TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIA S. 359 
be men fulfilling some of the important ends of existence, in 
a worthy and gentlemanly way. And so they do, as under¬ 
stood in the Californias. They rise in the morning, that is to 
say, before noon-day, from their couches of blankets or bulls’ 
hides, and breakfast upon broiled or boiled beef and fried 
beans. After breakfast, they muster a tinder-box from the 
pocket, strike fire, lignt cigars made of tobacco rolled up in 
little slips of paper, till the ignited Weed burns and discolors 
their thumb and fore-finger aristocratically, and then betake 
themselves to their napping again. Thus stands or lies their 
humanity till the dinner hour. Roast beef, frijoles, and cho¬ 
colate, brandy and wine, if, indeed, Sehor Poverty own a 
corkscrew and its appendages, make up the materiel of this 
event. And having eaten and drunken liberally, Senor 
crosses himself reverently over his gastric apparatus, lays him¬ 
self carefully upon his couch, and gives himself and his diges¬ 
tion to his guitar, till chocolate comes at sun-set, to bedew 
his inner man for the slumbers of the night. Thus we have a 
glance at los hombres Californios . 
Whenever want or a revulsion of nature long unused, drives 
these people to corporeal exercise, they, true to their laziness, 
make the horse perform the greater part of it. Indeed, a 
Californian is never the half of himself unless he be on horse¬ 
back. And to go abroad for any purpose without a saddle 
under him would, in his opinion, be as ridiculous as to break¬ 
fast without beans, or be a Christian without praying to the 
Saints. They are excellent horsemen; the very best in North 
America ; and, I am inclined to believe, the best on the con¬ 
tinent. Be this opinion right or wrong, it will be interesting 
to know them as they are. I will present the horse part 
first, as the most interesting portion of a Californian cavallero. 
There is no better animal than the Californian cavallo. He 
presents all colors—from black to white, dappled, mixed and 
shuffled together in the most beautiful confusion. His head 
and neck are lightly made—his eye burns with that kindly 
yet unquenchable fire so peculiar to his progenitors, the An- 
