was nothing at all to eat at the meson, but on strolling out to the plaza we found some Indian women selling atole and bread.  With this we were compelled to be content until morning, paying seven centavos for our four suppers.  Hunting up the presidente of the town, we found him sitting, with his court, on benches in the plaza.  He was a pleasant, rather dressy young man, but at once took interest in our work, and told us that Huancito was the best town for our bust work, as the population there is primitive and purely indian.

The Once Pueblos—­eleven towns—­are famous through this portion of the Republic.  Several of them are purely indian; Chilchota is largely mestizo.  The towns lie in a long line on the side of the little valley, at the foot of the bordering hills.  Between some, spaces of considerable extent intervene; others are so close together that, in riding through them, one sees no line of separation.  All consist of adobe houses, of a rich brown color, roofed with tiles.  Some of the churches are of considerable size, but are also built of brown adobe.  The Once Pueblos are famous for their pottery, and in some of them almost every house has its little kiln or oven.  Fruit is cultivated, and the houses are frequently embowered in trees; in many yards are bee-hives.  The valley is abundantly watered with little streams of perfect clearness.

The presidente had insisted that the school teacher at Huancito would prove invaluable.  He gave us a letter of introduction to him, and an order upon the authorities.  We were at once given possession of the schoolhouse for our work, and I started out to find a subject.  Almost the first person encountered was a young man of twenty-three years, who presented the pure Tarascan type.  I at once told him that he was the very man we wanted; that we planned to make a picture of him in plaster; at the same time, I described the method of work, and while talking, holding him by the arm, drew him over toward the schoolhouse.  Almost before he realized it, we were ready for the task.  As he removed his shirt and prepared for the operation of oiling and the application of the plaster, he looked somewhat sombre.  After seeing the work well begun, I stepped outside and sat in the portico until it should be done.  The first piece of plaster had been applied, the subject had been turned, and was lying ready for the second application.  At this moment, an indian maiden, with dishevelled hair, came rapidly running across the plaza toward the schoolhouse.  Rushing past me, she entered the school-room, and seeing the subject lying on the floor clasped her hands and cried, “Florencito!  My Florencito, why wait here?  Stay not with these cruel men; flee with me!” Seizing him by the hand, they dislodged the plaster from his shoulders and started for the door, but catching sight of me, cast a glance around, saw the open window, and leaping