Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 13, 2025
At last, four days after taking leave of Coyotepec, we established our bivouac at the foot of a mountain, close to a clear and icy stream. While l'Encuerado was making the fire, Lucien discovered under a stone an enormous black and hairy spider, with feet armed with double-hooked claws. "Isn't this a tarantula, M. Sumichrast?"
Such a piece of good luck made us feel quite jolly; for by this means we were enabled to preserve the whole of our collections, instead of throwing many of them away, as had often before happened. We were now in want of cases, and Coyotepec had neither saw, hammer, nor nails; but he gave me some rough boards, on which we all set to work.
I then called Lucien, who doffed his hat to the old man and saluted him. "Child, may God bless you!" "Are we to consider ourselves your guests?" "Yes, you are the guests of Coyotepec; come along with me." Sumichrast and l'Encuerado also approached the horseman, who dismounted and then led the way.
The latter conversed with the Indian in the Mistec tongue, an idiom which Lucien alone could understand, he having been taught it by l'Encuerado. From the way in which the old man scanned us, I imagined that l'Encuerado had represented us to him as white sorcerers of no ordinary skill. Coyotepec or "Stone Wolf" might have been about seventy years of age.
Among the whistles some are made into the shape of animals and birds and curious human figures; among the latter, some closely resemble ancient whistles from the prehistoric graves. This black ware is made at Coyotepec, and when the objects are first taken from the kiln they are almost white; before they are cold, they are exposed to dense smoke, and thus assume their black color.
When I reached the summit of the hill, I waved my hat as a last salutation to Coyotepec; l'Encuerado fired off his gun as a farewell, and we plunged into the labyrinth of cactuses, taking a straight course towards the east. Three days of difficult travelling brought us into the midst of the Terre-Tempérée.
So we were compelled to reject many of the specimens, though not without regret. Suddenly the idea struck me of questioning Coyotepec about his son's annual journey to Puebla. "He will start in fifteen days," answered the old man. "Will he go alone?" "No; he takes with him three of our biggest lads and six donkeys." "And are the donkeys laden?" "Yes; but the boys start without any burden."
The women wore ornaments made of bits of rough coral, and their fingers were loaded with silver rings. "We always assemble together on Sunday at the hour for mass, to say our prayers together," said Coyotepec to me, "and to thank God who covers the trees with fruit, and preserves us in good health." "We are Christians the same as you," I answered gravely.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking