Page:Mexico in 1827 Vol 1.djvu/559

Rh themselves a day or two of rest, they would drive one or two of the carriages into the wood, and break the wheels.

About a league from Chocolate, another of the carriages broke down, and obliged us to halt for the day. We repaired the damage in the evening, however, and were enabled to proceed early the next morning.

We had travelled two leagues, when the drivers of two of the carriages turned out of the road, and wilfully broke two of the wheels. I recommended Martinez to go on with the other carriages, and offered to remain behind myself to repair the two wheels which had been injured: he took my advice, and proceeded on the following morning. As soon as the party had left me, I set about my task, and worked hard all day in the sun, but was not able to complete the wheels. At dusk I saddled my horse and rode up to the carriages: about a mile on the road I found one of them with a wheel off, and had not proceeded much farther before I met with another quite broken down. I came up with the party about two miles distant from the place where I had been working. The next morning I returned to my operations, finished the wheels, and in the afternoon joined the main body with the two carriages that had been left behind. On the 24th, Martinez proceeded with twelve waggons,wagons [sic], and left me to refit the two which I found on the road. I completed them in time to join the party in the evening.

We pursued our route in this sort of way until the 28th, and, owing to a want of proper regulations, generally fared very badly; a few ounces of sun-dried beef, some frijoles, and three or four tortillas, constituting our usual allowance. As it had not rained during the preceding year, water was extremely scarce, always bad, and very offensive to the smell.

Arriving on the 28th at the Venta de los Esteros, it was determined that the whole party should rest a day or two.

I was employed, however, in making two small carts, thinking the drivers might be able to manage them better than the waggons. Esteros is situated on the borders of an extensive lake, the alligators in which are large and numerous; accidents are no doubt frequent: I only heard of one, however, which befelbefell [sic] a woman, who was washing by the side of the lake; an alligator, leaving the water, seized her by the legs, and carried