A MAJOR-DOMO. 



293 



respectable citizens of the place were reeling round the 

 estanco, and urged me to stop ; but my guide said they 

 were a bad set, and advised me to return and pass the 

 night at the sugar-mill. Presuming that he knew the 

 people of whom he spoke better than I did, I was no 

 way inclined to disregard his caution. It was after 

 dark when we reached the trapiche ; some of the work- 

 men were sitting around a fire smoking ; others were 

 lying asleep under a shed, and I had but to 



Look around and choose my ground, 

 And take my rest." 



I inquired for the major-domo, and was escorted to 

 a mud house, where in the dark I heard a harsh voice, 

 and presently, by the light of a pine stick, saw an old 

 and forbidding face corresponding, and by its side 

 that of a young woman, so soft and sweet that it seem- 

 ed to appear expressly for the sake of contrast ; and 

 these two were one. I was disposed to pity her ; but 

 the old major-domo was a noble fellow in heart, and 

 she managed him so beautifully that he never suspect- 

 ed it. He was about going to bed, but sent men out 

 to cut sacate, and both he and his wife were pleased 

 that accident had brought me to their hut. The work- 

 men sympathized in their humour, and we sat for two 

 hours around a large table under the shed, with two 

 candles sticking up in their own tallow. They could 

 not comprehend that I had been to the top of the Vol- 

 cano de Agua, and then ridden down to the coast mere- 

 ly to see the Pacific. A fine, open-faced young man 

 had a great desire to travel, only he did not like to go 

 away from home. I offered to take him with me and 

 give him good wages. The subject was discussed 

 aloud. It was an awful thing to go away from home, 



