HALL’S EXCURSIONS. 351 
Indians may not leave their work, the celebration of such 
saints' days as fall in the week are transferred to the Sunday, 
When the Sunday arrives, the wardens of the feast must 
collect 41 dollars, which is the price of the mass; as many 
more for the sermon, which consists of merely four words in 
praise of the saint, pronounced in the Indian language—any- 
thing, in fact, which comes uppermost; and then as much. 
more for the procession, wax and incense, all of which must 
be paid in ready money down, because the dues of the church 
admit of no delay. After which comes the customary present 
to the curate of two or three dozens of fowls, as many 
chickens, Guinea-pigs, eggs, sheep, and a hog, if they have 
it; so that when the saints' day comes, the curate sweeps off 
everything the Indian and his family have been able to raise 
in the whole year; and if he has not animals of his own, he 
must buy to make up the deficiency, and if, as usually 
happens, he has no money, he must pledge his person and 
labour for the debt. As soon as the sermon is over, the 
curate reads the names of those who are to be wardens the 
next year, and, if they refuse the nomination, they are com- 
pelled by stripes to accept it; and when the day comes, 
until the money is ready, the curate delays the mass and 
sermon, though it be till the evening, as we often witnessed. 
To show the profit derived from these feasts, we will relate 
what was told us by a curate of the province of Quito, viz., 
that in them, and in the commemoration of the dead, he 
collected every year above 200 sheep, 6000 fowls and 
chickens, 4000 Guinea-pigs,* and 50,000 eggs. Besides 
the Feast of the Brotherhood, there is no Sunday or feast day 
in the year, on which the festival of some saint is not 
celebrated, besides the month of the defunct, when all the 
Indians are compelled to bring offerings to the churches, of 
the same kinds as at the feast, which are placed on the graves, 
and while the curate repeats a response upon each, his 
* In this country Guinea-pigs are used as an article of food. 
^ 
