Year: 1861

shooting. Won't you go along?"


No, thank you. I've no objection to be-
ing killed in legitimate way by the enemy,
and in my country's cause, if such is to be my
fate; but to be shot or ariatted by lot of
rascally Guerias,-and none of my friends
near to see and praise my daring-goe against
the grain. So l won't put myself in the way
of having such fate befall me- And if you
will take my advice you will quit going out to
those lagunas, or that will be your fate, sure "


Don't you believe it, my dear fellow. l
don't feel that my times come yet, and so 1
shall go out there as usual. Tonight you
shall mess with me, and I'll give you a roast
duck for supper"


We'll, see you are bent on going, so III
tell you something that you are not aware of.
There was party of rangers came in last
night from a scout on the city road, and they
report having seen a large body of guerillas
about ten miles out. So look out for them, as
some of them may be nearer than that. The
chaparral out there where you are going is a
good place for them to hide in aud pick off
any straggers like yourself"


" Bah, my dear fellow. I'm equal to as
many of the unwashed hounds as are likely to
venture as near the city as my hunting grounds
So, good morning.


Well, go along but look out for your
self, and with the warning my friend turned
and left me to go on my way rejoicing.


AT twenty, one will do what at thirty, he
would consider the greatest folly. AT the
time I'm writing of, had not reached my
twentieth year, and l vas anxious to let my
older friends know that did not fear anything.
But now it would be different 1t would take
greater inducement than the praise of few
good fellows, to get me to do what then did
on so small provocation. AS we grow older,
we become more careful of what becomes OF
daily less value-life. Not that we are less
brave, but years bring experience, and with
experience comes discretion. But TO my story.


About three miles from the city of Vera
Cruz, may be found some marshy land and tw o
or three small lagunas, where there are in the
season, large quantities of game. All round
the place there is a dense chaparral, and be-
yond, about three miles, is, or was at the time
large building with a smaller house near it.
They are built on sand hill and are visible
from the harbor.


From my earliest recol!ections have had a
passion for wandering over old deserted build
ings, and had been promising myself the treat
of ramble through the one in question. Ny
early reading about Mexico had given me
very romantic notions concerning that country,
consequently the building had excited my Gu
riosity.


l bought that the building could be nothing
less than some old castle of the times of the
conquest, and | was enjoying in anticipation
the pleasure | would have in wandering thro'
the ruin. So after l had killed as much game
as | wanted, and while the day was yet young,
l thought / would go and see the place. 1t
was hard work getting through the chaparral.
l arrived at the object of my curiosity to find
it like many other bright visions of the dis
tance, an illusion. l found that what l had
pictured to myself to be ruin, with its thous-
and strange hooks, and secret passages, to be
nothing but an old magazine with barracks
attached for the use of the guard.


After wandering through both buildings for
some time, and as the day was very warm, /
found cool place and lay down to rest. The
heat of the day, and the fatigue l had under
gone in getting there predisposed me to slum-
Der. thought that might sleep an hour or
so, and still have time to get back to the city
in season to have some of the game cooked,
and keep my promise to my chum, to give him
a game supper. AS had no fear of being
disturbed, was soon asleep and dreaming of
exploring on old ruined castle. Some one has
said that sleep is a species of madness. If it
is so. there is sometimes much method in the
madness. That the mind never sleeps l am
satisfied for, during life OF varied adventure,
with some very narrow escapes, have been
suddenly aroused from a sleep wherein my
dreams have been of a disagreeable type, to a
startling reality of danger-sometmes in time
to prepare myself to meet and overcome 1t, and
sometimes after excessive fatigue | have been
too tired to throw of the sleep that bound me
in time to save myself.


At the time of which am writing, nature
was too much exhausted to be aroused, though
felt that there was pressing danger surroun-
ding me- do not know how long had slept,
but probably two or three hours. As said
before, was dreaming of exploring an old
ruin. was wishing in my dream that had
the clairvoyants power, so that l could peDe-
trate the hidden mystery of the past And
then, as is usual, my dream took another form.
l thought that the place where lay was lair
for robbers and that they had returned from
an expedition and were about TO discover me.
| knew that unless could hide from them they
would put me to death but l seemed to be
paralysed, and had no power to move. AT
last, by powerful effort, l aroused myself
from my sleep to find myself surrounded by as
desperate looking set of fellows as l had ever
met with. There were some eight of them