The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-23
DAY OF M|SHAPS
Victor Murdoch Tells of Deal
ings With Cargidores.
HIS VISIT TO QUERETARO
Where the Only Englishman
He Met Was Deaf.
HIS VISIT TO QUERETARO

Guadalajara, Feb. I'm travelling, a:
in everything else. there come days wher
everything goes wrong. Yesterday was
one OF those days. One Of the peculari-
ties of trouble in travelling is that at the
moment difficulty is a difficulty, and the
moment after a joke.
In the first place we had to catch train
out Of Mexico City for Quertaro and said
train left rather early IN the morning. We
have telescope, grip and hand satch-
Ell. We called a cab, dumped the telescope
up under the drivers feet, took the other
two in the cab and told the driver to get
to the ''Ferrocarrill Central Mexicano" in
hurry. We had only a few minutes to
get there, and it is a considerable dis
lance. On the way we read in the daily
paper how young Englishman who had
his legs broken in a street car smash-up
was promptly arrested and came very
near being jailed. 1t was clear to be seen
in short time that we had slow team,
and before we got in sight of the depot
two minutes only were left. 1 stuck my
head out Of the window and said what l
suppose is Spanish for 'hurry"-''hasta."
The driver didn't pay much attention. A
minute later there was a hiss, and our
carriage came to a stop with a bump A
policeman, accompanied by ragged ma
tive, had stopped our carriage The dis
cussion was mighty short. The policeman
angrily climbed up beside the driver
wa fo ioi1 t.
it. l poked my head out and talked good.
hard English and made motions. The
ragged citizen, pulled our telescope down
off the hack, put it on his back and trot-
ted on anead. The driver was too scared
now with that policeman sitting there be-
side him TO drive fast, and 1 thought I
heard our train putting out of the station
We gave up going that day, but thought
we would go on to the station, anyway
When We climbed out the man who had
driven us was too scared to say how
much he wanted. The policeman took the
number of the hack with great severity,
and the native grabbed the rest Of our
baggage and went into the depot. We paid
the driver twice what the trip was worth,
because there was nc time to change our
peso, and followed the native, checked
the telescope, found and boarded our
Grain. The native got on with US and
wanted money. We gave him . cents. He
held out for more. He had carried the
baggage block and wanted so cents. The
train was moving and he crawled off with
out any more than % cents. We were hot.
What right had a policeman to say how
we should get our baggage to the station?
And, if it was against the laws of the
country to carry a telescope on a hack.
why didn't the manager of our hotel tell
US SO instead of putting the telescope on
the hack himself And what would they
do with the poor cabby?
Later the train conductor told us that
ours was common experience. Cargo
dores, men who carry things on their
back, are under 800 bond for honesty.
Hackmen are not. Consequently hackmen
have no right to carry luggage on their
cab. The cargadores watch the hackmen
and when they find one breaking this rule
set policeman on him. That was what
happened to us. The conductor said that
the cab driver would get only a repri-
mand.
Then it was all a joke. But there were
more jokes coming. When we got off at
Queretaro, twenty or thirty cargadores
began to grab for the two satchels. But
we were not in love with cargadores Just
then. I dropped my dulcet tones and said:
mo" about as glumly as I knew how. 1
said the same thing to the hackmen and,
holding light to my grip, got aboard a
street car and wound away up town. We
got off hap-hazard, and there was a car
galore, grabbing at that valise l knew
of only one hotel in the place. called the
Ferrocarrill and 1 asked several bystand-
ers where l could find it. My pronuncia-
ton must have been lame. for they shook
their heads. But that eargadore kept right
along with US. and by motions showed
that he knew where the hotel was We
surrendered, and he got the grip and led
the way 1t took us to an obscure and
dark part of the city. The proprietor, a
peculiar, willing old man, who never heard
Of the United States, met us at the door.
Then we tried to make him understand
We tried to tell him we wanted to get a
room and be called at o'clock to get the
next train to Guadalajara. He recognized
that last word, but that was all. The rest
of the inmates of the hotel now took
hand, and very grey. genial Old man
asked me II 1 could parley Francois. I
felt an instant brotherhood with this old
but had to shake my head
We didn't know what to do. As the next
best thing We decided 10 pay that carga-
dOre. He refused to take payi Instead
he showed a card at Us. saying he sold
opals and printed on it the words Eng
lish spoken" He couldn't speak a word.
We pressed the fee on him.
Just then I caught through the walls
q word Of English. II was ike the sight
Of an oasis in the desert Where was
the utterer? To the great establishment
OF the crowd, we began 70 explore that
hotel. And what a hotel Il was only
one story high. but It spread over half
Queretaro. into galleries we sped, into
dungeons we plunged, through courts we
hurried, hunting the owner OF that Eng
lsh vocabulary. once We heard il again.
and started out with fresh zeal. but soon
lost it again. the proprietor Of the hotel
followed Us. believing, I suppose. that we
were crazy. Again we heard L. and To-
Gated it. and saw a large. comfortable
-~91N-4te A4~aA II a ROOM feaoiES hooh
he uttered one English word from the
written page as we entered. then arose
and bowed I will confess I felt damp
ened by presence Of some trouble. but
not until I had made three OF four in
Quiries Of him and received in reply only
q solemn shake OF the haad did / realize
that the only person n that hotel. gossl-
bly, in aII Quere;aro. who could under
stand English was stone deaf Tbs re-
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