Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WhenIleftTonalaIshookthehandsofmanywhohadtreatedmelikeabrother;happydid
we meet, happy did we part, and, maybe, happy shall we meet again.
Things began to look very ugly, and when we arrived in the next village I was told that it
would be foolhardy to continue, as bandits were busy between there and Tehuantepec. Here
I saw another disgusting sight. In broad daylight a man stabbed another in the plaza, and the
offender was caught by some army officers who happened to be near. They hit him in the face
with their .45 automatics, transforming into something resembling a half-cooked black-pud-
ding what moments before had been a healthy head.
My two new horses showed the strain of hard work, and so I had to stay in Jalisco for four
days to give them time to recuperate. I took advantage to gather whatever information was
available about the regions ahead of me, but the outlook was none too rosy. A general who
was in charge of the troops stationed there assured me that I could not go far without being
assaulted, bandits having become very active with the outbreak of the revolution.
Whilst I was in this place an amusing thing happened to some workmen. Every day a train
took them some distance out where they were mending the line, and an armed escort always
accompanied the workers to protect them against possible attacks. Indeed, all the trains that
passed carried troops to keep off bandits. As time passed and nothing had happened, the sol-
diers became so confident that they left their rifles on the train and went to amuse themselves
in the forest. An engineer had hooked his field telephone to the main wire and was trying
to get communication. After many futile attempts he began to lose his temper and eased his
feelings by using 'wrong-number language'. 'Hello, hello,——, ——,' he yelled, 'anybody
there?' Just as he said this he received a sharp dig in the ribs, and turning round he saw a
rough-looking fellow with a rifle who once more prodded him. With a nasty grin the intruder
said, 'Yes, here we are, you
rechingado
, hand over your gun and money or I'll plug you!' All
was over in a flash; rifles, ammunition and other useful articles had vanished, together with
the cunning bandits who had obviously well planned this clever
coup
.
The unfortunate engineer himself told me this story in the evening and showed me some
black bruises where he had been prodded with the rifle. However, after a stiff drink he felt
better and began to see the humorous side of the incident.
A dusky general called upon me late one night to impart the news that he had received or-
ders from the War Department to supply me with an escort. I am certain that I should have
lost my horses had it not been for this great service with which the government favoured me.
I doubly appreciated this courtesy, for I was fully aware that every available soldier might be
wantedatanymoment.Itwasarrangedthatthisescortshouldseemethroughtothenextplace
where troops were stationed, and there be relieved by a new one. All commanders of the dif-
ferent detachments had been telegraphically advised, and thus I travelled well-guarded until I
reached Oaxaca, up in the mountains, whence I preferred to travel alone again. My first escort
belonged to the cavalry, but the men were all highlanders and were unaccustomed to the hot
and swampy coastal regions. Their horses, which were of American origin, were practically
