and other railways constructed.
The President of Honduras, General Bogran, is a man of great enterprise,
and has done much for the country since he took possession of his
office. His predecessor had built a fine boulevard from the capital part
way to the Pacific coast, but from that point there was only a
mule-track, the same that had been there for three hundred years.
General Bogran made a contract with some American engineers to build a
wagon-road from the coast to the end of this boulevard, and another from
the capital, Tegucigalpa, to Yuscaran, the centre of the principal
mining district."

[Illustration: STREET IN YUSCARAN.]

"Please tell us about the mines of Honduras," said Frank, as Mr. Wilson
paused for a moment.

"Certainly, I'll do so with great pleasure," was the reply. "Honduras
was the first part of the main-land of North America visited by Columbus
and his companions, and as soon as Cortez had completed the conquest of
Mexico and established himself firmly on its soil he proceeded to the
subjugation of Honduras. From the time of the Conquest down to 1820 the
mines of Honduras yielded enormously of gold and silver; the Government
took as its share twenty per cent. of the gross product, and whenever a
district proved to be unusually rich the King acknowledged the
good-fortune by 'decorating' the place. This was a much more economical
proceeding than reducing the taxes or granting a sum in money for public
improvements.

"Perhaps you don't understand me," said Mr. Wilson, as he observed a
puzzled expression on the faces of the youths. "When I was at
Tegucigalpa I examined some old documents in the Government library, and
came upon one containing the following paragraph:

"'The flourishing state of the mining interests and the large returns
they brought the Crown influenced the King, so that on the 17th day of
July, 1768, there was given to the _pueblos_ (villages) of San Miguel,
Tegucigalpa, and Heredia the honorable title of _villas_ (cities).'

"A decree of that sort is exactly like conferring a decoration on an
individual," continued the gentleman. "It costs nothing to the giver,
and makes the recipient proud of his distinction, at least that is
supposed to be the purpose of a decoration.

[Illustration: OLD BRIDGE AT TEGUCIGALPA.]

"To show you how rich were the mines of Honduras, let me instance the
Guayabilla mine in the Yuscaran district. It is about fifty miles east
of Tegucigalpa, and near the line of Nicaragua, at an elevation of 3250
feet above the sea-level. In the old days the ore was so rich that the
owners of the mine did not reduce any that yielded less than sixty
dollars per ton, and after the mine was deserted $60,000 was obtained
from it by a gentleman who now lives in the country. From 1812 to 1817
the King's fifths from this mine amounted to $400,000, so that in five
years the product of the mine was $2,000,000. In 1837 the mine had been
worked to a depth of 300 feet, when the miners were impeded by water.
Accordingly they prepared to abandon the mine, and did so by removing
the pillars for the sake of the ore they contained. Of course the mine
caved in soon after the pillars were removed, and the same was the case
with other mines that were similarly maltreated."

Fred asked Mr. Wilson how many productive mines there were in Honduras
during the time of its occupation by the Spaniards.

"As to that I cannot say exactly," was the reply, "but at a rough
calculation there were not fewer than fifty in the Yuscaran district
that were once active and paid royalties to the King. In the Choluteca
and Tegucigalpa districts there were fully 100 mines, so that we may
safely count 150 in all. Under the enlightened policy of President
Bogran Americans and other foreigners have interested themselves in the
mineral wealth of Honduras, and several of the mines are now being
operated with modern appliances, which give promise of great results.
Some of them are producing ore in such quantities as to fully justify
their former reputation. Under the old system there was no arrangement
for getting rid of superfluous water and foul air. Modern pumping and
ventilating machinery has been adopted, and the old annoyances that
hindered operations or suspended them altogether will be of
comparatively little consequence."

"Please tell us something about Tegucigalpa, the capital city," said
Frank.

[Illustration: STATUE OF MORAZAN, TEGUCIGALPA.]

"It received its name," said Mr. Wilson, "from two Indian words
signifying 'mountain of silver.' It is about 3000 feet above sea-level,
and eighty miles from the seaport, on the Bay of Fonseca. It has
15,000 inhabitants, its houses are of adobe, and the streets narrow and
paved with stone. The most interesting structures are the cathedral and
an old bridge over the Rio Grande, the latter consisting of seven
massive arches that appear to be as strong to-day as when first erected.
In the public square there is a bronze equestrian statue of Francisco
Morazan, who is honored as the liberator of Central America, as Bolivar
is of South America. He was born in Honduras in 1799, was foremost in
the war of independence, became President or General-in-chief of the
Republic of Central America in 1835, was exiled in 1840, and
assassinated in 1842."

