176 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



told US that this was a new village, and had but few 

 accommodations ; the casa real had no doors, or they 

 were not yet put on. He undertook to provide for 

 us, however, and conducted us to a house adjoining 

 that of his brother, and belonging to the latter, on 

 the corner of the plaza. It had a thatched roof, and 

 perhaps, by this time, the floor is cemented ; but then 

 it was covered with the lime and earth for making 

 the cement, taking a good impression from every foot- 

 step, and throwing up some dust. It was, however, 

 already in use as a store-room for the shop on the 

 corner, and had demijohns, water-jars, and bundles 

 of tobacco stowed along the wall ; the middle was 

 vacant, but there was no chair, bench, or table ; but 

 by an energetic appeal to the lookers-on these were 

 obtained. 



Our Nohcacab friend was most efficient in his at- 

 tentions, and, in fact, constituted himself a commit- 

 tee to receive us ; and after repeating frequently 

 that at Nohcacab, though it was his village, he had 

 no house, &c., he came to the point by inviting us 

 forthwith to his house to take chocolate. 



Tired of the crowd, and wanting to be alone, we 

 declined, and unluckily assigned as a reason that we 

 had ordered chocolate to be prepared. He went 

 away with the rest, but very soon returned, and said 

 that we had given him a bofetada, or rebuff, and had 

 cheapened him in the estimation of his people. As 

 he seemed really hurt, we directed our preparations 



