really but few Indians living here. The cordon nearest to the
one on which we were standing was covered with snow, and we climbed
without difficulty to a point 9,300 feet high. There was no water,
but snow three inches deep in some places, yielding all the water we
required, though it had a slight flavour of the pines. The Mexicans
did not like it, and said they would not eat food cooked with snow;
but after I had shown them that the water obtained in this way was
very good, they also took to it.

On our arrival at some Indian ranches, the people screamed with terror,
ran away and hid themselves. There was something so unusual about their
fright, that the interpreter and I went out of our way to investigate
the matter. I saw two children making their escape among the bushes
as best they could, a boy leading a three-year-old girl all the time,
never deserting her. We found the children and a young woman on top of
a rock. After we had succeeded in allaying their fears, they answered
our questions readily. It appeared that two men from this place had
recently been hanged by some people from Cienega Prieta, the ranch
for which we were making. One of the victims had been revived, but
the other had died. My Indian boy Patricio knew about the outrage, too.

I had at the outset been warned against robbers south of Guachochic,
and advised never to sleep in houses--a thing I rarely did, anyway,
for other reasons. One man especially, Teodoro Palma, had an unsavoury
reputation as a "gentlemanly highwayman." In the desolate region
where his residence lies, his father had maintained a band of valiant
men, who made regular plundering expeditions, driving cattle away,
etc. It was a common tale that travellers who had to pass his place
were invited to come in, but never came out again. The bodies of the
victims, it was said, were buried at night in the cemetery of the
Indian village of Chinatu, a few miles distant. Times had changed
since then, and the son was more guarded in his operations, but still
sufficiently active.

In order to avoid a long detour to the east, I had chosen to follow
the track which passes this place, though travellers generally give
it a wide berth; besides, I thought best to take the bull by the
horns. When I reached the robber's stronghold, I did not find Don
Teodoro at home, though he was expected to return the next day. In
the mean time the superintendent showed me around the house and sold
me some necess