MESSING AROUND IN MEXICO 



mingle with the youth and beauty of the town. 

 Gradually it dawned upon me why everybody 

 looked drawn and haggard these men had 

 completely exhausted themselves by their 

 efforts at evading toil, and what few hours 

 they had snatched for sleep had been troubled 

 by the colored boy as he came and went about 

 their tasks. 



The state of Sonora is dry, and the evils of 

 unrestrained prohibition were forcibly brought 

 home to us while we were loading gasoline. 

 The Mexican boatman whom we engaged to 

 refill our tanks espied a demijohn upon the 

 deck and, profiting by our inattention, under- 

 took to quench a thirst of several years' 

 standing. He seized that jug and quaffed 

 deeply, without so much as a Spanish, "Here's 

 how!" But his haste betrayed him, for the 

 demijohn contained formaldehyde. We used 

 everything on that bargeman from white of 

 egg to the gasoline pump, but his stomach was 

 weak and would retain neither. Whatever 

 happens, that Mexican will never be haunted 

 by moths, and he should keep indefinitely in 

 any climate. As soon as he said he was better, 

 we went away from there, fearing that he 

 might recover sufficiently to call for the police. 



237 



