A Sub-Tropical Pilgrimage. 



193 



branching trees, nestles at the foot of 

 the eastern Sierra, at the dividing line 

 between plain and mountain. Here six 

 bananas are sold for a cent, and the 

 price of supper, lodging and breakfast 

 is 25 cents, silver. Tourists and civili- 

 zation have not yet spoiled it. The best 

 part of these bamboo houses is out of 

 doors. They are usually constructed 

 with wide sloping roofs of palm, reach- 

 ing within a few feet of the ground. In 

 the centre two or three rooms fenced off 

 by upright poles and plastered, serve as 

 a boudoir for the gentler members of 

 the family, which makes the veranda 

 the most prominent feature, and, at the 

 same time, the most comfortable. Our 

 bedroom was the front piazza, fronting 

 on the road, where we placed our cots, 

 but the cold of the early morning drove 

 us from our beds before daylight, and, 

 wrapped in our blankets, we marched 

 up and down, waiting for the sun to 

 come and warm us up. After midnight 

 it often becomes very chilly in these 

 tropical latitudes, a fact that should not 

 be forgotten but guarded against. 



Laguna del Chairel was our next ob- 

 jective point. This little lake was said 

 to be the resort of alligators, ducks and 

 all other aquatic birds and beasts, ru- 

 mor positively asserting that the tapir 

 was occasionally seen there. We now 

 left the main road and took to a laby- 

 rinth of paths, fenced by thorny vines, 

 where, without a guide, we would have 

 certainly been lost. Through the thick- 

 ets and across occasional glades of 

 grass, under mighty trees that com- 

 pletely shut out the sun, now cutting 

 our way through interlaced gatunyos, 

 whose claw-like thorns caught our 

 clothes like grappling irons (here is 

 where the machetes cam.e into play), 

 and again skirting the edge of a marsh, 

 where screeching birds were lazily feed- 

 ing, we arrived at a low rocky ridge 



covered with heavy timber, that over- 

 looked the lake, a shallow body of water 

 of perhaps a square mile in extent. We 

 left the horses in a thicket and advanced 

 cautiously on foot towards the water ; 

 and what a sight ! A hundred yards to 

 the left on a little point were seven alli- 

 gators ; in front a flock of muscovy 

 ducks feeding in the edge of the rushes ; 

 in the clear water beyond, mallard, teal, 

 spoon bill and widgeon were swimming 

 to and fro, while further down the lake 

 a squadron of white pelicans \vere sail- 

 ing. On the further shore a buck and 

 doe stood half sheltered by the cane 

 brake, and in a space apparently re- 

 served to themselves, for we could see 

 nothing else near them, a band of alli- 

 gators sported, while with other birds» 

 from the little yellow gallito, who has 

 spurs on his wings, to cranes, pink, white 

 and gray, little doves and large wood 

 pigeons, green parrots and red tanigers, 

 the woods on the border of the lake 

 seemed to be filled. 



Between the water's edge and the 

 timber was an open space covered with 

 sedge. We stepped back into the forest 

 and began a march around the lake. 

 The judge wanted to shoot a deer and 

 the railroad magnate an alligator. But, 

 in spite of our caution, the noise of the 

 fine saddle horses crushing through the 

 brush had frightened off the deer, but 

 the alligators which we had seen on the 

 bank merely glided into the water, and 

 were floating just below the surface 

 about thirty yards distant. The rail- 

 road magnate took the rifle, and resting 

 it across a fallen log, took aim at the 

 eye (which was just above the water) of 

 the nearest one, and by great good luck 

 he hit it, and then began the splashing. 

 The 'gator in his struggles came nearer 

 the shore, and finally died where we 

 could reach him. He was eleven feet 

 long. 



