Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 61.djvu/534

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RIZABA is the highest mountain in North America whose summit has been reached by mountain climbers. It lies one hundred and fifty miles southeast of Mexico City and less than sixty miles from the Gulf of Mexico and is a most attractive peak for mountaineers.

I determined to climb it, and after a week spent in Mexico City in the vain attempt to find companions for the journey took the train for San Andres, the railroad station nearest to the village of Chalchicomula, from which the ascent is most favorably begun. A broken axle delayed the train five hours. The passengers wagging their heads said the accident was to be expected, the day was the thirteenth of the month. It was evening when San Andres was reached. The station agent knew of two men in Chalchicomula who could speak English. Fortunately one of them was at home, and we were soon upon a friendly footing. He offered to find guides and horses for me, but proved to be not a very aggressive agent. A native of Florida, crowded out of his country by competition, he was teaching the Mexicans English and receiving for his work eight cents an hour. He was so doubled with rheumatism as to be scarce able to walk. After much encouragement on my part and an hour's talking on his, he engaged two guides. A horse was to be procured. It was eight o'clock at night; the rain was descending in torrents; I had eaten nothing since morning. We called at several places where horses were reported for hire and where it took the polite proprietors many minutes to explain that they did not have horses. We were making such slow progress that I finally picked my interpreter up in my arms and carried him from place to place through the rain till we had visited half a dozen polite gentlemen and finally obtained the promise of a horse for the morrow. Even the preparation for mountain climbing in that village was uphill work. That night, lying in bed, nursing a toothache, listening to the driving rain outside, remembering the remarks of the villagers that rain and snow storms and avalanches would make the ascent impossible, it seemed the extreme of foolhardiness to attempt such a thing.

In the morning the guides were late, and the horse proved to be too weak to carry a man, so I contented myself with putting blanket roll and