118 NEW TRACKS IN NORTH AMERICA. 
most of the pretty women—and these were not a few—the | 
round, oval face and the large, soft, dark blue eyes of the 
Opita as distinctly as if I had known their great oranda 
mothers. I must not forget, however, that we have stopped 
at the threshold of the little ranche at Torreon, and that 1 
have much more to tell about the Opitas hereafter. 
Our mules just managed to squeeze through the door into 
the house, and out to the back-yard, where they got a famous 
breakfast. The girls set to work, and gave us large bowls of 
pap-corn and milk, followed by eggs, fowls nicely cooked, 
coffee, and hot tortillas. Van Alstine was more talkative 
than ever. Unfortunately for myself, I could not tell them 
that I was the bachelor of the party; and, in fact, I found 
‘the position very trying, particularly whilst the tortillas were 
being made. 
_ Nowif there is one feminine occupation more graceful than 
all others; if there is one which shows in the highest perfec- 
tion the delves hand and the rounded arm, and suggests, 
by an easy movement of the chest and jeoaky the curves and 
outline of figure we love to admire in their perfection, it is 
the manufacture of tortillas. A lump of dough, which has 
been carefully prepared from Indian corn, finely ground, 
placed between the palms of the hands, and whilst the arms 
are raised a little, a whirling motion is given to the dough, 
until, by gentle pressure most delicately applied, it is flattened 
out into a dise about a foot in diameter, and as thin as 4 
wafer. It is then skilfully jerked upon a flat dish, and 
lightly baked. I would far rather see them made than eat 
them ; for they are very much like my idea of underdoné 
chasnaih leather. 
When we had finished eating, the old father — - ims 
the orange grove, and filled our pockets with ma 
