MODE OF OBTAINING WATER. 13 



Although we had been some time in the country, 

 we regarded this as really the beginning of our travels; 

 and though the scenes we had met with already were 

 not much like any we had ever encountered before, 

 our first day's journey introduced us to some that 

 were entirely new. The Indians assembled under 

 the arbour, where they, with great formality, offered 

 us seats, and the alcalde told us that the rancho was 

 poor, but they would do all they could to serve us. 

 Neither he nor any other in the place spoke a word 

 of Spanish, and our communications were through 

 Albino. We opened the interview by remonstra- 

 ting against the charge of two reals for watering our 

 horses, but the excuse was satisfactory enough. In 

 the rainy season they had sources of supply in the 

 neighbourhood, and these were perhaps as primitive 

 as in any other section of the habitable world, being 

 simply deposites of rain-water in the holes and hol- 

 lows of rocks, which were called sartenejas. From 

 the rocky nature of the country, these are very nu- 

 merous ; during the rainy season they are replenish- 

 ed as fast as they are exhausted, and at the time of 

 our visit, owing to the long continuance of the rains, 

 they furnished a sufficient supply for domestic use, 

 but the people were not able to keep horses or cows, 

 or cattle of any kind, the only animals they had 

 being hogs. In the dry season this source of sup- 

 ply failed them; the holes in the rocks were dry, and 

 they were obliged to send to the rancho of Chack, 

 the well of which they represented as being half a 

 II 2 



