A  Texas Missionary.                              179
the deep resonant voices of a male choir; a more heaven-
ly scene can scarcely be imagined: these feasts resem-
ble a beautiful dream of heavenly visions.    Adios!
In the early morning we left the city of Mexico.
The atmosphere hung heavy over our heads, clouds hid
the sky, the valley was impregnated with the mephitic
exhalations of the night. The "Vamonos!" with its
peculiar accent from American lips unused to the sweet
Castilian, announced that the iron steed was in readi-
ness. "Vamonos." "Si Senor, cuandoguste," answers
a mocking bird close by, but one without feathers. The
valley of Mexico is soon passed and we enter the up-
grade with the assistance of an additional engine. The
twenty-three bridges, built over the meandering and
rapid stream running through wood and dale, reveal a
magnificent work of engineering. The surrounding
scenery enraptures the soul, and makes us look from
nature to nature's God. Meditation becomes natural.
"God is admirable in His works?" As we ascend, the
sky grows clearer and the atmosphere cooler. Our
engines appear exhausted when we reach "Las Cruces,"
the highest point. The down grade opened to our view
one of the grandest scenes I ever enjoyed. As our train
emerged from a dense thicket, lo! on our left, 1200 feet
below, an immense plain stretched out through a vary-
ing panorama of wonderful and enchanting scenes.
Scattered about the verdant plain below are seen villages
with churches, steeples, and domes, numerous hacien-
das and ranchos extending far beyond our view. In
front of us, a few miles south of the city, stands the
majestic, snow-capped "Nevada de Toluca," which is an
extinct volcano 15,000 feet high. It is said that on a
clear day, both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico
may be distinguished from its summit!!!
Toluca is well built and its climate cool and salub-