Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/194



i82 THE  VOYAGE  TO  CALIFORNIA.

stone, those  of  Santa  Ana  of  wood. They had  tiled roofs, unglazed  windows,  small  halls,  with  doorways large enough  to  admit  a  man  on  horseback,  through which the  air  might  circulate  freety. The heavy wooden balconies,  which  were  universal,  served  at once  for  all  possible  purposes. One would  there  place his kitchen,  another  his  laundry,  another  his  bath- room ; they  were  likewise  used  for  reception  room, garden, and  promenade. The family  living  in  the upper apartments,  the  ground  floor  was  usually  let  for shops or  manufacturing  purposes,  or,  it  may  be,  occu- pied by servants. Santa Ana  was  composed  of  a poorer  population,  mechanics  and  laborers,  and  these arranged tlieir  households  as  best  they  could,  some living with  rats,  pigs,  and  chickens  in  a  style  inferior to that  found  in  the  villag^es  of  the  natives. Houses decayed rapidly,  and  owners  and  tenants  alike  appeared averse to  making  repairs. Sometimes the  dirty  walls were whitewashed  at  the  beginning  of  the  dry  season, and the  holes  of  the  comejcn-eaten  woodwork  filled with green  paint,  but  often  doors  and  balconies  were left unwashed  and  unpainted. Water was  brought  on mules  from  a  river  three  miles  distant,  and  emptied into porous  jars  placed  in  niches  in  front  of  the  better houses, where  it  was  kept  cool  by  evaporation. The rooms of  the  city  houses  were  usually  large  and  airy, the ceilings  high  and  unlined ;  they  had  no  chimneys, cooking bemg  done  in  the  court-yard,  or  on  the  floor or stone  table  of  the  kitchen. In most  of  the  rooms were hammocks,  in  which  lazy  men  and  loosely  robed women lounged  away  the  time.

All sorts  of  costumes  were  worn  by  men  and  women of every  mingled  shade  of  color,  Caucasian,  American, and African. The native  female  was  satisfied  wiLh  a simple  skirt;  the  creole  loved  a  white  cotton  skirt flounced and  trimmed  with  lace,  with  low,  loose, sleeveless waist,  leather  or  satin  slippers,  and  a  jipijapa hat ; the  Spanish  gentleman  who  had  not  yet  adopted European fashions  delighted  in  white  linen  pantaloons