d a strong
position, known as the town and castle of Perote, and here there was
indeed a long delay which was not engineered by the military forces of
Mexico. The politicians and particularly the Congress of the United
States had interfered very effectively on behalf of President Santa
Anna. They had spent so much time in debates upon the legislation
required for the gathering of fresh troops that the terms of enlistment
of about half of the soldiers under Scott were expiring. It was of no
use for him to move forward with a steadily vanishing army, and he was
compelled to wait for months at and about Perote, until the new men
could arrive and take the places of those who were going home.

"I guess I won't enlist," thought Ned, as that idea came again and again
into his mind. "Neither mother nor father would wish me to do so. But
I'm getting to be an old soldier, after all, and I won't leave the
Seventh till it gets into the city of Mexico."

Whether it ever was to accomplish that feat was only to be determined by
hard fighting, and there came a day, the 7th of August, 1847, when the
division of General Worth, then encamped at Puebla, received orders to
go forward. The entire army was to move, and General Scott had about as
many soldiers with him as when he had landed at Vera Cruz in the spring.

"Hurrah for the city!" shouted Ned, when the news reached him. "I want
to make a morning call at the Paez house."

CHAPTER XVIII.

SENOR CARFORA TRAPPED

"I never saw anything finer than this," said Ned, aloud, as he slowly
turned his telescope from one point to another. "It is the old
battle-ground of Cortes, when he and his Spaniards and Tlascalans took
the city of Mexico. It was called Tenochtitlan, then."

He was standing upon a granite ledge, on the slope of the mountains
south of the city, and below him the nearest objects of interest were
the white tents of the American army, encamped there while negotiations
for peace were going forward between the United States government and
Santa Anna. These were not progressing well, for the invaders were
demanding more than any Mexican government could be ready to grant. Not
only was Texas itself demanded, but with it also all the vast
Territories of California, New Mexico, and Arizona.

"Here we are," said Ned again, "but it has taken us two weeks of awful
fighting to get here. There isn't any use in disputing the pluck of the
Mexicans. Away yonder is Churubusco, a