' 506 SALTILLO 
December 16th. The road descended as it did yester- 
day, and was lined on both sides with dense chapporal. 
Madea noon halt at a fine stream, the Rio Meteros, just 
beyond the town of Marin. Passed Aqua Negra, where, 
during the war, General Canales, witha guerilla band, 
burned a train of United States wagons, and mur- 
dered the unarmed teamsters. At 3 o'clock, reach- 
ed Ramos, a small agricultural town, eighteen miles 
from our last camp, where we stopped. The people 
collected around us soon after our arrival; and from 
them we learned that it was exceedingly sickly in the 
place; many of them were suffering from fevers. 
December 17th. Our road to-day was very hilly 
and stony. Chapporal and low trees closely hemmed 
in the road, rendering the march dull and monotonous. 
At 4 Pp. M., we encamped at a rancho near the town of 
Carrizitos, where we obtained corn and water. 
_ December 18th. Between Monterey and the Rio 
Grande, the chapporal is crossed by frequent roads, 
some running to Reynosa, others connecting villages 
and ranchos. We were told of this difficulty ; but as 
the courier who brought my letters from Camargo to 
Encantada, said he knew all the roads, I was induced 
to let him act as our guide. To-day, however, he mis- 
took his way, and led us into an almost impassable 
- wood. We could not turn around, and were compel- 
led to cut our way for some distance before we struck 
the road again. Fortunately we extricated ourselves 
without accident, after the delay of an hour or two. — 
Soon after, we met with an accident that might 
have proved more serious. This was the loss of one of 
the iron boxes toa wheelhub. The train was stopped 
