176 



SAN AUGUSTUS. 



crowned by the towering snow-clad summit of the Great 

 Volcano, gleaming in the evening sky. 



To the last hour of our stay in the city of Mexico, we 

 made ample experience of the instability and fickleness 

 of the people with whom we had to do. On the very 

 morning of our proposed departure, after endless troubles 

 in getting together the bipeds and quadrupeds deemed 

 necessary for our journey, Mariano's defection was an- 

 nounced with many signs of sorrow by Garcia; and in 

 despair, we had to hire the first rogue who offered him- 

 self, on his own terms. 



However, set out we did, on the evening of April the 

 19th, our party consisting of our three selves, Mr. E., an 

 English artist, and his domestic — our two mozos, Garcia 

 and Jose Maria — and lastly, an arriero with three beasts 

 of burden. Our fat mule Macho, who had never stirred 

 out of Don Floresco's stable during our month's stay in 

 the city, issued forth as fat and sleek as a dormouse, 

 and testified his joy at his escape by kicking every one 

 who approached him.. 



A little after dusk we entered San Augustin de los 

 Cuestos, and found a tolerable posada, where we hired 

 our apartments, and spent the night. I have surely not 

 omitted to describe what the traveller's accommodation 

 in these Mexican inns consists of — four walls, a roof, and 

 a mud floor — a table sometimes, but not often — a bench 

 perchance, but very seldom — and very frequently nothing 

 to eat but what you bring with you, and nothing to drink 

 but bad water — with a convenient answer to every ob- 

 servation or question, 64 Quien sabe ?" and to every civil 

 requisition, 44 No hai ; ?iada, signor P 9 



I say nothing of our array and mode of equipment, as 

 they were precisely the same as on our upward journey 

 from the coast, with the exception, as you will remark, 

 of a diminished train of baggage and baggage mules. 

 Our present arriero reminded us of Espindola, by his 

 dogged honesty and general desire to oblige ; though in 

 other respects very inferior to him. Garcia was not a 



