Travel Reference
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and through deep gorges and winding valleys. The condition of my friend was getting worse
every day, and he was no longer able to use his hands. The infections on his face had made
shavingimpossible,andsohisbeardhadgrownconsiderably.Thematterthatoozedoutofhis
running sores had dried and mixed with his now stubby beard, making his appearance any-
thing but attractive, to say the least.
Most horsemen, horsebreakers, and open-air men have a special vocabulary of their own,
and as I did not believe in punishing my horses excepting on rare occasions, I had learnt to
easemyfeelingsbygoingthroughaspecialvocabularywheneversomethingwentwrong,and
somehow this seemed to happen all day long, and often even during the nights. Now a horse
did something wrong, again the pack slipped, the trail was rough, or a thousand similar things
and happenings demanded suitable remarks at short intervals. I remember soon after we set
out together Mr W. giving me a moral lecture about my strong language, assuring me that if
I thus continued I should become so used to this horrible, useless and degrading habit, that
I should never be able again to mix with decent people. My habit of eating raw onions was
another source of annoyance and even indignation to him, and although I am not particularly
fond of the after-taste of this vegetable, and never eat them under ordinary circumstances, I
took some every day because I was told that they helped to prevent mountain sickness, and
apart from their high nutritive value, they are very easy to carry in the saddlebags and keep
good for a long time. Now it so happened that my good friend had not been long with me be-
fore he was very efficient in the use of my private vocabulary and, thanks to his knowledge
of the language, I was able to add a few very original and expressive words to my repertoire.
And this was not all, for soon I had to keep a strict eye on our onion supply, for which he had
suddenly developed a rare liking.
Vampire bats had given us a great deal of trouble, and many a morning I found my horses
clotted with blood that had oozed out of the small, circular holes the bats had bitten into their
backs and necks. I was puzzled how a horse or a mule could let so big an animal bite him,
when a mosquito or a fly will make him defend himself. At a later period I had the chance to
observe how these bats attack, and I feel inclined to believe in the theory of some mountain
people.
Batshaveapeculiarwayofflyingaroundthehorseincirclesuntilhebecomesdrowsyand
half dazed. These blood-suckers usually exist in deep quebradas , as the rugged valleys are
called, and owing to the hot and damp atmosphere the horses perspire even during the nights.
Gradually the bats circle closer and closer around the now sleepy horse, and presently they
hover near the spot where they intend to bite, all the time fanning air against the victim. Once
the horse gets used to the pleasant sensation of feeling cool the vampire gently settles down
and bites through the hide with his sharp little teeth, all the while keeping up the fanning with
his wings. I have seen bats so full of blood that they were unable to fly after their feed, and
when I stepped on them, amazing quantities of blood squirted out. These pests not only attack
horses and cattle, but also do damage among poultry, and as the latter have but little blood
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