THE BATTLE UPON THE CAUSEWAY.
"Cortez had again been 'reinforced' by the Governor of Cuba; the latter had sent two ships to the aid of Narvaez, of whose fate he was ignorant, and when these ships arrived at Vera Cruz they were seized, and the men of the expedition were easily induced to join Cortez.
"Approach by land being so well guarded, Cortez decided to attack the city by water. Timber for thirteen brigantines was prepared on the other side of the mountains, and carried on the shoulders of 8000 Tlascalans to the bank of a small stream flowing into one of the lakes. There the boats were put together, and though the Mexicans made many attacks, they were always defeated.
"Each boat carried a piece of artillery and twenty-five Spaniards, and the fleet was sufficient to wipe the war-canoes of the Mexicans out of existence. When all was ready the fleet moved to the attack, and at the same time the land forces proceeded against the city along three of the causeways.
THE CAPTURE OF GUATEMOZIN.
"Altogether the siege of the city lasted seventy-seven days; it ended on the 13th of August, 1521, and that day may be taken as the commencement of the reign of the Spaniards in Mexico. Guatemozin attempted to escape in a boat, but was captured and treated as a prisoner of distinction. The Mexicans again endeavored to drive out their invaders, but were unsuccessful, and Guatemozin was put to death under circumstances of great cruelty. He was burned on a bed of coals by order of Cortez, along with several of his nobles and leading men.
"And this ends our story of the conquest of Mexico," said Fred. "Those who think it dry reading are at liberty to skip, but if they have read thus far there will be no need of doing so."
"What became of Cortez after the Conquest?" Doctor Bronson asked.
"He was rewarded by the King with the appointment of Governor and Captain-general of Mexico, and a marquisate with a large revenue. But his success aroused jealousy, as it generally does, and while he was busy with the conquest of the outlying provinces of Mexico his property was seized, and his retainers were imprisoned. He returned to Spain in consequence of this, was received with distinction, and returned to Mexico for new enterprises, but he found himself under the orders of a viceroy, who had been sent to rule over him.
"He went back to Spain once more, where, with great difficulty, he obtained an audience with the King, and was very coldly received. He soon dropped out of sight, and the closing years of his life were passed in utter obscurity in Seville."
"Very much like the closing years of the life of Columbus," Frank remarked.
PONCE DE LEON.
"Yes," added the Doctor, "and you may continue the parallel further among American discoverers and conquerors. Americus Vespucius, or Amerigo Vespucci, died in poverty; Balboa and Sir Walter Raleigh were beheaded; Pizarro was assassinated; Magellan was killed in battle; and De Soto never lived to know the value of his discovery of the Mississippi. Hendrick Hudson was forced into an open boat at sea by a band of mutineers, and never heard of afterwards; and Captain John Smith died in retirement after having passed some time in a French prison. Ponce de Leon, who went to Florida to find the fabled fountain of youth, was mortally wounded in a fight with the natives of that country, and his followers were forced into a disastrous retreat."
Absorbed with the train of thought aroused by Doctor Bronson's remark, the youths silently accompanied that gentleman on the return trip to the city. Frank concluded that he would never lead an expedition for the discovery of a new world, and Fred decided that he did not care to make a name in history by the conquest of a country that had done him no harm.
THE CHURCH OF GUADALUPE.
In the afternoon they went to the hill which is notable for the church bearing the name of "Our Lady of Guadalupe." It is about three miles from the city, and in a direction opposite to that of Chapultepec. The present road is comparatively modern, the old one having been given up to the line of railway from the capital to Vera Cruz. The new road and the old one are parallel; the former has fourteen shrines along the way-side, where pilgrims to the church used to pause to say their prayers, butthe new one is not so well provided. The tram-cars run at a rapid rate, the mules often dashing into a gallop, but coming suddenly to a halt when the conductor blows his horn.
