Year: 1873

1lAN Wo tHOh StbuD0f t0 the 6i0vaGeu Gfack

 of an unfinished railway, get upon plat form-car, and are pushed to the landing,

 where we find two stages waiting to con- vey the bewildered traveller to Brownsville.

 Our ag, eeabie and useful acquaintance, the Doctor, in whose hands we placed our selves, engages one of them which profess es to be the mail, for the three, and after the Doctor had carefully prepared himself with bottle of Cognac and another of water ito this day cannot imagine what he took that for), we were inducted into what was termed the stage, while the bag gage was placed in & four-horse baggage wagon. proceeded to examine the auis malls which were all barefoot and in very meagre condition; would perhaps average seven hundred pounds in weight. The invalid, according to his custom, finds his seat on the box, with black-haired Mexican boy, while the veteran, the Doc tor and the proprietor, occupy the inside.

 The sun is fast sinking into the West, and our uninitiated travellers anticipated a tedious ride over that dreary desert, ex- tending far into the night. A delay of 8 few minutes in a fruitless effort to get a morsel to eat, enabled the opposition, with two passengers, to take the lead, and away they went at gallop and were soon lost to sight. Having resumed our seats, the stage was at once put in motion and the wiry little animals being at once urg- ed into run, our travellers began to feel the exhilarating effects of rapid motion. This was most agreeable, though they supposed that gait so rapid at the out set was intended for effect only, but the whip was freely used. as we'll as the Spanish, and it was at once apparent that our Mexican meant business I have not mentioned that we drove two horses at the pole and three at the lead, while the opposition had but two pairs. The doc tor and the padrone take a drink of bran dy (which the veteran refused without compunction, and the invalid with reeret), light their oigarros with flint and steel, and talk necessarily with animated ges- lures, the former having been absent for several months seems much excited at the near prospect of meeting family and friends, and our invalid greatly envied him, you may be sure. Away flew our little Broncos, and at the end of, perhaps, five miles, the opposition was overtaken, and after some Spanish chaffing, we ara handsomely foiled in an attempt to pass. Our fellow now keeps his horses well in, using good judgment, and for a while goes only at steady gallop, but when we reach 2 wide space he immediately pulls oukand plies whip and voice with all his strength, while the chap inside puts his hands to his mouth, emits series of screams that would have done honor to the oldest Comanche on earth, and finally fired off pistol in the air, I sup- pose to add gusto to the this interesting race. For a-half mile they go neck and neck at fearful pace, while the dust envelopes us in clouds. The veterans stove-pipe hat is often damned against the roof of the coach, and the invalid maintains his seat with great difficulty. The contest is finally decided in our favor, blood or numbers telling, and we whirl in to the main road in advance, and the pro- prietOr puts his head outside and salutes the baffled coach with thumb at nose and fingers extended The bottle was again passed and this time the driver was in- dulged with a drink, the taking of which he did not allow to slaken the pace of his horses, for the opposition crowds us close ly, and the boy watches them, redoubling his cries and slashing at every attempt to pull out. We think and speak of Mir. Bergh, and the veterans suggestion that they may be tired, is laughed at as sickly sentiment, by the proprietor, as we'll as request on the part of the invalid that little water be offered them. Again he sounds the war-whoop and under a star lit sky whirls past the noted fields of Palo Alto and Resaca, whilst we could almost believe that shades of heroes were looking down in silent wonder upon such headlong haste of earthly mortals.