172 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



we reached another rancho, which would have been 

 creditable in any country for its neatness and ar- 

 ^•angement. Our road ran through a plaza, or 

 square, with large seybo trees in the centre, and 

 neat white houses on all the sides ; and before the 

 door of one of them we saw a horse and cart ! an 

 evidence of civilization which we had not seen 

 till that time in the country. This could be no 

 other than Senor Trego's. We stopped in the 

 shade, Senor Trego came out of the principal 

 house, told the servants to take our horses, and said 

 he had been expecting us several days. We were a 

 little surprised, but, as we were very uncertain about 

 our chances for a dinner, we said nothing. Entering 

 the house, we fell into fine large hammocks ; and 

 Senor Trego told us that we were welcome on our 

 own account, even without the recommendation of 

 the padre Rodriguez of Xul. This gave us a key to 

 the mystery. The padre Rodriguez had given us a 

 letter to some one on this road, which we had ac- 

 cidentally left behind, and did not know the name 

 of the person to whom it was addressed ; but we 

 now remembered that the cura, in speaking of him, 

 had said deliberately, as if feeling the full import of 

 his words, that he was rich and his friend ; and we re- 

 membered, too, that the padre had frankly read to us 

 the letter before giving it, in which, not to compro- 

 mise himself with a rich friend, he had recommend- 

 ed us as worthy of Senor Trego's best offices upon 

 our paying all costs and expenses ; but we had rea- 



