TRAVELLING EMBARRASSMENTS. 355 



again led the way. As we advanced his friends in- 

 creased. It was rather vexatious, but I could not dis- 

 turb him in the sweetest pleasures in life, the welcome 

 of friends after a long absence. Crossing the plaza, 

 two or three soldiers of his old company, leaning on the 

 railing of the quartel, cried out companero, and, with 

 the sergeant at their head, passed over and joined us. 

 We crossed the plaza with fifteen or twenty in our 

 suite, or, rather, in his suite, some of whom, particu- 

 larly the sergeant, in compliment to him, were civil to 

 me. 



While he had so many friends to welcome him, I had 

 none. In fact, I did not know where I should sleep 

 that night. In the large towns of Central America I 

 was always at a loss where to stop. Throughout the 

 country the traveller finds no public accommodation 

 save the cabildo and a jar of water. Everything else he 

 must carry with him, or purchase on the spot — if he can. 

 But in the large towns he has not this resource, for it is 

 not considered respectable to stop at the cabildo. I 

 had letters of recommendation, but it was excessively 

 disagreeable to present one from the back of a mule 

 with my luggage at my heels, as it was, in fact, a 

 draught at sight for board and lodging. 



'Hezoos had told me that there was an old chapiton, 

 i. e., a person from Spain, in whose house I could have 

 a room to myself, and pay for it ; but, unfortunately, 

 time had made its changes, and the old Spaniard had 

 been gone so long that the occupants of his house did 

 not know what had become of him. I had counted 

 upon him with so much certainty that I had not taken 

 out my letters of recommendation, and did not even 

 know the names of the persons to whom they were ad- 

 dressed. The cura was at his hacienda, and his house 



