An American Miner in Mexico, Chapters I-VI [pp. 34-45]

A n American Miner in Mexico.
I trusted the Indian in him for guiding me to the spot.
On the way back to the mills,- hacienda de beneficio,- it was agreed that
we should start in search of the old mine
as soon as I could purchase a riding horse
and some donkeys for use as pack animals. The object of our journey was to
be kept secret. It was merely to be said
that I was going on a prospecting trip,
and that Manuel was going with me to
attend to the packing and assist in any
digging that was to be done. No one
questioned this, as it seemed a very natural arrangement.
Manuel was a study for me during the
days we were engaged in collecting our
animals, and purchasing arms, tools and
supplies. It did my soul good to see his
eyes twinkle and his frame expand. He
had now gained another inch in height
was fully five feet, and nearly as much
in girth. Again and again I blessed my self that I had the power and the will to
make a fellow creature so happy. He
would have turned his back on Saint
Peter, had that guardian of the realms
of bliss swung open his golden gate and
invited him to enter. Yet he was all this
time almost bursting with the impor tance of his secret. From being one of
the most timid men about the hacienda
he caused all his fellow countrymen to
stare with surprise at the frequency and
vigor of his "carambas!" and at times
he seemed almost on the point of cuffing
the ears of some who ventured to handle
articles belonging to our outfit.
I found a donkey that was nearly as
large as a mule, and purchased the beast
for Manuel's special use. I had at first
intended that he should make the jour ney on foot, driving the pack animals,
but viewing and considering his build I
felt my heart moved with compassion.
A happy man was Manuel when told that
the big donkey was his riding animal.
After twice walking around the beast,
and surveying him from all sides, he
swore he was the finest burro in all Mex
ico. When I made him a present of an
old double-barreled shotgun which I had
picked up at the hacienda for a trifle,
and a knife nearly as long and broad as
a machete, the poor man was ready to
fall on his knees before me. He assured
me that he would soon become the "ter
ror of the mountains."
II.
BRIGHT and early one morning we set
out on our journey. Many natives had
assembled to see us off. Manuel was in all
his glory, with his shotgun on his shoulder and his cutlass of a knife in his belt.
All his peon friends looked upon him as
a made man, and deferred to him as a
man of note and ability. His word was
law, and he uttered it boldly. From remarks dropped by some of the natives
in regard to Manuel's great good fortune, I perceived that he had so far relieved his swelling soul as to tell them
of the astounding wages he was to re ceive.
Soon after leaving the hacienda, we
struck into a mountain trail, and this
presently led into a well timbered region.
Beside the animals we bestrode we had
two good burros that we used as pack
animals, and Manuel proudly asserted
that a better provisioned and equipped
expedition had never been seen in the
Sierra Madre monntains.
Although somewhat fat - obeso -
Manuel was not lazy. He not only
looked after all our animals, but also fab ricated the tortillas and cooked the fri joles, doing all in the best-natured way
imaginable. I never gave a thought to
camp duties after the second day out.
When we came to where our tent was to
be pitched for the night, I at once shoul dered my Winchester and struck out in
search of game, and very frequently
brought into camp a deer or wild tur key, thus "saving our bacon" both lit erally and metaphorically,- bacon being
a very dear article in Mexico.
36
[Jan.