IN THE CHINANTLA
(1900)
Once more we found ourselves in picturesque Cuicatlan. Walking up the
familiar street, we again found lodging with Doña Serafina. Having
settled, and taken a look out over the beautiful landscape visible
through our windows, we interviewed the _jefe politico_, whom we we
found the same nerveless, well-meaning individual as ever. After
grumbling, and insisting that it was impossible to fit us out on such
short notice, he finally promised that all should be ready the next
morning. It was a sorry outfit that we found; one medium-sized mule for
myself, and four small _burros_ for the other members of the party. A
boy from the jail was sent with us as _mozo_ to carry our instruments.
It was still early when we started through the hot, sandy, flat land,
covered with gigantic cactus trees, which swarmed with little birds of
many beautiful kinds. We soon began to climb the great, red rock cliffs,
up, and up, and up, endlessly. We had forgotten how long the road was;
but it was longer than ever on account of the beasts we rode. Long
before we reached Papalo, Manuel and Louis were on foot, rather than
longer submit to the torture of riding their little _burros_. As we
neared the town, we were surprised to find a cloud effect almost as fine
as that near Juquila in the Mixe country. Had it had clearly defined
banks on both sides, its resemblance to a cataract would have been
complete. As it was, there was no boundary back of the side towards us,
and the clouds plunged over and downward as well as in the direction of
the flow of the main mass. No one in the town recognized us. Supper and
a night's lodging were readily supplied, but when we wished to secure
new animals for the onward journey, there was difficulty. They were
promised, indeed, for seven o'clock, but it was long after eight before
we saw any signs of their appearance. Remonstrating, we were told that
there was other business to attend to, and that the town officials could
not devote themselves to us. With great difficulty, by 10 o'clock all
preparations were made, and we started on the journey. The animals were
not bad, but we had been told that there were eight leagues of hard road
between us and Tepanapa, and six more from there to San Juan Zautla, our
destination; we were told that we should spend the night at Tepanapa,
reaching Zautla the second day. As we left the town we overtook a
funeral procession on its way to the little hill-crest cemetery which we
passed soon after. At first the road was good, gradually ascending. It
led us up a rising pine-covered crest, with a little hollow of deciduous
trees in the midst. We were again getting into a region where the great
hills presented two differing slopes, one dry, pine-clad; the other
moist and covered with the dense tropical forest. We soon found
ourselves upon the damp slope in a forest, almost the counterpart of
those with which we were familiar in the land of the Mixes. Great oaks
were loaded with bromelias and dotted with orchids; ferns of many
beautiful kinds grew along the roadside. Unlike the forest of the Mixes,
the trees here were hung with masses of golden-yellow moss, presenting
a curious and mysterious aspect. From here, the trail descended rapidly
over surfaces of slippery stone and patches of mud; the air was heavier
and heavier with moisture. Ferns abounded, and presently great tree
ferns were to be seen, here and there, in all directions. Shortly, our
road was through a true gorge, where the footing for the horses was
precarious. Great masses of lycopods of several species covered the
rocks and little round tufts of a dark green plant with feathery foliage
dotted the decaying tree trunks. The descent seemed endless, and for
more than two hours we descended deeper and deeper into the dampness and
darkness. It was six o'clock when we came out upon a slope where the
trail was easier and almost level, and it was after dark before we
reached the first hut of the miserable _ranchito_ of Tepanapa. Checking
our horses, we called, but received no answer. Sending our _mozo_ to the
house, we asked for food and shelter, but were refused everything, as
they said that they were in bed. A little lad, however, agreed to show
us to the next hut, and we followed him as well as we could in the
darkness and over the slippery road, some rods further. We found there
two empty huts within an enclosure, and, taking possession of one,
brought in our things out of the mist, and soon had a fire built and a
candle lighted. In vain we urged our _mozo_ to hunt for food. He said
that all the houses were empty, and, if perchance one were occupied, no
one would turn out so late to supply us. All were extremely hungry, as
we had eaten nothing since morning except a _tortilla_ or two with some
eggs as we rode along. Manuel, Louis and Frank slept in the loft, Ramon
and I upon the floor below. The two _mozos_ with the saddles slept in
the other hut. The night was cold and the damp air penetrating. We arose
early to go upon our way, but unfortunately yielded to the request of
Louis and Ramon, permitting them to go in search of food. Two full hours
passed before they returned with a few _tortillas_ and two eggs; so that
it was half-past-eight when finally we started.
