The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-07-04
Our Mexican Letter.
BY EMMA L. REED.

their animals with our freight. dawned on
quarrel among themselves over the
choice between the two roads that led
from Tajupilco on to Ajuchitlan. Mr..
Reed and our "major domo," Mr., Ivens.
finally got them to agree to choice, and
Mr.. Reed Hanes and | started on in that
direction with our Mozo (servant) for
guide, the pack agreeing to make Amat-
apec by nightfall.
Amatapec as its ending signifies, is on
peak, and we did nearly ten hours climb
ing to reach it by shutdown. Here we
fonnd an Indian village that evidently
looked wi! h suspicion on the strange faces
fatigue on the backs of our exhausted
horses, we asked for accommodations, we
were met with a laconic mo hay eomas"
(no beds) no hay comila' mo food) "no
hay pasture" quo corn for the horses) mo
hay NADIA" (there is nothing for you)
The doorway was full of dusky faces
looking at us impassively. slipped down
from the saddle and approached the wo-
man of the house saying in an appealing
voice. 81 am very tired, sonora" Imme-
diately she responded, center, senorita !"
Her husband followed us in, seated me on
the boards that formed their bed, (there
were no chairs) and put straw mat un-
der my feet while his wife was bringing
me cup OF water. Then began great
preparations for our comic t. all hands
taking hold.
The horses were cared for, neither my
husband nor son being allowed to assist
AS soon as the pot could boil, coffee and
sweetbread were served US, chickens were
killed, tortillos made and with frlioles
formed ravishing supper for tired noun
tain climbers.
At nine o'clock we no longer continued
to expect our pack train, and without bed
ding of any kind we prepared to get
through the night as best we could. One
of the rough board beds was spread with
a straw mat and the only covering of the
house, two wool zeraphes, was given to
me, while my husband and son shivered
until morning, under their waterproof
coats.
hosts would not permit me, 1t is a poor
house for the sonora. bat we are 1907"
they said in their simple way They were
entertaining the first American woman
they had ever IN, and they appeared to
divine that l had not been used to sleep
ing on rough boards. At ten o'clock the
next morning our anxious gaze over the
mountain was gIaddened by the sight of a
horseman driving pack mule laden with
our mattresses and blankets. But he was
the messenger of the bad news from our
manager that the arrearos had after all
gone by the other route to Ajuchitlan.
Mr. Ivens had declined to allow them to
carry our freight an l was waiting at Ia
iupilco until he could obtain other ami
mails to transport il v hen he would follow
US as quickly as possible.
We then took leave of our hosts, the
wife embracing me warmly, to my con-
sternation, and the husband happy in the
pc session of more Mexican dollars than
he had probably seen for some time We
failed to reach a village that night and
stopped in an Indian bamboo hut on the
side of a barranca. In this lonely hut on
the mountain side where we had only a
bamboo shed for shelter, we were given a
royal supper of chicken, eggs and toasted
eni on,which we ate by moonlight, sit
ii on the edge of the horses feed trough.
A raj storm came ur in the night and
sprinkled US liberia ly, but fatigue and
sleep conquered the elements and by sun
up we were on our rocky way through the
bel of stream ose sides were overhung
with towering foliage alive with bea1ti-
full singing birds.
The second day from this ard our sew
enth day in the s4dd e, found us entering
the valley of the Balsas RIVER, il the heat
of the tropics, pushing our way through
dry thorn trees aid ugly cactus to the old
Spanish city of Ajuchitlan, st the base Of
the Sierra Madre del Sur.
EMMA L. REED.