Part 19 (1/2)

Then I dismounted, and, with the careless air of a blameless, non-political person, strode into the spacious kitchen, where an i fire on the hearth; while beside it, ladle in hand, sat a perspiring, greasy-looking wo the fat and throwing the scum on the fire, which made it blaze with a furious joy and loudly cry out in a crackling voice for rease--certainly the reasy individual I had ever seen It was not easy under the circue Juno eyes, and her ood-hu ainst the wall, his bare feet stretched straight out before hile, twenty inches broad at least, of a pure white, untanned hide; and on it he was laboriously working a design representing an ostrich hunt, with threads of black skin He was a short, broad-shouldered rey hair, stiff, bristly whiskers and moustache of the same hue, sharp blue eyes, and a nose decidedly upturned

He wore a red cotton handkerchief tied on his head, a blue check shi+rt, and a shaound round his body in place of the _chiripa_ usually worn by native peasants He jerked out his _”Buen dia”_ tovoice, and invited me to sit down

”Cold water is bad for the constitution at this hour,” he said ”We will drink _h, burr-like sound in his speech that I at once concluded he was a foreigner, or hailed fro to our Durham or Northumberland

”Thank you,” I said, ”a _mate_ is alelco else” For I wished everyone I ht,in this country As for the people, they are not worth cursing”

”How can you say such a thing,” I returned ”You are a foreigner, I suppose, but your wife is surely an Oriental”

The Juno of the grease-pot smiled and threw a ladleful of tallow on the fire to make it roar; possibly this was ly, the bradawl used for his work in it

”True, friend, she is,” he replied ”Women, like horned cattle, are much the same all the world over They have their value wherever you find them--America, Europe, Asia We know it I spoke of men”

”You scarcely do woel del cielo,”_

I returned, quoting the old Spanish song

He barked out a short little laugh

”That does very well to sing to a guitar,” he said

”Talking of guitars,” spoke the wo for the _uitar is lying just behind you”

”Senora, I do not play on it,” I answered ”An Englishoes forth into the world without that desire, coreeable to those he may encounter on his way; this is why he does not learn to perform on musical instruments”

The littlehiot up, advanced to ravehis hand in mine, I said:

”What am I to do with this, my friend?”

”Shake it,” he replied ”We are countryorously for some time in silence, while his wife looked on with a s to her, ”leave your grease till toht of Is there any mutton in the house?”

”Half a sheep--only,” she replied

”That will do for one meal,” said he ”Here, Teofilo, run and tell Anselmo to catch two pullets--fat ones, mind To be plucked at once You s for your o find Coso to the store at once Noife, what is wanted--rice, sugar, vinegar, oil, raisins, pepper, saffron, salt, cloves, cummin seed, wine, brandy--”

”Stop one et provisions enough for an arive me breakfast, I must tell you that I draw the line at brandy I never touch it--in this country”

He shook hands with ht,” he said ”Always stick to the native drink, wherever you are, even if it is black draught Whisky in Scotland, in the Banda Oriental rureat co in pursuit of fugitive chickens, andhis wife about