[Illustration: SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]
The road was slippery and muddy, descending constantly; a large portion
of the way was through woods: at the bottom of the slope we found
ourselves by a fine brook, which we forded. Then began an ascent as
precipitous, slippery and unpleasant. The trail followed the bank of the
stream. Passing through a dense jungle of vegetation, where the air was
hot and wet, the flora was characteristic. Trees with large, coarse,
broad pods enclosing two or three great seeds, trees with acorn-shaped
red fruits, quantities of sensitive plants covered with pink flowers,
occasional orchids bearing flowers of brilliant flame color, and vines
with lovely blue pea-flowers made up the bulk of the tangled growth
through which we passed. At two places we crossed pretty streams, with
cascades and narrow gorges, opening on to the gorge along the sides of
which we were travelling; where these streams crossed our trail there
were great masses of caladiums with their leaves of green velvet. We
passed two little coffee plantations, the first of which was sadly
neglected and overgrown with weeds, the second neatly kept. From this we
rose again, and having gained the summit, looked down upon the village
of San Juan Zautla.
Riding to the town-house, we met the _presidente_ and _secretario_, the
latter an intelligent fellow, who told us that the town was dwindling,
numbering at present but 80 _contribuentes_. He ordered a capital dinner
for us of chicken, fried bananas, eggs, _frijoles, tortillas_ and
coffee. Though the _secretario_ was intelligent, the _presidente_ was
otherwise. He was good-natured, but a fool. With pride he frequently
remarked, "_yo soy presidente_" (I am president). Then he whispered
and mumbled, kissed my hand, assumed an air of great intelligence, and
walked off with a peculiar tottering movement. These performances
took place not once or twice, but every time the official made his
appearance. Having fed us, the _secretario_ disappeared, and did no more
for us. While waiting for him, our attention was attracted by a curious
drumming noise. It was due to women who were beating cotton. At the
first house we visited we found three women all busily occupied. An old
woman sitting in the doorway was spinning thread; a second, somewhat
younger woman with a baby in a blanket on her back, sitting on the
ground, was weaving cloth; a third woman sat, with a great cushion of
moss in a bag of matting on the ground before her, over which was spread
a deer-skin on which was laid raw cotton, which she briskly beat with
beaters made of five or six divergent sticks fastened together at one
end. Such beating sticks are called _mapaho_; one is held in each hand,
and the beating is briskly done, alternately with one and the other; the
beating is intended to spread the raw cotton into a thin and even sheet
before it is spun into thread. Returning to the town-house, we began our
work, but were soon interrupted. The town is situated on a slope over
which the houses are scattered. From the porch of the municipal house
where we sat, we could see several huts upon the slope above. Groups of
women and children gathered on the little terraces before the houses to
look down upon us at our work. The _presidente_ and other officials had
gone to bring us subjects, when we heard an outcry upon one of these
terraces. A man cried out to the officials; struggled, apparently with
a woman, then fell. The police rushed up the path. A moment later a
surging crowd of a dozen persons were struggling together with cries and
shouts. In spite of the commands of the _segundo secretario_, we started
for the scene of the disturbance, but long before we reached the spot,
met a big _topil_ with his head cut open and blood streaming down his
face, soaking his garments. His arm was thrown around another man's
neck, whose wrist he held, dragging him thus a prisoner toward the jail.
Two others followed, holding a bad-looking little man between them. The
two had fought, and when the _topil_ tried to take them, the little man,
seizing a rock, split open his head. The two persons were thrust into
the jail and a guard set. Great effort was made to find the stone with
which the blow was dealt, in order that it might be used as evidence.
