26 THE PI.ANT WORLD 



some new vegetable. She superintends drying my plants while I am at 

 office, and when Benigno and Francisco are within hearing she tells me 

 that I have a set of lazy, trifling boys in my employ. They are all fond 

 of her, however, and obey her willingly. She feels that she owns a share 

 in all my belongings, and speaks of "our house," "our ranch," and 

 " our chickens." She always refers to me as "the seiior," and calls me 

 "master." I must say, I am delighted to be owned by such a good, 

 worthy soul. The other day, in speaking of the fever now prevailing, 

 she declared that if I should be stricken nothing would induce her to let 

 them take me to the hospital ; that she would bring her mat and sleep 

 on the floor by my bed-side and take care of me herself. 



I rescued Benigno from a very unhappy position. It seems that on 

 this island there is a recognized system of peonage by means of which, 

 if a person is so unfortunate as to get into debt, he is almost in the con- 

 dition of a slave. Several complaints have been made to me recently of 

 the " escape " of servants. The other day one of the principal ladies of 

 the island came to my office asking that I cause her servant, Benigno 

 Acosta, to be arrested for violation of his contract with her. He had 

 left her ranch without permission and refused to return, though he was 

 in debt to her and was required by his contract to work for her until his 

 indebtedness should be cancelled. She brought with her a contract duly 

 signed and witnessed, which reads as follows : 



'Mutual Agreement between Dona Luisa Quitiigua de Cardenas and Benigno 



Acosta, alias Dec he. 



"in the City of Agana, on the twenty-third of November, one thou- 

 sand eight hundred and ninety-eight, we, Doiia Luisa Quitugua and 

 Benigno Acosta, alias Deche, both natives and residents of this city, 

 adults, the first residing in Cabeceria No. 8, and the second in the 20th 

 Barangay, both parties claiming to be in the full enjoyment of their civil 

 rights, freely and spontaneously state : 



" 1st. Doiia Luisa Quitugua of her own accord authorizes herself to 

 take the aforesaid Benigno Acosta, to hold him in her domestic service 

 or to charge him with the care of her farm situated in the locality called 

 'ipao,' to attend to her cattle, large and small, and the fowls there 

 existing, for their protection and breeding {/omenta y procreaci6?i) ; to till 

 the soil and plant whatsoever articles may be necessary, as well as to 

 plant five coconuts each day. 



"2nd. That she authorizes herself likewise to hold the said Acosta 

 for the beforementioned service without limiting the time, as long as the 

 latter fulfills the conditions of this contract if it so suit the interests of 

 the authorizer. Dona Luisa Quitugua, with the pay of two pesos a month 

 and a third part of the products of the planting which he may perform 

 obligatorily, such as maize, sweet potatoes, and other root-crops, but 

 excepting the cattle and coconuts. 



"3rd. If any cattle, great or small, or any other kind of stock or 

 product be lost or die, and the said Benigno Acosta does not justify the 

 cause of it and does not in due time inform his mistress regarding it, the 



