Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
feelings.IwassorrytothinkthatImightneveragainseethemanyfriendsImadeinthatbeau-
tiful country, but, to admit the truth, I was partly glad to leave it, for the fact is that I never
felt safe, especially in some parts, and I considered myself lucky not to have lost the animals
through assault or robbery. On more than one occasion things had looked distinctly 'hot' for
me, but somehow I always managed to pull through.
Everything had been arranged with the American border officials so that there should be
no difficulty, and I owe great thanks to the American consul in Nuevo Laredo for the kindly
interest he took in me.
When dealing with little officials, there is always one among them who wants to give the
impression that he is the centre of gravity of the whole department, and that without him the
nation would go to rack and ruin. I had the misfortune to run into one of these at Laredo. He
was a Polish Jew, a fat, stumpy little fellow who wore huge horn-rimmed spectacles on his
shiny red nose, a most unfortunate defect for a border official of a 'bone dry' country, but
which, for argument's sake, and giving him the benefit of the doubt, I will put down to the
tight fit of his uniform. This 'hundred percenter' was so officious and rude that I was sorry he
was not talking to me on the other side of the bridge, but the chances are that he would have
known better, and after all, every dog is entitled to bark in his own kennel.
I had a wonderful time as the guest of the army at Fort Mackintosh, and in this connection
I must mention that this was the case in every army post I struck on my journey through the
States, where all doors were open to me, and where I made many friends among officers and
men.
The change from one side to the other of the Rio Grande, as the Americans call it, or Rio
Bravo, which is the Mexican name for the same river, is like that from night to day. In Nuevo
Laredo there are no paved streets, and pools of stagnant water oblige one to pick one's way.
Most of the houses are made of wood, and cleanliness is only known as a word that figures in
the dictionary. The only thing Nuevo Laredo has better than Laredo Texas is the water supply,
which is excellent. Laredo on the Texas side is like a paradise when compared to the other,
for the streets are all made of concrete, the houses and neat stores are of ultra-modern type,
and even skyscrapers tower into the sky. The hotels, although much smaller, compare favour-
ablywithNewYork'saveragegiants,but-themoststrikingchangeofall-bighats,redneck
scarves, and guns in holsters on belts studded with bullets are unknown!
ThelandontheTexansideoftheriverisallundercultivation, onions,oranges,grapefruit,
anddifferentvegetablesbeingthechiefproducts.Infact,todayTexasisthebiggestonionsup-
plier of the U.S. It is obvious that something must be wrong in Mexico, for although the land
on the southern side of the river is exactly the same as on the Texas side, it is a semi-desert
and scarcely inhabited.
A great surprise was in store for me when I rode into Fort Mackintosh, for a sergeant, who
had been so good to my horses in Panama, came running up to greet us. Whilst we were on
our way up from the Panama Canal zone he had been transferred to this post, where he once
