83 DOTTINGS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. VI.—B. S. 
off a good hot bowl of coffee boiled in milk, for at the 
casera or milking-place of a hacienda, milk is always 
obtainable in the morning, through never in the 
evening. During this day’s journey the country was 
found to he more undulating. Palms were largely 
interspersed with the other trees and orchids. Just 
before twelve o’clock they arrived at Mayasan, where 
it was decided to remain to celebrate Christmas Day 
by a good dinner. The duena of the hacienda was 
most kind, and made active exertions to provide pud¬ 
dings, consisting of mashed plantains and fresh pork, 
fried shreds of dried pork, with pork sausages and 
garlic ; fried eggs and garlic; minced pork and garlic; 
ripe plantains, boiled and fried; unripe plantains, 
boiled and roasted; quajado, or bitter cream cheese; 
milk in various stages of sourness; pinol (chocolate 
and Indian corn mixed with water); jerked beef in 
thin strips; tortillas de maiz (cakes of Indian corn) 
baked on a griddle ; and native cheese. This, for the 
country, magnificent bill of fare, did not afford the 
pleasure which the travellers had expected; they were 
unanimous in detesting garlic; neither did the bitter 
cheese and sour milk meet with their approval, while 
the stringy jerked beef got between their teeth, and 
was pronounced thoroughly indigestible; so that, al¬ 
together, they were not averse to renewing the jour¬ 
ney at three o’clock in the afternoon. At sunset they 
arrived at another hacienda, Las Animas, having 
passed through the same lovely scenery and crossed 
the river Oyate, abounding in alligators, although 
nearly twenty miles from the lake. Here they stayed 
