SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



43 



of various ages and forms, some with ban- 

 daliers, and others with cartouch boxes : upon 

 examining which, we found that most of them 

 bore the mark of the Tower of London, and 

 were told that the majority of the army were 

 equipped with arms from the same source. 

 From hence the country was wretched, and 

 in some places the travelling so exceedingly 

 bad that our jaded cattle could scarcely move 

 the empty vehicle (from which we were ob- 

 liged to descend), till at length we reached a 

 paved road. But even with this advantage, 

 we were obliged to stop short of our intended 

 place of rest, and to put up with such 

 wretched accommodation, that even the water 

 was not fitted to quench our thirst, after this 

 day^s toil and suffering from intense heat. 

 In the morning, however, we had the satis- 

 faction to procure some milk, the first we had 

 tasted for three months. 



As we proceeded, the country greatly im- 



