Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The country now became hilly, and the forest with its gigantic trees had the appearance of a
beautiful park, but, best of all, there was cool, clear water running in the irrigation canals.
ThefirstsignofhumanlifeIencounteredwasagroupofwomenridingonsmallmulesand
burros, one of the animals carrying two hefty females without seeming to mind the weight.
Some of the women were smoking pipes which they handled with the dexterity of old marin-
ers.
Very soon the first farmhouses appeared in a forest clearing where alfalfa grew in abund-
ance. (When such a clearing is made the felled trees are cut into logs which are burnt to make
charcoal, an important industry in this part.) Feeling we had done enough I stopped at the
first hut, where I was immediately given hospitality. The horses once more were able to fill
themselves with good grass and water, and after I had washed off the sand and dust that had
accumulated during the past few days I was ready for a good meal. In the evening we all sat
andchatted,and,asusual,strangetalesoftheregionweretold.Whentheconversation drifted
to foxes I heard remarkable stories about Mr Reynard and his cunning. Some might be true,
others were undoubtedly the works of imagination, but nevertheless they were entertaining.
'Yes,' said one of the men, 'if there are no dogs without fleas, there certainly are no foxes
withoutthem,'andthenherelatedthefollowingstorywhichIhaveheardinotherpartsbefore
and since and which I have no reason to disbelieve.
ShortlybeforesunsetMrFoxusuallycomesoutofhisburrowtoseehowthingsgooutside,
and to find out if the weather is suitable for a good night's hunting. If there is an
arroyo
(stream) near, he then goes down to wet his dry throat. Presently he slowly dips the lower part
of his belly in the water and, by degrees, gently and very slowly, goes in deeper, until finally
his back is covered. The hairs along his spine are bristled as if he were facing an enemy, and
asthefleashavebeenforcedhigherandhigherbytherisingwatertheywillfinallytakerefuge
on the bristles that are still out of the water. When the time comes the fox suddenly goes com-
pletelybelowthesurface,andthenimmediately swimsaway,leavingmostofthefleastofloat
on the water, where minnows and other small fish snatch them.
IfeltmuchrelievedwhenIsightedthefirstvillageand,tomysurprise,thereexistedavery
nice inn where the horses were fed on green alfalfa and where I had a decent meal and a com-
fortable bed to sleep in. I had an excellent night's rest, which was at one time disturbed by a
drunken rascal who walked up and down the only street threatening some imaginary enemy
and firing shots into the air. Here nearly all the houses are built of a hard wood called
quebra-
cho
, the gaps between the logs being filled in with mud. The roofs are made of straw, which
keeps the interior very cool during the hot summers. As
quebracho
wood does not rot, these
huts can almost be said to be everlasting.