The youths inquired as to the origin of the church, which is the most famous of all the places of worship in the country, and the object of many a pilgrimage every year. The result of their inquiries was the following story:
"The Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe stands on the spot where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a poor shepherd, an Indian named Juan Diego, in 1531, ten years after the capture of the city of Tenochtitlan by Cortez. He lived in a mud hut near the base of the hill, and one day, his father being ill, he went to obtain medicine for him, and was stopped by the Virgin, who upbraided him for the slowness of the Mexicans in accepting the religion which the conquerors offered them. She announced that she was to be the patron saint of the Indians, and told him to go and tell the bishop what he had seen and heard.
"He went to the house of Zumarraga, who was then Bishop of Mexico, but was turned away unbelieved and almost unheard. The Virgin appeared to him again, and told him to gather some roses from the top of the rock and carry them in his blanket to the bishop. He did so, andwhen the blanket was opened the picture of Mary was found to be painted upon it, and surrounded by the imprint of the roses. The bishop was incredulous at first, but when he reflected that the Indian could not paint, and was too poor to employ an artist, he accepted the miracle, and it was soon after adopted by the nation.
"It was not easy to identify the spot, and so the Virgin appeared again and stamped her foot upon the ground. Immediately there burst forth a spring which is said to possess wonderful healing properties, and it has continued to flow ever since. A small chapel was immediately erected, and soon afterwards the foundations of the church were laid. Pope Clement VII. officially proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the patron saint of Mexico, and the adoration of the picture spread throughout the whole of America and also to Catholic Europe.
"At one time," said Frank, in his account of the visit, "the church of Guadalupe was one of the richest in Mexico, second only to the great cathedral; but the greater part of its treasure was taken by the Liberal Government, and coined into money, at the time of the confiscation of Church property. The golden frame of the picture of the Virgin was carried away, but afterwards returned. The altar railing, of solid silver, was not disturbed. Itsvalue must be very great, as it is massive, and the metal is said to be of the highest standard.
STATUETTE OF THE VIRGIN MARY.
"The original painting is kept in an iron frame above the high altar, and is shown only on rare occasions. By paying a fee to the sacristan we obtained a view of it. The material on which the painting appears is of a very coarse fabric, but the picture is distinct, and its colors seem to be admirably preserved. Copies of the picture are to be seen everywhere. Hardly a house in the country is without one of them, and they are for sale in all shapes and kinds to suit the most economical purse. Peddlers offer them to you on the streets, and no pious Mexican would be without at least one image of the patron saint of his country.
MAKING A PILGRIMAGE COMFORTABLY.
"Pilgrimage to this place is constantly going on, but the great and especial day of the year is the 12th of December, the anniversary of the miraculous appearance. On that day thousands of pilgrims are here from all parts of Mexico and Central America, and at the conclusion of the ceremonies there is an exhibition of fireworks in front of the church. After this display the natives perform themitate, one of their ancient dances, in one of the halls attached to the church. The high dignitaries of the church are present at the fireworks and also at the dance. According to what we learned of it, the mitate has a resemblance to some of the dances in the Hindoo temples of India. We are told that the priests facilitated the adoption of the Catholic religion by permitting the natives to retain some of their heathen customs, and the mitate is one of them.
"In the War for Independence the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe was borne on the banners of the insurgents, and their rallying cry was 'Guadalupe.' The priest Hidalgo, who originated the insurrection, was so identified with the shrine and its use during the war that his name was incorporated with it and given to the town which surrounds the church. After the independence of the country was secured it was decreed that December 12th should be kept as a national holiday, and consequently the date is political as well as religious. The treaty of peace between the United States and Mexico was signed here on February 2, 1848, and is consequently known in history as the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo."
This is the church to which the Emperor Maximilian walked with bare feet from the city, three miles away. He established a title and decoration of the Order of Guadalupe, and during his brief reign it was conferred upon distinguished and other persons who had rendered, or might render, services to the empire or its ruler.
