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112 “boss" who speaks the Spanish language, and who is familiar with their methods of work. The peons are amiable, and will generally give satisfaction with proper management; but they are exceedingly vindictive, and, if maltreated, will take vengeance on their oppressors at the first opportunity.

to Prescott, the Aztecs manufactured pulque, and were in the habit of becoming intoxicated by its use. This is the case with their posterity, the Mexicans of the present day. The great national beverages are the various kinds of pulque, mescal, or tequila, and aguardiente, or brandy.

Pulque is the fermented sap of the maguey plant (Agave Americana), which is extracted from the heart as follows:

The stem of the plant is cut short, and a deep incision is made into the heart of it. After removing the surrounding leaves, the stalk is hollowed for several inches. The sap is gathered from this cavity two or three times daily, by means of an acocote. This instrument acts like a pipette. It consists of a long gourd, to each end of which a piece of sharp horn is attached. The peon inserts one end into the liquid, and, placing the other in his mouth, extracts the sap by suction into the body of the gourd. The juice is emptied into a jar or skin, which is carried on the back, and then it is taken to the cellar and allowed to ferment. A single plant of maguey will generally yield eight cuartillos, or one gallon, of sap in a day. The juice when extracted is termed agua miel, or honey-water.