In Indian Mexico | Page 9

family of pets had grown; Baldur,
Freia, Votan, Doxil--the dogs--were here as at Chila, but he also had
fantail and capuchin pigeons, hens and chicks, ducks and geese, canary
birds, and native birds in cages. Here also were archaeological relics,
plants, beetles and birds for gathering. And here too, for the first time, I
had the opportunity of examining his great collection of Ecuadorean
humming-birds and a magnificent lot of Guatemalan quetzal skins,
among them probably the finest ever collected.
[Illustration: THE PADRE'S HOUSE; MEDELLIN]
[Illustration: THE CHURCH; MEDELLIN]
We left Medellin on January 8th; went by rail to Puebla, then to Oaxaca.
Here we found our friend Doctor Hyde, of Silao, who was nursing

Lucius Smith, in what proved to be a final illness. He aided us in
finding animals and completing preparations for our journey. We
secured a large bay horse for myself, a roan for Ernst, a little mule for
baggage. For my own part, I dislike mules; Ernst and the doctor,
however, were loud in their praise of such a beast; both asserted that a
good mule should sell for double its cost on our arrival at Guatemala
City. When, finally, after inspecting a variety of animals we found one
lively, young one, the doctor was delighted. Taking me to one side, he
informed me that such an opportunity was unlikely to occur again. I
yielded and the little mule was ours. We named the three animals Mixe,
Zapotec, and Chontal, from three tribes through whose country we
expected to pass.
The doctor's helpfulness was not confined to advice regarding mules.
He insisted upon our buying various supplies, such as boxes of sardines,
sago, coffee, etc., the utility of which appeared neither at the time nor
later. Also at his suggestion a quart of whiskey was purchased and
carefully divided into two flasks, one for each saddlebag. Most useful
of all the doctor's suggestions, and one for which we had reason many
times to thank him, was the securing from the governor of a letter to all
local authorities in the state, directing them to supply us with the
necessities of life, at just prices.
We had hoped to start from Oaxaca in the early morning, but it was
well on in the afternoon before all arrangements were completed. The
doctor and his Mexican friend rode with us to Tule to see us well
started. It was out over the old road to Mitla. The afternoon was hot,
dust was deep, and a heavy wind blew it up into our faces in clouds.
The sun was already setting when we rode into Santa Maria Tule, and
we went at once to see the famous cypress tree, which no one in the
party, save myself, had seen. It seems now to be a single tree, but was
perhaps, originally, three; at present it displays a single, vast trunk,
buttressed with heavy irregular projecting columns. So irregular is this
enormous mass that no two persons taking its girth exactly agree. We
measured it four feet above the ground and made the circumference one
hundred and sixty feet. The mass of delicate green foliage above was
compact, vigorous, and beautiful. Many years ago Humboldt cut a

rectangular piece of bark from the old trunk and on the smooth surface
thus exposed carved an inscription with his name.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Bark has since grown over the sides and corners of this tablet, but much
of the inscription may still be read. Since Humboldt's visit many lesser
men have gashed the old tree to leave their mark.
As it was now darkening we hurried to the meson of the village. The
old lady in charge received us with suspicion; she could not feed us and
refused to receive us into the house for the night; she would permit us
to sleep outside, in the corridor--which we might have done without
asking permission. At this moment, the doctor's friend remembered that
he knew a man here and went out to reconnoitre; he soon returned and
led us to his friend's house, where we were well received. A supper of
eggs, tortillas, and chocolate was soon served. Before we had finished
the moon had risen and by its light the doctor and his friend started on
their return to town. We slept on beds, made of boards laid upon
sawhorses, in a grain store-room, where rats were running around all
night long.
The next day, we were again at Mitla. It was a festival day, that of the
Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. In the evening there were rockets,
the band played, and a company of drummers and chirimiya blowers
went through the town. Señor Quiero had fires of blazing pine knots at
the door. When the procession passed we noted its elements. In