UP THE PARAGUAY 45 



tiers like Rickard, whom, by the way, the wild Indians 

 thoroughly trust, and for whom they work eagerly and 

 faithfully. There is a great development ahead for Para- 

 guay, as soon as they can definitely shake off the revolu- 

 tionary habit and establish an orderly permanence of gov- 

 ernment. The people are a fine people; the strains of 

 blood — ^white and Indian — are good. 



We walked up the streets of Concepcion, and inter- 

 estedly looked at everything of interest: at the one-story 

 houses, their windows covered with gratings of fretted 

 ironwork, and their occasional open doors giving us glimpses 

 into cool inner courtyards, with trees and flowers; at the 

 two-wheel carts, drawn by mules or oxen; at an occa- 

 sional rider, with spurs on his bare feet, and his big toes 

 thrust into the small stirrup-rings; at the little stores, and 

 the warehouses for matte and hides. Then we came to a 

 pleasant little inn, kept by a Frenchman and his wife, of 

 old Spanish style, with its patio, or inner court, but as neat 

 as an inn in Normandy or Brittany. We were sitting at 

 coffee, around a little table, when in came the colonel of 

 the garrison — for Concepcion is the second city in Para- 

 guay. He told me that they had prepared a reception for 

 me ! I was in my rough hunting-clothes, but there was 

 nothing to do but to accompany my kind hosts and trust 

 to their good nature to pardon my shortcomings in the 

 matter of dress. The colonel drove me about in a smart 

 open carriage, with two good horses and a liveried driver. 

 It was a much more fashionable turnout than would be 

 seen in any of our cities save the largest, and even in them 

 probably not in the service of a public official. In all the 

 South American countries there is more pomp and cere- 