The _secretario_ told the _topil_ not to staunch nor wash the wound.
With natural curiosity, the _presidente_ and other men were clustered
around the jail, looking in at the prisoners, when the _segundo
secretario_ ordered them from the door.
This man is a strange one. He is a Cuicatec, who married a Chinatec
wife. He is little, but important. He ever carries a queer old sword.
When he first appeared before us, he impressively said, "_No tengas
cuidado_" (Have no care.) He told us that our comfort and our orders
should be cared for, even though we were in a pueblo of mere brutes,
unreasoning beings; he should charge himself and the officials with our
needs. There were scarce three hours of daylight in the afternoon, and
night set in chilly and damp. Meantime, the _secretario_, the _segundo_,
the _presidente_ and the _topils_, all had disappeared. In vain we urged
that arrangements should be made for fuel, for beds, and for a _mozo_,
whom we had ordered should be supplied to accompany the man from Papalo
back to that town with the horses. It was now dark and late, with no
sign of attention to our wishes. Through the darkness, we picked our way
over a muddy road, slippery and soaked with water, to the _secretario's_
house, where we forcibly made known our wishes, and said that attention
must be paid to them. Before we got back to the town-house our shoes
were soaked with water and heavy with mud, while our clothing was soaked
through with moisture from the air filled with mist and drizzling rain;
and this in the midst of the dry season!
During the afternoon, we had seen a curious-looking indian, dressed in
a red flannel shirt, white drawers and a cap, but with the regular red
Chinantec neck-cloth. He was a Mixtec from San Francisco Huitzo, who is
in charge of the well-kept little coffee _finca_ which we passed upon
the road. He showed us a bottle of coffee essence of his manufacture. It
was a heavy, oily, clear liquid which I understood he had distilled from
a weaker and darker coffee extract. It was exceedingly strong, and was
supposed to be used for making coffee, a small quantity of the essence
being put into a cup with hot water and sugar. He desired us to test
this, but a look at it was quite sufficient. He was a handy fellow, and
did much to hasten the fulfillment of our orders. Under his direction,
sleeping mats were brought, and he, himself, served our supper, when
finally it was ready. We were so tired that directly after supper we
laid down upon the mats spread on the damp earthen floor. We had hoped
to start our man from Papalo back with our horses early; the officials
had promised that the _mozo_ to accompany him should be ready; but, of
course, neither breakfast nor _mozo_ was to be seen. So we again started
for the _secretario's_ house. The _secretario_ himself was lying drunk
in bed, and the _segundo_ was almost as bad. In vigorous words I made
known my dissatisfaction. The _segundo_, with his sword in one hand
and _tortillas_ in the other, almost too drunk to walk, led us to the
town-house and summoned the people before him. He thundered forth his
orders: "You dogs, children of a degraded race! Wretched brutes! What
do you mean? Why are you not bringing in breakfast for these gentlemen?
Eggs, _tortillas, frijoles_, chicken? Why are you not supplying them?
Obey his order. Fulfill your duty. You hear? If you do not fulfill your
duty, you shall be punished. Hear and obey at once." Under this impulse
the men started and breakfast was soon disposed of.
