Page:Pictures of life in Mexico Vol 1.djvu/32

8 are very striking; the hills begin to rise above the tropical foliage, until the Snowy Mountains shew themselves on the horizon.

The traveller at first proceeds beside interminable looking forests of dark trees, interspersed with magnificent flowers and shrubs of gorgeous colours. A region of apparent volcanic formation—steep, barren, and irregular—is then presented; followed by districts set apart for the growth of the maguey plant, or agave, and chilé pepper. He is soon jogged and bruised in toiling up rough and broken paths by the mountain sides, where he seems, for a time, cut off entirely from the external world. Then he perceives other outspread forests of a fairer bloom than the former, the trees greener, the shrubs more fragrant, and the whole prospect more refreshing to the sight.

Descending a rocky elevation, where a dense blue mist is always floating, the effect of the sun's rays beneath is very beautiful: the line dividing the sunshine and the clouds may be clearly distinguished. On one point of the rocks, looking back as far upon the horizon as the eye can reach, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico sparkle in the brilliant light. And as Xalapa itself comes within sight, the parched