The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-05

ries such little loads as he can comfort
ably handle and at the same time keep
up with the parental procession.
Several more years elapse, and the time
has come when the boy shapes his future
course Sometimes he leaves the family
and goes TO the towns in quest of lighter
work: sometimes he goes to other sections
to ply the trade in which he has grown
up, but in most cases he continues right
along with his father aud mother in the
line of work into which he was virtually
born. This, too, is the time when the
young cargadOr takes unto himself wife
and becomes the head of a family of his
own. Thus he joys along through life as
did his parents until some days he falls by
the waysde the victim Of mortal wuond
or some fatal malady
FROM TOWN TO TOWN.
Mazatlan, the interesting seaport on
the Pacific coast of the state of SinalOs,
has long been the great cargador center
of Mexico, partly ON account Of its impor-
lance as a commercial city, and partly
on account of it's location at the foot Of
the Sierra Aadre mountains and the en-
trance of the various passes across them.
In this city the cargador freighter loads
his goods for tho interior mountain towns
and the cargadOr peddler purchases his
wares, which are imported by the large
mercantile establishments, the branch
houses of old-established European bust
ness concerns, or goods which are SNUG
gled into the country by the daring ship
pers who frequent this coast.
With his stock Of goods, which is limi-
ted only by the size of his exchequer, the
peddler starts forth to vend his wares.
One peddles notions, another dry goods
and clothing, still another light house
keeping goods, and so on. Each carries
his stock economically packed in light
wicker basket. This he holds and car
ries upon his back by means Of strong
leather strap attached TO the basket and
fastened around his forehead. Thus his
powerful neck is brought into play and
made TO carry the heavy load, which rests
only lightly upon his back. IN this man
neP the cargador peddler carries his
heavy burden into every village and town
in the almost impossible heights of the
Sierra Madres.
Sometimes he goes alone and sometimes
he is accompanied by mis- family. He
wears white cotton breeches rolled up to
the groins A long-bladed butcher knife
is stuck in the waistband of his gar
ments. A large, high-crown straw hat
and hight sandals, or guaraches, complete
his dress In his hands he carries a
strong pole, his alpenstock, as it were,
with which he successfully overcomes the
steep ascents and descents, made doubly
dangerous Dy inc nCdNy lOdu WHICH, nc
carries on his back.
THE FLEET MAIL CARRIER.
By far the most interesting type of the
cargador, if not the swiftest and hardest
specimen of man of any nation is the cor
REQ, or mail carrier, who makes regular
trips between the seaport Of Mazatlan, on
the Pacific coast, and the large city of
Durango, on the eastern coast of the
Sierra Madres The distance between
the two points is eighty leagues and lies
over the worst cut up and steniest coun-
try imaginable. Nothing but strong
horses, powerful mules, tough burrOs, and
hardy natives travel that stretch of coun-
try over a deep-worn and stony trail. No
amount of bridging and tunneling would
build a railroad there, and no wagon
wheel has ever been seen in these wllds
unless it passed through on the back Of
some pack mule. Yet the correo covers
the distance between Durango and Mazat-
Ian and back again in the incredibly short
time of three or four days.
He leaves Durango with the mail weigh
ing fifty or more pounds and various ar
ticles which he is commissioned to pur-
chase at that place With his load he
sets out over the stony paths Of the
rough mountains at gait which in the
course of a day would fatigue any horse
on even better roads, and the gait which
the cargador strikes when he starts out
Of Durango is the gait which he keeps up