Page:Mexico in 1827 Vol 1.djvu/567

Rh morning, and to endeavour to reach Linares, a considerable town, about four leagues off. Accordingly, on the 5th, we were on our road by daybreak, proceeded slowly, and succeeded in reaching Linares with six carriages, twelve of our train remaining behind in different parts of the road, fourteen of our bullocks having died of fatigue, or want of water and food. The road from Santiago to Linares is pretty good, but intersected by rivulets, which every now and then interrupted our progress. We had not seen a single habitation or human being since leaving the former place. The cart we had dispatched for provisions and water, arrived on the 6th, also in distress; the three barrels which they had filled with water were given to the bullocks the first two or three days after starting from the watering-place. We stopped three days on the south side of Linares, waiting for some new bullocks to come up, which arrived on the 9th; and on the 10th we drove into the town, which is about the size of Aguayo, containing nearly six thousand inhabitants, and situated on an elevated plain, between two rivers, the one on the north side being the largest. There are some well-built houses there, and the country around for some distance is cultivated. On the 11th we left Linares, and crossed the river on the north side, at a small village (Camacho).

The wheels and bodies of our carriages requiring a general repair, we resolved to stop at Camacho for the purpose. It took us seven days to set every thing to rights. On the 18th we again started, and having proceeded two leagues, were stopped by a bad piece of road, which was impassable, unless provisionally repaired. We commenced operations early, and in the evening of the following day completed the road, yoked the oxen to the carriages, and drove on about a league, where the road again required some repairs. We started, however, on the following morning, and drove two leagues, when, on descending a hill, we broke one of the carriages, which accident detained us the remainder of the day. We reached Buenavista next day, and stopped two days there, to repair some wheels. On the 24th we proceeded on our journey, and having gone a league, were stopped by a rivulet, over which it was necessary to throw a bridge, which we effected during the night, and the