The agente rode with us in the morning quite a league upon our road, to a place which he was clearing for a milpa.  We had heard so much of the horrors of the road to El Salto, that we were prepared for the worst.  It was not an abrupt descent, as we had expected, but for the most part level, over black mud.  There were a few ups and downs, and there was one limestone hill with tree-ferns and begonias, and all that that implies.  Much of the way we had a drizzling rain, and everywhere the air was hot and heavy.  After four hours’ riding, we stopped at ten to eat a breakfast which we had brought with us, and then rode through to El Salto, where we arrived at 12:30.  This is the cabecera of the district, and the jefe could not understand why we should continue on our journey, as the steamer would not leave until the following day.  Don Enrique, however, had urged us not to stop at El Salto, where he insisted the risk from yellow fever was great.  He advised us to go on to La Cruzada, where he had a house and an agent, and where, he told us, we could arrange for sleeping and eating as comfortably, and far more safely, than in the town.  The distance was short, but the place, in truth, was dreary.  The landing was at the bottom of a little slope, at the upper edge of which stood Don Enrique’s place, the store-house of the steamship company, the house and barnyard of the manager of the mule trains, and one or two unattractive huts.  When we arrived, we found that the mayor domo had that day resigned, and left the place, going to El Salto; before he left, he quarreled with the cook, and she had gone off in high dudgeon.  Two young employes, left behind, advised us to return to El Salto until the time of embarkation.  We, however, had left El Salto behind us, and had our luggage with us, and were little inclined to retrace our steps.  After some grumbling, we were supplied with beds, but told that the food problem was impossible.  After much wheedling, coaxing, bribing, and threatening, a woman in one of the huts promised to cook something for us, and we had nothing more to do but wait, until the steamer should be ready.  The chief excitement of the day was when the mule trains were driven in, towards evening.  With them came a swarm of mosquitoes, which absolutely darkened the air.  Fortunately they did not stay, but after an hour and a half of troubling, disappeared as suddenly as they arrived.  The river had fallen to that degree that it was impossible for our steamer, the Mariscal, to come up to La Cruzada, and we learned that it was anchored about a league down the river.  A flatboat, poled by indians, came up to the landing, ready to receive cargo and passengers, and to transfer them to the steamer.  In the morning, the loading of the flatboat and the getting ready for departure, took all our thought.  At ten o’clock Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth, with their baby and two servants, appeared in small canoes, which had been poled by