Page:Researches in the Central Portion of the Usumatsintla Valley.djvu/31

Rh On the second day of our journey, in spite of the wretched, miry, and, at times, also mountainous paths, we reached the Chocolhá, where the neighboring monterías have a ferryman who carries the traveller over in a cayuco. This ferry is called La Culebra and is about five leagues from El Clavo. But about three kilometres before we reached the Chocolhá, we were obliged with much difficulty to ford the greatly swollen Chancalá, for there was no cayuco here. At La Culebra we found protection from the rain at night in an open hut, un galeron, on the left bank. The ferryman's hut was on the opposite bank.

On the morning of the 29th of August we crossed the Chocolhá with the help of a large cayuco, loaded our pack animals, and from this point took the road to Tzendales, which was in a wretched state besides being very mountainous. Finally we took a forest trail on the right, and late in the afternoon we reached the montería of Las Tinieblas, which had been recently established on the right bank of the upper Chocolhá and — as I had learned — was at that time the most advanced post for those who wished to reach the Lake of Pethá. The distance from Culebra to Tinieblas I estimated at five leagues.

Las Tinieblas is a branch of the great lumber enterprise of Troncoso Cilveti y Ca., who had recently begun the exploitation of the forests along the Chocolhá and whose privileges extend to the vicinity of the Lake of Pethá. After I had explained the object of my coming to the encargado of the montería, we agreed to send a messenger on the following day to the administrator of the concession, Mr. Cayetano Irigoyen, who was fortunately just then staying at the neighboring montería La Ilusion, and whom I had informed of my intention when I was in Tzendales. In due time I received the following courteous reply from Mr. Irigoyen:

Obsequiando sus deseos, irá mañana nuestro dependiente Francisco Guillen para acompañarlo, aunque sus conocimientos prácticos en esos lugares no son muy precisos, pero sí creo suficientes para llegar bien al punto deseado: pues las mensuras de los terrenos de esta casa, en cuya apertura estuvo él, se aproximan á unos pocos kilómetros de la laguna.

Deseando le sea satisfactoria su visita á estos desiertos me repito su affectísimo amigo y servidor