Work being slack, the boys went bird-hunting. Manuel fetched in a _rara
avis_, a little old man of 95 years, who had an extra thumb on his right
hand. Notwithstanding the small population of the town, there were three
cases of extra digits. In addition to this old man with his extra thumb,
two persons in the town each had an extra toe upon one foot. We have
already stated that the _presidente_ of the village was a fool. He had
plenty of companions. One of the men, who made himself quite useful to
us was an imbecile; he crossed himself, kissed our hands, nodded his
head, and told us the most surprising things in regard to the subjects
whom he brought before us. In connection with each case he cried and
carried on at a great rate, and finally insisted that he was going to
bring me a raw egg as an offering of friendship, which he did. One of
his subjects was his cousin, who was both idiotic and a deaf-mute. My
impression was that there were several cases of deaf-mutism in the
village. One man, whenever any of our party spoke to him, or in any way
turned our attention to him, piously and vigorously crossed himself,
grimaced and gesticulated as if in a fit. One man, who seemed
exceptionally intelligent, after he had seen us make a plaster bust of
one of his townfellows, stated with great delight, that it was an idol,
representing Jesus Christ, and that we were going to use it in the
church. Unlike any other indian town we have visited, there is not even
the pretence of an open school in this place. Nowhere else have women
and children showed so great a fear of us and our work. From the moment
that I showed an interest in the _mapaho_, the beating of cotton ceased,
and the village was quiet. At no time during our stay did women or
children come to the town-house. Shortly after sending back our horses
to Papalo, we found that there were no animals for riding in San Juan
Zautla. Fortunately, our next point, San Pedro, was but two leagues
distant, and rather than wait until animals could be brought from
Cuicatlan, we decided to walk. The night before we were to leave, we
made arrangements for our carriers. The _secretario_ had set the price
at two _reales_ a man; four were ordered, and an early hour set for the
departure. When the time came, our men were in open rebellion. They
refused to go upon the journey. We told the town officials that, if
these men failed us, they themselves must do the work. The men were
really scared, and stated that the people of San Pedro had threatened to
kill us all, if we came to their town. In vain we argued--they were sure
that the whole party were going to their doom. For such a paltry sum
no man would risk his life. At last, however, the officials decreed
obedience, and our party started. At first we led the company and the
carriers came behind. The road led straight down the mountain-side to a
brook, and then up the opposite side to the summit, just beyond which
lay our goal. As we started, he who had recognized the bust of Jesus
insisted upon accompanying us a way for friendship, and on the journey
made various wise remarks regarding the busts. Hardly had we started
when our men again rebelled; they would not make the journey for the
price agreed upon, the risk was too great; they must be paid more,
if they went at all. I felt that patience had ceased to be a virtue.
Telling them that we would no longer go ahead, we ordered them to take
up their burdens and precede us, at the same time threatening to shoot
them, if they stopped without permission. After marching along in this
new order for a time, they indicated a desire to parley. They would
carry their burdens to the foot of the hill, where they would leave them
by the brook-side. We could then go on to the village of San Pedro
and send back carriers to bring them. To this proposition we gave no
encouragement. The descent was abrupt. At the bottom was a fine brook,
with a hanging bridge of vines swinging from tree to tree across it.
Here we stopped to drink the fresh cool water, cut some sugar-canes,
catch butterflies, and take views. One of the trees from which the vines
hung was a perfect mass of ferns, orchids and bromelias of many kinds.
On the great slope back of us, toward the gap through which the brook
had broken, were great cliffs of massive rock; otherwise the whole
mountain slope was a sheet of richest green. The ascent was long and
difficult, and the party went slowly, with many rests. It was amusing,
how, even at this distance, as we mounted the slope, we could hear the
constant beating of the _mapaho_ in the village behind us, as if in
rejoicing at our departure. As we neared the summit, our carriers again
made signals of a desire to converse. They would fulfill their whole
duty, and would carry their burdens to the town-house in San Pedro, but
would we have the kindness, from here on, to take the lead? Oh, yes, we
answered, we would take the lead, and they should see that nothing would
happen. No one would harm us; we were not about to die.
To make a favorable impression, we asked for a drink of water at the
first house we came to, and passed a greeting with the few men, women
and children whom we met on our way into town. The greater part of the
population was at church, where we found a service in progress, and we
were obliged to wait until it was over before we saw the town
officials. I told the _secretario_ to summon the town government to the
municipal-house, which was a small affair, no more than 15 or 18 by 20
feet, with walls of lashed poles and a palm roof. A narrow bench ran
around the four sides, and two tables, one long and one short one, set
at right angles, occupied the greater portion of the open space. A long
wide bench was placed alongside of the larger. At one end there was a
_santo_, in a little shrine decorated with flowers and leaves. A little
fire was built upon the floor, over which wax was melting, in which
candles were being dipped.
