1893 
Huamantla 
(Tlaxoala) 
birds and mammals as at Chalchicomula. 
Huamantla is composed of the usual admixture of Indians, Mestizos 
and a few Spaniards and their descendants. In the middle of the town 
is a horse-tank with a notice painted on the wall over it forbidding 
all persons from bathing therein as being “against public health and 
morality", 
Then I went up on the mountain with ray assistant one day but a dense 
fog covered everything so that it was impossible to do anything, I left 
' 4 
xay assistant at an Indian ranch at the foot of the mountain to spend two 
or three nights trapping while I returned to the town to do some writing. 
It was arranged that he should return to town on the third day. On that 
day I had arranged for a horse and intended going out for another trip 
to the mountain but the owner of the horse failed to turn up. 
During the day the Jefe Politico sent for me to come to his office 
and said he would like to know ray business in the town as he had to keep 
posted on the movements of strangers, etc,, etc. My letters very soon 
satisfied him on that point and I left him after a few minutes talk. 
Might came and my assistant did not turn up and I made arrangements 
for a horse and mounted servant to go out and look him up early the next 
morning-. Just before I was ready to start in the morning (of the 16th) 
my assistant turned up looking badly used up and said that the previous 
morning as he was about ready to come in town a dozen armed Indians rode 
up and asked the Indian ranchman if the foreigner was there, 
\ 
The old man at once replied no that he had gone hunting. The men 
said they had orders from the Jefe to arrest him but when the ranchman 
asked if they had a written order they said, "Mo." My man was inside the 
house and quickly prepared to defend himself. As soon as the men rode 
off to look for him on the mountain the ranchero told him that they were 
bad men and intended to do him mischief if they found him. Directly they 
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