Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20

fully up to mine. A brief examination
showed that he had sprained his left ankle
and was unable to stand. Here was pretty
fix: On the summit of Popocatepetl with a
storm coming on and my guide unable to
move. 1t would have been useless for me
to have attempted descent even had been
cowardly enough to desert the inj jured man.
] should have lost my way and perished in
some deep ravine. There was but one course
open to us. We must stick it out where we
were. With some of the cotton swathings
on my feet I tightly bound the guides ankle
and com posed him to rest and shelter from the
wind that grew fercer every moment. Un-
able to discover any source of rescue or re-
lief set about to spend the night where we
were, making the guide as comfortable as
possible on his cold bed.
Meanwhile the storm had grown in inten-
sity. The lightning flashes were more fire.
quent and more brilliant; the peals of thun-
der were deafening: black masses of clouds
rolled up faster and faster from the south
until even we were enveloped in their upper
film; the sun was hidden from sight and the
air grew quite dark; the wind shrieked and
whistled about our little nook of refuge as
though bent on sweeping us away. Then
little fakes of snow whirled rapidly by and
were succeeded by larger and larger ones
that came faster and faster until we were in
the midst of binding snow storm.
A COVERING OF SNOW.
After a time, however, 1 became accus-
toned to the condition of things, and heed
ing the advice of my guide I sat down near
him and allowed the falling snS,w to make
covering over us, which served to keep out
some of the cold. The feeling of utter desc
lation and loneliness that took possession of
me as night closed in, it will be impossible
- hon of
short duration, but was succeeded by the
most intense stiffness. Exhausted as 1 was
after the exertions of the day, L did not
close my eyes once, but all through TINT
long, cold night 1 anxiously awaited the
coming morn. My guide, however, slept
long and peacefully and only when the first
faint streaks of dawn showed themselves in
the east did he stir restlessly and ask ior a
cordial.
When it became light enough for me to
move about in safety once more sought the
edge of the crater and looked toward the
east. Like a great ball of dazzling gold
the sun was slowly rising above the horizon.
As it lighted up the earth I turned to be-
hold the scene spread out below ME. What
l saw was worth score of times the suffer-
ing had endured during the preceding
night. Not a single. cloud obscured my
view. The blue heaven hung over US like a
great canopy. Right under US were the red
roofs of Amecameca, and in its narrow
streets moved human figures that looked
like dwarfs. A little beyond the two white
towers of the chapels on the sacred mount
sent forth summons to prayers that we
could not hear. Still farther beyond lay
little villages waking into life. A freight
tram making its way through the valleys
looked like a great serpent. Yet farther
away Lake Texcoco shone like polished
mirror of silver, ana beyond that. 40 miles
away, the City of Mexico was spread out
distinguished only by the extent of ground
it covered.
THE MORNING SCENE.
Looking in another direction we saw X
taccihuatl, Popocatepetl's younger brother,
rearing its giant head almost to level with
us, together with the other cloud-piercing
peaks that look down upon Mexico's capi-
tai. Little towns made specks of white upon
the green mat which lay below. We could
almost imagine that away off to the east and
the west we could see the waters of the Gulf
and the Pacific tapping sandc' shores; but,
alas, the shortcomings of human eyes al
lowed us only to imagine.
1 must have stood for an hour in wrapt
contemplation of this scene before 1 was
suddenly brought to sense of my sur
roundings by touch upon the shoulder and
the voice of my guide, saying: "We can 60
down now, senior"
He had hobbled to my side, prepared to
make the descent. At first 1 was unwilling
that he should try, thinking that our mozo,
alarmed at our absence, would notify the
villagers. An empty lunch basket and vio-
lent chills that passed through my body
finally convinced me that we had better try
to descend, and we were soon picking our
way down the snowy mountain side. In
three hours we were again at the snow line,
where We found our horses wandering impa-
tiently about and our mozo sound asleep un-
der clump of brown bushes. Three more
hours later we were riding into Amecameca.
GEORGE 7. HARGREAvES.