within easy range of military rule. Thus it was that the backbone of revolutionary spirit was broken.
At Encarnacion we cross the longest bridge on the road, a marvel of engineering skill. On our right we catch glimpses of the beautiful little city nestled among the trees whose soft green foliage is bathed in the simultaneous light of falling rain and dazzling sunshine.
At the various stations we partake of all sorts of Mexican dishes from the hands of unwashed and half-nude venders, but the interchange of familiar, idiomatic expressions, and their evident delight at hearing them from the stranger, equalize many differences.
Great plantations of cacti are laden with their thorny fruits, and as these industrious people rapidly peel them, the passengers enjoy their delicious flavor.
Tempting strawberries in pretty baskets are purchased, but, sad to relate, they prove to be mostly cabbage leaves, with which the basket is lined until there is only room for a few dozen berries.
I omitted to mention the Mapirmi desert, through which we pass, some four hundred miles from Chihuahua. It was then covered with grass, several inches in height, and herds of sleek cattle browsed about; but I was told that after the rainy season the cattle withdrew to better watered localities, and the birds, also, flew away, but the grass still stood dry and motionless on the desolate plain.
Lagos, a city of perhaps forty thousand inhabitants, is the seat of extensive manufactures, and especially important as the central station, whence branch lines will extend to the famous mining cities of San Luis Potosi on the east and Guadalajara on the west.
The largest manufacturing city in the republic is Leon. Its population is one hundred thousand, and the principal manufactures are cottons and woolens, hats, boots and shoes, and cutlery.
Silao is beautifully situated in a fertile valley. It has extensive mills, and is the junction of the branch line to Guanajuato, that famous city nestling in the mountains full of patriotic and historic associations. The branch extends from Silao to Marfil, about twelve miles; and three miles further, up a steep and rugged mountain, the
