should stay awhile to gaze upon
the picture, which deserved close and pious examination. He at once
withdrew, locking the door behind him. The instrument was quickly placed
in the pulpit and the picture taken. Curiously, the sacristal duties
ended just as we were ready to leave the church and the door opened as
if we had said "Open sesame."

By ten-thirty we had secured a canoe and boatmen, two young and vigorous
pure-blood indians. Though a wind was blowing squarely against us,
we made good time. We stopped at the picturesque fishing-village of
Janicho, on its rock island. Its houses cluster on a little terrace near
the bottom of the hill, which rises behind it as a fine background.
Steps of rock lead up the stony slope from the water's edge to the
houses. In every yard mattings are laid, upon which little white fish
are drying. As they walk through the streets or stand talking together,
the men are ever tatting at nets; long lines of net-cord are reeled out
for many yards along the wayside; hundreds of feet of seines are hung
out in the sun to dry. The houses, with their pretty red tiling, are
irregularly clustered along narrow winding streets. The people are
purely indian, and wear the characteristic dress.

[Illustration: TARASCAN FISHERMEN; JANICHO]

No town in all the region makes so much use of the _tsupakua_, or
spear-thrower, a wooden stick cut to fit the hand and support the shaft
of a spear or long dart, the end of which rests against a peg near the
tip of the thrower. By means of this instrument, the long, light, darts
of cane with iron points are thrown more directly and forcibly than by
the hand alone. These spears are used in hunting ducks. Anciently a
spear-throwing stick was widely used through Mexico; to-day it lingers
in few places, the best known of which is here on Lake Patzcuaro.

CHAPTER VII

TO URUAPAN BEFORE THE RAILROAD

(1898)

We easily arranged at Patzcuaro to leave for Uruapan the next morning.
Although delayed beyond our proposed hour of starting, we were off at
six. It was early enough, indeed, for the morning air was cold; heavy
frost coated the leaves and grass and lay upon the soil; in spite of our
heavy blankets, wrapped closely about us, we shivered as we rode along
upon our horses.

The ride, however, was a lovely one. At first we seemed to leave the
lake behind us; mounting for some time we reached a summit from which it
again broke upon our view; descending, we