The mention of the devotional act of Maximilian in walking barefooted to the church of Guadalupe reminded one of the youths of anaccount he had read not long before of the way in which many of the pilgrims to the shrine were accustomed to inflict self-torture in days gone by. They lashed themselves and one another with whips, gashed their flesh with knives, and in other ways personally injured themselves. Of late years the practice has fallen into disuse, but occasionally aPenitente, as he is called, may be seen punishing himself for some real or fancied sin.
THE PENITENTES WALKING ON CACTUS-LEAVES.
Doctor Bronson told the youths that in some parts of the country a favorite act of the Penitentes is to walk over cactus-leaves, or to crawl upon them on their bare knees. A cross is set up, in the yard of a church and the ground in front of it is strewn with the thorny cactus. On this dreadful pavement the Penitentes walk to the foot of the cross, and believethat when they have accomplished the journey they have expiated all the sins committed by them since the last ceremony of the same kind was held. The Doctor said the priests had tried to abolish this practice, which was established by the old Franciscan missionaries about 200 years ago, but it has so strong a hold upon the Indians that they refuse to give it up.
When the missionaries established the Order of Penitentes, their principal dogma was that no sin could be forgiven without confession andexpiation. The society increased in numbers, and at length became practically independent of the Church; it adopted several dogmas of its own, one of them being the converse of the original, and to the effect that no sin could be so great that it could not be washed away by expiation. This new dogma gave the priests much trouble, especially among the natives of New Mexico and the neighboring provinces of the republic.
SAN FRANCISCAN MISSION.
On the day following the visit to the church of Guadalupe Doctor Bronson was occupied with some business matters that rendered his movements somewhat uncertain. Frank and Fred thought it a good opportunity to make some statistical notes about Mexico which they had been for some time contemplating, but had postponed in consequence of there being no hurry about the matter. The figures were at hand whenever they chose to use them, and so they had no anxiety on the subject.
INDIAN OF NORTHERN MEXICO.
"First," said Fred, "we will see the extent of the country, learn how large the population is, and of what it is composed."
"Very well," was Frank's reply; "you may put down the figures and other memoranda as I read them off."
The youths settled down to their work, Fred at table with note-book and pencil, and Frank with an array of books before him. For an hour or two their heads were, as Dr. Holmes says, "ant-hills of units andtens," as we shall see from the following, which they have permitted us to copy:
"Mexico lies between the 15th and 33d parallels of latitude, and the 86th and 117th meridians of longitude. Its greatest length is only a trifle less than 2000 miles, and its greatest width 750 miles. At the Isthmus of Tehuantepec it narrows to 140 miles; and this is the place where Captain Eads proposed to make a railway for transporting ships from one ocean to the other. We'll have something to say about this proposition in another place.
"We cannot find that there has ever been an exact survey of the country or a careful census of the inhabitants. No two authorities agree concerning the area and population; but an average of the best of them shows that the country measures about 800,000 square miles, and has 10,500,000 inhabitants. It is divided into twenty-seven States, one Territory, and one federal district; the federal district includes the capital city, and may be regarded as the equivalent of the District of Columbia in the United States, though it is much larger in area.
A MESTIZO WOMAN.
"One-half the population consists of mestizos, or 'mixed people;' one-sixth are Europeans or their creole descendants; and one-third and more are of pure Indian blood. The following figures are from the last census:
Indians3,200,000Europeans and their descendants1,500,000Mestizos—mixed races5,800,000—————Total10,500,000
"Señor Garcia Cubas, a Mexican gentleman who has written a statistical work about Mexico, published at the office of the Minister of Public Works, says of the different races of people in the country: 'The difference of dress, customs, and language shows the heterogeneous character of the population.... The habits and customs of the people that make up the creole portion of the population are essentially European, and conform particularly to the fashions of the French, with some features borrowedfrom the Spanish. Their national language is Spanish; French is considerably used; and English, German, and Italian are receiving increased attention. The nearest descendants of the Spanish, and those less mixed up with the natives of Mexico, belong by their complexion to the white race. The natural inclination of the mixed races to the habits and customs of the whites and creoles, as well as their estrangement from those of the natives, is the reason that many of them figure in the most important associations of the country, by their learning and intelligence, including in this number the worthy members of the middle classes. From this powerful coalition the force of an energetic development naturally results, which is inimical to the Indian race. Many of the natives themselves contribute to this fatal consequence, as they have joined the body I have referred to, and founded new families with the habits and customs of the upper classes.'"
