The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1908-04-01
X. c. Heath's Trip TO Mexico.


remember tfe day very well. l was
down near the Santa Clara Mountains,
about 100 miles from any human being
but my moshier and an American who
went with me. l wished that could be
there to cast my vote for you, but was
very glad you did not need it, My first
trip down in this country was last No
vember. At that time | was sent by
colony to look over 100000 acres of land
that the company owned, of which COM
pany, by'the'way, l am treasurer. We
left San Diego on Nov. 9th, by boat to
Point Preetta. That is about $50 miles
south of San Diego by water and about
45O miles by land. At Point Preetta we
got five mules, including our pack mules,
and moshier (moshier is servant and
guide that knows the country. We took
five days rations with us, as it would be
five days before we would get to a place
where we could get anything to eat, which
would be at Calmalli, a small Mexican
town where there was once large min
ing camp, but now only few Mexicans
and Yaqui Indians remain. Calmalli is
about 10 miles from the edge of the colony
land and about l50 miles from Point Pre-.
eta. Well, that was my first experience
of the saddle and blanket. The first few
nights the coyotes kept me awake but l
soon got used to them. There are great
many of them down here but they are
perfectly harmless, although very ven-
turesome. l have had them steal ham
bone from under my saddle that l was
using for pillow. They are about the
size oi good-sized shepherd dog. We
journeyed on over some of the worst
country that you ever could imagine.
We travelled one whole day over nothing
but rocks piled upon each other, over
places where you would not think it pos
sible for cat to go, but the mules are
used to this country and can go where a
man cannot. We saw plenty of deer and
mountain sheep, and quail as thick as
black birds. Also saw plenty of ante
lopes, but they stay near the coast and we
Travelled back in the interior. as we could
find more water there. Well, in due
time we arrived at Calmali and there
stocked up with enough provisions to
last us the rest of the trip, we thought.
We went over the land of the colony as
best we could. Of course we could not
go far from water, and that along the
coast is from 100 to $50 miles apart.
| must tell you about the salt mines
which run from the Santa Clara Noun
tains along the coast of Nigro Lagoona or |
Black Warner Lagoons, thirty-siX miles |
long and three or four miles wide. Ithas
all the appearance of ice and is so hard
that the mules feet would make no i'm
preston in it. One could take a sleigh
ride on ii with the thermometer 1909 in
the shade. We crossed this to Scammons
Lagoona. There we saw some of the
largest turtles-I am almost ashamed to
tell how large they were-but to be accu-
rate some of the shells measured five feet
across. The moshier said that he was
there and camped for six months and
caught and dried over three tons of turtle
meat. By the looks of the shells scat
tered around it looks as though he might
have done so. Back about five miles
from here there was water, where we had
been stopping for day or two. The next
place for water was Santa Domingo. which
used to be part of city but nothing
there now except few old shacks and a
well, and 100 miles from where we were.
which we expected to make in about two
days. The third morning out from this
camp we got up to find all but two of our
mules had run away. We found they
had taken to the mountains and We knew
it was useless to hunt them. Then we
were 40 miles from Santa Domingo, where
we could get water, and 80 miles from
where we could get anything to eat.
noticed that morning for the first time
that we were short on provisions. so we
packed what stuff we had on the two re-
naming mules and all started to walk,
but we had not gone five miles when the
moshier and my partner played out, so l
packed them on top of the packers and
realized that it was up to me if we ever
got out alive. | walked and ran all day
with the sun beating down on me at the
rate of 100 in the shade, if there had
been any shade. About six O'Clock told
them that | would have to rest and eat
or | could not make it. The
mules were in pretty bad shape too, as
hey had been two days without water.
The moshier then told me that we were
within six or seven miles of Santa Do.
mingo. / drank some coffee, ate little
lunch, and then laid down intending to
rest little while and then pull on, but
was so near played out that l went to
light, and then pulled on again. MY feet
felt as though there we're wrinkles in my
socks or something in my boots, but l
did not stop and about six o'clock we got
10 the well, and | must say that for once
was played out. The moshier and nv
partner watered the mules and then came
10 look after me, as they saw / was in
pretty bad shape. l could not even get
up, my feet were swollen so they could
hardly get my boots off and when they
lid they. found the bottoms of my feet
we're covered with blisters as big as dol
ars. Well something else had to be
lone, as we we're then As miles from CAL
nalli, the nearest place we could get any,
hing to eat, so we dispatched the moshier
or more mules and provisions. We had
lome corn left for the mules and little
provisions. | told the moshier to leave
Is some of the corn on hand for the mule
n case anything happened that he did
lot get back when we expected him,
which was some time the next night.
After he had gone my partner took stock
VI what we had to eat and found we had
wo teacupfuls of cracker dust that he
hook out of an old gunny sack, a piece
" bacon-rind about as big as your hand,
without any meat on it, and piece of
'heese the size of hens egg, rations for
wo hungry men for two days, as we
hought. The first day / was not able to
lold my head up, but the second day my
PARTNER made some moccasins for me
'ut of some sacks and got around some,
tut we were getting pretty hungry as we
lad eaten everything up. I tightened
ny belt up another notch and we eX-
,ected the moshier back that night but
10 did not come, so l went out where he
lad fed the mules and picked up the
orn the mules had slobbered out of their