"Well, I'm glad there are no snow-drifts in my way. I suppose the army men look out for that. But don't I wish I had an overcoat and some furs! Old Mount Orizaba can get up a first-class winter on his own account." It looked like it, and this part of his experiences had not been at all provided for. The Cordillera was very white, and its garment of snow and ice went down nearer to its feet than when Ned had first seen it. Moreover, the pony which had travelled so well when he cantered away from the Paez mansion, some days before, was showing signs of exhaustion, and it was manifestly well for him that he was now going down instead of climbing. So it was for Ned, and his uppermost wish was to hurry down into a more summery climate. He was still doing so, to the best of his shivering ability, two hours later, when a loud summons to halt sounded in the road before him. "Whoop!" shouted Ned, and the soldier, who had presented his bayonet so sternly, was greeted as if he had been an old friend. Rapid explanations followed, in Spanish, but before they were completed an officer had made his appearance from a small but comfortable guard-house at the side of the road. He was only a lieutenant, and he appeared to gaze with more than a little awe upon the superscription of Ned's precious government envelope. He turned it over and over, and almost smelled of it. "Senor Carfora!" he exclaimed. "This must not be delayed for a moment! You must ride on, if it kills you. Come in and get a dinner. We will give you a fresh mount. Tell us the news while you are eating." "I will do so," replied Ned, with a tremendous effort to stop shivering and look important. "But I will say that I was told that any man interfering with that despatch would be shot in one hour." "Beyond a doubt!" declared the lieutenant, with emphasis. "It would serve him right, too. This is no time for trifling with orders." A hearty dinner by a blazing log fire made the despatch-bearer feel a great deal better, but at the end of it no mercy was shown him. His fresh pony was ready, and he was ordered to mount and ride. He did so without offering any objections, and he carried with him the lieutenant's written pass, for possible use further down the mountain. It was a good thing to have, but he was called upon to present it only twice, receiving in each instance positive instructions to push onward if it killed him and his new pony. "I can't stand this much longer!" he exclaimed, as the sun was setting. "I'm almost beyond the snow-line. I think I'll disobey the guards a little, but I'll keep on obeying Senora Paez. She told me on no account to try to sleep in a large town or village. They are all military posts, and too many questions might be asked. I'll try a hacienda, just as I did on the other side of the mountains. Everybody wants to hear the news."