The _secretario_ chanced to be a man whom I had met at Cuicatlan the
year before. He recalled our work, and taking us to his own house, we
soon had an excellent dinner. He seemed to be well-to-do, and had
two houses built of slabs lashed vertically together. Nets full of
_jícaras_, great stacks of corn neatly laid out, good tableware in
quantity, and a kerosene-lamp, all were evidences of his wealth. We
ate at a good table, in the house, where the corn was stored. The most
astonishing thing, however, in the house was an old-fashioned piano,
long beyond use. How it was ever brought over the mountains to this
village is a wonder. When we asked him, what we were to pay for the
dinner, he replied, nothing; that we would begin to pay later. The
impression made upon us by San Pedro was more agreeable than that
produced by Zautla. The town government is large and vigorous,
comprising a dozen well-built young fellows. On account of the church
festival, plenty of subjects had been brought together. We did not
understand what the _secretario_ expected, and therefore took up our
quarters at the town-house. We paid dearly for our misunderstanding. We
waited long for supper, but none came. The _presidente_ and the older
men were at church. The _secretario_ was nowhere to be found. While we
were waiting, the young fellows who were making candles, and a crowd of
boys, crouched about the fire and watched the work. Presently they lay
down a couple of _serapes_ on the floor, and the whole group, eighteen
or twenty in number, dropped down upon them, a perfect mass of humanity,
packed close together in the most curiously twisted attitudes, and were
fast asleep in no time. They had no covering, but seemed to keep each
other warm. After they were fast asleep, some of the other men appeared,
and we urged the bringing in of supper. A handful of _tortillas_ and two
fried eggs were not a hearty meal for six hungry persons, nor were our
sleeping accommodations satisfactory. With difficulty we got some mats,
and I lay down upon the smaller table, Frank on the larger, Louis and
Manuel rolled up on the ground below the latter, and Ramon and the
_mozo_ on the long bench. Half a dozen of the older men remained sitting
about the fire. It can be understood that the room was fairly full. The
men made no pretense of sleeping until past ten o'clock, and two or
three times during the night they broke out into loud conversation.
[Illustration: CHINANTEC GIRL SPINNING; SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]
[Illustration: CHINANTEC WEAVING; SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]
Just outside the town-house, under a thatched shelter, a group of old
women were cooking _atole_ in great _ollas_ until a late hour. This
gruel they ladled out to those men and boys who had been working, and
doled out to them drinks from black bottles. The men and boys, with
their red head-cloths or neck-cloths, went forth from time to time in
groups upon some public errand. Towards evening, eight or ten little
fellows came from the forest with bundles of firewood upon their heads
and great _machetes_ hanging at their sides. In the morning, the same
group of youngsters came in loaded with bunches of green leaves and
holly to be used in decorating the church. At eight o'clock there was a
procession in the churchyard; the saint, dressed in flowing garments,
was carried about, accompanied by banners and a band of music. During
the festival, everyone drank; even the little boys of eight or nine
years, who brought in their loads of wood, received their spirits, which
they drank like old topers. There was no evidence of bad temper as a
result of this drinking, but an increasing stupidity. When, in the
morning, we found our breakfast to consist of nothing but coffee, we
realized our mistake of the night before, and promptly betook ourselves
to the house of the _secretario_, where we spent the following day. The
demands of the church during the day were so heavy that we did little
work. The day itself was dark and dismal. In the late morning the
boys brought in great loads of poinsettia, from which they fashioned
brilliant rosettes and garlands for the church. At night, a wooden
platform was brought in for a bed, upon which Louis, Manuel and I slept,
while the others made a bed of broad boards upon the floor. Being behind
with his developing, Louis set to work as soon as the lights were out,
and kept at it until half-past-one. Scarcely had he come to bed and
promptly fallen asleep, when there was a pounding at the door, which was
almost immediately after broken in. Rising, I called out to see what was
wanted, and four or five indians, all very drunk, came staggering in.
The oldest of the party carried a great _machete_, and one of them
closely hugged a bottle full of spirits. After begging pardon for
disturbing us, they built a smoky fire, near the drying negatives.
