268 MEXICAN COOKS. 



sixty per cent. I met a parson riding along the road one day, 

 and getting into conversation with him, I happened to say how 

 sorry I was for the poor men who had to do this, and what 

 horrible usurers I thought those men were who had asked such 

 exorbitant interest, when he turned to me quite fiercely and 

 said that he could not see it, that a man had a right to make 

 all he could of his money ; it was optional with the borrower 

 whether he took it or riot, adding that he had lent some money 

 himself at that rate. 



From Whitesboro' we drove through a pretty country to 

 Gainsville, a very nice little town built on the Mexican plan 

 round a plaza, as it was a quiet place. There was quite a stir 

 about the time we arrived over a shooting affray which had 

 just taken place. A man who went by the name of " California 

 Joe " had shot a man in broad daylight in the plaza and had 

 ridden off, no one trying to stop him, as he had the character 

 of being a reckless desperado. 



We were obliged to send our Mexican cook back from here, 

 replacing him by an American. He was very dirty, like 

 most of his countrymen, and objected to washing our dishes 

 more than once a day, considering a scrape good enough for 

 the other two meals. There was a stage from Gainsville to 

 Denison, and by this he returned, telling the people there on 

 his arrival that he had left us because we put on too many 

 airs. We had heard on our way of another hunting-party, 

 consisting of five Texans, who had also engaged a Mexican as 

 cook, and as they were very much dissatisfied with him, they 

 had at first found fault with and afterwards struck him. The 

 man did nothing at the time, but one day two of the party 

 went shooting by themselves, and found on their return that 



