LOZADA, 287 



her waist ; no shoe was small enough to pinch her little 

 feet ; her tiny gloves alone were aggravations to a man. 



I was younger then than now by many a year's hard 

 service. I turned to my friend with " Who is she ? Do 

 you know her ? " 



" She ! Oh, the beauty ! know her ! I should just 

 think I do. Best-known woman in the state. But go 

 slow, old fellow; that's La Mariposa. If you have any 

 personal objection to attending a funeral in the character 

 of the corpse, you'll steer clear of her." 



" Why ? Tell me all about her." 



"Well, she lives quietly enough with her old mother in 

 very comfortable style at a pretty little place just out of 

 town, known as El Ojo ; goes to mass regularly on Sun- 

 days and saint-days ; is good to the poor, and for Acapulco 

 very discreet in her conduct ; but she is under the pro- 

 tection of Lozada." Now Lozada was a robber. 



I knew Lozada by reputation very well ; he was " no 

 slouch of a road agent." He was "Gefe." He was a 

 " Patriota." There was a price a good price upon his 

 head, for he was "King of the Mountains." The country 

 was full of his friends, and they served the brigand well; 

 his enemies feared him, and "lay low;" every cdrga of 

 bullion paid him tribute or risked capture ; every hacienda 

 contributed its quota to his revenue, or was harried. 

 Troops had been sent against him, and lo ! he was not to be 

 found ; but, in the expedition's rear, supplies were captured, 

 mails stopped and robbed, treasure trains pounced upon 

 and carried off; and when it tried back, again he had 

 disappeared. Clearly Lozada was an institution of the 



