i at Arequipa, nearly 20,000 feet above the sea, but from its
base only 12,000 feet. Then imagine Orizaba peak at once soaring 16,000
feet above the city, not one of a chain or range, but proudly standing
alone in her radiant beauty. From Orizaba I went on to Cordova, where it
is the custom of the citizens of all ranks and ages to assemble in the
evenings in the plaza to engage in the game of keeno or lotto. Many
tables are laid out for the purpose. The prizes are small, but
apparently enough to amuse the people. Of course I joined in the game,
happened to be very successful, and as my winnings were turned over to
some small boys, beautiful little black-eyed rascals, my seat was soon
surrounded by a merry crowd and great was the fun. How beautiful and
captivating are these Spanish and even Mestizo children, the boys even
more so than their sisters. From this point I took train, over the
worst-built and coggliest railroad track I ever travelled on, to the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec, to see the famous Eads Route, over which he
proposed to transport bodily, without breaking cargo, ocean-going
sailing ships and steamers from the Gulf to the Pacific Ocean. Also to
visit the Tehuana tribe of Indians, whose women have the reputation of
being the finest-looking of native races in the Western world. They wear
a most extraordinary and unique combined headdress and shawl. In the
markets could certainly be seen wonderfully beautiful faces, quite
beautiful enough to justify the claim mentioned. At Rincon is the
starting-point of the projected and begun Pan-American railroad, which
will eventually reach to Buenos Ayres. At Salina Cruz, the Pacific end
of the isthmus, and I should think one of the windiest places on earth,
perhaps beating even Amarillo, I met a young American millionaire, a
charming man who had large interests in Guatemala. We sailed together
from Salina Cruz on a small coasting steamer bound for Panama. Except
only at Salina Cruz, where a terrific wind blows most of the year, the
weather was calm, but the heat very great. Not even bed-sheets were
provided, nor were they needed. Sailing by night we made some port and
stopping-place every day. The view of the coast is most interesting. You
are practically never out of sight of volcanoes, some of them of great
height and many of them active. One particularly, Santa Maria, attracted
our attention because of its erupting regularly at intervals of half an
hour; regularly as your