This form of government seems just suited to the people, and I have heard Mexicans of standing, even since the revolution, say that they were not fitted to govern themselves, but needed a strong man at the head, and this is the main cry against Madero, the present president. Every Thursday afternoon the governor holds a public audience, at which any one can attend, and if he has a grievance he can state it; the governor will look into it and, if possible, set it right, sometimes even overruling police magistrates’ or judges’ orders. It is an experience to attend one of these audiences and see people of every grade who come for justice or to have some grievance attended to. It is the _Nousherwan_ ideal of Asia, but as little capable of being realised there as here; better, nevertheless, than India’s _Vakil ka Raj_ (lawyers’ rule), according to the Bengali writer, Mr. Mitra. Of course the whole system hinges on having an honest governor like Don Miguel Ahumada of Guadalajara, as in the hands of a dishonest man it is a great lever for blackmail. Such men as our governor, Colonel Don Miguel Ahumada, are hard to find in this country—in fact any country might be proud to claim him. He was a man of about six feet four inches tall, with chest and shoulders in proportion, wore a black imperial and large curled-up moustache, his forehead was high and broad, and, though his face was a trifle hard, there were lines of humour round his eyes and mouth. He was a man of the old school, like his great leader Diaz. He was honest, absolutely just (rich and poor looked alike to him), had a keen sense of humour, very proud, but a thorough democrat. I have seen him walking the streets in the early morning, unattended, and stopping to chat and ask questions of the street-sweepers, the small street-corner vendors, beggars, and whomsoever he met who he thought might have information of use to him. Thus he kept in touch with the needs of the poor, and heard of abuses and petty thievery amongst the city’s employees. I could give hundreds of instances of his humanity and justice, but will content myself with one. On one occasion a widow came to him with the following tale: Her husband when dying had left all the property to her, but had asked a trusted friend of his to arrange all the details of succession and so forth. This friend, through one excuse or another, kept affairs strung out for a year or more, and then demanded sundry thousands of dollars for his work. Don Miguel (as every one called him) sent for the fellow and told him to bring all the deeds, inventories, &c., with him. When he arrived, Don Miguel took all the papers, &c., and, after putting a fair valuation on the work done, paid the man as many hundreds as he had demanded thousands, and turned everything else over to the widow. CHAPTER XXVI The Mexican workman—His remembrance of a grudge—The _Commissaria_—Private feuds—American _versus_ English.