198 MEXICO. 
degradation which fills its valleys with a slothful, -ignorant, and debased 
multitude. 
When we returned to the house, we found that some travellers who 
passed in the course of the day, had given an account of robbers on the 
road we are to travel to-morrow. About two weeks since, seven armed 
and mounted ruffians attacked two Frenchmen and their servants near 
the hacienda of Trenta. One of the Frenchmen was severely wounded, 
but the other, aided by the two mozos, succeeded in beating off the rob- 
bers, who left one of their number dead on the field, and his horse and 
trappings as spoils for the victor. 
CUAUTLA DE AMILPAS AND HACIENDA DE STA. INEZ. 
24</t September. We left the hospitable hacienda of San Nicolas at 
4 o'clock this morning, and passed through a great nuniber of Indian 
villages, and some haciendas of considerable extent, especially that of 
Trenta, which derives its name from the fact that it was originally pur- 
chased for the sum of thirty dollars. With its village, its church, (nearly 
a cathedral in size,) its immense sugar works and princely domain, I 
suppose it could not be acquired now for much less than half a million. 
After enjoying a fine view of the volcano of Popocatepetl at sunrise, 
and passing the village of Tlaltisappan, we struck into the mountain gorges 
which we had been for some time approaching. The ground gradually 
rose, the glens and defiles became more numerous, and among the v/ild 
and tangled forests of these solitary mountains we passed many ill look- 
ing wretches, armed and mounted, but always in too small a number to 
attack our party. There is no doubt they were robbers, as several had 
their faces partly disguised, while their weapons were cocked and resting 
in their hands as they passed us. We cocked ours, also, and thus moved 
on fairly quits with the vagabonds. 
On the sides of these mountains, there were continuous groves of that 
tall pillar-like species of the cactus, which is called " organos." 
The heat became insufferable toward noon, and I felt, for the first time, 
weary of our journey among the lonely hills and defiles.. Our impa- 
tience to reach Cuautla was increased by the accounts of the Indians 
we encountered on the road, who invariably added a league or half league 
to the distance as we advanced. At length, however, after passing through 
a very extensive corn-field, which I computed to contain at least five hun- 
dred acres, we reached the valley of Amilpas, and, in half an hour more, 
entei'ed an Indian village bowered in the foliage of bananas and palms, 
through the midst of which ran a cool and sparkling streamlet. Here 
