Mexico Missouri message., 1902-01-16
OLD MEXICO.
Mountain Scenery-OId Nom
asteries and Churches.
ANNE ID. HINDE.

we uuNc lluu Il liioSb utllpuJlul
Christmas week-some new pleas.
ure every day. Yesterday we got
up party of eight to go up on
the "Bufa," the highest mountain
peak nearby, Mr.. Furness, ST.,
Mrs. Rose, Mr.. and Mrs. Young,
"Uncle Sam" Mr.. Brown, Miss
- and myself. We started
right after noon lunch. 1t was a
terribly steep climb, but we made
it. Our party got separated-four
and four. | was with old Mr..
Furness, Mrs. Rose and Uncle
Sam 1t began to grow dark
and we lost the trail coming down,
and such a time as we did have!
We slipped and sided and grab
bed any kind of cactus bush or
thorn for support. Often we
would have to send "Uncle Sam"
on ahead to reconnoitre to see if
we could get down at all. Old
Mr.. Furness is very gallant and
insisted on helping me when |
knew he needed every bit of his
strength; and Aunt Winnie"
(Mrs. Rose) is a big fat lady and
weighs about 200 pounds. My
dress was torn just about off of
me, my shoes were completely
used up, my face and hands all
scratched, but then that didn't t
matter.
We got home about nine o'clock
and found crowd of mozos at the
front door with lanterns, just
starting out in search of us-very
soon the whole town would have
been aroused. One mozo had gone
on ahead and did stay out most of
the night. 1t is considered very
dangerous to be out on the noun
tain after dark, as there are so
many robbers. But we didn't feel
the least alarm on that account;
the only danger we saw was in
slipping and sliding down II crag.
We made it all o. X. and succeed
ed in creating a sensation. | was
so sore could hardly walk, but
we We're well paid for the trip.
The scene was one of the finest |
ever witnessed. We We're up there
and saw the sunset-cOuld see fOl
miles and miles away, and it was
perfectly grand-beat the Rigi, in
Switzerland.
We started out this morning
early for Il horseback ride, anC
were out until one. Uncle Sam
|
was my escort and Juan (my first
friend in Mexico) my mozo. We
certainly did have a picturesque
ride. There are several old de-
serted villages, old mining towns,
near here, and we visited these
1t was like going thru old Pom
peii-old ruined walls. Some OF
the buildings are immense. One
of them looks like old Kennil.
worth, covered all over with vines.
We climbed all around over these
and up to the tip top, where the
scenery was grand Then we Wis
tied two old churches away up IN
the mountains. We found an old
monk and he took us thru, even
up into the tower where old bells
hang that look hundreds of years
old. There were some grand old
paintings, and away back behind
the altar some ancient and elegant
robes, stored away III drawers
and some Spanish books brought
over at the cOnQuest(O.
Uncle Sam" is Il crank on an
tiquities, and wanted to buy ev'
erything he saw, but they would
not sell. They had some hand
some old candelabras. One OF
these churches was formerly 4
convent, and looked much like an
old convent that papa and | saw
in Rome. Some places we climb
ed horseback seemed almost per
pendicular. Juan followed faith
fully, carrying our extra coats
1t all seemed like stories you read
about.