forked, both leading to it, the one via the seacoast, and the other via Manga de Clavo, the seat of Santa Anna. By mistake, the old man took the right-hand road, which led by Santa Anna's house. He had gone but a few hundred yards before he stopped, and, after a thoughtful look, turned to us with that slow wave of the fore finger peculiar to that nation, and said that "it was not good for us to travel that road," and after shaking his jolly sides with a good hearty laugh, he wheeled to the left, and soon fell into the one leading by the seashore. This road we travelled about five miles, until we reached the mouth of the river, where we crept into the bushes and slept till daylight. The head robber, when we stopped for the night, informed us that he would go to Vera Cruz and arrange for our entry, and that we must remain under charge of the old man and his companion till his return.

At daylight we changed our lodging by crawling into a cluster of bushes upon the top of a conical sandhill, which commanded a view of the river, sea, and road. Here we lay all day, saw several vessels pass in and out from Vera Cruz, one of which, we afterward found, contained our friend Toowig, who had reached that place just as she [353] was in the act of sailing. Many persons passed the road at a short distance from us, but the moveable sands had obliterated our tracks, and we felt secure.

About noon our junior robber brought us something to eat, and a gourd of water. In the evening a sand storm came over us, which wellnigh buried all hands.

Our anxiety for the return of our guide now grew intense, as it was near night, and no news of him. About one hour before sunset we discovered two men riding at full gallop down the road from Vera Cruz. Watching them closely, we recognised both the horse and clothes of our guide. Not knowing our exact locality, as we had changed it after he had started for the city, he and his new companion rode upon a bald sandhill, and made a sign with a handkerchief. We answered it by tying one upon a stick, and running it up above the cluster of bushes where we lay, upon seeing which they came to us. A few words of explanation told them where the old man and his partner kept the horses. They soon brought them up, and we started for the city.

This new friend of ours, whom justice to himself forbids me to introduce to the reader in his proper person, had been for weeks looking for us to make our appearance about Vera Cruz. It must suffice when I say that this friend, Don E., was a warm-hearted, whole-souled man, and I regret to say that there are few such Mexicans in that whole nation. He had provided us safe quarters, and from him our [354] robber guides were to receive a certificate of our safe delivery before they would be paid the balance due their contract upon their return.

Upon leaving our hiding-place at the mouth of the Rio Antigua, in company with our three robber guides and Don E., we rode at a rapid gait, as it was