At 8:30 our party of six persons started; passing the river, which we forded, an excellent road took us, for a league, over the sandy plain, which was fairly grown with trees, supplying a little shade.

The great _pitahayas_ were in bloom, and their white flowers looked well against the ugly, stiff green branches.

The roadside was bordered with _acacias_ which, in full bloom, presented masses of golden balls and perfumed the air with their delicate odor.
Passing a considerable sugar _hacienda_, the trail struck into the mountains, and for three hours we made a steady ascent.

The road itself was excellent but the sun beat down with fearful force, and the heat was reflected from the bare road and the rock cliffs along which we travelled.

At one place the vegetation consisted of a curious mixture of gigantic cactuses, rising as single stalks as high as telegraph poles but larger in diameter, and palms.