106 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



at the hacienda a ghastly-looking man, worn down by 

 fever and ague, who begged us for " remedios." An 

 old lady on a visit to the family, who had intended to 

 go home that day, was waiting to be cured of a malady 

 from which she had suffered twenty years. Our medi- 

 cine-chest was brought out, and this converted the wife 

 of the don into a patient also. Mr. C.'s reputation rose 

 with the medicines he distributed ; and in the course of 

 the evening he had under his hands four or five women 

 and as many men. "We wanted very much to practice 

 on the don, but he was cautious. The percussion caps 

 of our pistols attracted the attention of the men ; and 

 we showed them the compass and other things, which 

 made our friend at San Antonio suppose we were "very 

 rich," and had many ideas." By degrees we became 

 on social terms with all the house except the master, 

 who found a congenial spirit in the muleteer. He had 

 taken his ground, and was too dignified and obstinate 

 to unbend. Our new friends made more room for our 

 hammocks, and we had a better swing for the night. 



In the morning we continued to astonish the people 

 by our strange ways, particularly by brushing our teeth, 

 an operation which, probably, they saw then for the first 

 time. "While engaged in this, the door of the house 

 opened, and Don Gregorio appeared, turning his head 

 away to avoid giving us a buenos dios. We resolved 

 not to sleep another night under his shed, but to take 

 our hammocks to the ruins, and, if there was no build- 

 ing to shelter us, to hang them up under a tree. My 

 contract with the muleteer was to stop three days at 

 Copan ; but there was no bargain for the use of the mules 

 during that time, and he hoped that the vexations we 

 met with would make us go on immediately. When he 

 found us bent on remaining, he swore he would not 



