ed with
cheese and onions, were the best we ever had, and after the first
experience, we insisted on having them at every meal. Her masterpieces
were in simple maize. Her _tortillas_ were good, but _tortillas_ one
finds everywhere; she served _cocoles, chavacanes_, and _pemol. Cocoles_
are round, flat biscuits or cakes of maize, a couple of inches across
and half an inch in diameter; they contain shortening, and when served
hot, are delicious. _Chavacanes_ are thin, flat square crackers of
corn-meal with shortening and eggs; they are good even when cold, but
are best when hot from the griddle. _Pemol_ is a corn-cake, crumbly,
sweet, and baked; it contains sugar and shortening, and is made up into
the form of rather large cakes, shaped like horse-collars.

As the result of vigorous remonstrance, the _secretario_ really had the
_danza_ of _los Negros_ at his house that night. Music was furnished by
_pito_ and _huehuetl_. The two performers, one representing a Spaniard
and the other a negro, were masked. The action was lively, and the
dialogue vociferous--both players frequently talking at once. The dance
was kept up until nearly ten o'clock, after which, as we planned an
early start, we were soon in bed. Just as we were dropping off to sleep,
we heard the whistling and roaring of the norther outside, and the cold
air found its way through every crack into our room. From our house the
musicians and the dancers had gone to the _syndico's_, where they stayed
some time; but, between one and two in the morning, they came back to
our house and played in the room next to ours, with the door wide open.
Our interest was not great enough to lead us forth again. Finally they
left, but at four o'clock the musicians, now quite drunk, appeared
again, and for a long time the _secretario_, his lady, and the
school-master, danced in lonely grandeur up and down the room.

[Illustration: OUR CANOE FOR SIXTY HOURS; THE LAGOONS]

[Illustration: MANGROVE ROOTS]

Don Leandro, the _secretario_, had promised to accompany us the
following morning as far as San Geronimo. We had decided to go on
horseback to Paso Real, a little distance beyond San Geronimo, and there
take boat for Tampico. When morning came, we expressed surprise over Don
Leandro's charging rent, in addition to the rather large price which we
had already paid for beds. This seemed to hurt his sensitive feelings,
with the result that we started without his company. The ride was
m