The American Egypt : a record of travel in Yucatan . engers atthe passing windows trays of weird foods, chopped meatswedged between ungainly, underdone tortillas (the Indianmaize biscuit bread), and the skinny, cooked limbs of verymuch disarticulated fowls, sour-looking oranges and half-ripebananas, with tins of watery milk. On the platforms every-where stood rurales—country police—cloaked to the chin inbright scarlet blankets, beneath which showed the tight greytrousers, silver-laced, and the bright, burnished sheath of asword, their hats sugar-loaf shaped felts of grey ornamentedwith the met
The American Egypt : a record of travel in Yucatan . engers atthe passing windows trays of weird foods, chopped meatswedged between ungainly, underdone tortillas (the Indianmaize biscuit bread), and the skinny, cooked limbs of verymuch disarticulated fowls, sour-looking oranges and half-ripebananas, with tins of watery milk. On the platforms every-where stood rurales—country police—cloaked to the chin inbright scarlet blankets, beneath which showed the tight greytrousers, silver-laced, and the bright, burnished sheath of asword, their hats sugar-loaf shaped felts of grey ornamentedwith the metal numbers of their district. In their hand,the butt end resting on the ground, they hold a rifle. Thesefellows, in their tight breeches and neat monkey-jackets ofgrey tailed at their waists like an Eton boys, are fine figures,one of the living testimonies to President Diazs prudence ;for they have one and all been recruited from the ranks ofthose hordes of brigands which thirty years back made Mexicothe warmest place in the world to travel A BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF MEXICO 21 And now we are on the plain of Mexico, ringed round withsmall cone-shaped hills, a plain of burnt-up grass on whichsmall stunted cattle, horses and donkeys were wandering,disconsolate, to find the greenest spots. Here and there is aswampy place, and round where the water had dried theslaty blue soil showed up in patches broken by the giantflat-faced, oval leaf of the Nopal cactus, which is to Mexicowhat the rose is to England, figuring in the national arms—viz. an eagle perched on the Nopal with a writhing snake inits talons. By the rail side runs a dusty road, and along thistrot Indians, the men with packs on their backs, the womenwith babies slung on their backs, while shabby dogs scoutaround the party. Here is a waggon drawn by two mulesjolting into the suburban markets, and there is a mule loadedwith empty pulque-tins, his master seated literally on theanimals tail, returning from his midnight vis
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondon, booksubject
