318 OUTDOOR STUDIES 
quate means for its defence, and the peasants 
could hardly be expected to keep their hands 
off. But the foremost hands were those of the 
parish priest ; for three weeks no mass was said 
in his church, and a funeral was left for days 
unperformed, that the representative of God 
might steal more silks and laces. When the 
next service occurred, the people remained 
quiet until the priest rose for the sermon; then 
they rose also tumultuously, and ran out of the 
church, crying, “ Ladrio!” “Thief!” “But 
why this indignation?” said an intelligent 
Roman Catholic to us; “there is not a priest 
on either island who would not have done the 
same.” A few days after I saw this same cool 
critic, candle in hand, heading a solemn ecclesi- 
astical procession in the cathedral. 
In the country villages there naturally lingers 
more undisturbed the simple, picturesque life 
of Roman Catholic society. Every hamlet is 
clustered round its church, almost always mag- 
nificently situated, and each has its special fes- 
tivals. Never shall I forget one lovely day 
when we went to witness the annual services at 
Praya, held to commemorate an ancient escape 
from an earthquake. It was the first day of 
February. After weeks of rain there came at 
one burst all the luxury of June; winter seemed 
to pass into summer in a moment, and black- 
