danger is not so much that the money might be lost or stolen as that some government authority might hear of it and you might be arrested for giving aid and comfort to an enemy of the Mexican Government, The cautious policy is always the safest in Mexico. This company, of course, knew the rules of the game and despatched the twelve thousand pesos to Enriquez. A note thanking the general for his services in protecting the company's properties accompanied the tribute. A few days later General Enriquez acknowledged it in the following manner:
Appreciable Sir: I take note of your courteous letter of the second instant, and in reply I wish to state that I take pleasure in offering myself to your orders.
Your true and attentive servant,
A few months before this when conditions were less settled—one might say less unsettled, too—King Pelaez used to require unusually large sums at irregular intervals. But this was not an approved business method in the United States, so it was explained to Pelaez, who a few years ago was an ignorant rancher, and Pelaez was convinced that he should receive his taxes regularly, as all governments do. Pelaez has a teachable mind!
One time Pelaez demanded twenty thousand
