cries.  We could not, however, delay.  Before us lay a tremendous ascent; the first part, which we had passed after dusk, we found rougher than we realized; rock masses here were covered with a thick cushion of brilliant crimson moss, a kind of sphagnum.  The gully trail had not been improved by the recent rains, and it taxed our animals severely to reach the summit.  Arrived in the district of the trees loaded with beards of golden-yellow moss, we caught a magnificent view back over the valley.  With one sweep of the eyes, we could almost follow our whole round of wandering.  The ridges on which lay San Juan Zautla and San Pedro Soochiapan both were in sight, as were the valleys in which Santa Maria and Tepanapa lay.  But the only actual feature which we could see and recognize was the little coffee finca this side of Zautla.  The combination of green mountains, blue ridges and bare rock cliffs was grand.  Here our road forked, and at this point we had a moment’s excitement.  We met an old indian man with a baby tied upon his back, and his old wife, carrying a burden, followed after.  Before them a black bull was calmly walking.  The moment the old man saw us, he waved his arms and cried out, in great excitement, “Toro, muy bravo!” (Bull, very fierce!) and hastened forward to catch the lasso wound round the horns of the beast to lead him out of our way.  Just then the bull took matters into his own control, and, with a snort and plunge, started wildly away, dragging the old fellow at a wild run down the trail, finally whirling him and the baby into a heap by the roadside, while he himself took up the mountain-side.  It was after dark before we reached Papalo.

After much grumbling, supper was prepared and a solemn promise given that we should leave at seven in the morning.  When we were ready, no animals were to be seen.  The presidente asserted that the price which we had paid was only to that point, and that if we wanted animals for Cuicatlan we must make a new arrangement.  This was sheer blackmail, because there had been no misunderstanding in the matter, and a liberal price had been paid.  After wrangling for an hour, we shook the dust of Papalo literally from our feet, and started to walk to Cuicatlan, telling the town authorities that our burdens must be taken by mozos to the cabecera before three o’clock, and that we should pay nothing for the service.  Probably we should not have been so ready to take this heroic action if we had not remembered that the road was down hill all the way, and good walking.  Still, fifteen miles is fifteen miles, and the sun was hot, and though we left at 8:30, it was two o’clock before we entered Cuicatlan.  We had no adventures by the way, except the killing of a coral snake which lay in the middle of the road.  At three the mozos with their burdens arrived, and felt it very hard that we kept our promise of paying nothing for their service.

CHAPTER XVIII