Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/69

CH. IV.] was very fond of cold water and cigars; his two hammocks were suspended in thorough draughts: he spat all about the stone floor, and used half a dozen clean silver forks to eat his dinner with. The gentleman of whom I speak is Don Juan M—a, and, I repeat, a thorough old Spaniard, for he knows how to regard new fangled institutions with a sneering indifference, and those of antiquated prescription with an indififerent sneer; and, whilst possessing cunning enough to appear temperate, and almost temperance enough to hide his cunning, he has a warm heart with a chill of prejudice, as though he were a compound of his puro and his eau-sucré. He had formerly been a physician, and he even now attends the hospital and the poor who may require his services gratuitously.

The Juez de Letras was applied to by Mr. Barcaistegie, with a view of seeing if any thing could be elicited from my servants respecting the robbery; but, as I suspected, nothing came out on their