ANOTHER FESTIVAL. 



3()1 



man than as a slave. The emancipated negro 

 oftentimes becomes an excellent member of 

 society, for he contracts habits of industry, in 

 which he continues ; but again, if he has been 

 hardly treated by a rigorous master, he becomes 

 disgusted with, and indifferent to life, is ren- 

 dered callous to shame, and drags on an idle, 

 miserable existence. 



Another festival was to take place at one of 

 the chapels upon the coast, which is dedicated 

 to our Lady of the Conception. This was 

 distant one league and a half from Jaguaribe ; 

 however, we formed a party and mounted our 

 horses one moonlight evening ; the females 

 riding behind their husbands and relations, with 

 a sheet or counterpane thrown over the horse's 

 haunches, upon which they sat. We came out 

 upon the sea-shore at the church of our Lady of 

 the O. (of which I shall presently speak,) not 

 far from the Fort of Pao Amarello, and from 

 thence proceeded along the sands to the place 

 of our destination. I was introduced to the 

 family of an old Portuguese who resided here ; 

 his son had just taken orders as a secular priest, 

 and was to say his first mass on the day of the 

 festival. There were puppet-shows, tumblers, 

 and all their attendants in great abundance ; 

 fireworks and bonfires, noise, bustle, and no 

 lack of quarrelling. Within the chapel there 



