TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 61 



and Little Bear were still to be seen ; in the far dis- 

 tance the ship Argo and the glowing Centaur ; and, 

 beautiful above all, the glorious sign of Christianity, 

 the colossal Southern Cross, in all its brightness and 

 sublimity, glittering in silvery magnificence out of its 

 setting of dark-blue crystal. 



"We were travelling with a state and a degree of 

 luxury that would have excited the contempt of our 

 backwoodsmen ; but in a strange country we thought 

 it best to do as the natives did ; and accordingly, 

 instead of mounting our horses and setting forth 

 alone, with our rifles slung on our shoulders, and a 

 few handfuls of parched corn and dried flesh in our 

 hunting-pouches, we journeyed Mexican fashion, with 

 a whole string of mules, a topitli or guide, a couple of 

 arrieros or muleteers, a cook, and one or two other 

 attendants. While the latter were slinging our ham- 

 mocks to the lowermost branches of a tree for in 

 that part of Mexico it is not very safe to sleep upon 

 the ground, on account of the snakes and vermin 

 our cocinero lit a fire against the rock, and in a very 

 few minutes an iguana which we had shot that day 

 was spitted and roasting before it. It looked strange 

 to see this hideous creature, in shape between a lizard 

 and a dragon, twisting and turning in the light of the 

 fire ; and its disgusting appearance might have taken 

 away some people's appetites ; but we knew by ex- 

 perience that there is no better eating than a roasted 

 iguana. We made a hearty meal off this one, con- 



