Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the train would hit him, he jumped off the track and fell into a soft swamp; when the fright
was over we had a tough job to extricate him.
Let me just give one example of how bad travelling was in this part. From one point to an-
other, separated by a distance of not quite twelve miles, we struggled over ten hours, and this
without ever resting more than long enough to recover our breath.
On the outskirts of a village I was stopped by a detachment of soldiers. The sentry rattled
an old Mauser at me, the loose screws sounding like an old-fashioned set of false teeth. He
demandedtoseemylicenceforcarryingfirearms,andwhenIproducedithesaidthatthiswas
amatterforthe
comandante
andescortedmeintothevillagewherearegularlittlefortresshad
been built with sandbags near the plaza. The
comandante
was most polite and obliging, and
apologised for having had to molest me, and explained that these precautions were necessary
as a revolution had broken out, the Generals Gomez and Serrano having started an insurrec-
tion against the Calles government. Although I had had suspicions that trouble was brewing, I
did not expect a general revolution, and the
comandante
's news filled me with apprehension.
My guide, who had been chatting with a group of soldiers, came to tell me that he had no
desire to accompany me any further, and that he wished to return home to his wife. He had
proved to be an excellent fellow and such a valuable help that I tried everything to make him
change his mind, and he only gave in when I promised to present him with both of the horses
I had bought after I had sent Gato up to Mexico City.
It was in a small village in the State of Chiapas that I had the first taste of the revolution
and there I saw what crimes can be committed with impunity. A young man, about eighteen
yearsofage,whilstwalkingupanddowntheonlystreet,enjoyingthecoolbreezeofthenight,
passednearthehousewhereafewsoldiershadmadetheirquarters.Theofficerincharge,who
wasintoxicated,commandedtheyoungmantogohomeandtobedand,asmightbeexpected,
the youth did not obey and continued to walk up and down. Suddenly the officer snatched a
rifle from one of the soldiers and fired at the inoffensive boy who fell wounded in the middle
of the street, where he lay in agony for over an hour until he died. Nobody dared go to his
assistance, for the officer had ordered all his men out and commanded them to shoot should
anybody approach the dying man. Experience had taught me not to interfere in other peoples'
affairs,leastofallinforeignlands,andthusImerelywatched,indignant,disgusted,butsilent.
Travelling was bad until we reached a place called Tonala, where everybody turned out to
greet us and to admire my Mancha, who, probably owing to his colour, was given the name
of
El Tigre de las Pampas
. I heard nasty rumours about the revolution and bandits who were
making things unsafe in the neighbourhood and in parts we would have to cross before long.
I had heard many similar yarns in other countries before and had taken next to no notice of
them, butthis time Iknewthat they were notimaginary orfar-fetched. Ifeared more forMan-
cha than anything else, for horses are in great demand in Mexico, especially during revolu-
tions, and my animal's fame had travelled before him, and I was afraid an attempt might be
made to steal him.
