Take leave of Madame Euhe. 185 



Mr. Smith, a merchant, and director or superintendent of the 

 railroad, gave me four very good mules and his coachman, 

 and I got also a very bright yellow superannuated fiacre from 

 Tacubaya. 



The road between Mexico and Queretaro was much in- 

 fested by robbers, and the journey, which required about four 

 days, was rather hazardous. However, my good fortune 

 assisted me. A gentleman belonging to the Liberal party, 

 Mr. Para, who had travelled three days in order to speak with 

 Porfirio Diaz without success, and who was travelling home, 

 volunteered to escort me, and I accepted this offer with the 

 more pleasure as he had with him a mounted armed servant 

 and a coachman. Porfirio Diaz had nothing to say against 

 his going with me. 



With many tears I took leave of Madame Hube, and com- 

 menced my journey on April 27. The whole party consisted 

 of my escort, his armed servant, two unarmed coachmen, my 

 maid, and Jimmy. 1 had my little seven-shooter revolver and 

 only three ' ounces ' in my pocket. 



The letters which General Baz had given me proved to be 

 of great value. I was received everywhere with the utmost 

 kindness and hospitality, and could not have been treated 

 better had I been a queen. 



In the morning before sunrise I left San Francisco, and 

 when I had gone a little way, and the sun was just rising, 1 

 saw some dark form hanging on a tree. On looking out of the 

 carriage I discovered to my horror that it was a Liberal officer, 

 his head and face covered by a black cap, and blood trickling 

 down his body. With disgust I turned my head away to the 

 other side. There I saw hanging on another tree another ofii- 

 cer, presenting a still more ghastly spectacle. These two men 

 were a Liberal lieutenant-colonel and a major, who had com- 

 mitted a crime against a young girl, and when her exasperated 

 father tried to revenge his child, they killed him and cut out 

 his tongue. According to the Mexican custom, they were 

 shot on the spot where they had committed the crime, and 

 hung to a tree for a time as a warning example. For a long 

 time I could not get rid of the horrible impression which this 

 sight made on me. 



