Yet the frequent occurrences of these crosses along the mountain-roads are terribly indicative of past disorders, and of private and political revenge, and even murder. Inquiry reveals that highway robbery and assassination, private feuds, love, drunken quarrels, and--frequent as any--_pronunciamientos_ and revolutions are responsible for the deeds of bloodshed upon the spots where the emblem of Christian love and brotherhood is raised up. A certain lonely hill, which it was my fortune to pass on one occasion, was marked by three decaying crosses set among the stones and thorns at its base. I inquired the reason of their presence there from my servant, a faithful old _peon_ who was a native of the vicinity. "Ah, senor," he replied, crossing himself devoutly as we drew rein and gazed upon the melancholy spot, "three _caballeros_ died here--_pasado por las armas_[31]--twenty years ago." "For what reason?" I inquired. "That no one has ever known," he answered. "They were roused from their sleep in yonder town"--pointing to the white cluster of buildings and trees on the far-off horizon which we had that morning left--"taken by a file of soldiers under arrest, with orders--it was said--to conduct them to the capital." "Well?" I said as he paused; and the old fellow looked round as if fearful that rocks and cactuses had ears and might report his utterances to some _jefe politico_, and continued, "A volley was heard, and the officers afterwards reported that the prisoners had _attempted to escape_ and had been shot down." Drawing closer to me he added, "But, senor, it was not true. My brother happened to be on this very hill and saw it, and the prisoners had been stood up in a line and shot." [Footnote 31: That is to say, shot.] I did not feel called upon to doubt the old fellow's words. Probably the three _caballeros_ had been implicated in some political plot, and the Federal Government had--as was common in Mexico a few years ago--disposed of them by this swift and ruthless method. The pretext of "endeavouring to escape" was often a convenient one to hide the summary execution both of political suspects and criminals in the turbulent days of Mexico's recent history, and indeed has not altogether disappeared yet! _Pasado por las armas_ was a common penalty, and is a somewhat poetic nomenclature for that form of execution which the soldier prefers.