they love their _jíbaros_, but nevertheless they treat them as though they were children. And the _jíbaro_ loyally follows his educated, emancipated fellow citizen, perfectly satisfied to be guided as the latter sees fit. "Much of this guidance is excellent, and it is not our mission to seek to break down barriers which to-day, may be needful. The _jíbaro_ is respectful and obedient, fearful of the law and never defiant of his superiors; he is generous to a fault, sharing with any wayfarer his last plantain; he is devoted to his family and to his friends. Had he been ill treated by the educated and controlling class in the island he would be sullen and savage, but this has not been the case. If it is true that the _jíbaro_ is in many ways differentiated from the upper classes, it is equally true that there is no masonry so strong as that existing among the _jíbaros_ of Porto Rico. Bound to each other by the most intricate ties of relationship and by a still more potent one, the eternal bond conferred by the title _compadre_ or godfather, they share their troubles and shield each other as though they belonged to one great family. It is really wonderful to see how quickly and with what complete self-abnegation an orphaned child or widowed mother is gathered into some poor neighbor's hut and there cared for. For these very same reasons search for a miscreant in the mountains is a formidable undertaking. On inquiry no one knows him, never saw him, never even heard of him, and the closest scrutiny of their faces will not detect the faintest trace of interest or even of intelligence. "Care must be taken in deducing facts from questioning a group of _jíbaros_ even in the most unimportant matters. They are tremendously suspicious and generally let someone among them who is _leido_ (one who has established a local reputation for worldly wisdom) speak for them. One can be pretty sure that the rest will say 'amen' to all of his remarks. It is said that this deep suspicion of a strange investigator proceeds from the methods employed by the Spanish _guardia civil_ or rural guard, to run down those suspected of unfaithfulness to the administration, petty infringement of the law, etc.