A Peasant Farmer Zan 
He informed us that we had entered the township of Teustepe, 
and that the town itself was eight leagues distant. The . 
family consisted of Don Filiberto, his wife, and four or five 
children. They had just prepared for their own dinner a 
young fowl, stewed with green beans and other vegetables, 
and this they placed before us, saying that they would soon 
cook something else for themselves. We were too hungry 
to make any scruples, and after the poor, coarse fare we had 
been used to, the savoury repast seemed the most delicious 
I ever tasted. I think we only got two meals on the whole 
journey that we really enjoyed. ‘This was one, the other the 
supper that the padre’s housekeeper at Palacaguina cooked 
for us, and I have recorded at length the names of the parties 
to whom we were indebted for them. 
Don Filiberto had about twenty cows, all of which that 
could be found were driven in at dusk, and the calves tied 
up. As they came in, the fowls were on the look-out for the 
garrapatos, or ticks; and the cows, accustomed to the pro- 
cess, stood quietly, while they flew up and picked them off 
their necks and flanks. The calves are always turned out 
with the cows in the morning, after the latter are milked, so 
that if not found again for some days, as is often the case in 
this bushy and unenclosed country, the cows are milked by 
them and donot godry. They give very little milk, probably 
due to the entire want of care in breeding them. It is at 
once made into cheese, which forms a staple article of food 
amongst the poorer natives. 
The small house was divided into three compartments, 
one being used as a kitchen. It was in rather a dilapidated 
condition, and Don Filiberto told me that he was busy 
building a new residence. I was curious to see what pro- 
gress he was making with it, and he took me outside and 
showed me four old posts used for tying the cows to, which 
had evidently been in the ground for many years. “ There,” 
he said, “‘ are the corner-posts, and I shall roof it with tiles.” 
He was quite grave, but I could not help smiling at his faith. 
I have no doubt that, as long as he lives, he will lounge about 
all day, and in the evening, when his wife and children are 
milking the cows, will come out, smoke his cigarette, leaning 
against the door-post of his patched and propped-up dwell- 
ing, and contemplate the four old posts with a proud feeling 
