TOWN OF MALTRATA, 73 



which the crushing was partly due. Beyond this point we 

 reached the valley of La Joya, ''The Jewel," in the midst of 

 which lay the town of Maltrata. At Maltrata, all the tropi- 

 cal fruits, such as oranges, limes, citrons, pomegranates, 

 avocato pears, pineapples, bananas, etc., were sold at the 

 lowest prices by girls, who assembled in great numbers 

 when the train arrived. A short stop was made here, and 

 then we proceeded onward and upward. 



We now ascended in long, sweeping curves, along a 

 terrace cut in the side of the mountain. In some places, 

 three lines of track could be seen below us, running (ap- 

 parently) parallel to each other. At LaBola, "The Boot," 

 the view was grand. The valley lay stretched out before 

 us, with the little town of Maltrata in the distance, looking 

 like a child's toy. . Cows and horses could be made out, and 

 here and there a little lake or stream. The railroad- was 

 seen winding its way through like a black thread. Be3'ond 

 this the mountains rose in the far distance like a blue mist. 

 We soon crossed Winner's bridge, named in honor of the 

 builder, ninety-six feet long and almost as high. It gave 

 one the shivers to look out of the car window, and contem- 

 plate as to what would become of us should the tram jump 

 the track here, as it often does in the States in such places. 

 I am afraid our friends would never be able to recognize us. 

 From here we passed through a tunnel and came to the Boca 

 del Monte, the * 'Mouth of the Mountain," on the eastern 

 edge of the Mexican plateau. Here the grand scenery 

 ended, and the rest of the ride was through clouds of dust, 

 over a comparatively level country. As we sped along, 

 clouds of dust were continually coming in through the cracks 

 in the windows, making the ride very disagreeable. 



At three o clock we reached San Andres Chalchicomula. 

 The d^pot was situated some four miles off the railroad, 

 and was connected with the town by a tramway. This was 



