aring that we were just in time; that he had a damnable order
from Mexico to send on skins of all the birds of his district for the
National Museum, and that he had not known what to do in the matter;
we must prepare them; if we did so, willingly, we should be handsomely
paid; but if not, he would be compelled to force us. The jail was
ready, and men die easily in Southern Mexico. With this, he made some
suggestions that it was easy for a person to be officially reported as
accidentally killed, or dead from _vomito_. He insisted that we should
not go alone to Huilotepec, but that he himself would accompany us and
make sure that everything was done according to our wishes. All these
dire threats and great promises were completely forgotten on the
following day, when we sallied forth alone.

[Illustration: MANUEL AND AN IGUANA; TEHUANTEPEC]

[Illustration: MARKET WOMEN; SAN BLAS]

In the _jefe's_ office we learned that during the past year not only
Coatzacoalcos, but Tehuantepec, had suffered frightfully from yellow
fever. Of course, the disease is no rarity on the Gulf coast, though it
was never worse than in the last season; but in Tehuantepec, and on the
Pacific coast, it is a thing so rare as to be almost unknown. So true is
this, that, when it was first reported from this district, the federal
government did not believe the story, and sent a commission to
investigate. We learned that the commission arrived at evening, and,
finding two persons dead in their black vomit on the street, made no
further investigation, but started for Mexico on the following train.
The spread of the disease to the west coast is generally attributed, and
no doubt correctly, to the railroad. The disease was particularly fatal,
in both places, to Americans and Englishmen, and it was whispered that
90 per cent of the employes of the new railroad management succumbed.
The chief clerk in the _jefe's_ office told us that, while many cases
occurred here, no pure indians were taken, and that none of the
_mestizos_ who were affected died--the mortality being confined to the
foreigners.

Dr. Castle had moved, but his place was as interesting as ever. For
pets, he had three hairless dogs, a _mapachtl_, two macaws, two parrots,
and a lot of doves, one of which he had taught tricks. He was much
interested in cactuses, and had established a garden in which he planned
to have all the species of the district. We had purchased some iguanas
in the market