96 SPORT AND TRAVEL PAPERS 



women, and a very hard one it is. The corn, in order to soften 

 the hard envelope, is put into water to which a little lime has 

 been added ; it is then boiled for a moment and allowed to soak 

 in the same water for about twelve hours. It is now taken out 

 to be ground up on a flat stone by means of another shaped like 

 a rolling-pin, until the whole becomes a thick paste. A piece of 

 this is then beaten between the two hands, and fashioned into 

 a flat and round and thin cake, about the size of a large soup- 

 plate. A few minutes' baking on a hot iron or earthenware 

 plate, and the tortilla is ready to be eaten. 



As we do not intend to leave at present the " tierra caliente," 

 or to visit the capital of Guatemala and the higher regions, we 

 will now change this road to another, which is about to bring us 

 to the little town of Sta. Lucia, situated just above the low- 

 lying jungles extending down to the Pacific shore. We have 

 had a very dusty and hot ride, our baggage mules are tired, and 

 mine is very lame besides. Poor brute ! little pity does he get, 

 at all events from the muleteer, who laughs derisively at every 

 attempt I make to ease the animal. Cruelty to mules he does 

 not recognise ; if a mule goes lame he must take the conse- 

 quences of it ; he must be made to do his work all the same. The 

 spur, or whip, or both, are the only recognised remedies, so the 

 "arriero" argues, and hard words are the consequence, especially 

 as one's own temper is just a little irritable, ruffled as it is by 

 the heat, the dust, and fatigue, and by the frequent stumbling of 

 the mule, while the absolute necessity for getting on, as one 

 cannot remain in the road, is ever before one's eyes. They are 

 wonderful animals, these mules, most patient, most enduring 

 and hard-working beasts ; they are the best abused, for no word 

 is too bad for them in the vocabulary of the Spanish language ; 

 they are the most badly treated, and pity is never wasted upon 

 them when they have the bad luck to be sick or hurt. They 

 will do enormous distances over the worst roads, carrying heavy 

 loads day after day, and yet their only food consists of dry maize 

 stalks, dry grass, with occasionally a little corn. To everybody's 

 delight we at last turned into the courtyard of the little inn at 

 Sta. Lucia, which we found gaily decorated with flags, coloured 

 paper and lamps, the remains of the festivities of the day before 

 a Sunday. After feeding the mules and ordering our dinners, 

 we went to see the old toltec remains which are to be found in 



