368 VILLAGE OF CARRETAS. Book II. 
Indians, and its position, like all similar places, was 
admirably chosen. 
In the afternoon, while Don Guillermo prosecuted his 
affairs, I took my gun in order to shoot some wild ducks 
in the cornfields by the stream. Here, among the poplars 
and willows, I came suddenly upon a man who looked at me 
with as great astonishment as I should have felt had I seen a 
piece of the moon fallen down. " Where does your honour 
come from ?" he asked in a timid tone. " From Europe," 
I replied jokingly. " Ahora ? — ahorita ?" " Now ? — just 
now?" he asked again. "A short while since," was my 
answer. " But where do you come from now ? just now?" 
" From your town." " But how did your honour get 
there ?" " In a carriage." " With whom ?" " With Don 
Guillermo." " Ah ! with Don Guillermo of Chihuahua," 
he said now, apparently satisfied. "I know his honour 
very well ; and since your honour has seen the world, you 
can perhaps tell me something of a young man, a relation 
of mine. We sent him to a person in Doiiana for four 
years to learn four trades ; and six years have gone by and 
we have heard nothing of him." 
Our next day's journey was short. We left Santa 
Ysabel at noon, and reached Carretas at four. This village, 
or small town, lies in a well cultivated valley, the small 
river in which joins that at Santa Ysabel, whence united 
they fall into the Kio Conchos. This valley, like other 
valleys of this region is a deep indentation in the huge 
alluvial masses which cover this table-land, and is pro- 
bably 500 to 600 feet lower than their average level. We 
remained here the whole of the next day, Sunday, and I 
cannot speak too highly of the hearty hospitality which 
we received from Don Felipe and his family. Indeed, 
