THE MEXICAN IN NEW MEXICO 47 



closing the hopeless and, of course, long- 

 winded discussion, I inquired if he could 

 recommend anyone else. No, he didn't think 

 he could most Mexicans liked to work 

 some and rest some didn't care to work 

 right straight along. And all the consolation 

 I received when relating my failure to his 

 referee was a shrug of the shoulders, and the 

 ejaculation : 



1 Just like a Mexican ! Waste of time to 

 try and reason with any of them !' 



Yet another native touch : Complying with 

 law and custom, I provided four men to do 

 each a day's work towards cleaning the 

 public ditch for irrigation purposes. At the 

 end of the day a Mexican youth presented 

 himself and the bill. On the paper the 

 names of but two men were inscribed as 

 having worked, the sum demanded amount- 

 ing to wages for four. 



' What is the meaning of this ?' I in- 

 quired. * If only Luciano and Pedro worked, 

 why do I pay the wages of Matildo and 

 Jesus ?' 



* Two men worked,' was the stolid re- 

 joinder. 



