Upon our return to the convent, Villafranca came to me and reported that the mule was ready and that he had got his machete sharpened in order to clear away any branches or brushwood that we might find to be obstructing the track. He added to his pack some part of the weights carried by the mule, as it was necessary that she should be as free as possible, to push her way through the woods, and we reduced the quantities of food and other necessaries to the lowest amount practicable. A young Mexican who was going to the seacoast came with us as far as the entrance to the forest. He then told me that he should not attempt to go through it with his clothes on, so he stopped and stripped to the skin, and tied his clothes up in a bundle which he fastened to the top of his head. He was a white man of mixed descent and in his action he showed some elements of the nature of his remote Indian ancestry. He ran rapidly to the front, plunged into the forest like a lithe athletic young savage, and was soon out of sight.
As it was not possible to ride I dismounted, and we began to descend the steep sides of the mountain. It was very hard work. Villafranca led the way. I followed close to him, holding the halter at its full length, to prevent the mule as she slipped forward from falling upon me. This manner of progression was made difficult by the obstinate conduct of the mule. She would occasionally attempt to choose her own way and go the wrong side of a tree, and as no energy expended in trying to get her back was of any use, I had always to yield and to follow her round the trunk. Upon one occasion she got away into the forest and was nearly lost. The guide at once threw off his pack and went after her.
The instincts of an Indian were apparent in his proceedings. He carefully marked every step of his advance through the dense undergrowth by cutting down small branches of the trees and placing them on the line of his track. He also here and there, but always on the left hand side, cut notches in the trees or bent some twigs backwards. After a few minutes interval he returned triumphantly with the mule, and after this experience I took care not to allow the halter to leave my hands again.
The fatigues of the day were beyond description. I had been prepared to expect difficulties from the steepness of the ascents and descents and the growth of the underwood, but there were other obstacles which were previously unknown. Our track was constantly barred by creepers which crossed from tree to tree in festoons like thick ropes. They hung loosely in bends and bights in every conceivable shape, but usually they swept the ground in semicircles. Others were hanging in graceful loops three or four feet above the ground, so that the mule was unable to pass under them. There were also miry, swampy places in which the mule sometimes sank to an almost dangerous depth. But what I found to be the most serious trial was the want of ventilation. There was absolutely no movement in the air or any sounds of life, and there was very little daylight, for the rays of the sun above did not penetrate to the ground.
The forest was dark and gloomy, and the atmosphere most oppressive. The want of a proper supply of fresh air to breathe made the journey extremely exhausting. After struggling for several hours down the rugged slopes of the first mountain, we reached a narrow valley and crossed a small stream. We then had to climb up another sierra so steep that it required all my available strength to reach the summit. From this height there remained another league to be traversed down a steep rocky slope to a wide open savannah, upon which was situated San Pedro. Towards sunset we arrived at the village and found shelter under a shed, within which was installed the official who ruled over the district, and who was called the Maestro.
In the morning I discovered that during the night my guide had deserted. Possibly some accident may have happened to him, but in my opinion his conduct was a deliberate act of desertion. I reported the case immediately to the Maestro, but Villafranca could not be found and I never saw him again. It was supposed that he found the work and fatigue of the day greater than he had expected, and was not willing to make his way on the morrow through the equally dense forests between San Pedro and Palenque. If this surmise was correct his view of the situation was quite intelligible, but as I did not consider that an act of this kind should remain unpunished, I arranged with the Maestro that a letter from me should be dispatched to Yajalon where the man had been hired.
I wrote to the Presbitero Macal an account of the desertion and requested him to bring the case to the notice of the alcalde, in order that Villafranca should receive a punishment in accordance with the custom of the country, and that he should be deprived of his wages which had been left in the Presbitero’s charge. I also requested that this money should be given to any of his deserving or distressed parishioners. In justice however to this Tzendal, it should be noted that he did not rob me. I found everything carefully piled up in a corner of the shed; saddle, clothes, rug and the remains of the provisions sufficient for one day. The mule was safely tethered outside the door.
I was thus placed in a very insecure position and had to rely entirely upon my own resources. The hamlet was surrounded in all directions by sierras and forests, and I had not the slightest knowledge of the mountain passes. With regard to food I could manage very well as I was able to make a fire and was prepared to make the provisions last for more than one day if necessary, but in other respects I was entirely dependent upon the good will of the San Pedro Indians about whom very little was known, but who were considered to be untrustworthy.
The Maestro declared that he would do all that was in his power to assist me, and promised that he would get a guide who would go with me to Palenque. But he said that he could not find a man at once, and that it would be necessary that I should stop in the convent until the following day. In some respects I was not sorry to be detained, for I was thus enabled to have some spare time to see something of the habits of life amongst the inhabitants of this isolated village, so singularly placed in the heart of these remote Cordilleras. I observed that the Maestro maintained towards those who were placed under his rule a dignified and reserved manner. He was supported in his authority by two alcaldes, and two alguazils who were Indians elected annually for these posts. The alguazils wore suitable dresses and performed regular police duties, walking at intervals about the village, carrying long wands of office. It was also their custom to visit the Maestro occasionally, attend to his wants, and render such personal service as he required. In obedience to his directions, they obtained for me supplies of maize and water for the mule, and tortillas and beans for myself, and thus I was able to cook a tolerable breakfast.
During the day I wandered amongst the huts within and near the hamlet in order to see something of the natives who lived in them and were said to follow the ancient customs and habits of domestic life. Near the borders of the savannah some Indians were building a large hut and I observed a method of construction which, although absolutely the reverse of any system that I had previously known, was most suitable for their wants. In the first place the roof is built. This when completed, looks like an open thatched shed resting upon upright poles. The eaves are brought down low, but sufficiently high to enable a man of moderate height to pass under them without stooping. When the roof is considered firm and secure, the four walls inclosing the room are made. They are usually constructed of crossed laths and sticks, and thickly plastered over with a kind of mud which has a good binding consistence.