rez was equally strong in his mountain fastnesses, in the
affections of the _Pintos_, or "Spotted People," and, above all,
in the poverty of his country. Santa Anna took the initiative by
sending 2000 men to garrison Acapulco, and Alvarez committed the first
open hostility, by closing the passes against them. Then the campaign
began. Santa Anna traveled at the head of his grand army. During his
unobstructed march to Acapulco there occurred a great many victories,
for victories are indigenous products of Mexico. The siege of the
castle of San Diego de Acapulco was the first of the long list of
unsuccessful sieges that distinguished the year 1854. The besiegers
dared not risk an assault, and they had not sufficient material for
conducting a regular siege. For some weeks the opposing forces remained
looking at each other, while almost the only blood spilled was by the
clouds of musquitoes that hovered over the camp of the grand army, and
by the swarms of fleas that infested the castle. It might well be
called a bloody war, for few escaped without bearing the scars of
wounds and bloodletting.

While the besieging army was itself thus almost devoured, and had
devoured all the eatables of the Pintos, symptoms of rebellion showed
themselves at Mexico, to suppress which required the presence of Santa
Anna. The generals of his army thought that they also might render more
important services to the country in the streets of Mexico than in this
inglorious war with bloody insects! A retreat was therefore sounded,
and the country of the Pintos was evacuated. Thereupon rushed forth the
little garrison from the clutches of the devouring insects, and issued
a heroic proclamation, which was enough to frighten a whole army.

It is time to commence my itinerary across the mountains northward to
the city of Mexico. My journey was by the same mule-path that Oriental
merchants have climbed for centuries, as is shown by the vestiges of
that strange race of which Humboldt speaks--an inter-mixture of
Manillamen and Chinamen with the native race.

My traveling companion, who had a pistol, left me and went back at the
first _venta_, or station-house, four leagues from Acapulco. At
Lemones, the second station-house, four leagues farther, I passed the
night sleeping upon a table on the veranda. This is the common
lodging-place for solitary travelers in Mexico. Here I formed my first
acquaintance with the _venta_ pig, who considers himself the pec