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strolled about town and found a potter at work. He 
used both white and dark clay, and his wheel and kiln 
were similar to those in use with us. At two the mules 
had not arrived, and we declared the Jefe a liar. Frank 
must have called on him twenty times, besides the visits 
of ceremony we made together three times a day. After 
a while two alcaldes came to our room and begged us to 
go to the cabildo and inspect the mules they had captured 
for us. Another failure; for there was not one fit to 
carry our burden. Then they brought two to the hotel, 
— one a pack-mule that refused to be saddled; then a 
mozo came quite drunk, and wanted a dollar to carry our 
baggage to Quezaltenango. We told him to go to the 
didblo , and he went; and so the day wore away. 
On Sunday morning we went to the Plaza, captured a 
mozo without the intervention of the authorities, and 
started on foot for Quezaltenango. The weather was 
clear and cool, like a fine October day in New England; 
and there was white frost on the lowlands. At first we 
dropped rapidly down, and then came to a fine carriage- 
road, in some places a hundred feet wide. Except the 
steep descent at the city limits, and an equally steep 
ascent about half a league beyond, the road was level, 
and bordered with agaves, some now in bud. 
Just before we came to Salcaja we had a fine view of 
the plain where Alvarado fought so desperately, was 
wounded, and finally conquered the brave mountaineers. 
Though conquered then, they certainly need another 
Alvarado now. A pale mist covered the distant city, 
but above it towered the volcano Santa Maria, — a cone 
as regular as those of Solola. Northward we saw San 
Cristobal and San Francisco, — two pleasantly situated 
