The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-20

ana so they splash joyously in their ditch
ana dlsport themselves along the bank in
every conceivable state of dshabllle
We reached Aguas Calientes at shutdown
on Saturday. and I was SO curious TO see
the pace that the sun and l appeared on
the streets about the same time. Whole
families appeared from the direction of
the town bearing bundles of clothes on
their heads. The Mexican peon owns only
one change of garments, shirt and trou-
sers OF cotton, a sash, sandals of most
primitive design. and straw sombrero
ana ne is abundauuy clad For extra
wrap there is the zarape, and TO see the
young Indians about TO battle manipulate
this useful garment Is lesson in the art
OF draping. They select convenient bush
unmake their toilets and, sheltered by the
friendly blanket slide into the water.
While In the bath the women wash their
chemises and skirts, and as soon as they
are dry emerge from the water and put
on the freshened wardrobe. You may see
mater families bathing her brood. She
selects a pool, and dlsrobing herself TO the
waist scrubs her progeny. Every head
is carefully soaped and scraped and the
whlte suds run down over the burnt sienna
shoulders. The children have water
fights, and the naked babies, when cleans
ed, are laid ON the bank 10 dry where they
Kick and squirm like bronze cupids Ev-
erybody washes from crown to toe. and
the girls glance -coquettishly at you be-
tween long braids and floating strands of
dripping hair
The prettiest girl saw might have been
Pharaohs daughter, so beautiful and per-
fectly formed was she. / saw her com
ing to the canal, barefooted footsore and
weary, yet with all the marks of race in
her face, and l doubt not she Is Iineally
| descended from some of the dusky gings
Of this fair land.
She crept out of her white chemise and
calico skirt, and with her reboza about her
shoulders slid into the water. There size
unbranded her long hair and let it float
out on the buoyant water holding her re-
boza before her like curtain, and laugh
| ing over 1t at me with my lmpotent cam
era. A ray of white teeth cleaned like
pearls, row of real beads were about her
throat, and she held one perfect foot in
perfect hand while she told me, very
roguishly. that for "cuatro pesos" ($D ST q
would let me take her pcture-without
the reboza. This young lady. who knew
the commercial value of her charms so
well, together with several other girls,
performed their ablutions behind a thin
fringe of mesquite that borders the stone
wall of the canal. They sported like brown
Venuses just arisen from the waves. quite
undisturbed by the passing and repagsing
of their own countrymen on the borders Of
the canal. 1t was only with the Ameri-
cans that they were coy, and that is our
own fault. l dare say. Sull, I shall al
ways remember the flashing white teeth
the pink beads on the warm, brown
throats, and the perfect turning of wrist
and ankle.
The long canal where these children of
nature wash off the dust OF their native
land, and where the city's wardrobe flut-
ters from every bush is about a mile
long. At the upper end the springs gush
from earth's hot heart and there are bath
houses of stone and adobe hundreds of
years old. They say that Montezuma's
daughter came here to battle before the
envious Spaniards overran the fair land.
Certainly his descendants have been In the
water ever since.