THE PINAL. 



209 



space of half an hour, the carbine or the cuchillo should 

 settle matters. After some patience and cautious peep- 

 ing, they would gather themselves up, shake their ears, 

 clamber into the diligence, and proceed thankfully on 

 their journey. But as to ourselves, we have no adven- 

 tures to relate. 



During the whole of our morning's ride, the beautiful 

 mountain, La Malinche, lay on our left hand. It is the 

 highest summit between the chain of Orizava and that 

 of the Mexican Nevadas. I have, upon what authority 

 I cannot now recollect, elsewhere termed it the volcano 

 of Tlascala, but though its form would favour the con- 

 clusion, 1 am not prepared to prove that it is such. We 

 made our noonday halt at a village a little beyond the 

 Pinal, after a ride of ten leagues, many of which lay 

 through deep sand. 



And here I took the liberty of prying a little into the 

 character of our doughty escort. It consisted of four 

 privates and a corporal ; and five more inoffensive war- 

 riors never mounted on horseback. Their horses were 

 none of the best, but quite good enough for the purpose. 

 The riders were dressed in a species of uniform, consist- 

 ing of red coats and a black round hat, with a narrow 

 strip of white linen tied round it. Their nether gar- 

 ments were not conformable ; and it was evident their 

 pay and discipline did not extend so far down. " But it 

 is not the dress, after all, that makes the soldier," you 

 may say : true, there are the arms and the valour ! 

 As to the arms, all were furnished with a long lance, 

 with a little green and red penoncelle fluttering at the 

 end, which they carried in proper military fashion — a 

 dangerous weapon if used with determination and dis- 

 cretion. Moreover, all were furnished with carbines 

 and cartridge boxes, and the leader was armed with a 

 sabre with a leather sheath. This was not so much 

 amiss, and would do very well at a distance : but during 

 the two hours' halt at the village aforesaid, I took it into 

 my head, while the owners were enjoying their siesta 

 under the shade of the gateway, just to stride in among 

 them, and take a nearer inspection of the weapons, and 



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