THE DESERT AND THE ROSE 75 



Mexicans, and up to date this faith has not been 

 found wanting. 



In using the past tense in regard to the peon, this 

 is not to say that there are no good peons left, or 

 that the "educated" peon is invariably inferior. But 

 neither education — if it can be called such — nor 

 mission schools have affected in the slightest degree 

 the Mexican's partiality for following the line of 

 least resistance : he is a better liar, especially in his 

 youth, than the very darkey himself. This may be 

 saying much, yet not too much. The latter is ham- 

 pered by the knowledge that any Southerner, or one 

 who has lived long in the South, is capable of dis- 

 criminating and eliminating even whilst lending a 

 kindly ear to African eloquence. This is not to say 

 that a beneficent tolerance checks the eloquence, 

 but the slightest expression of disbelief may 

 cause a certain embarrassment. The Mexican, 

 on the contrary, is never embarrassed; he 

 either entertains a faith absolutely sublime 

 in the American's credulitv and so glides unper- 

 turbed upon his errant course, or he is more stupid 

 than our old friend the "cullud Dusson" : the latter, 

 I incline to believe. The American's sole hope lies 

 in a firm but silent disregardof thepeon's assertions. 

 I have known truthful Mexicans, but not many. To 

 differ from the average peon is vain ; with the dark- 

 ey, as aforesaid, some effect may be produced. For 

 instance : after listening for long minutes to a ran- 

 dom flow of words from an intelligent and faithful 

 colored servant, I sighed wearily — "O, William, 

 why will you lie so!" In a moment William's gait 



