San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-10-30

ing and traders not a few, we
concluded "the stores of the fu-
ture" fed on something beside
hope.
Dinner over and a little siesta
i of forty winks, We were bright
and fresh for Chapultepec, the
home of rulers for 600 years.
Chapultepec certainly COM
mands 1.-The site of sights" rising
about 200 feet above the valley.
The palace shows to an advant-
age, the east end is the summer
residence of the president, while
the rest is given up to the militia
nv schoOl-the West Point of
Mexico.
Climbing up the hill, pausing
near a young soldiers bayOnet at
the entrance of the school, we
turn to retreat but pause again
to grasp a view of valley and
mountains beyond description
OF pen.
A walk through the extensive
grounds, a pause at the foot of
the hill before the monument
erected in memory of the cadets
who fell in defense of Chapulte-
pee, Sept. 18th, 1S47.
A few souvenirs gathered in
the way of leaves and flowers
night falls and another pleasant
and interesting day closes.
Last, but not least of days-tO
the La Viga canal, in the morn
ing and Guadalupe in the after
noon.
About 9 o'clock we walk to the
Y6cola and there wait patiently
for a car. 1t comes at last and
the driver calls "vamanOs a la
Viga."
Off the little mules trot,
! through streets, then byways and
highways.
The houses and streets are not
clean, we are far from aristOcrat-
ic haunts, but we get a varied
panorama of street scenes and a
fair conception of all peon types.
In about half an hour we reach
the canal; upon it are boats or ca
noes, propelled by Indians; some
waiting to take passengers to the
floating gardens; others to the
city with vegetables, flowers and
pottery.
We prefer to be spectators, so
keep our street car seats and are
carried several miles along the
banks of the street. We step off
at Santa Anita, a most uninvit-
ing looking village. We look
around and hesitate. Several
poems rush up and call in very
good English, FLOATING Gardens,
Floating Gardensw
We nod, eyes" and motion to
the cleanest man in the lot
there is not much choice in the
line of neatness.
He leads us in and out many
narrow streets to a huge garden
plot. The flowers are beautiful,
dahlia, geranium, lumbago, azalas
in growth young trees and laden
with blossoms until they bend
beneath the load.
We gather an arm full The ca
nal surrounds this island and
many islands of like dimensions
we find as we row in and out
amidst miles of verdure.
The gardens are here, but they
no longer float" In the Aztec
times RATS of reed, rushes anG
other fibrous material were wo
ven and upon this was deposit
4 ed the sediment from the bottom
of the lake.
The lake has receded som,
Z miles away and the gardens hav'
lost their prestige for unique
4 ness. Still the flowers, the rid,
q in the fat boats, the Indian guild
: with his poor English and hi
4 half religious, half romantic sen
) timents as he fixed a perfect re
: sary from a beautiful water lily
2 and stem, will repay. All thi
3 will encbain your fancy an,
make the hour a silent prayer t,
the all wise One, for the beautie
of nature freely lavished and TIT
gift of health to freely enjoy.
Since 500 pilgrims have travel