?"

The corpse nodded.

"Do you wish your property to pass into your cousins' hands?"

The head moved from side to side.

"Do you intend to make Garcia your sole legatee?"

The deceased nodded several times.

Two witnesses were brought, and the business was settled with
commendable promptitude.

I think it was Garcia himself who explained, some time afterwards, that
as the dead man wore a full beard and whiskers, it was easy enough to
hide the strings passing from his ears and chin to the foot of the bed
under the coverings.

In this connection I have since heard that one of the legal ceremonies
in a coroner's inquest in Central America is to solemnly ask the
deceased who killed him.

To return to the point, however; if such things exist among those in the
highest positions of trust it is not surprising to find wholesale
chicanery among the lower orders; that they realise their shortcomings
is evidenced by the fact that if they wish to impress you with the truth
of a statement, they add "palabra de Ingles," i.e., "on the word of an
Englishman."

Their Indian descent is answerable for a great deal, the white and black
blood being so mixed that it is almost impossible to note the dividing
line. Their dusky ancestors were blessed with an extremely limited
intelligence, only being able to count up to four. The following
incidents were related to me by an old estanciero. He once saw a
trainload of Indian prisoners who had had oranges given them throwing
the skins against the windows and showing great surprise when they fell
inside.

In another instance a woman came with her daughter to place her in
domestic service at the estancia, and as the mother did all the talking,
the estanciero's wife asked if the daughter could speak Spanish.

"Oh, yes," answered the mother, "but she is barefoot, and would not
presume to talk Spanish unless she had shoes on."

This same girl at first insisted on turning up the carpet whenever she
entered a room and walking along the boards at the side.

I fear that I have given a black character to the people I work among,
but there are lights as well as shades, and I have had many a weary
hour's ride wiled away by the philosophy and anecdotes of some peon or
small contractor, without mentioning the enjoyment of that hospitality
which is a characteristic of the nation.

Beside a camp fire, under the stars, while the mate pot passes from hand
to hand, or when huddled under a horse