sing my new regiment. I
think, however, that it will not march into the city of Mexico until his
Excellency President Paredes has set out for the Rio Grande, or as far
north as the luck of this war will permit him to travel. Very possibly,
he may be hindered by the gringos before he reaches the border. Carfora
will remain with me until then. You are right. He would not be safe
anywhere else. As for yourself, you must push on."

"I think," said Zuroaga, "that I shall be almost safe after I am a few
miles beyond Teotitlan. I may have a fight or two on the way. Carfora
must not be killed in any skirmish of that kind. You will not see me
again, dead or alive, until a week or two after the Americans have taken
the city of Mexico, as in my opinion they surely will. I shall be there
then, with five hundred lancers, to uphold the new government which will
take the place of the bloody dictatorship of Paredes, unless the new
affair is to be Santa Anna. In any event, I shall be able to help you,
and I will."

"You are a gloomy prophet," responded Tassara, "but you are an old
student of military operations. Do you really think the Americans will
capture our capital? It will be well defended."

"Bravely enough, but not well," replied Zuroaga. "We have not one
scientific, thoroughly educated engineer officer fit to take charge of
the defences against, for instance, General Scott. Not even Santa Anna
himself, with all his ability, is a general capable of checking the
invaders after they have taken Vera Cruz, and that they will do. He is a
scheming politician rather than a military genius. He and Paredes and
some others whom you and I could name must be whipped out of power
before we can put up an entirely new government, better than any we have
ever had yet. What do you think about it?"

"Think?" exclaimed Tassara, angrily. "I think it will be after you and I
are dead and buried before this miserable half-republic, half-oligarchy,
will be blessed with a solid government like that of the United States."

"And that, too, might get into hot water," muttered his friend, but
neither of the two political prophets appeared to have much more to say.
They separated, as if each might have something else to employ him, and
shortly all the night camp in the grand old forest seemed to be asleep.

The remaining hours of darkness passed silently, and the sun arose with
a promise of another hot day. Small fires were kindled for
coffee-making, b