til, waking with a start and looking
at my watch, I found it two in the morning. We hastily applied grease,
without removing the wheels, and hurried onward, passing Sabino Perez,
Yerba Santa, and Sabinal. Here, the errors in our _itinerario_, and in
our driver's guessing at distances, were curiously emphasized. We had a
rather heavy descent, for some distance, over a limestone hill called
Santo Domingo. Nowhere do I know of any road which, under the best
of circumstances, seems as long as the last stretch before Tuxtla
Gutierrez. This we had noticed on our earlier journey, when we were
mounted on horseback. Present conditions were not likely to diminish the
impression. At last, at 11:30 in the morning of March 12, we reached the
capital city of the State of Chiapas, and were taken by our _carretero_
to the little old Hotel Mexico, kept by Paco, where we met a hearty
welcome and, for several days, made up for the hardships of our journey
in the way of eating.

CHAPTER XXIV

AT TUXTLA GUTIERREZ

(1901)

We knew that Governor Pimentel was not at home, having met him in
Coalzacoalcos, where we had presented our official letters, and had
received from him a communication to his Lieutenant-Governor, Lopez.
Having spent the afternoon in settling and cleaning, I called in the
evening upon Governor Lopez and explained my needs. After chatting a
little time together, he inquired whether I had not made the steamboat
journey from Coalzacoalcos to Vera Cruz in March, 1896, and, upon my
answering in the affirmative, told me that we had been fellow-travellers
on that occasion. He promised that there should be no delay, and made
an appointment with me for the morning. I then called on Don Conrado
Palacios, who lived directly opposite our little tavern, and who claimed
that he recognized me the moment I dismounted from our cart this
morning. He is still photographer, but for three years of the time since
last we met has been living in the State of Vera Cruz, and but lately
returned to Tuxtla. In the morning, Governor Lopez supplied the letters
for my further journey, and summoned the _jefe politico_ and the
_presidente_ of the city and gave them personal orders that they were to
assist, in every way, my work at Tuxtla, among the Zoques. The _jefe_
himself took charge of my arrangements, put his office at my disposition
for a workshop, and the work began at once. Contrary to my usual
experience, we had less difficulty in sec