Three or four dirty fellows stood round as we alighted, wrapped in their serapes--great woollen blankets, the universal wear of the Mexicans of the plateaus.

One end of the serape was thrown across from shoulder to shoulder, and hid the lower part of their faces; and the broad-brimmed Mexican sombrero was slouched over their eyes; we particularly disliked the look of them as they stood watching us and our baggage going into the inn.

A few minutes after, we returned to the court-yard to complete our observation of them, but they were all gone.
A party of Spaniards and Mexicans were at the other table in the sala when we marched in, and as soon as we had taken off the edge of our fierce hunger, we began to compare notes with them.

"Had a pleasant journey from Mexico ?" They all answered at once, delighted to find an audience to whom to tell their sorrows, as men always are under such circumstances.

It appeared that they had reached Huamantla an hour or two before us, and to their surprise and delight no robbers had appeared.