MEXICAN HOSPITALITY. 211 



were enclosed for the night about two thousand Mexican 

 sheep, and of a small A tent, barely big enough for a man 

 to sleep under. One Mexican shepherd and some half-dozen 

 rough sheep-dogs who, by-the-bye, furiously invited us to 

 keep at a distance were in charge. 



" The zazal received us with that hospitality which 

 is the most pleasing characteristic of the Mexican race ; 

 a virtue alike common to those who claim to be Cas- 

 telldno, to the descendants of the Indigenes, and to the 

 mixture of the two races. Hospitality is Cosa de Mejico. 

 The usual salutation to any stranger entering one of their 

 easels c You are welcome ! This is your home ! All 

 that you see is yours !' though only a form of speech, 

 does really mean that you are heartily welcome to his 

 best hospitality ; and the poorer and more primitive your 

 host is, the more sincere, as a general thing, is this 

 reception. 



"The shepherd not only placed his little all at our 

 disposal, but gave us his personal service, replenished the 

 fire, brought water from the stream, made us some coffee, 

 fried in tallow some slices of mutton with chile-Colorado, 

 and then set himself diligently to work, making and cooking 

 tortillas for us ; these last we devoured as fast as he could 

 furnish them. I am sure we kept him cooking nearly an 

 hour^ and though we were making- a heavy pull upon his 

 little store of flour, he seemed quite pleased at seeing us 

 devour so much of his supply, although he well knew that 

 what we ate, he would have to lack, ere his next month's 

 rations would be issued to him. 



" When our hunger was fully appeased and pipes lit, 



p 2 



