Cu ar. XVIII.] A NIGHT AT DOLORES. 339 
heard a noise amongst the bushes, as if a number of 
men were advancing rapidly towards us, and na- 
turally concluded that we were about to be attacked. 
A halt was instantly called, and then the ques- 
tion was whether we should advance or recede. As 
I had no time to lose I looked to my fire-arms 
and determined to proceed. Accordingly I rode 
forward a few paces to reconnoitre, and saw a nu- 
merous band, not of robbers or free-booters, but 
—I hope my courteous reader will not laugh—of 
monkeys! there must have been several hundreds of 
these animals on the trees, jumping about from 
branch to branch, and evidently enjoying themselves 
vastly. As we passed amongst them they com- 
menced chattering and making all sorts of faces 
at us. 
At length we reached the little village of Do- 
lores, and as in duty bound, I immediately went to 
pay my respects to the Padre. His house was a 
small miserable hut, little better than those of the 
Indians which surrounded it, and poorly furnished. 
He received us kindly, and told us that we were 
welcome to the shelter his house afforded, and that 
although he had little to offer us in the way of lux- 
uries, he should do every thing in his power to make 
us comfortable. At the same time he informed us 
we were in a dangerous neighbourhood, and that he 
could not answer for the security of the ponies or 
baggage. The servants and Indians who accom- 
panied me, were accommodated in another house 
which was building for the Padre, and the ponies 
z 2 
