Ch. IX.] THE CHURCH BELLS. 151 



Domingo, and many of the owners of tliem have ex- 

 tracted great quantities of the precious metals. 



The town is situated near to the edge of the forest, 

 being separated by the Rio Mico, across which it is 

 proposed to build a wooden bridge, as during floods the 

 river is impassable. Whether the bridge will ever be 

 built or not I cannot tell. Several times rates have 

 been levied, and money collected to build it, but the 

 funds have always melted away in the hands of the 

 officials. There is an alcalde and a judge at Libertad. 

 Every one worth two hundred dollars is liable to be 

 elected to the latter office. Only unimportant cases are 

 tried by him, and his decisions depend generally on the 

 private influence that is brought to bear upon him. He 

 is often a tool in the hands of some unprincipled lawyer. 

 The church at Libertad is a great barn-like edifice, with 

 tiled roof. At one side is a detached small bell- tower, 

 in which hang two bells, one sound and whole, the other 

 cracked and patched. The latter was a present from one 

 of the mining companies, and had excited a great 

 scandal. The mining company had a fine large bell, 

 with which they called together their workmen. The 

 priest of Libertad, thinking it might be much better 

 employed in the service of the church, made an applica- 

 tion for it. The superintendent of the mine could not 

 part with it, but having an old broken bell, he had it 

 patched up, and sent it out w r ith a letter, explaining 

 that he could not let them have the other, but that if this 

 one was of any use, they were welcome to it. The 

 priest heard that the bell was on the road, and thinking 

 it was the one he had coveted, he got up a procession to 

 go and meet it, to take it to its place with befitting 