"President Juarez may be cited as an example of the pure Indian of Mexico," Fred remarked, "who leaves behind him the traditions and customs of his race, and adopts those of the enlightened classes."
"I presume so," replied Frank, "and every Indian who has adopted the dress and ways of the European, and identified himself with the nineteenth century habits of thought, is helping to assimilate the aboriginal race with the new one. In this way the population will in time become essentially European, but it will take hundreds of years to bring about such a state of things. Railways, commerce, education, and liberal ideas will accomplish it; and the Mexico of the twentieth century promises to be a great improvement upon that of the eighteenth. There is now no political distinction on account of race, and the social one cannot last much longer."
Having given utterance to this sage remark, Frank blushed at his audacity in hazarding a prophecy, and referred again to the books before him.
"Wouldn't it be well," said Fred, "to say something about the natives, and compare them with the Indians of the Western States and Territories of our own country?"
"It certainly would," responded Frank, "and so here goes:
INDIAN GIRL SPINNING COTTON.
"The Mexican Indian is not much unlike the American one in general appearance, as he is of a brown or olive color, and has little or no beard. His cheek-bones are high, and he has slender limbs and a broad chest. Owing to his having been so long accustomed to carrying burdens on his back, he is inclined to stoop, while the American Indian stands erect. The Mexican Indian is also liable to stoutness, while the American one is not.His dress is pretty much the same in all parts of the country, varied, of course, by the conditions of the climate. Short and wide trousers of coarse cotton cloth, a loose jacket of the same material, a serape or blanket forcool weather or at night, a straw hat, and a pair of sandals form his costume. The different tribes are distinguished by the colors of the clothing, but this distinction is slowly being effaced."
"Now a few words about the creoles," suggested Fred.
PEDDLER OF WOODEN TRAYS.
"But I have not done with the Indians yet," replied Frank, "as this is a good place to say something about their houses. We have mentioned them in another place, but I want to add that in the hot country the Indian dwelling is made of wood, thatched with palm or banana leaves, while in the uplands it is of adobe, with a flat roof covered with clay supported by beams and stamped or beaten hard. A fire is generally kept burning day and night, and near it are the cooking utensils, which cost altogether only a few dollars at most. The hut has no furniture except a few stools and some mats of cane or rushes, which serve as beds at night and seats by day. A whole family lives in a space which we should consider small for one person and altogether too restricted for two.
"When the Spaniards conquered the country they took possession of the lands and everything else; they allowed the Indians only sufficient space for their villages, and a plot of ground 3600 feet square for agricultural purposes, which all the inhabitants of a village were to cultivate in common. They still have this common garden, but the majority of themabandon their rights in it, and earn their living by hiring out with land-owners or miners. In former times a Spaniard spoke of himself asgente de razon, or man of intelligence, while he designated the Indian asgente sin razon, a man of no understanding. The Indians accepted this distinction, and often speak of themselves in this way. Of course this is not the case with the superior ones, who have adopted the European ways of living.
CHARCOAL VENDER.
"Now I come to the creoles," said Frank, "who are either Europeans or people of European parentage. They were formerly the ruling class of Mexico in every sense of the expression, but since the Revolution and the Laws of the Reform their position is changed, as they are compelled to recognize the equality of the educated Indian, which in olden times they absolutely refused to do. When Juarez, who, as already stated, was an Indian of pure blood, became President it was a great shock to the sensibilities of many of the old aristocrats, but they survived it because they were compelled to do so. The hostility has generally died out, but a good deal of it lingers and will remain for many generations."
OF THE OLD ARISTOCRACY.
"I am reminded," said Fred, "of a transaction which is attributed to the Pilgrim Fathers of New England when they landed at what is now Plymouth."
