162 



DAILY LIFE. 



His wife lights liim a cigar. She finds her way back to bed with her 

 cigar. The dogs jump up and lie down on the chairs — the fleas bite 

 them on the ground. The Indian girl closes both doors and windows, 

 takes the children out to play, while the rest of the family sleep. 



At 2 p. m. the church bells ring to let the people know the priests 

 are saying a prayer for them, which rouses them up. The man rises, 

 stretches his hand above his head, and gapes ; the dogs get down, and 

 whiningly stretch themselves ; while the wife sets up in bed and loudly 

 calls out for "fire;" the Indian girl re-appears with a " chunk" for her 

 mistress to light her master another cigar, and she smokes again herself. 

 The dinner, which takes place between 3 and 5, and is nearly the same 

 as breakfast, except when a beef is recently killed by the Indians, then 

 they have a broil. The ribs and other long bones of the animal are 

 trimmed of flesh, leaving the bones thinly coated with meat ; these are 

 laid across a fire and roasted ; the members of the family, while em- 

 ployed with them, look as if all were practising mu^ic. 



A horse is brought into the house by an Indian man, who holds while 

 the "patron" saddles and bridles him; he then puts on a large pair of 

 silver spurs, which cost forty dollars, and mounting, he rides out of the 

 front door to the opposite house ; halting, he takes off his hat and calls 

 out " Buenas tardes, senoritas" — good evening, ladies. The ladies make 

 their appearance at the door; one lights him a cigar; another mixes him 

 a glass of lemonade to refresh himself after his ride. He remains in 

 the saddle talking, while they lean gracefully against the door-posts, 

 smiling with their bewitching eyes. He touches his hat and rides off 

 to another neighbor. After spending the afternoon in this way, he 

 rides into his house again. The Indian holds the horse by the bridle 

 while the master dismounts. Taking oft' the saddle, he throws it into 

 one chair, the bridle into another, his spurs on a third, and himself into 

 the hamac ; the Indian leads out the horse, the dogs pull down the 

 riding gear to the floor, and lay themselves on their usual bedsteads. 



Chocolate and cigars are repeated. Should the Creole be handed a 

 letter of introduction by a stranger travelling through the country, he 

 immediately offers his hamac and a cup of chocolate. The baggage 

 will be attended to, and as long as the traveller remains, he is treated 

 by the family with a degree of kindness and politeness seldom met with 

 in fashionable parts of the world. No alteration will be made in their 

 mode of living on account of his being among them, except that the 

 dogs ag} horses are kept out of the house, and there is less dodging of 

 b>ones. Pride and a natural feeling of good manners prevent the stranger 

 from seeing such performances. The Creole speaks of the wealth of his 



