224, 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



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cial bulletin said of Carr era's victory, on reaching the 

 top of a mountain we saw the men climbing up a deep 

 ravine on the other side. We did not tell them our 

 agony, but had not gone far before the Indians told all ; 

 and they were not surprised or hurt. How we passed 

 them neither of us knew ; but another such a spasm 

 would have put a period to our journey of life ; and from 

 that time, however tedious, or whatever might be the 

 inducements, we resolved to keep by our luggage. At 

 dusk we reached the top of a high mountain, and by 

 one of those long, steep, and difficult descents of which 

 it is impossible to give the reader any idea, entered the 

 village of Agua Calientes. 



It was occupied entirely by Indians, who gathered 

 round us in the plaza, and by the light of pine sticks look- 

 ed at Carrera's passport. Not one of them could read 

 it, but k was enough to pronounce the name, and the 

 whole village was put in requisition to provide us with 

 something to eat. The alcalde distributed the money 

 we gave him, and one brought sixpence worth of eggs, 

 another of beans, another of tortillas, another of lard, an- 

 other of candles, and a dozen or more received sixpence 

 apiece for sacate ; not one of them would bring any- 

 thing until he had the money in hand. A fire was kin- 

 dled in the square, and in process of time we had sup- 

 per. Our usual supper of fried eggs, beans, tortillas, 

 and chocolate, any one of them enough to disturb di- 

 gestion in a state of repose, with the excitement and 

 vexation of our supposed loss, made me ill. The ca- 

 bildo was a wretched shed, full of fleas, with a coat of 

 dust an inch thick to soften the hard earthen floor. It 

 was too cold to sleep out of doors, and there were no pins 

 to hang hammocks on, for in this region hammocks 

 were not used at all. We made inquiries with the view 



