South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-06

the mining town Of the same name
in tho adjacent hills The station is
about che mile from the foothills.
where the trail begins.
Real de Catorce. about Il kiloms,
from the railway station. is poised
on tho slope Of a precipitous noun
tain s.os5 feet above sea-level, in
the center Of one OF the richest sill
YER producing regions In the world.
no wheeled vehicle was ever
seen in the narrow. prfcipitous
streets OF the town. and good hotels
are Just as scarce The only meson
ir that Of Senior Rafael Saleido
THE region roundabout IS fairly
bursting with mineral wealth, and
there are many mines. Catorce
ffourteen) derives its name from IA
Infamous outlaws who once infested
that region"
Terrys Mexico.
An alert eyed American OF 40.
dressed neatly in "a comfortable trav-
Cling suit nd oxford style. sat
reading about Catorce in his red,
fcxible-covered guide-boOk.
The puff-eyed conductor. a polite
Mexican with sun-shrunk skin stop
ped beside the American traveller
and asked in English, We'll. senior.
have you made up your mind 10
leave Us at Catorce 80
Il believe so. answered the trav-
elier. with a slight eastern accent.
You say you can recommend il be-
cause Il isn't tourist ridden 2"
Yes, You Will find few English
speaking people there IL is quite a
wild place You VIII sleep in hole
and have difficulty in getting any
thing fit 10 eat"
Sounds tempting I've an old
friend. a mining engineer. I believe
he's up here pulling silver out Of the
earth somewhere. I think I'll stop
oft II you'll be good enough 70 re-
wise this ticket to Mexico city
A minute later the dusty train
came to a stop at a little adobe VIII
Iaee consisting OF n hollow square
of baked mud houses glaring in the
sun. a scattering OF manned, ragged
natives running along beside the
train, begging piteously In high
pitched voices, I'm centissime.
senior un centissime," and a hand
ful Of native women with large
shapely smaIl-nccked water bottles
OF pottery, catching scalding water
from the waste pipe Of the high
shouldered steam engine.
The traveller stepped down and
beCkoned TO a twisty frog-face fell
low standing beside a group of
moth-eaten burros on the caked
earth station platform
"Cargador-CatOrCe." cried the
gu'de messenger. taking the suit
case from the travellers hand and
pointing TO the trail twisting up the
mountain to Real de Catorce
The tourist nodded his head and
mounted "a scrubby little sand horse
which a boy with a guitar and black
sun glasses brought from a black
cool stable nearby
Half an hour later a gay little file
Of burros was winding through the
foothills up the trail 10 the mining
town headed by the American on
the one horse, nve foot Spanish
sword jangling al the side of his
s.Gdle. behind came the black-spec-
taCled boy astride % patient burro,
his long legs dangling TO the ground
az either side % the animal guitar
swung on a gay ribbon sliding across
his thin high shoulders. next a
pleasant faced old woman sitting
siGewise on q. braided fibre pad
strapped 10 wobbly legged burro,
the woman carried large natural
linen umbrella and famed herself
slowly with a palm leaf. Behind
came "a dozen burros carrying casks
packages. the travellers suit case
and "a load Of sombrors: all beinG
urged ahead by the little guide
walking along. frog-legged. shout
"huhrrroooot" and ''stuuuuhh," al
the stupid little sand animals
The dusty caravan mounted the
steep trail at monotonous pace
stopping only once for a drink OF
water out OF barrel beside "a way
side sepulcher marking the rcstina
Ilace of a weary traveller who never
reached Real dc Catorce
AS they scrambled over the pebbll
road the burro boy pushed his black
glasses high on his forehead anC
leaning back on his little mount
strummed a drowsy oriental tune
The American smiled his apprecia.
tion and leaning over. touched
rims on the boys finger. asking 81
Spanish. Where did YOU get that o.
The boy glanced at it with con.
scious pride and flashed the whit.
stone in the sun. At first ne wa.
reluctant 10 reply then he sal,
quickly in his native tongue. Al
American gave it 30 me for quiCl
ride down the mountain"
when o" asked the traveller idly
inspecting the cheap imitation dia
mond
Last night" The boy swung tn,
guitar back 10 its place across hi
shoulders. slipped of the burro il
front Of a lane between two mu,
walls and moved his hand. "Adios
d, said. Il spend the night her,
with a friend"
The caravan continued for half
mile further through steep street
paved by hand with small pebbles
the snoothness OF which indicate,
that they had served the sure hoof