SURVIVAL OF INSTITUTIONS 309 



maintenance of peace to the inhabitants 



of the Spanish valley of Eoncal. 1 



It is plain that this custom, which has gone on 



so long as to pass unnoticed, is too inconsistent 



with the present relations between France and 



1 The ceremony commences at nine o'clock in accordance with 

 instructions laid down in a document which, according to the 

 mention made of it in the Proces-verbal, dates from 1375. 

 First, the French mayors don their scarves of office ; next the 

 Spanish mayors, advancing from a group of compatriots, proceed 

 towards the frontier boundary line, accompanied by a peasant 

 carrying a lance with a red flag tied to it a symbol of justice 

 and draw up within six yards of the boundary. The French 

 mayors follow suit, but the flag hoisted on the lance which 

 precedes them, carried by a peasant, is white, as signifying 

 their pacific intentions. The Mayor of Isaba then says to 

 them, "Is it peace?" The French mayors reply in the affirma- 

 tive, and, as a proof of their sincerity, couch their lance upon the 

 mile-stone marking the boundary. The Spaniards then first plant 

 their lance in French soil leaning against the stone, and after- 

 wards place it so as to form a cross with the French lance. 

 Next the Mayor of Arette places one hand upon the crossed 

 lances, and the Mayor of Isaba does the same, and together 

 they utter the formal declaration of peace, which all those 

 present swear to observe. After the vow, the Mayor of Isaba 

 cries three times, " Paz davans ! " which means, " May peace con- 

 tinue." 



Peace being thus declared, the Roncalais, in order to ratify 

 their abandonment of hostilities, order the guards to remove 

 their arms from the French side. The ceremony being over, 

 it only remains to pay the blood-tax. This formerly consisted 

 of three white mares, all exactly alike ; but, owing to the great 

 difficulty of matching them, three unblemished heifers were sub- 

 stituted, all of same colour and with the same markings. These 

 three heifers cost about 600 francs, which is a large sum for that 

 part of the world. 



