48 



SANTA CATHARINA. 



old times and old policy, when, in consequence of the 

 Spaniard's taking what he could find, without payment 3 

 the poor Indian always contrived to have nothing. 



The lesson was not lost upon us ; and, ever after, 

 what between civility, affected indifference, and content, 

 a timely use of cigaritas and soft words, we never had 

 to leave an Indian hut unsatisfied. 



In the course of the evening, after passing through the 

 noblest forests of live oak we had yet seen in the coun- 

 try ; or over moist levels, where almost impenetrable 

 thickets of bamboo cane clustered round the huge fan- 

 tastic trunks of the banian ; and ten thousand vegetable 

 strings and ropes wove a canopy overhead, we reached 

 the Indian village of Santa Catharina, whose situation 

 on an elevated plateau vies for beauty with that of its 

 rival just described. We did not halt here, however 3 

 but pushing on over a fatiguing line of country by a 

 deep miry track, came to a halt at a large and roomy 

 rancho, where we found the needful accommodation, 

 and the rest which a heavy day's journey of eighteen 

 leagues made very welcome to our draggled train. A 

 few miles to the left, rose a range of mountains covered 

 with foliage to the very summit, and with singularly 

 pointed and insolated rocks rising at intervals from their 

 base. 



I pass rapidly over the next day's march, which lay 

 across much the same kind of country, picturesque in the 

 highest degree, from the broken character of the surface 

 and from the rich and redundant character of the vege- 

 tation. From the occasional bare ridges which we sur- 

 mounted, we continued to command most extensive 

 views over the Huastec, as the rich county at the foot 

 of the higher chain is called. This part of the state of 

 Vera Cruz, is, throughout, very thinly inhabited, and cul- 

 tivation very sparingly applied to its surface. Indeed the 

 cholera of the preceding year had swept away a large 

 proportion of the Indian population ; and one extensive 

 Indian village, at which we halted at noon, magnificently 

 situated like all its neighbours, was nearly depopulated 

 by its ravages. 



