Pictures of life in Mexico/Volume 2/Chapter 22
PICTURES OF LIFE
IN
MEXICO.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE ARRIERO, OR CARRIER.
Away over narrow precipitous mountain roads; down among pleasant valleys; out upon the rocky high-ways; beside gray and dreary ruins; or in the shade of feathery woods; that border ravines thundering with the roar of cataracts plods the faithful arriero beside his laden mule. Through misty dells; by long-deserted haciendas; passing stacks of oca and charcoal-burners' huts beside fields of chilé near agave plantations. Beneath majestic bananas; through bowers of palm and cocoa trees; by sweet-scented orange groves hedges of prickly pear and flowers overhanging beds of water-melons. Now tracking the prairie paths, or threading-the broad alamedas; then skirting the banks of lakes, or crossing marshy grounds; passing through sunny towns, enwrapped in afternoon siestas, under the walls of convents and splendid cathedrals, or past adobe houses.—Steadily he plods onward, as cheerful as he is faithful, and patient as the sure-footed mule beside him.
Bandying jest and laugh with the women and children on his route; greeted by miners returning from their work; cross-questioned by the priests at intervals; bullied at the gates of cities; examined by petty officers. Drenched, foot-sore, bespattered with mire; through tornadoes and thunderstorms; in peril from serpents, wild beasts, and robbers; still, he pushes onward. At sunrise, by starlight, through cloudy days, and moonlight nights. By the lair of wolves; by the caves of brigands; past death-crosses on the road; beside the bodies of murdered travellers; startled by the flocks of wild-fowl which rise to the echo of his footsteps. Mingling among the crowded ferias; delayed by the passing of monkish processions; sharing the hospitality of village homes; dividing the amount of his scanty provisions with his mule; gazing in astonishment and awe upon the ruins of temples erected to the ancient Aztec gods.
Still the arriero urges onward—onward ever! trusty ever! hearty ever! Uncomplaining and enduring as the mule, his dumb companion: ever anxious to fulfil his engagement and to merit the confidence which has been reposed in him.
Now he approaches a deep ravine upon the great Rio del Norte through which for several miles the pent-up stream rushes in rapid torrents. Not even an Indian canoe can pass those deep-sunk streams; and the abyss viewed by a stranger from its top is wonderfully magnificent and fearful. The sides of the craggy precipices are in some places almost perpendicular; while in others they overhang, at a tremendous height, the furious current below. Here the river is broad, there it narrows to a rapid rivulet; at one point the rocks appear ready to fall on each other, further on, they are frightfully rent asunder, and it requires steady nerves and firm footing to approach their overhanging summits with impunity. Such stupendous scenery has great attraction for the traveller, and a lover of Nature might gaze upon it for hours together, in wondering admiration;—the arriero, however, does not yield to the temptation, but casts one curious glance in its direction and turns away;—his mission impels him onward.
But there is something in the shadow of that rock, beside the narrow path, towards which he gazes with a shudder, urging his unconscious mule to a quicker pace. It is a rudely sculptured cross erected upon a small heap of stones, and it marks the spot where the corpse of a murdered arriero was not long ago discovered: there are several other mementos of the same kind in the vicinity. So frequent have the wayside murders been in the mountain-passes and solitary places of this country, that such roads are literally lined with crosses; and on one journey, for a short distance among the mountains, you may count these melancholy memorials of crime by hundreds. Our carrier does well, therefore, to press forward from such a dangerous neighbourhood.Behold him, on another occasion, on the borders of the tierra templada, where the hot region terminates—near the mountains of Popocatepetl—where such scenery presents itself as can scarcely be equalled, for the strange variety of its features, in any country of the world. Fancy yourself seeking shelter from the heat in a grove of tropical palm-trees, everything-around redolent of the warmth of the country,—gorgeous flowers and luscious fruits, lizards and snakes, and a plantation of sugar-canes in the distance,—then turn and look upwards, and a scene as of the depth of winter will meet your eyes. You may look in one direction on the dark, dry, torrid foliage; and at the same time take in for a background the hills of Popocatepetl, covered with pure and lasting snow! While the dewdrops can never hang long upon the trees in the foreground, the sun seems to have no power to effect a change in the appearance of those white masses in the distance! Our arriero, however, only encourages himself with the idea that he is one stage nearer to his journey's end.