"What is that?"
"They are said to have held a meeting, and passed the following preamble and resolution:
"'Whereas, it has been decreed that the saints shall inherit the earth;
"'It is thereforeResolved, that we are the saints.'"
"The Spanish conquerors of Mexico evidently did not think it worthwhile to pass any resolutions or hold any meetings," answered Frank, with a laugh. "They went ahead and inherited the earth without bothering themselves about formalities. The Indians were considered to have no rights that the white men were required to respect, and were made to understand that it was owing to the great mercy and tenderness of the Spaniards that the natives were not slaughtered down to the last of the race. And there is little doubt that they would have been slaughtered had they not been needed for menial work and to make life easy for the newcomers.
A CREOLE RESIDENCE.
"As before stated, the creoles have the manners, customs, and dress of Spain to a large extent, though they follow the fashions of France in several particulars. The account of a Mexican courtship shows how the women are secluded, as in Spain. The men have the Spanish taste for gaming, bull-fights, and gallantry, and they have lost little of the polite forms for which Andalusia is famous. Where their means permit they are princely in their hospitality, and no grandee of Castile could stab his intimate friend with a stiletto more gracefully than can the Mexican creole in case of a misunderstanding. That the creole women are pretty and possessed of most fascinating manners is the testimony of all who have seen them.
"In regard to the mestizos," said Frank, "I will quote a few words from 'Mexico and the Mexicans,' and let you write them down."
Fred assented, whereupon Frank slowly read out the following:
"The noblest of the Aztecs fell in battle with the Spaniards. Their property fell into the hands of the victors, who at the same time became possessed of the families of those who had fallen. The rude warriors married the dusky daughters, who became their equals by baptism. It was not considered amésallianceto marry a noble Aztec girl. The sons of Montezuma, who were educated in Spain, received the title of count. The Indian aristocracy adopted Christianity, and became amalgamated with the new population.
GROUP OF MEXICAN HORSEMEN.
"The mestizo is thus the child of a white father and an Indian mother. He is a magnificent horseman; one might take him for an Arab as, lance in hand, he rushes past upon his light steed. In the warmer regions he wears, on Sundays, a carefully plaited white shirt, wide trousers of white or colored drilling, fastened round the hips by a gay girdle, brown leather gaiters, and broad felt hat, with silver cord or fur band around it. The mestizos include the great majority of therancheros, or farmers, and thearrieros, or mule-drivers; many of them are educated, and take a leading part in law, politics, and medicine, where they often attain high rank. They are excellent soldiers, especially on horseback, and it is this class of Mexicans that have given the Mexican cavalry its high reputation."
"How about the leperos?" queried Fred. "Don't they belong among the mestizos?"
"Yes," was the reply, "that is what the books I am looking at say of them. They come from the union of the worst of the two races, and are said to possess the vices of both with the good qualities of neither. They are the class from which the thieves and beggars of Mexico are recruited. One writer says, 'A lepero is a thief from infancy, and is able to steal as soon as he leaves his mother's arms.' The Chief of Police says that nine out of ten of the men and boys selling lottery tickets or newspapers on the streets are thieves and pickpockets, and their legitimate business is simply a cloak for the illegal one.
"Another authority says that on the line of the Mexican Railway from Vera Cruz to the capital nothing that two men can lift is left out-of-doors after dark. All car-couplings must be carried into the stations; and the rascals used to steal the spikes that held the rails to the ties until the company adopted the plan of riveting them to the rails after they were driven into place.
"Brantz Meyer tells about an Englishman who was walking along one of the principal streets of Mexico, when he suddenly felt his hat rising from his head. Helooked up and saw it sailing towards the window from which the thief had caught it by the dexterous use of a hook.
"Another story that he tells is about a Mexican who was stopped on the road by three others, who robbed him of his cloak. They told him to wait where he was and he would be able to make something by doing so; out of curiosity he waited, and in a little while an accomplice of the thieves came and handed him a pawn ticket. He accompanied the gift with a graceful bow, and explained that the cloak had been pawned for thirty dollars. 'We wanted the money and not the cloak,' the thief explained, 'and as the garment is worth at least a hundred dollars, you can redeem it and make seventy dollars by the transaction.'