Fearing that their drunken movements and the smoke would work disaster,
I made them change their place of rest and fire, moving them to the
other end of the room. There they built another fire, and, before
morning, they had consumed three bottles of spirits. What with the
firelight and smoke, the noisy laughter, the loud talking and constant
movement, it was impossible for me to sleep. Only for a single hour,
when they fell back upon the floor in drunken slumber, and their fire
burned down, did I get a bit of rest. If seems that they were an
official guard put to watch the town store of grain which was kept in
the building, and which was subject to the depredations of animals.
During the following day we completed our work upon Chinantecs. The type
is one of the best marked. In the child, the nose is wide, flat at
the tip, with a straight or even concave bridge; the eyes are widely
separated and often oblique; the mouth is large, the lips thick and the
upper lip projects notably beyond the lower; the face is wide, and
flat at the cheek-bones. With age, this type changes, the nose becomes
aquiline, and of moderate breadth, the upper lip becomes less prominent,
the skin lightens.
For two days more, days of darkness, rain and cold that penetrated to
the marrow, we remained prisoners in the village, waiting for the horses
for which we had sent the day of our arrival. It was impossible to make
photographs, nor was it feasible to look around the town, or into the
adjoining country. The _secretario_, indeed, showed us the way in which
spirits are distilled from the sap of sugar-cane, and we had ample
opportunity to examine the dress of the people and the mode of weaving.
All the women dress in garments of home-woven cotton, and the red
head-cloths, so characteristic a feature of the dress of men and boys,
are woven here from thread already dyed, bought in other places. The
little figures of animals or birds or geometrical designs worked in
them in green or yellow worsted are woven in, at the time of making the
cloths, with bright bits of wool.
At last our animals appeared. They had been sent from Papalo, and we
made arrangements, as we supposed, for using them through to Cuicatlan.
The animals arrived at 9:30 in the morning and the _mozo_ with them
reported that the roads were bad from the constant rains of the past
several days. We decided to leave that afternoon, stopping at Zautla for
the night, and then, making an early start, to push through in a single
day. The _presidente, alcalde_, and other town officials accompanied us
to the border of the village, where they bade us adieu, begging for
a _real_ for drink. As we left, the sky was clear and the mists were
rising from the valleys. For the first time we gained some idea of the
beauty of the country all around us. The houses of the town are well
built, with walls of poles or narrow slabs neatly corded together in a
vertical position. The roofs are thatched with palm; they pitch
sharply from a central ridge and the ends pitch also from the ridge in
independent slopes. The top is crested with a comb of thatch, neatly
applied. Off to the right from the village lay a magnificent valley,
with massive rock walls clad with green forest. The low masses of clouds
and great banks of mist but emphasized the impression made by those
parts of the scene that were visible. Soon we had passed the ridge and
looked down again into the Zautla valley. The road was not as bad as
we had anticipated. As we made our upward climb, we found that the
flame-colored orchids, few when we last passed that way, were out in
quantity. They are a terrestrial species, and the colors are a beautiful
combination of flame-red with chrome-yellow. The other day only the
outer and lower flowers of the racemes were blown, but on this occasion
the whole cluster was in bloom. We noticed strikingly, what had before
suggested itself to us, that through this district flowers of certain
colors mass themselves together. Thus, on this slope, the hundreds of
bunches of flame-colored orchids were rivalled by clusters of a tubular
flower perhaps an inch in length, of almost the same hues. Along the
glen-road near Tepanapa all sorts of flowers seemed to be pink or
flesh-colored, while along the jungle-bank, near the coffee plantation,
everything was blue or purple. When we reached Zautla, neither the
_presidente_, the _secretario_ nor the _segundo_ was in town. The big
_topil_, whose head was healing, did the honors of the place. We had
intended to make an early start, but it was half past six before we
mounted and were on our way. Going back over the old road, we soon
reached the little coffee _finca_ in charge of our Mixtec friend, and
here we left the familiar trail, for what our guide insisted was a
better one. We struck up and up and up the slope to avoid little ravines
which he assured us were very bad. At last, when it was certain that he
had completely lost his way, we started down into the forest. For a time
we followed a bad and disused trail, but soon even this disappeared, and
we tore our way through the tropical vegetation as best we could. Often
the men had to cut the way with their _machetes_; sometimes we slid for
yards over the wet mud; frequently our heads were caught by hanging
vines, and faces and hands were scratched with brambles. When at last
we came out upon a cleared space, we found ourselves at the Chinantec
village of Santa Maria. Perhaps there were four houses in the village.
