328 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



entered. At the time of our first arrival he was absent 

 at another village under his charge, and I had not seen 

 him before. He was more original in his appearance 

 than either of the others, being very tall, with long black 

 hair, an Indian face and complexion, and certainly four 

 fifths Indian blood. Indeed, if I had seen him in In- 

 dian costume, and what that is the reader by this time 

 understands, I should have taken him for a " puro," or 

 Indian of unmixed descent. His dress was as uncler- 

 ical as his appearance, consisting of an old straw hat, 

 with the rim turned up before, behind, and at the sides, 

 so as to make four regular corners, with a broad blue 

 velvet riband for a hatband, both soiled by long expo- 

 sure to wind and rain. Beneath this were a check shirt, 

 an old blue silk neckcloth with yellow stripes, a striped 

 roundabout jacket, black waistcoat, and pantaloons 

 made of bedticking, not meeting the waistcoat by two 

 inches, the whole tall figure ending below in yellow 

 buckskin shoes. But under this outre appearance ex- 

 isted a charming simplicity and courtesy of manner, and 

 when he spoke his face beamed with kindness. The 

 reception given him showed the good feeling existing 

 among the padres ; and after some general conversa- 

 tion, the chocolate cups were removed, and one of the 

 padres went to his chest, whence he produced a pack 

 of cards, which he placed upon the table. He said that 

 he always carried them with him, and it was very pleas- 

 ant to travel with companions, as, wherever they stopped, 

 they could have a game at night. The cards had ev- 

 idently done much service, and there was something 

 orderly and systematic in the preliminary arrangements, 

 that showed the effect of regular habits and a well-train- 

 ed household. An old Indian servant laid on the ta- 

 ble a handful of grains of corn and a new bundle of 