"There was once a lepero who pretended to be converted by the preaching and teaching of a missionary, and the good man gave him employment as janitor of the church. One day an organ was delivered at the church, and the missionary appointed a time when it should be exhibited to his friends. The party assembled accordingly, and the missionarywas surprised to find that the janitor was absent. He was still more surprised when he found that the organ had followed the janitor's example and was missing. The janitor had carried it away during the night to a neighboring empeño, and pawned the instrument for whatever he could obtain on it."
A SOCIETY BELLE.
We may add to Frank's account of this gentry that the brigands were of the lepero class, though very often they had leaders of a higher rank in life. The Government has executed a good many of them in its efforts to break up the system of highway robbery, and altogether the natural instincts of the leperos have been greatly curbed in recent years. They are almost always armed with either knife or pistol, and make ready use of these weapons on frequent occasions. At nearly every festival or assemblage of any kind, fights among leperos form a part of the proceedings. It is not customary to interfere between the combatants, the bystanders forming a circle and looking calmly on until one of them falls.
A MEXICAN GRANDEE.
Fred laid aside his pencil and note-book, while Frank closed the volumes he had consulted. This done, the youths went out for a stroll, intending to submit the result of their labors to the Doctor when next they met him.
A SERMON IN THE CHURCH.
Their walk took them to the Church of San Domingo, which was once a magnificent building, but has suffered greatly in its proportions and decorations in recent years. It was the church of the Dominican order of priesthood, and had a large convent near it. The convent, or more properly monastery, has been destroyed, and the church has lost some of its parts by reason of the extension of streets which were needed for the business of the city.
CHURCH OF SAN DOMINGO.
Close to the church is the School of Medicine, which is partly supported by Government and partly by fees received from the students. The building was interesting to Frank and Fred because it was once the tribunal of the Inquisition, which was established in Mexico in 1571, and suppressed in 1813. Immediately after the suppression of the Inquisition the building was converted into a prison; afterwards it was the office of the Government lotteries, and then a barrack for soldiers. The Mexican Congress met here for a time; and in 1854 the building was adapted to its present use as a School of Medicine.
One day the youths accompanied Doctor Bronson in a visit to the school, and while he was busy with medical matters they accompanied their guide in looking up the few traces that remain of the Inquisition. Some of the cells where prisoners were confined were shown to them, and also the room where they were tried. After their return from the inspection the youths tried to obtain a full history of the Inquisition, but were unsuccessful. Doctor Bronson told them that no satisfactory and impartial history of it had ever been written, all the works that have appeared on the subject being either very hostile or very friendly.
"Briefly we may say," added the Doctor, "that the Inquisition was formally established in the thirteenth century, and came to an end in the first part of the nineteenth; but trials and punishment for heresy had taken place as early as the fourth century. The Inquisition was more powerful in Spain than in any other country of Europe; and it never had any hold of consequence outside of Spain, Italy, and France, and the colonies of Spain. One historian (Llorente) says that during the whole period of the Spanish Inquisition—from 1483 to 1808—31,912 persons were burned alive, 17,659 were burned in effigy, and 291,456 were subjected to rigorous pains and penalties. The accuracy of his statements is doubted, Prescott considering them greatly exaggerated and his figures most improbable; and other writers share Prescott's opinion.
"The decree by which the Inquisition was established in Mexico especially exempted the Indians from its operations, and thereby secured its popularity among them, as the public burning of Spanish and other heretics afforded much amusement to the natives, and was a sort of substitute for the human sacrifices of the Aztecs, which the Conquest had abolished. The Mexican Inquisition was under the special charge of the Dominican order, the same as in Spain, and hence was associated with the Church of San Domingo.
