78 VILLAGE OF TELICA. Book I. 
place I paid a full equivalent to the fleas of the house, 
though, to speak the truth, they were neither more nume- 
rous nor more bloodthirsty than I have found them in some 
of the huts of the herdsmen of the Alps. The men with 
whom I passed the night at San Jazinto were nothing 
better, but they were more polite and animated than most 
European peasants would have been. Before going to 
bed, the company, sitting in front of the door of the house, 
amused themselves by telling stories, the obligation to con- 
tribute by this means to the general entertainment of the 
company passing round the circle. I have observed the 
same pastime amongst the herdsmen and muleteers of 
Mexico. In the present case the stories were all of one 
stamp. An Indian has a pretty wife, whom the priest 
tries to seduce. But the Indian is too sharp for the priest, 
and the latter is caught in a trap. u Otro Indio " — ano- 
ther Indian ! — was the call inviting the next in the circle to 
come forward with his narrative. 
A few days later I set out from Leon to visit the 
volcano of Telica. The village of Telica, at the foot of 
the mountain, is six or seven miles from the city. There 
I went to pass the night, take a guide and start very early 
in the morning to ascend the summit of the mountain. I 
had a letter to the curate, in whose house I found the 
necessary accommodations. It happened that I had an 
opportunity of spending the evening in a very interesting 
and instructive manner at this village. Its inhabitants, 
who are Indians, though perfect ladinos, i. e. thoroughly 
romanised, represented what is called " un baile" a ball, 
meaning, however, a play with songs and dances, a per- 
formance uniting the requisites of the drama, the opera, 
and the ballet. The piece was called " El juramento ante 
Dios" the oath before God. Its fable was this : a Moorish 
