In most of the cabildos there is suspended a rude drum, made by drawing a raw hide over the end of a section of a hollow tree, which is primarily used to call together the municipal wisdom of the place, whenever occasion requires, and secondarily by the traveller, who beats on it as a signal to the alguazils, whose duty it is to repair at once to the Cabildo and supply the stranger with what he requires, if obtainable in the town, at the rates there current.  Not an unwise, nor yet an unnecessary regulation this, in a country where nobody thinks of producing more than is just necessary for his wants, and, having no need of money, one does not care to sell, lest his scanty store should run short, and he be compelled to go to work or purchase from his neighbors.

The people of Goascoran stared at us as we rode through their streets, but none came near us until after we had vigorously pounded the magical drum, when the alguazils made their appearance, followed by all the urchins of the place, and by a crowd of lean and hungry curs,—­the latter evidently in watery-mouthed anticipation of obtaining from the strangers, what they seldom got at home, a stray crust or a marrow-bone.  We informed our alguazils that we had mules coming, and wanted sacate for them.  To which they responded,—­

"No hay." (There is none.)

“Then let us have some maize.”

"Tampoco."

“What! no maize?  What do you make your tortillas of?”

“We have no tortillas.”

“How, then, do you live?”

“We don’t live.”

“But we must have something for our animals; they can’t be allowed to starve.”

To which our alguazil made no reply, but looked at us vacantly.

“Do you hear? we must have some sacate or some maize for the animals.”

Still no reply,—­only the same vacuous look,—­now more stolid, if possible, than before.

I had observed that the Teniente’s wrath was rising, and that an explosion was imminent.  But I must confess that I was not a little startled, when, drawing his bowie-knife from his belt, he strode slowly up to our impassible friend, and, firmly grasping his right ear, applied the cold edge of the steel close to his head.  The supplementary alguazil and the rabble of children took to their heels in affright, followed by the dogs, who seemed to sympathize in their alarm.  But, beyond a slight wincing downwards, and a partial contraction of his eyes and lips, the object of the Teniente’s wrath made no movement, nor uttered a word of expostulation.  He evidently expected to lose his ears, and probably was surprised at nothing except the pause in the operation.  My own apprehensions were only for an instant; but, had they been more serious than they were, they must have given way before the extreme ludicrousness of the group.  I burst into a roar of laughter, in