e city of Mexico. It was soon to be plainly
understood that, whenever that army should march, it would do so as a
sort of human machine, ready to perform any military work which its
commander might require of it.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE MOUNTAIN PASSES

"Grant," said Captain Lee, "what did Crawford say to you about that
Cerro Gordo road? I want to know all I can."

"Well, Captain Lee," replied Grant, "here he is, to speak for himself.
He says he came down that trail in midwinter. He studied it, too,
because his friend, General Zuroaga, told him it was built by a Spanish
fellow by the name of Cortes."

"Good!" said Lee. "Seems to me I've heard of him somewhere, but who is
Zuroaga? Tell me about him, Crawford. Does he know anything?"

By this time, Ned had become pretty well acquainted with Lee and a
number of other officers, and with their free, open-hearted way of
dealing with each other. He could tell, therefore, without any restraint
or bashfulness, all that was necessary concerning his distinguished
Mexican friend and benefactor.

"I see," said the captain. "He is one of their many revolutions. All
right. But I wish old man Cortes hadn't left his road so narrow and
steep as they say it is. Tell me all you saw, Crawford. I have other
accounts, but I want yours. Look at this map and answer my questions."

He held in his hand what purported to be a very rough sketch of the
highway from the city of Jalapa to the city of Mexico. It also pretended
to give a fair idea of the section of that road which crossed the
mountain spur known as Cerro Gordo.

"From there to there," said Lee, "how is it?"

"Crooked as a rail fence," replied Ned. "It isn't like that at all. It's
a zigzag, with rocks on one side and ravines on the other."

"Just as I supposed," said Lee. "Now, mark the zigzags on this other
paper, as well as you can remember them."

They were sitting in Grant's tent, in the camp of the Seventh Regiment,
and the entire advance-guard of the army was encamped in like manner,
waiting for orders from General Scott to climb the mountains before
them. Ned took the crayon handed him, and he really appeared to do
pretty well with it, but he explained that the rough weather and the
condition of his pony had compelled him to dismount and come part of
the way down the mountain on foot, so that he had more time for making
observations.

"If they put cannon on a breastwork on that road," he said, "they can
blow a