282 



RECREATION. 



I was much impressed by the appearance 

 of the cattle in that district. Although 

 there had been practically no rain for more 

 than 6 months, so that the grazing had the 

 usual bleached and dried appearance, the 

 cattle at that altitude were remarkably sleek 

 and looked well fed. Cattle raising there 

 must be extremely profitable. 



We left the camp with regret and resumed 

 our journey to the Pacific coast. The trail 

 became much easier and we were able to 

 travel greater distances in a day, but we 

 soon learned that owing to the intense heat 

 of the day we could travel with far greater 

 comfort rat night. We accordingly decided 

 to do this, and, breaking camp soon after .3 

 o'clock the next morning, we rode by moon- 

 light down the last stretch of the Reforma 

 canon, reaching the Fuerte river about 9 

 a. m. The- last 20 miles through which we 

 passed gave evidences of large mineral de- 

 posits. Only one mine, reputed to be fabu- 

 lously rich, is at present operated, but thou- 

 sands are located and their opening only 

 awaits the advent of the railroad. Without 

 transportation facilities, low grade proposi- 

 tions, the most satisfactory class of mine, 

 can not be worked to pay. The railroad, 

 however, is built and being operated to 

 Fuerte, a point 100 kilometers inland from 

 the coast, and about 50 kilometers more will 

 take the road to the mouth of the Reforma 

 canon on the Fuerte river. With its arrival 

 at that point the district will be galvanized 

 into activity. 



We crossed the Fuerte river without dif- 

 ficulty, the river being low, owing to the 

 exceptionally dry season. From thence we 

 were in the hot country, and the trail be- 

 came easy, but inches deep in dust. At that 

 time of year there was little vegetation ex- 

 cepting the pitahaya cactus and the mesquite. 

 This cactus soon becomes a familiar object 

 and no uncultivated land is innocent of it. 

 It grows tall, and in the summer bears a 

 luscious fruit. Every Indian carries a long 

 spear as a means of detaching the fruit. 

 The prickly husks of the fruit are used by 

 the Indian women as hair combs. 



The first village where water can be ob- 

 tained is Mesquitecaido, a picturesque spot. 

 There we camped under a gigantic mesquite 

 tree in the middle of the village. We 

 amused ourselves in the afternoon by watch- 

 ing the villagers play a species of hockey, 

 which they carried on with great zest. The 

 club used was spoonlike in appearance ; there 

 were, as far as one could judge, no sides and 

 no goals, and the scene of action was wher- 

 ever the ball happened to be have been sent 

 by the last striker. The game was played 

 with all seriousness, young and old alike 

 taking part, in the hottest part of the day. 



The moon was up at 2 o'clock, so we 

 rolled up our beds, made some coffee and in 

 a short time were under way. The cool 

 morning air, the stillness, broken only by 



the peculiar wailing cry of the mozos, in- 

 tended to encourage the mules to higher 

 speed, the deep shadows cast by the moon- 

 light, all combined to render these early 

 morning rides most enjoyable. 



Whenever we reached a village a tremen- 

 dous barking and howling of dogs com- 

 menced, every Indian and every Mexican 

 being possessed of one or 2 mongrels. 



Seven hours' riding took us to Choix 

 (pronounced choice), a baked looking spot, 

 whose only recommendation was that it had 

 a store, of important aspect, where we could 

 hire fresh mules to take us to Fuerte. Our 

 own mules were by that time in a sorry con- 

 dition. Of course we had to wait till man- 

 ana before the fresh mules could be ready 

 for us. This gave the entomologist of our 

 party a chance to catch some iguanas, of 

 which we had seen numbers along the last 

 mile of. the route. He secured 2 excellent 

 specimens of this remarkable lizard, which 

 is extremely difficult to catch. The natives 

 cook and eat them, and they are said to 

 have a flavor superior to that of frogs. 



At Choix there were a number of Grin- 

 goes, whose business was chiefly with mines, 

 prospecting and management. From all ac- 

 counts the mineral wealth is prodigious, 

 copper especially being found in remarkable 

 quantities. All are impatient for the ad- 

 vent of the railway. 



We left Choix at 6 in the evening, with 

 the intention of accomolishing the 45 mile 

 ride to Fuerte during the night. We had a 

 break of 2 hours about half way, in which 

 to rest the mules and take a lunch ; and then 

 we pushed on. The sensation of riding a 

 fresh mule after the weary old animals we 

 had just discarded was refreshing, and al- 

 though we occasionally felt sleepy during 

 the long night ride, none of us were tired 

 when we reached Fuerte, about 9 o'clock the 

 next morning. 



In Fuerte we renewed our acquaintance 

 with the 'sight, familiar in Mexico, of pris- 

 oners working in the streets and the little 

 plaza gardens, under the supervision of sol- 

 diers. Fuerte has a band and a band stand. 

 When a man is up or down on his luck he 

 hires that band to attend on him at the 

 various saloons until he is no longer in a 

 position to listen to their sweet strains. 

 This may last an hour or 2 or go on for 

 several days. The sound of the music from 

 the little saloon, wafted across the hot after- 

 noon air, and the knowledge of what it is 

 the accompaniment to, produce an indescrib- 

 able effect on the listener. 



Game is plentiful around Fuerte, but we 

 were not there in the right season for hunt- 

 ing it. The mountain lion, the tieer and 

 numerous species of wildcat, the peccary, 

 or wild pig, and deer are, comparatively 

 speaking, abundant. Wild ducks, quail and 

 cuitchee constitute the winged game. The 

 latter bird is used by the Mexicans to cross 



