It was the children rolling and tumbling along the muddy street who drew Brown out of his silence.
"By hicky! this here is a monstrous place for children. Just now I actually counted eighteen on one front stoop. They was in reg'lar graydashun of sizes from a foot up to five feet six inches, I should jedge." This critically.
"The province could easily support one thousand times its present population," replied the other.
Amusement and contempt struggled together on the face of honest Brown.
"One thousand times as many Injuns as is cumberin' the ground right now! By hickey! I don't think the Almighty should allow it."
They entered the large plaza around which were many of the important buildings of the capital. Here ran in full stream the life of early California. Indian women, gay in colored shawl and gown, edged their way among the fiery steeds drawing the carreta of the grandee's family. The Mexican smoking his corn-paper cigarito touched elbows with the hidalgo's son who was clad in velvet and fine linen, with inlaid gold on his hat-band and gold spur on his heels.
Skins brown, skins red, skins white intermingled. Wealth and lack of it walked side by side. There was no poverty in the California of this time.
"Well, I swanny!" from Brown. "Did you ever see such a theayter?"
The Captain alighted near a long line of low buildings. A peon came forth bowing obsequiously.
"Let this man take the horses, Brown. He will show you an eatinghouse. Remain not very far from this place until I return."