148 



TOCACHE. 



covered the bird's breast, and which showed that a large blood-vessel of 

 the, neck had been pierced. I do not know if his reasoning were good 

 or not. 



Ijurra returned at eight, tired, and in a bad humor. He reported 

 that he had hunted the governor from place to place all day ; had 

 come up with him at last and obtained the promise that we should 

 have canoes and men to prosecute our journey. My companion, who 

 has been sub-prefect or governor of the whole province which we are 

 now in, (Mamas,) and who has appointed and removed these governors 

 of districts at pleasure, finds it difficult to sue where he had formerly 

 commanded. He consequently generally quarrels with those in author- 

 ity ; and I have to put myself to some trouble, and draw largely upon my 

 " bon homie" to reconcile the differences, and cool down the heats, which 

 his impatience and irritability often occasion. He, however, did good 

 service to the cause, by purchasing a hog and some chickens, which 

 were to appear to-morrow. 



August 9. — We had people to work killing and salting our hog. 

 We had difficulty in getting some one to undertake this office, but the 

 man from whom we purchased the hog stood our friend, and brought 

 down his family from Lamasillo to do the needful. W"e had very little 

 benefit from our experiment in this way. We paid eight dollars for 

 the hog, twenty-five cents for salt, twenty-five cents to Don Isidro, who 

 brought him down to the port, and fifty cents to the same gentleman 

 for butchering him. The wife and children of the owner took their 

 pay for salting and smoking out of the hog himself. Oar friends 

 going up stream (according to Ijurra) stole half, and what was left 

 spoiled before we could eat it. 



Every body is a Don in this country. Our Indian boatmen, at least 

 the Poperos, are Dons; and much ceremonious courtesy is necessary in 

 intercourse with them. I have to treat the governors of the districts 

 with all manner of ceremony; when, while he exacts this, and will get 

 sulky, and afford me no facilities without it, he will entertain the prop- 

 osition to go along with me as my servant. 



I had a note from the governor, not written, but signed by himself, 

 requesting to know how many men I wanted, and saying that he hoped 

 to see us in the pueblo early to-morrow. We excused ourselves from 

 going to the town, and requested him to send the men down to the 

 port for their pay. This he would not do, but insisted that we should 

 pay at least at Lamasillo. We always pay in advance, and the boat- 

 men generally leave their cotton cloth, in which they are nearly always 

 paid, with their wives. These have preferred thoir pay partly in 

 money. 