"There is," continued the Doctor, "a popular misapprehension concerning theauto-da-fé, or profession of faith. It is generally believed to be the burning of the condemned, whereas theauto-da-féwas simply thepublic ceremony that followed the secret trial by the Inquisition. The members of the tribunal, and all others assembled with them, made a publicauto-da-fé, or profession of their faith in Christianity and the doctrines of the Church. After this was done the list of the condemned was read, together with the punishments accorded to them, and then the victims were handed over to the civil authorities for punishment. The trial and sentence were the work of the Church, but the punishment was that of the civil power only.
"The firstauto-da-féin Mexico was in 1574, when 'twenty-one pestilent Lutherans' were burned, and from that time on the public burnings were frequent. How many people perished in these affairs is not known; but it must not be understood that all the victims who suffered were burned alive. In most instances, even where the body of the condemned man was burned, he was killed by strangling; thus in one case where fifteen persons perished, fourteen were first strangled, and only one was burned alive. The penalty of death by burning was visited only upon heretics and sorcerers.
"And here," added the Doctor, "is a photograph of four victims of the Inquisition, whose skeletons were found in the wall of the building which was the seat of the tribunal in Mexico. They are supposed to have been built into the wall at the time of its construction, but nothing is actually known concerning them.
TORTURE CHAMBER.
"The trials of accused persons were always held in secret; the unfortunates were not permitted to see their accusers, or even know their names. The punishments were death by fire or on the scaffold, imprisonment for life or shorter terms, with or without hard labor, forfeiture of property, civil infamy, and in mild cases public retraction and penance. Accused persons might be tortured to make them confess their guilt, and an accomplice might be a witness against an accused individual."
"What a horrible system!" exclaimed Frank.
"Yes," replied the Doctor, "but you must remember that it was very nearly the same form of procedure as that of the civil tribunals of thesame countries and times, and not unlike what is known in some parts of the world at the present day. And, furthermore, remember that while the Inquisitors of Spain and Mexico were doing the deeds which have been proven against them, persecution was by no means unknown in England and America. Perhaps at the very hour when a victim of the Inquisition was being put to death in Mexico, the Christian people of Salem, Massachusetts, were hanging somebody accused of being a witch, or the English Puritans, under Cromwell, were putting Charles I. to death!"
PRISONERS OF THE INQUISITION.
A RESIDENCE IN THE FOOT-HILLS.
It was the most natural thing in the world that the daily view of the snow-covered mountains, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, roused in the youths a desire to ascend to the top of the former. Doctor Bronson was not ambitious to undertake the expedition, but he encouraged the youths in their desire, and arranged to accompany them as far as the foot of the cone, where the saddle-horses are left. Frank was appointed the historianof the affair, and performed his work in a manner that secured the hearty commendation of the Doctor. Our readers may judge for themselves of the young man's literary abilities; we have not changed a line or a word of his account, which was as follows:
"Popocatepetl means 'The Mountain that Smokes,' and Iztaccihuatl isLa Mujer Blanca, or 'The White Woman.' The name of the great volcanois generally shortened to 'Popo' or 'Old Popo,' and for the sake of saving time and space I shall follow the fashion occasionally, and not give the name in full.
THE VALLEY OF AMECAMECA.
"The name of 'The White Woman' comes from the resemblance of the top of the ridge to the body of a woman lying upon a bier and covered with a shroud. The face is quite perfect, but the rest of the figure requires considerable aid from the imagination. Old Popo is not altogether a smoking mountain, as there are times when no smoke comes from it, though it constantly throws out fumes of sulphur; in one sense it may be called an active volcano, while in another it should not be so designated. According to the historians, it was quite lively during the first years of the Conquest, but for a very long time it has been peaceful enough, and only at rare intervals shows any signs of a return to business activity.
IZTACCIHUATL, THE WHITE WOMAN.
"Geographically it is forty-five miles from the city of Mexico in a south-southeasterly direction; it is in latitude 19° north and longitude 98° 30' west, and according to the measurements of Humboldt and others, it is 17,540 feet high. The latest Mexican atlas makes it 17,884 feet; General Ochoa, the owner of the crater, says it is 19,673 feet, and still another measurement gives the height of the summit at 21,373 feet. You may take your choice of these figures.