"His history is not unlike that of the majority of patriots in Spanish
America," remarked Frank, as Mr. Wilson paused.

Frank then asked about the people and their customs. Mr. Wilson said
they were not materially different from those of other Spanish American
countries. The dress of the natives is practically the same as that of
the natives of Yucatan, while that of the higher classes follows in a
general way the fashions of Paris. "While I was at Tegucigalpa," said
he, "I attended a fashionable ball, which was quite a social event, as
the President and his Ministers were there. The gentlemen were in
evening dress, as they would have been at a ball in New York, and the
ladies were robed as for an evening reception in Paris or London.

"Upon entering the salon each guest was presented with handsomely
painted egg-shells by servants who carried them about on trays. These
shells were filled with gold and silver tinsel. Gentlemen broke them
over the heads of ladies whom they wished to favor with their
attentions, and the ladies did likewise towards the gentlemen. Nearly
all the ladies and some of the gentlemen carried atomizers filled with
perfumery. When one found an atomizer aimed at his face it was the
proper thing to stand firm, receive the spray without wincing, and then
join in the laugh which followed. The effect of the egg-shells and
atomizers was to make the party very sociable and agreeable and break
the ice of formality."

Mr. Wilson was called away at this moment, and consequently the talk
about Honduras came suddenly to an end.

[Illustration: BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL.]

Then the youths turned their attention to Nicaragua, and especially to
the proposed ship-canal which is to make use of Lake Nicaragua for a
part of its route. On this subject they questioned Doctor Bronson, and
received the following reply:

[Illustration: PROFILE OF NICARAGUA CANAL.]

"The idea of an interoceanic canal originated soon after the Spanish
Conquest. In 1550 Galvo, a Portuguese navigator, presented a plan for
such a canal, and pointed out four possible routes, those of Darien,
Panama, Nicaragua, and Tehuantepec, and it is a singular circumstance
that no other routes have been discovered since his time. The world's
commerce then and for more than 200 years afterwards was not sufficient
to justify the construction of a canal, and the first step towards such
a work was taken in 1779, when Lord Nelson seized the mouth of the San
Juan River, in Nicaragua, as a preliminary to the control of the river
and lake, and the opening of a water-way across the isthmus.

[Illustration: A SECTION OF THE CANAL.]

"Very soon after Lord Nelson's action a Spanish exploring expedition
arrived at the mouth of the San Juan, and the complications arising
between the English and Spanish Governments prevented any active
operations towards the making of the canal. In 1823 the President of
Nicaragua opened negotiations with the Government of the United States
with that object in view, but nothing was accomplished. In 1826 the
Government of Mexico made a preliminary survey of the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec to ascertain the possibility of a canal across it, and two
years later the Government of New Grenada permitted a survey of the
Isthmus of Panama for the same object. In 1844 Nicaragua gave a
concession to a Belgian company, which accomplished nothing; and in the
same year Louis Philippe authorized a survey of the Isthmus of Panama.

[Illustration: RIVER SAN JUAN AT TORO RAPIDS.]

"In 1849 an Irish adventurer published a book in England in which he
declared that he had crossed and recrossed the Isthmus of Darien several
times, and that there would be only three or four miles of deep cutting
for the entire distance. On the basis of this book, some English
capitalists sent an engineer, who made an equally rose-colored report
that resulted in the formation of an English company, with a capital of
$75,000,000. The engineer does not seem to have crossed the isthmus at
all, and only penetrated a few miles into the interior. The Darien route
was explored by Lieutenant Strain, of the United States Navy, in 1854,
who demonstrated that the reports of the English engineer were
'conspicuously inexact,' and a canal would cost very much more than his
estimates.

"In 1849 negotiations between the Government of Nicaragua and our
Minister to that country led to the formation of an American company, of
which Commodore Vanderbilt was a stockholder, with the object of making
a canal by the Nicaragua route. Col. O. W. Childs and a staff of
assistants surveyed the route, but the enterprise was broken up by the
filibustering expedition of Walker, 'the gray-eyed man of destiny,'
which caused the Nicaraguan Government to revoke the concession.

[Illustration: STREET IN GREYTOWN.]

"From this time onward the interest of Americans in the canal project
continued active. Several exploring expeditions were sent out by
individuals and associations, Mr. Frederick M. Kelley, a wealthy New
Yorker, sending out four expeditions, and spending $125,000 out of his
own pocket. Between 1870 and 1875 the United States Government sent out
nine expeditions for the survey of canal routes between the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans, and altogether a valuable amount of information was
gathered on the subject.

