The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Driving from Manzanillo to Guadalajara, Kesey and Mike Hagen, who had also joined the Pranksters in Mexico, run into a Federales roadblock. The truck is searched and marijuana discovered, but as they are about to be arrested, Kesey makes a run for the roadside woods and jumps onto a slowly passing train. He ends up in Guadalajara with no money and spends a night on the street until a kind Mexican stranger offers him a bed. The next day, Kesey goes to the American consulate, claiming to be a stranded fisherman needing to get back to Manzanillo and is given 27 pesos for bus fare (328). When Kesey gets back to Mazatlán, his paranoia is worse than ever because more and more people are showing up after learning where he is. Wolfe argues that “it was no longer possible to believe there was any semblance of secrecy about the whole Fugitive movie now” (329).

One day in Mazatlán, Browning and Babbs spot a Mexican man in a suit taking photos of them, so they go over to confront him. He gives them an odd story about being “secret agent numero uno” with Mexican Naval Intelligence, there looking for Russian submarine activity (332).