our search."

The native bowed his head gravely.

"I will think it over," he said; "and now, senors, let us put that aside.
My wife has been busy since you entered in preparing a simple meal, and I
ask you to honour me by partaking of it."

"With pleasure, Dias."

It consisted of _puchero_, a stew consisting of a piece of beef, cabbage,
sweet-potatoes, salt pork, sausage-meat, pigs' feet, yuccas, bananas,
quinces, peas, rice, salt, and an abundance of Chili peppers. This had
been cooked for six hours and was now warmed up. Two bottles of excellent
native wine, a flask of spirits, and some water were also put on the
table. The Indian declined to sit down with them, saying that he had taken
a meal an hour before.

While they ate he chatted with them, asking questions of their voyage and
telling them of the state of things in the country.

"It is always the same, senors, there is a revolution and two or three
battles; then either the president or the one who wants to be president
escapes from the country or is taken and shot, and in a day or two there
is a fresh pronunciamiento. We thought that when the Spaniards had been
driven out we should have had peace, but it is not so; we have had San
Martin, and Bolivar, and Aguero, and Santa Cruz, and Sucre. Bolivar again
finally defeated the Spaniards at Ayacucho. Rodil held possession of
Callao castle, and defended it until January of this year. We in the
villages have not suffered--those who liked fighting went out with one or