FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC. 151 
soon after two. We shook off the dust from our feet, 
and were glad enough to leave Totonicapan, where we 
had found the Indios so impudent and disobliging that 
at one time I feared I should have to shoot some of them 
with my revolver in driving them from my door. 
After the first steep ascent of twelve hundred feet, we 
rode rapidly over the level plateau; but with all our 
haste we could not get to those steep and difficult stairs 
before dark. Luckily we overtook two ladinos, who rode 
with us; and we consequently were saved by their guid¬ 
ance the discomfort of a camp in the cold night. At 
Argueta we were put into a large room in the deserted 
monastery, where we had some excellent coffee. In the 
middle of the room we made a fire of the fat-pine that 
we had gathered in the mountain in preparation for camp¬ 
ing out, thus taking off the chill which is very decided in 
these high altitudes ; and the clear burning chips of ocote 
did not smoke us out. 
We were up at five next morning (muy temprano ); 
and although it was still dark, got our coffee and started 
for Soloist. In the corridor of the monastery was a large 
pile of an odd-looking corn, the kernels shaped like rice- 
corn, but yellow, and much larger. Six grains, which I 
brought home, were planted in Worcester County, Massa¬ 
chusetts, and they all grew, — some to a height of seven¬ 
teen feet, with a diameter near the ground of three 
inches. The season, however, was not long enough for 
them to ripen. 
In the pale dawn we saw the distant volcano of Fuego 
smoking. We rode on briskly in the cool morning, get¬ 
ting to our hotel at eight. Certainly this was the best 
and fastest ride we had in Guatemala. We took no time 
