A POSADA-SCENE. 219 



rately. Upon this occasion, however, a bill of six reals 

 Avas handed lis, accompanied with the assurance that it was 

 '■'■ por todas cosas " (for every thing). Congratulating our- 

 selves that we had at last found one of sufficient tact and 

 enterprise to make one job of breakfast-charges, we quickly 

 cancelled the indebtedness. But scarcely did we feel our- 

 selves in our saddles before cuatro reales mas (four reals 

 more) was demanded for the breakfast of our arrieros. 

 Expostulation was useless, and the bill was paid only to 

 be followed by another of two reals for yerba fed the ani- 

 mals. Protest of course we did, till our by no means su- 

 perfluous stock of Spanish expletives was completely ex- 

 hausted ; and then we made another drain upon our pock- 

 ets ; after which we were informed that the two reals only 

 paid for the yerba given the bestias de silla (saddle-ani- 

 mals), and that a like amount was due for the bestias de 

 carga (pack-animals). Having paid for the damages done 

 by the cai-go-beasts, we put spurs to our mules, thinking 

 to be conscientiously absolved from further payments, for 

 the very good reason that we should hear of no more 

 bills being presented. But we were arrested by the shouts 

 of our an-iero, our host having laid violent hands upon 

 the gun, Avhich had been committed to his charge, an- 

 nouncing his intention to retain it as payment for the ser- 

 vices of the Indian who had brought the yerba. The last 

 instahnent which we made toward the discharge of the 

 debt contracted that morning for breakfast was to redeem 

 our favorite rifle from the hands of the insatiable posadero. 

 Besides the peculiarities of posaderos, there is another 

 annoyance to which the traveller is here subjected. This 

 is the curiosity of Spaniards, all laudable enough in itself, 

 only objectionable in the means adopted for its gratifica- 

 tion. We are indebted to our friend and fellow-traveller, 

 Bushnell, for the following : "It is an old saying that the 

 more people know the more they want to know, and that 