And now he has arrived within sight of the glorious valley of Mexico; a scene which has gladdened and revived many a weary wanderer's heart. There—between mountains nine thousand feet above the level of the sea and two thousand feet below their summits—is spread out so magnificent a panorama as it is almost impossible to describe without seeming exaggeration. Miles of level land covered with luxuriant Indian corn, mellowing and waving in the mild breeze, entrance the sight varied by fields planted with the green, spreading aloes, from which great quantities of pulque and aguardiente are made. Extensive lakes, glittering like shining bands in the radiant sunshine; flowery fields cultivated to feed the colour-producing cochineal insect; and noble rocks, and skirts of volcanic growth, add the charm of variety to the beautiful plain. Then come large tracts of land dedicated to the culture of chilé, or Indian pepper, dotted and interspersed with villages and plantations; the huts of charcoal-burners being indicated by the wreaths of light blue smoke ascending against the shadow of the stately pine-trees. A group of Indian labourers are at work on the wide fields; and a party of muleteers are ascending the hills on our right hand. The splendid capital itself—with its magnificent churches and cathedrals spacious squares and well-planned streets its azoteas and balconied palaces pleasant gardens and luxurious mansions—is vividly distinct through the pure bright atmosphere. The view far as we can see into the softening distance is bounded by mountains—their rocky forms cultivated sides, or snowy peaks, rising one behind another, till the dazzled eye can follow them no further. The air around is delightfully clear and bracing; and the azure sky above is exquisitely pure, and sunny, and cloudless.
Now, indeed, the toiling arriero urges forward—for the place to which he is bound is full before him, and soon he will be there. Onward he struggles—onward ever! faithful ever!—patient and persevering as the quiet beast before him.
The transmission of goods throughout Mexico is extremely perilous and uncertain. Merchants can only travel in companies, well armed; and in many parts they must be accompanied by government escorts. Small cargoes of merchandise are entrusted to the arrieros, who are remarkably industrious and trustworthy; and they too sometimes proceed in parties. Cut off from much communication with the world around them excepting the information they gain from a few meagre newspapers the respectable inhabitants of country estates and haciendas generally receive the passing traveller as a welcome guest, for the sake of the news he may be able to communicate. Intelligence from the United States is received in much less time than formerly; but direct news from Europe only arrives monthly. The information of the country newspapers is usually several weeks old; and goes the round of all the journals in turn.
The Mexican mails were formerly, for the most part, carried by Indians on foot; who, to gain time, would venture over difficult paths, through mountain gorges, and on the edge of precipices, where all other means of transport were impracticable. As nothing was entrusted to them but letters, they went unarmed; and the facts of the case being well known to the ladrones, they were allowed to pursue their journeys without molestation. This system of postal communication yet prevails in the more distant and almost impassable portions of the country. 
The arrieros as I have said frequently travel alone. A figure of wild appearance, with matted hair, torn pantaloons, and ragged shirt or blanket—driving a rugged and quaintly-accoutred mule—is often entrusted with some of the most valuable articles of traffic which the country produces. A less trustworthy person, in appearance, it would be difficult to imagine; but as their employment, and even existence, depends on their reputation for honesty, they are deserving of every confidence. Their faithfulness, indefatigable perseverance, constant care, and self denying endurance, are beyond all praise, and form a remarkable exception to the general character of the Mexican populace.
One bright summer morning, an arriero set out from the city of Chihuahua, with an unusually precious cargo on the back of his mule, including a small quantity of coin, and several bars of silver. Considerable precautions had been taken by his employer; and as secrecy and despatch were necessary in the transmission, he commenced his journey privately, under the impression that his errand and destination were unknown to his acquaintances and comrades.At the end of the first day though the road had been rocky and difficult, his progress was considerable; for his spirits were buoyant his mule was hardy and active and the strength of both was yet unwearied. He stopped in the evening at a little rancho which was well known to him; it contained but two rooms and was the only place where it was possible to obtain shelter for many miles. Its owner was an old solitary Indian, who received him on this occasion with unwonted hospitality; and after partaking of a hasty meal of chilé and frijoles, by a wood fire upon the ground, in the company of the host, and making fast the bridle of his mule to the wall of his own apartment, he retired to his couch—composed of two skins and a blanket—to enjoy a night's repose.
After more than an hour of wakefulness, he was startled by hearing his own name spoken in subdued tones, by more than one person in the next room, where the fire was still burning brightly! Applying his eyes to a crevice in the partition dividing the two apartments, he perceived that the adjoining chamber was occupied by three figures beside the old Indian host; and overheard them planning the readiest way to rob and murder him. The unexpected guests were léperos, whom he remembered to have seen in the city of Chihuahua—and they must have patiently tracked his footsteps at a distance during his day's journey.
The arriero was well armed it is true; but resistance against such fearful odds was perfectly out of the question. The only door of his sleeping place led to the scene of consultation, and it had been secured on the other side window there was none, and the least noise might be fatal to him: there appeared no means of escape; and time pressed—for it was not likely that the attack of his enemies would be much longer delayed. With the energy of coming despair, he cast his eyes round the room, and to his great joy perceived a slight opening in the thatch that composed the roof. Repressing an exclamation that sprang to his lips, he mounted the slight pile of skins that had composed his pillow, and nervously thrust his hand into the cavity; the thatch yielded to his touch, for it was a mere mixture of reeds and rushes. He breathed more freely, for his escape no longer seemed impossible: but then there were his mule and his treasure. Well!—first securing his own safety, he would put a plan in execution, which hastily crossed his mind for the recovery of his baggage.
