a

her with a paper cigar which she was smoking to keep alight, and, watching her opportunity, popped it into the hand which was mechanically held out, and which transferred it, in a twinkling, into the mouth of the mistress. The operation was so neatly performed that the oscillation of the swing was not in the slightest degree deranged. A subsidiary kick or thump kept it going for a quarter of an hour, when it gradually stopt; the cigar was smoked, the lady was asleep,—and our dinner was almost finished.

CHAPTER VII.

Depart for the capital.-Sleepy village of Apaneca.

- Mercantile town of Aguachapa; with what happened there.

The preparations for my journey to the capital having been made by Don Simon, to his entire satisfaction, and consequently to my own, we left Sonsonate about seven o'clock in the morning of the 14th, and passed through three large villages. That of Naquisalco is situated in a large, arid plain, in the centre of which stands a respectable looking church: the country around was well cultivated with different kinds of grain, with Indian corn and European wheat ; for the climate was adapted for both.

By eight o'clock, we had reached Salpotetán, a smaller village than any of the former; and drawing up at one of the Indian huts on the road side, regaled our

a

selves with a bowl of

pure
water.

I began to think the habits of my new friend, Don Simon, very abstemious. My former companion used to shudder when I put water to my brandy, but this one would not even allow me brandy to my water.

We reached Apaneca about ten o'clock, so called from the mountain at the foot of which it stands : it contains about 1,000 inhabitants, all Indians and mixed castes. It struck me, from the appearance and bearing of the mountain, that it was the town we had remarked as the only symptoms of habitation which we had been able to notice on coasting down to Sonsonate. The belfry-door of the church being open, I ascended to the top of the steeple, when the view of the surrounding country and the ocean, which was just visible, confirmed

, these conjectures.

We stopped at the house of the padre or curate. His sister, the widow of an officer who died in the late revolution, a matronly woman, above fifty, took care of the esta

a

blishment, and put herself, I could perceive, a little out of the way to procure us a good repast. Amongst other things, a pair of pigeons were killed for the purpose: I had little inclination for animal food, and as I had once or twice declined to partake of these birds, our hostess, after assuring me they were pigeons, regarded me with a look of pity, and said, in a whisper to the company,

“the señor does not understand what they are; he has not seen such birds before, and no sabe (literally translated, 'does not know how,' though it means “does not like") to eat them." I immediately undeceived her, and taking a bit on my plate, at once preserved her good humour and my reputation as a natural philosopher, in venturing to eat of the rare bird which had been the object of discussion.

On finishing his repast, my companion, Don Simon, took up a large tumbler containing about two pints and a half of water, the greater part of which he conveyed into his stomach, at a draft; and, having rinced

his mouth with the remainder, by squirting the contents on the floor, he lighted his cigar, and laid himself down upon one of the benches to sleep. I took this opportunity to saunter about the village ; which was so still that the champing of the mules, eating their maize, might almost be heard from one end of it to the other.

Ovid describes Morpheus as one of the kindest of the deities, with his head crowned with poppies : those, who have witnessed his influence in these countries, would add to his-titles another, of most obedient, and represent him with a cigar in his mouth : I merely throw this out as a hint to the New London University. I began to despair of picking up any

information, and returned home with a determination to take my siesta, agreeably to the hackneyed, though not less sensible, remark, of when in Rome, to do as they do in Rome.

The threshold of the door was occupied by a large mastiff; who had most uncere

a