rock; the summits were jagged, and suggested that
the mass consisted of stratified rocks tilted up on
end. Just as we left town, two narrow and lofty
parallel rocks suggested a gate-way. Further
down, a mass was worn out into a sharp column, a little
separated from the rock mass behind. On the right,
was the precipice, ever abrupt, and sometimes the
almost vertical bank of a yawning chasm. After
an hour and a half over the fairly good road, we came
to a grand ascent. It was magnificent, though
difficult. In some spots the road was muddy,
and at others it was a series of rough stone steps;
at still others, it was the unmodified bed of a mountain
torrent. As we followed up this gorge, side-gorges
joined it, in which we glimpsed pretty cascades, pits
worn by little falls, trees, the trunks of which were
covered with thick sheets of green moss, quantities
of tree-ferns blighted by the late frost, cliffs,
and wild forms of rock, in wonderful variety.
At last I reached the summit and overtook Manuel,
whose horse was completely fagged, and who had been
forced to drop behind; for some time we saw the others
before us, but somewhere they took a different trail,
and we saw them no more. After a considerable
descent, we made our final but easy rise. From
here we were on a level road, which constantly improved
until near Mepetec, while beyond it, we came to a
true cart-road. From here a fine view presented
itself, over a forest of pine trees to the clean brown
plain so typical of Hidalgo, swept, as we soon found,
by the equally typical Hidalgo wind. We rode
rapidly from the herreria of the Trinidad to
Metepec, and then to Las Tortugas, where we arrived
at 11:40, having been five hours and a half upon the
road. To our surprise, Louis and Ramon were not
there. Having waited some time, as it was almost
the hour for the train, we ordered dinner for two,
but before we had begun to eat the others appeared.
They had taken a short road, which did not go by Metepec,
and travelled slowly that we might overtake them.
After a good meal, we waited for our man with the
pack animals. Meantime the train was preparing,
and we watched it, realizing that if we missed it,
we had a day of dust and scorching sun and heavy wind
before us. The train’s crew made all ready,
the cry of “Vamonos” was given,
and we settled down in desperation to await our tardy
man. An hour after the train left, he arrived,
received his fee less the two dollars, and started
homeward. Twenty-three hours later we took the
train, and our season’s work was done.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXI
IN THE HUAXTECA
(1901)