IN OLD SAN ANTONIO 169 



was trudging along the track in front of me, a 

 day or two ago (by his gait and general appear- 

 ance he was used to trudging), when I saw him ap- 

 proach the fence as if he meant in some way to 

 force a passage. " You '11 never do it," I thought. 

 Eeally, there seemed not to be space enough 

 between the wires, even if they had not been 

 barbed, for a human body to squeeze through ; 

 but to my astonishment the fellow slipped be- 

 tween them without the slightest fumbling or 

 hesitation, and without so much as a barb's 

 touching him. He must have been a specialist, I 

 am sure. I could not have followed suit without 

 tearing my clothing to tatters, if all the wealth of 

 the East, " barbaric pearl and gold," had been 

 spread out before my itching fingers on the far- 

 ther side. I have not yet ceased wondering at the 

 rogue's address. Such practice as he must have 

 had ! I hope he was never in jail. It was like 

 the neatest of Japanese jugglery, or the famous 

 passage through the eye of a needle. Behold, 

 said I, the compensations of poverty. No rich 

 man could have done it. 



The greater part of the passengers that one 

 meets in such out-of-the-way places are short, 

 swarthy Mexicans. Usually they are able to bid 

 you " good-morning," or to ask how you " do," 

 but now and then you will hear a " buenos dias." 



