night set in chilly and damp.  Meantime, the secretario, the segundo, the presidente and the topils, all had disappeared.  In vain we urged that arrangements should be made for fuel, for beds, and for a mozo, whom we had ordered should be supplied to accompany the man from Papalo back to that town with the horses.  It was now dark and late, with no sign of attention to our wishes.  Through the darkness, we picked our way over a muddy road, slippery and soaked with water, to the secretario’s house, where we forcibly made known our wishes, and said that attention must be paid to them.  Before we got back to the town-house our shoes were soaked with water and heavy with mud, while our clothing was soaked through with moisture from the air filled with mist and drizzling rain; and this in the midst of the dry season!

During the afternoon, we had seen a curious-looking indian, dressed in a red flannel shirt, white drawers and a cap, but with the regular red Chinantec neck-cloth.  He was a Mixtec from San Francisco Huitzo, who is in charge of the well-kept little coffee finca which we passed upon the road.  He showed us a bottle of coffee essence of his manufacture.  It was a heavy, oily, clear liquid which I understood he had distilled from a weaker and darker coffee extract.  It was exceedingly strong, and was supposed to be used for making coffee, a small quantity of the essence being put into a cup with hot water and sugar.  He desired us to test this, but a look at it was quite sufficient.  He was a handy fellow, and did much to hasten the fulfillment of our orders.  Under his direction, sleeping mats were brought, and he, himself, served our supper, when finally it was ready.  We were so tired that directly after supper we laid down upon the mats spread on the damp earthen floor.  We had hoped to start our man from Papalo back with our horses early; the officials had promised that the mozo to accompany him should be ready; but, of course, neither breakfast nor mozo was to be seen.  So we again started for the secretario’s house.  The secretario himself was lying drunk in bed, and the segundo was almost as bad.  In vigorous words I made known my dissatisfaction.  The segundo, with his sword in one hand and tortillas in the other, almost too drunk to walk, led us to the town-house and summoned the people before him.  He thundered forth his orders:  “You dogs, children of a degraded race!  Wretched brutes!  What do you mean?  Why are you not bringing in breakfast for these gentlemen?  Eggs, tortillas, frijoles, chicken?  Why are you not supplying them?  Obey his order.  Fulfill your duty.  You hear?  If you do not fulfill your duty, you shall be punished.  Hear and obey at once.”  Under this impulse the men started and breakfast was soon disposed of.