THE BA TOP TLA S DISTRICT. 331 
said to be unknown in any other mines. 
I was given a half dozen theories in re¬ 
gard to it, mostly of a chemical character, 
but the mere fact that such a strange con¬ 
dition exists to help man pry into nature’s 
secrets is more interesting than any ex¬ 
planation. 
From the garden of the hacienda, 
surrounded by banana and orange groves 
and all kinds of tropical plants and 
flowers, one can look up the steep sides 
of the mountains, which rise abruptly on 
both sides, to the oaks and pines beyond, 
and, while sitting on the veranda sipping 
ices or drinking cool and refreshing 
drinks, and vigorously using the fan, 
realize that only a mile above, on the 
cumbra or crest of the steep mountain, 
the ice water flows freely in the little 
mountain streams and the heaviest 
