Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
never agree to this, and when I realised that his recovery in that bad climate was impossible,
I communicated with the Argentine Embassy in Mexico City and arranged to send the cripple
there bytrain. Fortunately wehadreached Tapachula, wheretheline fromGuatemala toMex-
ico City passes. Had this accident happened anywhere else I should have had to sacrifice the
animal.
When all was arranged, sympathetic friends helped me literally to carry the invalid to the
station where we bedded him down in a wagon to send him to the distant capital in charge
of a reliable man. I had a big lump in my throat when the train disappeared around a curve,
for I really believed I would never see my dear old Gato again. Accompanied by my friends I
returned to the shed where Mancha was desperately calling his companion, as Gato had done
evenwhenthetrainhadbeguntomove.UntillatethatnightIremainedwithMancha,drinking
more of the strong Mexican
tequila
than was physically good for me; but it helped mentally.
IwonderedifthetwoofuscouldsuccessfullyfightourwaythroughasfarasMexicoCity,
afterwhichtherestwouldberelativelyeasy.Wouldtheswampsalongthecoast,orthemighty
Sierra Madre rob us of victory that was practically in sight, or had our luck changed? These
and similar thoughts ran through my head like whirlwinds all night.
Although the delay of one month in this place had caused us to miss the best time for trav-
elling along the swampy coast, and the rainy season had set in, I was determined to continue.
I had full confidence in Mancha and, after all, this was part of the game. We had suffered
a severe set-back, but in spite of the handicap I had visions of final victory and felt that we
would beat even the elements, which now seemed to have gone against us in the same way as
luck had done.
ThepeoplealongthecoastoftheMexicanStateofChiapasaremuchliketheGuatemalans,
and during my forced stay in this region I had ample opportunity to observe them. Any Mex-
ican government official can easily be distinguished from the ordinary private person, for it
seems to be his privilege to wear a .45 automatic and a belt well studded with bullets.
Onedaysomeofficerstookmearoundthetown.Aswepassedagroupofdrunkensoldiers
some of them began to insult their superiors. Before I knew what was happening a free-for-all
fighthadstarted, knivesweredrawn,andshotspoppedinalldirections. SuddenlyIreceived a
sharp blow from behind that made me see stars unknown in astronomy. People who happened
to be near at the time ran helter-skelter for safety as though an earthquake were taking place.
WhenthecommotionwasfinishedIturnedouttobetheonlymanhurt,anduntilwiseMother
Nature had done her work I had to 'wear' a most undignified black eye.
Chinese merchants run many of the small stores, and many children show that they have a
good splash of Chinese blood running in their veins.
The average man inthis neighbourhood isavicious smoker,andeven little children can be
seen puffing away like their elders; in fact, some seem to take to cigars as soon as they leave
their mothers' breasts.