"Popocatepetl was first ascended in 1522 by Francisco Montano, who was lowered 450 feet into one of the craters by means of ropes. He did not succeed in reaching the summit, nor did several other explorers who made the attempt during the time of Cortez.
"It used to be a much more tedious journey to the summit of Popo, as it was necessary to go on horseback about sixty miles from the city of Mexico, and the expedition required a large outlay for horses, guides, and escort, and consumed from ten to fifteen days. Now the railway is a great help in the matter, and we utilized it to the utmost. Before the railway was opened, the journey to Amecameca was made by diligence.
"Two American gentlemen, Colonel Watson and Mr. Arms, both of New York, were stopping at the hotel with us, and on learning that we wished to visit Popocatepetl, they invited us to join them. Of course we accepted at once, and Colonel Watson offered to make all the arrangements about horses and guides. His first step was to obtain a letter of introduction from General Ochoa, who owns the crater of the volcano and carries on an extensive business of mining for sulphur; the letter was addressed to his agent and major-domo at Amecameca, Don Domingo Zela, and asked him to facilitate the movements of the party in any way in his power, and allow us to sleep in hisranchoat Tlamacas.
"Colonel Watson went to Amecameca one morning accompanied by Fred, who was to act as interpreter, as the colonel was a little rusty in his Spanish. Doctor Bronson, Mr. Arms, and I followed the next day, and the colonel had everything ready for us on our arrival. We went by the Morelos Railway, starting from the station of San Lazero at7.30 in the morning, and reaching Amecameca in about two hours. The distance is fifty-eight kilometres, or thirty-six miles.
"The town is of goodly size, and has a prosperous appearance. It was once the resort of robbers, who occasionally dashed out upon the roads in the direction of the city, and after plundering everybody who came in their way they retired as speedily as they came. The people of the town screened them whenever they were pursued by the military, and some very vigorous action was necessary before the business was broken up. Most of the three thousand inhabitants are Indians, and since the advent of the railway and the consequent increase in the number of visitors they show a laudable ambition to make the most that they can out of the strangers who come within their reach.
"Through the aid of Don Domingo Zela, Colonel Watson had secured a sufficient number of horses and mules to give everybody a good mount, and also for the transportation of the baggage. He had engaged somevolcaneros, or mountaineers, men whose ordinary occupation is the transportation of sulphur from the mines in the crater; they know every inch of the way, and are accustomed to all the peculiarities of the mountain. Nobody should attempt to ascend Popocatepetl without a sufficient number of volcaneros; one to each traveller is none too many.
"Then there were several peons, or general servants, and there were arrieros to look after the animals and see that none of them were lost. Altogether we made quite a cavalcade, and must have presented an imposing appearance to the crowd that assembled to see us off.
"It did not take long to pack our baggage on the mules; we did not have a large quantity, and, moreover, it was in bags or bundles suitable for the pack-saddle. It included heavy blankets for keeping us warm at Tlamacas—where we were to spend two nights close to the snow-line—heavy overcoats, canned meats and other provisions, and our travelling-bags containing the little odds and ends that one wishes for his own use. We were told that we could get most of the things we needed at Amecameca, but it might happen that the usual supply-shop would be 'out' just then, and we had better make sure by procuring in the city the things that we wanted. Then we had goggles to protect our eyes from the glare of the sun on the snow, thick mittens and mufflers to keep out the cold from hands and faces, and heavy woollen stockings to put over our boots to prevent slipping on the ice.
"The boots that we wore were not our ordinary ones, but heavy affairs specially made for the purpose, and having sharp nails in the soles to give us a good grip on the ice. We did not put them on untilreaching the snow-line, and when we came back we gave them to the volcaneros as souvenirs of our visit. If the fellows were sharp they probably sold the boots at a good price to the first party of tourists who happened along without this sort of an equipment.