Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
InspiteoftheadverseweatherconditionsIwasgladwhenIsatonManchaagain;andheading
him in the direction of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec I was ready to tackle the next lap, which
promised to be another tough proposition.
We had not ridden far when we entered forests, and shortly before midday a heavy rain
begantofall,asitdoesduringtherainyseason,withalmost mathematical precision at11a.m.
every day in this part. The bad road grew narrower and narrower until it became a soft and
muddy trail. Mancha was used to mud and ploughed his way through like a tractor. The guide
had the bad luck to fall into a deep mud-hole, and I had not finished laughing when we came
to a river where Mancha stumbled on a slippery rock and fell on his side, the strong current
rushing over him. I got a good ducking, but as it was hot and the rain had already soaked
through my clothes it made but little difference. Only for the first two days could I call my
managuide,forafterthathedidnotknowthecountryanymorethanIdid.However,hewasa
splendid fellow and a great help. He was a good jungle-man, always happy and cheerful, even
when things looked bad, and I shall always remember Angel Riso, as he was called, as one of
nature'sgentlemen, uneducated and crude, but faithful and honest and with the heart ofa lion;
in short, a typical Mexican gentleman: of the poorer class.
The rain was so heavy that we had to stop in a little settlement called Huehuetan, which
consisted of a few straw-roofed huts, and as my guide had some friends there we were given
shelter in one of them. It was inhabited by an elderly woman, her son, two other women and
several children. The hut had only one room which was kitchen, living-room and bedroom
in one, and whilst I was watching one of the women boil an
iguana
with rice and beans in
a pot, I was trying to figure out how the little crowd of us could be accommodated for the
night.
Iguanas
(the Mexican variety) are large, dark-grey, horny lizards, with a row of spikes
alongtheirbacks.Theyliveonbigoldtreesorinholesundertheirroots.Asfarasappearance
is concerned, a full-grown
iguana
, which is about a foot and a half in length, without count-
ing the equally long tail, is about as repulsive a prospect for eating as I know. However, once
cooked they are quite tasty, and in some parts of Mexico are considered a delicacy.
Obviously the man had been out
iguana
hunting, for against the wall lay several more. I
wentovertohavealookatthem,andfoundthattheywerestillaliveand,topreventthemfrom
biting, holes had been cut through their upper and lower jaws, through which a thin but tough
kind of creeper had been passed and then firmly tied around so as to keep the mouth shut. To
make escape impossible the forelegs of these unfortunate reptiles had been broken and tied
to their hindlegs, holes having been made through their feet that were secured together with
bitsofcreeper.Sufferinguntoldagonies,these
iguanas
havetolingeruntildeathrelievesthem
when they are killed for cooking.
