GUATEMALA. 
78 
order to dismiss our Carib boatmen, and on the way we met 
an intelligent ladino who spoke English (indeed he had 
been to London); and he, acting as our interpreter, greatly 
assisted us in shopping and in our preparations for the 
long journey before us. In his garden were some goyava- 
trees ( Psidium ); but the fruit was unripe, and we found 
that our new friends eat the goyava as the Chinese eat 
pears and other fruits, — quite hard; salting it, however. 
Santiago found horses for Frank and myself, and at the 
Comandancia we procured Indian mozos to carry our 
luggage. This was our first experience of a system that 
we found very convenient throughout the country. By an 
order from the Comandancia, Indios are obliged to carry 
burdens, as in the present case, precisely as their Northern 
brothers have to serve on a jury, and do it for three 
reals (37^ cents) a day, — quite equal here to the fee the 
law allows an intelligent juryman in the North. They 
cannot be sent beyond their district, nor made to carry 
more than four arrobas (100 lbs.). In many cases they 
carry six arrobas without complaint, supporting their 
burden by a raw-hide strap (called mecapal ) over the 
forehead. The person hiring pays to the authorities, with 
whom the men are registered, a real a head. I provided 
four of these men to carry our luggage to La Tinta; but 
Santiago cut down the number by half at the end of the 
first stage. Our experience with these mozos de cargo 
was pleasant, as they usually kept up with our horses 
on the mountain-roads, and took good care of the par¬ 
cels intrusted to them. Each one carries a palm-leaf 
umbrella ( suyacal ), which also serves for bed at night. 
I have employed dozens of these bearers, and found only 
one of whom I could complain; and he was not with me 
