Evening star., 1926-11-14

though it had been mislaid some
where.
perhaps we've passed it," some
body suggested.
1t was a bright. hot day. and n high
wind brought up dust and sand In
| little clouds about us. We were
| thirsty, too, but then we were always
! thirsty. And at last the ocean
stretched in front of us. far below.
and it looked cool and very. very wet.
We began that fruitless and misery.
engendering pastime of the desert
traveller, planning what we would
have to drink If we could have any
thing. 1 wanted water. l wanted t.
sit in a bathtub full of it, with glass
full of it in my hand. Mary Elizabeth
| wanted orangeade with plenty OF ice
And then somebody mentioned cold
beer, and there was a hopeless silence
X *.
| ATE that day we descended th,,
mountain slope and reached our
| first town. Ensenada. a little settle
ment on the ocean. We created con
| siderable excitement when, dirt
covered, tanned. and extremely weary.
| we rode through it's dusty streets.
| Children followed us. People came IL
| the doors to watch us go by.
We made an imposing procession
| with our 20 animals. although ouy
| mules carried lighter burdens than
| when we started. There had been no
! such excitement in the town. some one
| said. since months before when a trac.
| tor pulling eight wagons had gone
| through.
A little town, Ensenada. with wide
unshaded streets, lies on one Of the
| few harbors of the Pacific. We found
| it very friendly, and it immediately
| granted our first request.
Our Mexican officers made it. and IL
| was this: That our three soldiers and
| two priVateS be allowed that eVcnine
| of freedom, and then he imprisoned ir
| the quarrel for the remaining time M
] til we started again, so they Nigh
sober up!
| This was on a Saturday. 1t was oI,
| Monday morning that the kindly chiet
| of the garrison came to see us OF. ana
| brought with him and presented us
| army and all, eS~>h with a quart bottle
| of mescal whisky. OF which, as the
border officer said. if YOU got drunk Oh
it on Sunday. every time you took
/ drink of water the following week. you
got drunk all over again.
| Some two or three hours later, rid
| ing up the beautiful Pacific hcadlaud~,
| the sea below us on the left. we looked
| back to sec as demOraliZed pack out
| fit as l have ever laid eyes on. Tn"
| army was reeliug in its saddles: the
/ mules were off the trail III every dire,
| ton, and more than one pack was uu
| der the animals stomach.
Tony was helpless. We went or
| Some eight hours after we had Sc
| lected our camping site that evening
| the pack blew in. They We're y sub
| dued and Chasteued lot, and If any uu-
| toward effect followed their drinks of
| water the rest of the week we did not
J notice it.
| Three days later a close observer at
| Tia Judna might have seen curious
| mounted procession emerge from a
| cavern and wcnd its way toward the
river and the hrolcn-dOWn bridge. Il
was headed by two women, burned a
| deep tomato red, and much torn as to
| garments. the garments being con
| siderably looscr than they had been q
| month before.
! Behind came two Mexican officers ia
| what had once been uniforms. and he
| hind them again three $crCC1UtS ANA
two privateS of the Me&iCan army.
| rifles, bandolierS, knives, and so on
Interspersed We're seven mules, one of
| which Immediately took to the river
| pack and all. and had to be ropCd out
Exactly three hours later two WON
en- entered the dining room of tn"
| Coronado Beach Hotel. They were In
evening dress, and carefully marcel
led. They took only a casual glance at
the menu, and then said to the waiter;
Bring it i'm
They looked exactly like all the
/ other women at the hotel. but with
this difference. From the neck M
| they were burned n dark magenta,
verging on the purple, and they
seemed fascinated by the ice in their
drinking water.
Every now and then one Of them
would hold up her glass. ana begin
do you rememhcr-?"
And the other would nod her head
She did.
CCopyrIrht 19"6l