With the utmost caution he removed the accumulation of soft and decayed matter from the lower part of the roof; then after examining his weapons he noiselessly sprang upwards with all his strength, gained the top of the mud and adobe wall and dropped down on the outside. Taking advantage of the darkness, he then carefully proceeded by the side of the rocks, to a spot with which he was well acquainted—where several paths met, at some distance on the right of the inhospitable hut. Here he paused, and taking a pistol from his belt, fired it without more ado into the air; trusting to attract the attention of his assailants, and draw them from the hut. Nor was he mistaken in his calculation; for ere he had time to regain the rancho by a circuitous route, he had the satisfaction of seeing what he believed to be the whole party scouring the several paths in the distance, to ascertain the cause of such an unlooked for disturbance of their plans.
On entering the hut, however, he found that the old Indian had been left behind to guard the supposed prisoner and his property; but this was only a momentary obstruction to his progress. With the speed of lightning he threw himself upon the cowering wretch; and placing one hand on his mouth to stifle his outcries, plunged his cuchillo twice up to the hilt in his back, between the shoulders. Then casting a heap of mats upon the fire to extinguish it, that the ruffians might not have the advantage of its light to guide them back, he unloosed his trusty mule from the wall; and emerging from the hut, drove the animal before him by a track which he had every reason to believe was but little known.
His superior knowledge of the country enabled him, even in the darkness, to make good way from the scene of his past peril; and he used every exertion to place as great a distance as possible between his outwitted enemies and himself. On he sped beside his patient mule, over the mountain paths, in the dead of night; the man profiting in no slight degree by the fine instinct of the animal, who seemed to understand the emergency, and to strain every limb for the preservation of his master. But even surefooted mules have occasionally been known to take a false step, and our arriero's beast stumbled over a projecting rock, and fell down a shallow precipice, carrying his master with him. Though the declivity was slight, the fall was yet so heavy that both arriero and mule lay at the bottom stunned and insensible for hours. As it chanced, however, this fall proved the means of their preservation: two of their ruthless and determined enemies had been upon their track, having heard the steps of the mule from a distance, and but for this accident the arriero would have been overtaken.
But their pursuers passed on in the darkness; and returned ere long, under the impression that they had been deceived. The light of morning discovered the arriero and his mule waking and stretching themselves—somewhat bruised, but with no bones broken.
Grateful for his late escape, our muleteer pressed on with fresh vigour—long-and toilsome though the stages were—till he arrived in the neighbourhood of the Mexican mountains; then he began to calculate the time when he might expect to arrive at his wished for destination in the capital.
For a considerable distance that mountain path abounds in intricate windings, which render it impossible for the wayfarer to perceive the road very far either before or behind him. Glancing backwards over his shoulder at one of these points our arriero perceived a whole herd of wild and heavily armed men hastily approaching. A moment's consideration convinced him that these were ladrones; and their quick movements and threatening gestures sufficiently testified their hostile intention toward himself. On they came with cries and imprecations; calling upon him to stop if he had no wish to find himself at the bottom of the nearest precipice, with a dozen rifle-balls lodged underneath his jerkin.
The arriero's ingenuity and presence of mind here again served him in good stead. Instead of flying from them or betraying the least fear on their approach he turned towards the band with a placid countenance and held up his hands to intimate his satisfaction. He then gave them to understand that he had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the troop, and would be gratified to share with them the treasures in his possession; that he admired the wild life of the freebooters, and wished of all things to be admitted into the band.
The bait was swallowed with avidity; the arriero was joyfully accepted as a comrade, and his treasure was hailed as an acquisition to their stores. It was decided, after an animated debate, that the money—being portable, should be placed in the captain's care, for the instant requirements of the troop; but that the bars of silver—being heavy, should remain upon the back of the mule until next day, when they would make arrangements for exchanging them for coin. Then the whole company, elated with the success of their enterprise, proceeded with their new comrade to a secret resort among the mountains, where they passed a night of boisterous carousing: singing, swearing, and quarrelling, as is usual in such scenes of drunkenness and debauchery.
Every member of the band, excepting our brave arriero, fell at length into a state of sodden slumber; he had anticipated such a result, and hastened to take advantage of it: stealthily relieving the captain of the money he had appropriated, he quickly led away his trusty and still laden mule from the inner cave; and before the dawn of day was far beyond pursuit. The arriero ultimately overcoming all difficulties and temptations, landed his precious cargo in safety at its anticipated resting place.