his scruples, and he ate a supper of dishes he had
never tasted before. The coffee he declared was delicious.

On the advice of his companion they had brought along blankets. The
women of the ranchito brought other bedding, and a comfortable bed
soon awaited the Americanos. The owner of the jacal in the mean time
informed his guest through the interpreter that he had sent to a
near-by ranchito for a man who had at least the local reputation of
being quite a hunter. During the interim, while awaiting the arrival
of the man, he plied his guest with many questions regarding the
outside world, of which his ideas were very simple, vague, and
extremely provincial. His conception of distance was what he could
ride in a given number of days on a good pony. His ideas of wealth
were no improvement over those of his Indian ancestors of a century
previous. In architecture, the jacal in which they sat satisfied his
ideals.

The footsteps of a horse interrupted their conversation. A few moments
later, Tiburcio, the hunter, was introduced to the two Americans with
a profusion of politeness. There was nothing above the ordinary in
the old hunter, except his hair, eyes, and swarthy complexion, which
indicated his Aztec ancestry. It might be in perfect order to remark
here that young Wells was perfectly composed, almost indifferent to
the company and surroundings. He shook hands with Tiburcio in a manner
as dignified, yet agreeable, as though he was the governor of his
native State or the minister of some prominent church at home. From
this juncture, he at once took the lead in the conversation, and kept
up a line of questions, the answers to which were very gratifying.
He learned that deer were very plentiful everywhere, and that on this
very tract of land were several wild turkey roosts, where it was
no trouble to bag any number desired. On the prairie portion of the
surrounding country could be found large droves of antelope. During
drouthy periods they were known to come twenty miles to quench their
thirst in the Salado, which was the main watercourse of this grant.
Once Tiburcio assured his young patron that he had frequently counted
a thousand antelope during a single morning. Then there was also the
javeline or peccary which abounded in endless numbers, but it was
necessary to hunt them with dogs, as they kept the thickets and came
out in the open only at night. Many a native cur met his end hunting
these animals, cut to pieces