After having been asleep for several hours I was startled by hearing a peculiar noise. It was a gentle and continuous tapping, accompanied by the word Señor spoken in a low, soft voice. It was quite dark so I lighted the candle and asked who was there, and I heard “Señor it is your mozo from Lenton, and I have brought your saddle, and wish to speak to you.” I opened the door and told the lad to explain the reason for coming to me in the middle of the night. He came in looking very frightened and said that he was afraid of my Indians for he thought they were bad men. He had heard them say that it was their intention to go back with him, and he feared that when they were in the deserted part of the country they would steal the horse; so he came to ask my permission to leave at once. The Indians were asleep but he was afraid that they would soon awake and prevent him from getting away alone. He said also that the mule was safe in the stable, and that he had brought with him the saddle, sheepskin and halter which he placed upon the floor in a corner of the room. I thought that the fears of the lad were perhaps well founded, and gave him directions to leave at once and get on as fast as possible. As he still looked anxious, I assured him that measures should be taken to prevent the Indians from following him for several hours. The mozo thanked me and disappeared into the dark courtyard, and I never heard of him or the horse again. It is to be hoped that he arrived at his village in safety.
Shortly before sunrise I was awoke by a loud tapping at the door. This time it was the landlord who came to tell me that my Indians were making a great noise and were very excited. They were calling out that the mozo had gone away during the night with my horse, and they wished to see me immediately and be paid and discharged. I told the landlord what had happened and that the mozo had left by my orders, and then requested him not to permit the Indians to leave the inn, and to tell them that I would not see them before the middle of the day. “I understand you,” said the landlord, “and will do all that is necessary.”
In the afternoon at the time when I estimated that if the mozo had made a proper use of his start he would be at least forty miles away, the Indians were discharged, and an hour afterwards I was informed that they had been seen on the road running fast towards the frontier.
It was now necessary to take steps to cure the mule and get a guide. Don Manuel Castillo, to whom I had a letter of introduction, was away at his hacienda, but his friend Don Mariana Godillo in the kindest manner undertook to arrange everything for me. Upon an examination of the mule it was considered advisable that she should have a few days’ rest to allow the swelling to subside, and in the meanwhile, the experience of local muleteers was made available in applying the most approved remedies.
During this time the town of Comitan was in a state of unusual excitement in consequence of the arrival of numerous bands of Indians to take part in the festival of San Caralampio, to whom was dedicated one of the churches. In front of that church numerous Indians were assembled. In some respects the scene was like that which took place at Jacaltenango, but the proceedings were more of the character of a fair than of a religious ceremony. The plaza was covered with booths, and a local Indian traffic was being busily transacted. Indian musicians with drums, fifes, and fiddles were engaged in making an incessant noise. The interior of the church was always crowded, and continuous services were performed at the shrines. The women wore white hoods which were drawn tightly across the lower part of their faces. The men usually wore black yergas.[74]
Upon the fourth morning of my stay in the town, as I could not see any signs of improvement in the state of the mule, and it was necessary not to lose any more time, I held a small meeting of experts in the stable. It was thought that some weeks must elapse before she would be fit to travel, and Señor Godillo proposed to give me one of his best mules in exchange for her, and also insisted upon giving me twenty dollars, as he considered my mule to be well worth that additional value. In the end this arrangement was carried out, and thus with infinite regret I parted with my intelligent and sure-footed companion.
It was reported at Comitan that the border provinces toward Palenque had become settled and had ceased to be in a lawless condition. This state of things was undoubtedly due to the remarkable influence of the President Juarez over the Indian tribes, and it was probable that the cause of this influence was attributable to the fact that, like Carrera, the first President of the Republic of Guatemala, he was by birth an Indian.
Juarez was known to be an Indian of a good unmixed stock. He was born in Oaxaca, the province bordering Chiapas on the west. Of his early youth but little is known, but as a young man he took a prominent part in the political movements which preceded the declaration of Independence. He was elected a Deputy to the Congress, and in 1858 became President, and was given very extensive authority. In considering the characteristics and capacity of the Indians in Central America, it can never be forgotten that, during a period of great revolutionary agitation, two unknown Indians should, in a most extraordinary manner, have risen to the surface, and controlled the destinies of the new Republics.
Under such conditions, requiring much administrative ability, it might have reasonably been expected that men of a white race, either Spaniards or belonging to the large population of half-castes of partly Spanish descent, would, in consequence of their superior qualifications, or their education, or military training, have taken the lead in these revolutions. As a matter of racial capacity, it is strange that ordinary Indians with absolutely no help from their surrounding circumstances, should have attained the highest power.[75]