Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-08-05
Travelling in Mexico.

Correspondence San Francisco ArgoGaut.
When one travels in Mexico he must avail
himself of the diligence, or provide himself
with mule. rode mule You must carry
all yonr conveniences with yOu-knife, fork.
spoon. towels, soap, candles. coffee or choco-
late, and your camp-bedstead. unless you want
to sleep on board. You roll your clothes up
in your blanket, and tie it on behind your sad
die. The rest you put in pair of saddle-bags.
called cantinas, that hang on the horn of the
saddle in front. From not finding knives and
forks where you stop in the mining towns, one
must not think these people eat with their
fingers. With every meal they have tOrtillaS
(the tOrtilla with frijOes is the universal staple
OF food, which they tear into pieces, and with
which they scoop up the other food, eating the
tortilla and food altogether. So they have a
saying, that they ought to be the richest people
In the world, for they eat up spoon at every
meal.
August Is one of the months Of the rainy
season. Over the entire face of the country the
rain falls once day this season OF the year. 1t
Is rare for 1t to rain at all before nOon and the
more usual hour is toward p. m. Often only
two or three heavy showers pass over. True,
the water that falls is comparatively enormous
coming down in torrents of immense drops
forming a curtain that may hide completely OBJ
jects half mile distant. Only three or four
days during the season does the rain hold on
steadily into the night, and all the forenoon is
full temperature-sedom hot. 1t is q fine sight
to see one of these afternoon storms when YOU
are on the top Of one of the ranges. Glorious
heaps OF white vapOr begin rolling up-sOme
massive, towering above the rest, in which you
can almost see how the chilled column of air Is
shot up above the rest by the slope of some
mountain peak. Then the masses darken at
points, and let down dark gray curtain. which
you know is rain. You hear the thunder be-
ginning to roll and all the while are Yourself in
a flood a ref ShaI h,f ho
OF the approaching storm. The storm commonly
rolls away as suddenly as it came.
The magnificence of the scenery in the entire
district is Understandable, especially when one is
passing over these ranges, and plungin9 into
canadas of the most picturesque sort. rank with
strange vegetation. The pines and oaks are
stunted and poor; but the madrOnOs and other
trees are splendid. One of the commonest wild
trees Is the guaVa. One sees them everywhere
covered with fruit which, while 1t makes deli
ciOus jelly tastes like mean APPLE The cOun-
try is paradise in no hyperbolic sense where
every prospect nleases. and only roads are vile
Roads did say? There is not one wagon road
i'm all JascO The fine old paved roads of the
Spanards are now mule trails following the
beds of torrents, and the paving -stOnes have
been used to mend the stone fences around the
cOrn-fieGs.
Where wheeled vehicles are not in use. the ar
rier0. or owner OF pack-mules, is naturally per-
son of much and deserved consideration. To
begin with he is a citizen of means: in the next
place, he is punctiliousiy hOnest-bOth sources
OF distinction in any country. His work is very
hard. and his life rough one. A pack-train
demands patience. and his never fails. He could
not get on if it did. The packs WILL from time
to time. get disarranged. and at the first symp-
tom OF disarrangement that mule must be got
out OF the line and re-packed. This sometimes
happens in places where the mule cannot leave
the line. Then you will see the arrierO clap his
shoulder to the loOsened pack, and press up one
OF these heavy trails till he reaches place where
the mule can stand at one side. To pack, or re-
arrange pack, requires two men; he cries out
and the next man comes tumbling up or down
the mountain, as the case may be. more like a
HIS honesty Is professional Of course.
His business could not 60 on with any
deviation, however trifling, from scrupulous
accountability. He carries most of the treasure
ABOUT the country. From the mining districts
a treasure train (conducta) with regular guard
goes once month to the mint. But once
coined. the arrero becomes the channel of re-
mlttance- The diligence Is robbed sometimes
though not nearly as often as an Arizona stage.
but the arriero's train very rarely. He is Wig
liant ana armed, OF course He occasionally
loses mule, put that is more apt to be in the
town, where vigilance Is relaxed than ON the
road On the road he Is q rough and touph-
looking customer. always pleasant and obging.
however: but when you meet him in town. he
| may be In brOadcloth, and at your merchants
house as guest. As in California in the Gold
| time" you must not Judge anybody by his gar
mentS on the road. The weli-dressed man Ia
| frequently one of the travelling mozos or ser
wants, who are given to making an appearance
like the dragomen In Syria, while the weather.
beaten, travel-stAned man may be haciendero
| or merchant.
| AS to some Of the trails, they are something
| OF which mere description will give no idea
| whatever. In places you shout before enter
ING the trail, for u two animals should meet on