"In 1876 Lieut. Bonaparte Wyse obtained a concession from the Government
of Colombia for a canal at Panama. His concession was transferred to M.
De Lesseps, the famous builder of the Suez Canal; and you know all about
the history of the Panama Canal, as it has been recorded in the daily
newspapers and other publications.

[Illustration: EL CASTILLO, SAN JUAN RIVER.]

"An impartial consideration of the various reports upon the surveys of
all the routes has shown that the most favorable one for a ship-canal
from ocean to ocean is that across Nicaragua. This was the decision of a
commission appointed by President Grant, and consisting of Commodore
(since Admiral) Daniel Ammen, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, Gen.
A. A. Humphreys, Chief of the United States Engineer Corps, and Mr.
C. P. Patterson, Superintendent of the Coast Survey. Briefly, their
report said: 'The Nicaragua route possesses, both for the construction
and maintenance of a canal, greater advantages, and offers fewer
difficulties from engineering, commercial, or economical points of view,
than any one of the other routes shown to be practicable.'

"Careful scientific surveys have been made of the Nicaragua route. The
first was in 1872 and 1873, by Commander Hatfield and Commander Lull, of
the United States Navy; and the second, in 1880, by Civil Engineer A. G.
Menocal, also of the United States Navy. In 1884 the same officer, with
several able assistants, made another survey; with all the figures and
descriptions of the different surveys, the nature of the work to be
accomplished in cutting the canal can be readily understood."

For further information Doctor Bronson referred the youths to the
printed reports of Mr. Menocal and Commander Lull, which he had in his
possession, and also to articles in _Harper's Weekly_ and _Harper's
Magazine_. Frank and Fred made a careful study of the subject, and the
substance of what they learned may be set down as follows:

The route of the proposed canal will be entirely through the State of
Nicaragua, except for a small part of the eastern division, where it
will be on the south bank of the San Juan River, which is the dividing
line between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The latter State has agreed to
all the conditions named by Nicaragua in its concession to the American
company that is undertaking the work, so that the question of boundary
will not interfere with the enterprise.

In March, 1887, a contract was signed with the Republic of Nicaragua by
a representative of the Nicaragua Canal Association of New York,
securing to the association the exclusive right of way for the
construction of a ship-canal between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The company is allowed two and a half years from the date of the
contract for beginning operations; it has a grant of 1,000,000 acres of
land, and immunity from taxation and all imposts of every kind for a
period of ninety-nine years. It is believed that the entire work will be
completed and the canal made ready for the passage of ships within six
years from the commencement of the dredging and digging.

[Illustration: VIEW ON LAKE NICARAGUA.]

The length of the canal will be 170 miles from ocean to ocean. Of this
distance there will be 130 miles of navigation on Lake Nicaragua and the
San Juan River, leaving only forty miles for excavation or cutting. The
surface of Lake Nicaragua is 110 feet above the level of the sea, and to
reach or descend from this elevation there will be four locks between
each end of the lake and the ocean from which it is separated. The lake
is 110 miles long by 35 wide, and is a beautiful sheet of water in a
basin 8000 square miles in extent. The plans are for locks 650 feet long
and 65 feet wide, which will float any ship now in existence.

[Illustration: MOZO IN FULL DRESS.]

For convenience of description we will suppose the canal to be in three
divisions, eastern, middle, and western. The eastern division begins at
Greytown, on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the San Juan River, and
extends to the Arroyo de las Cascades, a distance of nineteen and
one-half miles. This division contains sixty-three per cent. of the
excavation required for the whole canal; it will include the digging of
a channel through the low lands of the coast, and then through rising
ground and hills, where locks must be made to raise the canal to the
level of the lake.

At the end of the eastern division a dam across the San Juan River will
fill the channel of that stream to a depth sufficient for the passage of
sea going vessels, and also create a lake, or basin, where ships may
pass each other, and also halt for repairs if any are needed. In some
places the river must be dredged to reach the requisite depth, but these
points are not numerous or difficult. The river is 1000 feet wide, so
that ships will have plenty of room for moving either way, and there
will be about eighty-three miles of river navigation from the dam to the
lake.

On Lake Nicaragua the distance from the head of the San Juan River to
the beginning of the western division is fifty-six and one-half miles,
and here there is abundant depth of water except in one place where some
rock-blasting and dredging will be needed.

