Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/43

CH. II.] half suppressed sighs of gratitude and disappointment, which assured me how welcome my longer stay would have been amongst them. The Indian who sold me the venison was particularly desirous of a little gunpowder: not having more with me than my exigencies might require, and the escort having left me this morning, I could only afford to give him a few charges: he seemed to calculate each charge at the price of a deer: I concluded, therefore, that he was a probably sure shot.

I arrived this evening at the respectable town of Tepecoaquilco, and delivered a letter of introduction to the Alcalde, by name Don Manuel Arazave: he keeps the largest shop, and has one of the best houses in the town, retailing all kinds of dry goods. My companion, Don Mateo, informed me that he had procured a lodging, and I therefore refused to accept the offer made me by Don Manuel of sleeping under his roof. I was very much tired and exhausted as I sat in the market-place, watching the people