Arizona republican., 1922-03-27
And They Are Awful Hours, As American
Traveller From IxtIan to La Quemada Can
Certify - Trails O0erIooking Chnsn1s So
NarrouO Six-.Shooter Is An Encm,brance
By HERBERT COREY
ArtieIe No. e

LA oUEMADA, Jalisco, Mexico,
March 25. - When you get off the
beaten path in Mexico-well. you're
off the beaten path, that's all. There
does not seem to be any more.
We were at Ixtlan which is a days
ride by mule from railhead. No one
knows how many miles that may be.
One counts distances by mule hours,
and not by miles. 1 wanted to get
TO La Quemada BECAUSE between La
Quemada and Ixtlan the Southern
Pacific of Mexico is to build one of
the scenic routes of this continent.
There seems to be no question = at
least there is no question in my mind
that there is something wrong with
my head. Next time ] shall read
about scenic routes in the railroad
folders. After they have been built
I may look at them through a Pull
man window. Anyhow. we were at
Ixtlan, which looks a good deal like
it sounds.
rs there a hotel at La Quemada? ?"
/ asked.
Every one said there was I was
also assured that the trail over which
I was to ride was one of the worst
in this or any other land There were
places, was told. where. if you but
looked over the mule shoulder. you
did not find any bottom at all. None
at all. And at this particular point.
they said, the trail was so narrow
that if you wore six-shooter you
had to swing it between your shoul-
der blades, because there was no room
for it. A great many people in this
particular part of the country wear
six -shootesr. by the way. Some of
the very incest people.
So l started. But | took every pre-
caution that occurred to me. At
Ixtlan we had been sheltered for the
night in mule meson, which is some
thing like the caravansaries of the
East. There are rooms for guests in
a sort of quadrangle about the pa
ito. In the rear are the quarters for
the mules l went out there to see
the animal I was to ride next day.
Arrieros, who are the dynamic forces
of mules, were sleeping everywhere
on the cold ground wrapped in their
blankets. Arrieros care less for per-
sonal comfort than any other men
have ever known. The apparejos,
which are the pack saddles and
other accoutrements for the mules
were stacked about everywhere. There
was a comforting sound of mules
masticating hay, which persisted in
my ears all night, for the wall of my
room was not soundproof. There was
a honey smell of leather and per-
spiration and mule.
Precautions as TO His Mount
Where is it?" l inquired. Bring
forth the horse"
So they brought the horse and
looked at its legs. ! have always un-
derstood that you get en- rapport al
sai
it's legs. Something like grissettes
They seemed all right to me. The
arriero said the little horse was of q
surety a perfect speciment of his
breed 1t occurred to me that if the
horse took UP the running walk that
most Mexican horses do on the trail
l would look a good deal like a high
boy being propelled about an casters
but ! said nothing. Looks are not
everything.
II will wake you at four o'clock,
said the arriero.
This seemed to be a statement
rather than a promise, so no excep-
tion was taken to il. At 4 O'Clock
a knock sounded on the door of the
room in which my partner and my
self had been sleeping off the effect:
of twelve hours in a Ford The
night was dark and lonesome. Out in
the patio, right at my door, TIVE
handsome, intelligent little mule.
were waiting. AS soon as they saw
the pile OF baggage they started foi
their quarters in the rear. which
proved they were intelligent. They
were headed off. A small Mexican
boy came out of a room with his
mother and found his mozos and
started them TO packing his mules
and kissed the hand of the landlady
I shall always have a higher opinion
Of boys after having watched him
An American boy would have died O.
shame il he had been compelled q