From the great slope opposite Huauhtla, the view of the town was most impressive.
Before us opened a narrow valley, the depth of which we only realized after we had traversed it.

An hour and a half was necessary for making the descent and the up-climb.

From the point whence we were looking, the church, town-house, and clustered houses of the village were above us.
Below stretched a line of _nublina_, and beneath it the whole great mountain flank was checkered with the irregular brown and green fields belonging to the villagers.

It was already five o'clock when we began the descent from this fine view-point, and, on our way down the slope and up the opposite slope to the village, we met great numbers of drunken indians,--as it was Sunday,--usually a man and woman together.
Two of the men we met had been fighting, and were covered with blood; the face of one of them was livid with the blows which he had received.
Many of the parties were noisy and quarrelsome, and some of them showed a tendency to meddle with us, as we passed.
[Illustration] The greater portion of the journey had been over fine, dry roads; after we reached the knife-edge ridge, however, whenever there was a descent or ascent, we found the road of clay, moist and slippery; in the rainy season these bits would be bad enough.

At this time of year they are due to the _nublina_, great masses of which we saw from the time we reached the crest-road, and, at times, we passed through great sheets of it which cut off all view and which soaked our clothing.