In Indian Mexico | Page 6

in Oaxaca, urge us to call upon him in his
new parish; after he was settled, he renewed his invitation. So we
started for Chila. We had been in the tierra caliente, at Cordoba. From
there we went by rail to Esperanza, from which uninteresting town we
took a street-car line, forty-two miles long, to Tehuacan. This saved us
time, distance, and money, and gave us a brand-new experience. There
were three coaches on our train, first-, second-, and third-class. When
buying tickets we struck acquaintance with a Syrian peddler. Three of
these were travelling together; one of them spoke a little English, being
proficient in profanity. He likes the United States, per se, and does not
like Mexico; but he says the latter is the better for trade. "In the United
States, you sell maybe fifteen, twenty-five, fifty cents a day; here ten,
fifteen, twenty-five dollars." The trip lasted three hours and involved
three changes of mules at stations, where we found all the excitement
and bustle of a true railroad station.
The country was, at first, rolling, with a sparse growth of yuccas, many
of which were exceptionally large and fine. On the hills were
occasional haciendas. This broken district was succeeded by a genuine
desert, covered with fine dust, which rose, as we rode, in suffocating
clouds. Here the valley began to close in upon us and its slopes were
sprinkled with great cushion cactuses in strange and grotesque forms.
After this desert gorge, we came out into a more open and more fertile
district extending to Tehuacan. Even this, however, was dry and
sunburned.
Our party numbered four. We had written and telegraphed to the padre
and expected that he, or Ernst, would meet us in Tehuacan. Neither was
there. No one seemed to know just how far it was to Chila. Replies to
our inquiries ranged from five to ten leagues.[B] Looking for some
mode of conveyance, we refused a coach, offered at fifteen pesos, as
the price seemed high. Hunting horses, we found four, which with a
foot mozo to bring them back, would cost twenty pesos. Telling the
owner that we were not buying horses, but merely renting, we returned
to the proprietor of the coach and stated that we would take it, though
his price was high, and that he should send it without delay to the
railroad station, where our companions were waiting. Upon this the
owner of the coach pretended that he had not understood that there

were four of us (though we had plainly so informed him); his price was
for two. If we were four, he must have forty pesos. A fair price here
might be eight pesos for the coach, or four for horses. So we told the
coach owner that we would walk to Chila, rather than submit to such
extortion. This amused him greatly and he made some facetious
observations, which determined me to actually perform the trip on foot.
Returning to the railroad station, where two of the party were waiting, I
announced my intention of walking to Chila; as the way was long and
the sand heavy and the padre's silence and non-appearance boded no
great hospitality in welcome, I directed the rest to remain comfortably
at Tehuacan until my return on the next day. Herman, however, refused
the proposition; my scheme was dangerous; for me to go alone, at night,
over a strange road, to Chila was foolhardy; he should accompany me
to protect me. Consenting that he should accompany, we began to seek
a mozo, as guide to Chila. With difficulty, and some loss of time, one
was found who would undertake the business for two pesos. In vain a
Jew peddler standing by and the station agent remonstrated with the
man; two pesos was a full week's wages; it was ridiculous to demand
such a price for guiding two foot travellers to Chila. He admitted that
two pesos might be a week's wages; but he did not have to go to Chila
and if we wanted him to do so we must pay his price. We capitulated,
the station agent loaned us a revolver, we left our friends behind us and
started on our journey. It was now dark. In a mysterious voice, our
guide said we must go first to his house; there he secured his serape
and a heavy club. As we left his house he feared we must be hungry
and indicated a bread-shop; we purchased and all three ate as we
walked; a moment later he suggested that we would need cigarros of
course, and a stock of these were added, at our expense. Then, at last,
we came down to business.
[B] The Mexican league is 2.7 miles.
Plainly our guide did not enjoy his task.