deservedly called the _Mal Pais_, and the occasional crosses with their
faded garlands, that gleam in these bleak, volcanic regions, give token
that it may have yet other titles to the name of "Evil Land." The roses and
carnations that I had brought from Jalapa were still unwithered, so that in
a few hours we had passed through the whole scale of vegetation.

The road became steep and dreary, and after passing _Cruz Blanca_,
excepting occasional cornfields and sombre pine-forests, the scene had no
objects of interest sufficient to enable us to keep our eyes open. The sun
was set--it grew dusk, and by the time we reached Perote, where we were to
pass the night, most of us had fallen into an uncomfortable sleep, very
cold and quite stupefied, and too sleepy to be hungry, in spite of finding
a large supper prepared for us.

The inn was dirty, very unlike that at Jalapa, the beds miserable, and we
were quite ready to get up by the light of an unhappy specimen of tallow
which the landlord brought to our doors at two in the morning.

There are some scenes which can never be effaced from our memory, and such
a one was that which took place this morning at Perote at two o'clock, the
moon and the stars shining bright and cold.

Being dressed, I went into the kitchen, where C---n, the officers of the
Jason, Don Miguel, and the Mexican captain of the last night's escort, were
assembled by the light of one melancholy sloping candle, together with a
suspicious-looking landlord, and a few sleepy Indian women with bare feet,
tangled hair, copper faces and reboses. They made us some chocolate with
goat's milk, horrid in general, and rancid in particular.

It appeared that all parties were at a standstill, for, by some mistake in