Our appearance caused great excitement. Our pack-animals bade fair to
destroy the maize and other plantings in the field. In the trail were
oxen, which had to be gotten out of our way for fear of being driven to
frenzy by our mere passing. They assured us that we were on the road to
Tepanapa, so we completed the descent to the brooklet and started up a
trail which at any time would have been steep, stony, slippery, all at
once. We were compelled, finally, to dismount and lead our animals;
Frank, before he did so, tumbled his horse three times down the bank. At
one place two of the horses fell together in a struggling mass, and for
a moment things looked serious. All the animals but my own fell, at
least once, before we reached the summit. From there, it was an easy
ride over a level district until we were in sight of Tepanapa, which, by
sunlight, presented a most attractive appearance. The houses are spread
over a gentle slope, to the very edge of a little _barranca_. Each had
a little enclosure, with a group of banana plants. Butterflies of
brilliant hues lazily flew about, and a few birds uttered their
characteristic cries. We could not, however, delay. Before us lay a
tremendous ascent; the first part, which we had passed after dusk, we
found rougher than we realized; rock masses here were covered with a
thick cushion of brilliant crimson moss, a kind of sphagnum. The gully
trail had not been improved by the recent rains, and it taxed our
animals severely to reach the summit. Arrived in the district of the
trees loaded with beards of golden-yellow moss, we caught a magnificent
view back over the valley. With one sweep of the eyes, we could almost
follow our whole round of wandering. The ridges on which lay San Juan
Zautla and San Pedro Soochiapan both were in sight, as were the valleys
in which Santa Maria and Tepanapa lay. But the only actual feature which
we could see and recognize was the little coffee _finca_ this side of
Zautla. The combination of green mountains, blue ridges and bare rock
cliffs was grand. Here our road forked, and at this point we had a
moment's excitement. We met an old indian man with a baby tied upon his
back, and his old wife, carrying a burden, followed after. Before them a
black bull was calmly walking. The moment the old man saw us, he waved
his arms and cried out, in great excitement, "_Toro, muy bravo_!" (Bull,
very fierce!) and hastened forward to catch the lasso wound round the
horns of the beast to lead him out of our way. Just then the bull took
matters into his own control, and, with a snort and plunge, started
wildly away, dragging the old fellow at a wild run down the trail,
finally whirling him and the baby into a heap by the roadside, while he
himself took up the mountain-side. It was after dark before we reached
Papalo.
After much grumbling, supper was prepared and a solemn promise given
that we should leave at seven in the morning. When we were ready, no
animals were to be seen. The _presidente_ asserted that the price which
we had paid was only to that point, and that if we wanted animals for
Cuicatlan we must make a new arrangement. This was sheer blackmail,
because there had been no misunderstanding in the matter, and a liberal
price had been paid. After wrangling for an hour, we shook the dust
of Papalo literally from our feet, and started to walk to Cuicatlan,
telling the town authorities that our burdens must be taken by _mozos_
to the _cabecera_ before three o'clock, and that we should pay nothing
for the service. Probably we should not have been so ready to take this
heroic action if we had not remembered that the road was down hill all
the way, and good walking. Still, fifteen miles is fifteen miles, and
the sun was hot, and though we left at 8:30, it was two o'clock before
we entered Cuicatlan. We had no adventures by the way, except the
killing of a coral snake which lay in the middle of the road. At three
the _mozos_ with their burdens arrived, and felt it very hard that we
kept our promise of paying nothing for their service.