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226 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY NUMBER 23
"Use it as a walking stick when you go to gather
firewood, [when] you go wherever you go. Ask it
for your food. It will give you [your food], too.
Don't think it won't give it to you, just as long as
you treat it well," he said.
"All right!" said [the man]. He asked it for food, he
asked it for clothes and so on, for corn, beans. He
was given them. He ate well.
"But I don't want to see your face anymore,
coming here carrying your wood," said [the Ladino].
"All right," he said. He did what he was told. He
didn't go carry firewood anymore. He bought his
co—rn, now. He bought his bea—ns, now. He ate.
He drank. That was all. He never held fiestas anymore.
When he felt like eating chicken, when he felt
like holding a fiesta, he only ... if he felt like
drinking cane liquor he would send for a liter. He
would dri—nk it, but all by himself. Then he would
sleep. As for the wife, she ate, she drank. No
problems. There were no quarrels. There were no
fights. They were fine, no problems. That cane was
his 'til the day he died. There were no problems.
None. [Another] baby was baptised. They ate plenty,
they drank plenty. After that baby was baptised, his
comadra and compadre left, went home. He took his
comadre and his compadre [home]. He came back.
He came back to go to bed. When the holy dawn
came, he sent for his tortillas. They ate. No problems.
"How did you sleep, comadre?"
"Fine."
"Will you drink a glass, compadre?" he said.
"Why not leave it at that, compadre? Do you have
the money for it? I don't want you to sell yourself, I
don't want you to deliver yourself into debt, in
arrears. It still must be bought. There are great
expenses buying that way for us to drink," he said.
[The father] sent for a liter, he sent for a basket of
brea—d. They ate, they drank. They ate. After they
had eaten, then that comadre and compadre of his
left. It was around six in the morning.
"Forget it, wife, let's go to bed. I don't think I can
manage. I feel as if I've taken a lot [of liquor]. Spread
out my bed for me," said the man. The man slept.
The babies slept. No problems.
The next morning there was no fiesta, none. It was
fine. Whatever they wanted was stored away. They
asked for food. They put it away. They had a chest.
The old-fashioned chests had different tops. We just
clo—sed them like this. We closed them like this.
They weren't fastened. They had no latches, just
simple chests.
He had stuck [the liquor] in it. He went to look. "I
think I'll chase the hangover," said the man. He
Va7i 7un, "Ja7 chanam-te7in batel k'al chabat ta
si7bej chabat bu chabat 7une ja7 chak'anbe Iave7ele
chayak'be 7uk 7un mu xaval muk' chayak'be ja7 nox
ti k'uxubino me 7une," xi la 7un.
"Bweno!" xi la 7un. Sk'anbe la sve7el sk'anbe la
sk'u7 spok' k'utikuk, yixim xchenek' 7ak'bat la 7un
ve7 la lek.
"Pero mu xa jk'an xajk'elbe 7asat Ii7 xtal 7akuch
si7e," xi la 7un.
"Bweno," xut la 7un. Xch'un xa la 7un mu xa la
buy i ba skuch si7 7un, sman xa la yixi—m sman xa la
xchene—k', chve7 chuch' vo7 ja7 xa nox la 7un, mu
xa la buy ta 7a li spas k'in 7une, k'alal chak sti7
kaxlan k'al chak spas k'ine k'ajom no la, mi chak la
yuch' tragoe ta la stak ta manel jun litro ta la xu—ch'
pero stuk 7i ja7 7o la chvay, 7a li 7antz 7une chve7
chuch' vo7 ch'abal k'op mu7yuk 7il mu7yuk pletu
lek ch'abal k'op, ja7 yu7un, 7asta ke cham 7o taj
sbaston 7une mu7yuk k'usi k'op, mu7yuk, yich' vo7
li 7unene lek 7ive7ik lek 7iyuch ik vo7, laj 7a li yich'
vo7 taj 7unen 7une 7ibat ti skumale skumpare 7une
bat ta sna 7un, ba yak'ik ti skumale skumpare 7une
sut talel 7un tal vayikuk 7un, sakub ch'ul-7osil stak la
ta manel yotik 7un ve7ik la 7un mu k'u k'op.
"K'u xa7elan lasakub, kumale?"
"Ja7 nox yechon."
"Mi chavuch' j-p'isuk, kumpare?" xi la.
"K'u mu teuk noxe, kumpare, mi 7o me stojol mu
me jk'an xachon aba mu me jk'an xavak' aba ta labal
7il ta labal ya, stojol to me sk'an 7ep me kasto yich'oj
la x7elan chaman kuch'tike," xi la 7un. Stak la ta
7ich'el 7a li jun litro, 7a li stak la ta manel jun moch
kaxlan va—j sve7ik la yuch'ik la, 7ive7ik 7un, laj
ve7ikuk 7un ja7 7o la bat taj skumale skumpare 7un
lek xa la vakib 7ora k'ak'al 7un.
"Yiyil, 7antz, vayikotik mu xa xu7 chka7i, tzotz
kich'oj chka7i k'ibon jvayeb!" xi la ti vinike. Vay la ti
vinik 7une vay la ti 7unetik 7une ch'abal k'op.
Sakub 7osil mu7yuk k'in ch'abal lek, nak'al ti k'usi
chk'an, tzk'anbeik sve7el 7une svetz'ojik la 7un, 7o la
j-p'ej skaxaik ta 7a li j-chop 7o sti7il ti vo7ne 7antivo
kaxae, naka nox xi ta jma—ktikotike, ta jmaktikotik
xie, mu7yuk bu tzakal, mu7yuk sbisagrail yech nox
sonso kaxa.
Va7i 7un, te la stik'oj 7un, ba la sk'el 7un. "Ta
jkuxbe xchamelal ka7i" xi la ti vinik 7une, ba la sk'an