Welcome to Litsy!

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: V. Aktf.r three days had passed, my father asked V' mc to go with him to inspect his ranches in the valley. My mother insisted strongly that we should return soon. M.ni.i did not ask, as did my sisters, that we should return the same week; but her eyes were continually upon me while we were preparing for the journey. During my absence at Bogota my father had made great improvements: a fine and expensive sugar-mill, many acres of cane to supply it, large pastures with droves of cattle and horses in them, good stables, and an excellent house for the overseer were the most notable things about his firms in f the ticrra ealiente. The slaves were well clad, and as happy as it is possible for slaves to be, and were docile and even affectionate towards their master. I found that the boys who, years before, had taught me to set snares for chilacoas and gttatiucs in the thick woods were now men; they and their parents gave unmistakable signs of pleasure at seeing me again. But I was not to meet Pedro, my faithful friend and servant; he had shed tears when he placed me on my horse the day I set out for Bogota, saying, Dear little master, I shall never sec youagain. His heart told him tint he would die he- fore my return. It was easy to see that my father, without ceasing to be a master, treated his slaves with kindness. I le was anxious for their domestic happiness, and fondled the little ones. One evening, just at sunset, we were coming hack with Higinio, the overseer, from the ftelds to the mill. They were talking about the work to be done; I was occupied with less serious things: I was thinking about the days of my childhood. The peeuliar odor of trees just cut down, and of ripe cypress-cones; the clamor of the parrots in the neighboring reeds and among the guava-trees; ...