Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/223

Rh departure from Chapultepec. On alighting at La Canada, he demanded hospitality at the half-ruined priest's house in the little town. The night passed away sadly enough, spent in a cold room, and the next morning, about seven o'clock, the cortège moved in the direction of Orizaba. A thick fog spread over the narrow defiles of the Cumbres, and at a little distance obscured the valley below. During the whole journey Maximilian was distressed by fever; he left his carriage to descend on foot the zig-zag road leading down from the great mountain range which hangs over the Terres Chaudes. Wrapped in a long grey garment, and with a light-coloured, narrow-brimmed sombrero on his head, the emperor walked rapidly with his head bent down, followed by his faithful companion the German, Dr. Bash. Sometimes at a turn of the road he would stop to wait for his escort, and to cast a last look at a prospect which he thought he should never see again. About eleven o'clock the curé of Aculcingo, a miserable hamlet situated at the foot of the Cumbres, offered a slender repast to Maximilian. When they wished to start again, they found out that the eight white mules which drew the royal carriage were stolen; and they had to wait two long hours before they could find animals to replace them. The sun was already disappearing below the horizon ere they arrived at the lovely village of Ingenio, almost hidden in foliage. There, on the road, a numerous crowd of horsemen, pedestrians, and curés on horseback, followed by Indians and the inhabitants of Orizaba, were waiting to welcome the emperor with their acclamations, and to escort him to the city, which was still a mile and a quarter distant. When they came in sight of the towers of Orizaba, Colonel de Kodolich ordered the French cavalry to slacken their march, as his majesty desired