SOUTHERN ARIZONA 243 



might be the last in the bag ; and while the cup 

 was generally saucerless and often cracked, all 

 this did not detract from the favor which was 

 conferred. Looking inside the house I could 

 see the bare mud walls and ceiling, the one bed, 

 the meagre cooking apparatus, and the few chick- 

 ens which were an inevitable part of a Mexican 

 establishment ; for they occupied the interior of 

 the house jointly with the proprietors. The 

 family were very poor ; but I think I have never 

 seen happier people ; they were like children in 

 their irresponsibility. Yet, when I knew them, 

 Castro often informed me that he had seen worse 

 times ; and when I first spoke to him of the pos- 

 sibility of bettering his condition, he smiled and 

 then related to me the following story. This 

 occurred on one of our hunting trips together, 

 and we participated in many. 



He said that some six or seven years before, 

 when employment in the country was difficult to 

 obtain, he realized as he went to bed one night 

 that all the available provision for his family was 

 consumed ; in short, there was absolutely nothing 

 for breakfast the following morning. I can well 

 imagine that he went to bed, as he told me, some- 

 what depressed ; but I do not believe that, even 

 under these circumstances, he lay long awake. 

 However, he went on to state that, after having 

 slept some time, he awoke and went to the door 



