United States or Slovakia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Boys," said Mr. Black the following morning as they were preparing to pay a visit to the jefe politico, "I want you to do me a favor." The boys looked at him in surprise. "Well, what is it?" asked Donald, when Mr. Black did not immediately continue. "I want you to accept, as a mark of my appreciation of your bravery and good services, the horses upon which you are mounted and the accoutrements."
As anticipated, we found the bill, when presented in the morning, truly regal; after some demur, our queenly hostess reduced it slightly, but, even so, we were reminded of the summer-resorts of our own country. Tequixistlan, perhaps the largest of the Chontal towns, we found without an official head. While we were in Tehuantepec the jefe received notice of his father's death.
The jefes of the districts of Mexico are frequently men of ability and force. Rarely, however, have we encountered one so prompt and energetic as Javier Cordova, then jefe of the district of Tlaxiaco. When he took possession of this district, not long before, deeds of robbery along the high-road were common. In many portions of the district, acts of violence were quite the rule.
Wilson went to see the jefe in his office; the old man was furious and actually ran out, with the statement that he had plenty of his own work to do. When this scene had been reported, it in no wise increased the readiness of subjects to undergo the operation. Finding that we were accomplishing nothing, we decided upon desperate measures.
Inasmuch as we had seen this man's jefe, and he knew our errand, we told the secretario to send a message for us to him at Huachinango. We carefully wrote out the message for forwarding, in which we told the jefe, that we had waited three hours for attention from the town officials, and asked how much longer we should put up with delay.
You must know him again, for he is to be a marked man in the streets of Vera Cruz!" It was a prediction full of ghastly possibilities for Ensign Dave Darrin! Seaman Rogers led the way briskly to the American consulate. "The consul is engaged, sir, with the Jefe Politico," explained a clerk at a desk in an outer office. "Will you wait, or have you papers that can be left with me?"
Accordingly a messenger was sent and the jefe summoned. He seemed a rather nice young fellow, and was much impressed by the letter from his governor; he expressed himself as ready and anxious to serve us in every way, and made arrangements for us to begin work in the town-house, where, before dark, we had taken fifteen sets of measurements.
This is the cabecera of the district, and the jefe could not understand why we should continue on our journey, as the steamer would not leave until the following day. Don Enrique, however, had urged us not to stop at El Salto, where he insisted the risk from yellow fever was great.
We assured her that she had done everything which he could possibly have done, had he been present, and that we should, with pleasure, report our satisfaction to the jefe. The cargador whom she supplied, was a comfort, after the wretched sluggards whom we had lately had.
I told him that we were losing time; that subjects were not presenting themselves; that some of those who did present themselves refused to be measured; that I wished a mozo at once to carry a report from me to the jefe that my wishes were not regarded by the authorities, and that his orders had no influence; that the mozo must be ready at once, as there was no time to lose, and we should shortly leave his town without accomplishing our work.
Word Of The Day