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especially conspicuous by the warmth and originality of his dialogue, Placing himself in front of the senhor, he seized one of the buttons of his coat upon each new question, twisted it with his fingers till he was answered, and ended by detaching it. Several buttons had already disappeared, when a mulatto, whose name I think was Mascarenhas, out of patience at the man's questions and at the injury he was doing to his master's coat, resolutely approached him, pushed him aside with his elbow, and took his place. All kept silent to let him speak.

'Senhor,' said he, 'you know my opinions; you know that I am a liberal, and that my political sympathies are with the opposition candidate. (This liberal candidate nevertheless owned five or six hundred slaves.) But you are my master, and I can refuse you nothing. Therefore, however opposite to my sentiments, I will keep my promise; for Mascarenhas is a man of honor. If your excellency will allow me, I will take upon me to refresh the memory of my comrades, who, for the most part, never having left the forest, may forget the day of election and the name of your candidate.'

'How will you manage to remind them of it?' inquired the fazendeiro, charmed with the offer.

'In a very simple manner,' answered the mulatto, 'Let your excellency furnish me a hog, a sack of feijão, the same quantity of manioc, a keg of cachaça, and a little salt. I will collect all these men around me on the evening before the election, and while I am filling their stomachs, I will refresh their memories by reminding them of their promise tonight. I will take care that they do not leave me during the night, and the next day at dawn we will go to town together, where they will vote as one man,'

The delighted fazendeiro called the superintendent of the plantation, ordered him to deliver to Mascarenhas the finest hog in the herd, and to place at his disposal every thing he needed—manioc, beans, salt, and cachaça. Our mulatto waited till his companions had gone away. At daybreak he selected in person the animal that best suited him, loaded two mules with provisions, and leisurely made his way back to his dwelling. On the day of the election he presented himself early before the ministerial candidate.

'Senhor, I suppose my master has given you notice of my coming, together with the rest of my comrades, whom I promised to bring with me?'

'Certainly,' answered the candidate, 'and I am glad to see you are a man of your word; but where are your companions?'

'They are waiting for me at the gate, I came ahead of them, because I had something to say to you. The opposition candidate, who had heard of my promise, and who also knew of my liberal sentiments, has secretly offered me a hundred milreis (fifty dollars) if I would vote for him; but Mascarenhas is a man of honor, and if your excellency will pay me those hundred milreis, which a poor man with a family like me cannot conscientiously refuse, I will bring you my men right away.'

'Here are your hundred milreis. Now make haste, lest those tricky liberals entice away your companions while you are absent.'

'Your excellency may be easy on that point,' answered the mulatto, carefully counting his milreis. 'My comrades know only me and the senhor.' Then, putting the bills in his pocket, he proceeded forthwith to the house where the opposition candidate was.

'Senhor,' said he, addressing him, 'you know my sympathy for you, and you also know the influence I possess over my neighbors. I have brought them here with the intention of voting for you. But I must tell you of one thing: my master has promised a hundred milreis if I made them vote in favor of your rival; but Mascarenhas is a man of honor. I refused the money, much as I needed it, knowing that you would not refuse to pay it to me. You know