JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA. 



91 



absent, and his house shut up ; so that now we were left 

 to shift for ourselves, for we knew no one in the place, 

 and there was no Don Jose to counsel or direct us. Mr. 

 M., however, by a happy inspiration, pointed to a house 

 that he had taken a fancy to, and insisted on applying 

 there for quarters. I saw no reason for preferring that 

 house to any other, but I complied with his wishes, and 

 entered the house, saying, "Ave Maria purissima /" when 

 a middle aged man appeared, who in a very civil manner 

 desired me to command him. On my asking the favour 

 of being permitted with a friend of mine to pass the night 

 there, he made me a sign to wait, and retiring into the 

 house, re-appeared the next moment with a woman, who, 

 as she scanned Mr. M. and me with a glance of her dark 

 and penetrating eyes, seemed to wait for an explanation. 

 My request being now addressed to her, she replied, 

 " como no V (why not ?) which, with the natives, is the 

 usual and favourite mode of answering in the affirmative. 



The man and woman just mentioned were brother and 

 sister ; and from the assiduity and good will with which 

 they attended to our wants, we had every reason to con- 

 gratulate ourselves on having selected their house for 

 our abode. We were also fortunate in another respect, 

 since on inquiring for mules to take us to St. Salvador, 

 the brother, who was the owner of several, offered to fur- 

 nish them himself, and to be our guide and attendant on 

 the road. An engagement was, accordingly, made with 

 him, with a promise, on his part, that we should set out 

 the following morning at an early hour. But this pro- 

 mise our host, Juan Rodriguez, (such was his name,) had 

 no intention of fulfilling ; for on my asking him, before 

 retiring to rest, at what hour of the morning he would 

 call me, he hesitated, and seemed a little puzzled. I pro- 

 posed the hour of five, but this he thought too early. I 

 then said six, and then seven, but still he seemed inclined 

 to make it a little later. At length I brought him to an 

 explanation. The next day, he said, was a holyday ; it 