Rio Lajas, on the western shore of the lake, will be the end of the
middle, or navigable, portion of the canal, and the beginning of the
western division, which extends seventeen and one-quarter miles to the
Pacific Ocean. On this division ships coming from the east will descend
by four locks, while those from the west will rise by the same means.
The last of the locks, the one nearest the Pacific, will have a varying
depth to accommodate itself to the rise and fall of the ocean tide,
which is about nine feet. The entrance of this lock will be of a funnel
shape, and a port will be formed by throwing out jetties on each side of
the little bay of Brito, and converting it into a secure harbor.

At the eastern end of the canal jetties will be thrown out in the same
way to form a harbor at the mouth of the San Juan River close to the old
harbor of Greytown, which has been partially filled by the sands brought
down by the river, and has a depth of only twenty-one feet at its
entrance. The current of the river will be utilized for washing out the
entrance of this harbor, just as that of the Mississippi was utilized by
Captain Eads for deepening the passes of the great "Father of Waters" at
its mouth.

Frank and Fred made careful note of the above, and then asked Doctor
Bronson how much it was expected the canal would cost, and how the
profits had been calculated.

[Illustration: FORT SAN CARLOS.]

"The estimates of the engineers," was the reply, "place the cost of the
whole work at $60,000,000 in round figures; some of them make it ten or
twelve millions less, but as estimates nearly always fall short of the
actual cost, we will suppose that the figures are $100,000,000. I think
it is safe to say the canal can be built for that amount of money."

"How does that compare with the Suez and the Panama canals?" Fred asked.

"The cost of the Suez Canal was $100,000,000, and it has been a very
profitable enterprise. Double that amount of money has been expended on
the Panama Canal, and only one-fourth the work is done; even if it
should ever be completed, the revenues cannot be sufficient to pay a
good dividend on the cost after deducting the running expenses. The
Nicaragua Canal will have a great advantage over the one at Panama, for
the reason that the latter is in the region of equatorial calms, while
the former is within the sweep of steady winds. Consequently the Panama
Canal will be of little use for sailing-ships, and they would all be
attracted to the Nicaragua route."

[Illustration: NATIVE BOATS, LAKE NICARAGUA.]

"What is the estimate of the amount of business of the Nicaragua Canal,
and the revenues from it?" queried Frank.

"I can best answer that question," replied the Doctor, "by quoting from
a writer in _Harper's Magazine_. He says the wheat trade between our
Pacific coast and Europe requires a million tons of shipping, and as
each ship must pass twice through the canal, this trade alone would be
two millions of tons a year. The coasting trade between the Atlantic and
Pacific ports of the United States would add another million tons, and
the tea trade between Europe and China and Japan, the guano and nitrate
trade of South America, the whaling trade of the Pacific, the wool trade
between Australia and Europe, would altogether bring the business of the
canal up to five or six millions of tons a year. At two dollars a ton,
the toll that is charged by the Suez Canal, there would be a revenue of
ten or twelve million dollars without considering the growth of the
world's commerce from year to year. It is estimated that the running
expenses and repairs to the canal would not exceed half a million
dollars annually, so that there would be a good profit on the outlay of
$100,000,000."

Fred asked what saving of distances would be effected by the canal.

[Illustration: CENTRAL AMERICAN HACIENDA.]

"Between the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States," was the
reply, "the saving would be 8000 or 9000 miles over the Cape Horn route.
From New York to ports in Asia and Australasia there would be a saving
of 500 to 3000 miles over any route except by Suez, and between Europe
and Japan sailing-vessels will save 3000 miles by taking the Nicaragua
route. There can be no reasonable doubt that the world's commerce will
be greatly benefited by the opening of the proposed canal, and in a few
years we may see it operated to its full capacity, of every year passing
eleven thousand ships from ocean to ocean."

Fred was ready with another question, but before it was put a friend
called to tell them that a steamer for Havana and New York had just
arrived at Progreso, and would leave in a few hours.

Nicaraguan canals and all other Central American subjects were dropped,
and preparations immediately made for departure. Already their farewell
calls had been made on friends and acquaintances at Merida, baggage was
quickly in readiness, they were at the station in ample time for the
train, and before sunset were on the deck of the steamer, which speedily
put her machinery in motion, and steamed away to the eastward.

[Illustration: BIRDS OF NICARAGUA.]

And so ended the tour of the Boy Travellers in Mexico. The land of the
Aztecs and Toltecs disappeared in darkness and distance, and when
morning dawned only sea and sky were visible from the deck of the
vessel.

"Wonder what country we will see next?" said Fred.

"Quien sabe?" was the laconic reply.

THE END.




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       *       *       *       *       *

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[Illustration: MAP TO ACCOMPANY "THE BOY TRAVELLERS" IN MEXICO.]