108 



MEXICO. 



bottle r — and he pointed to an empty one. u You ask 

 a question, 1 Quien sabe /'* is all you get for answer. 

 You show them something they never saw before, ' Santa 

 Maria, que bonito /' is their only exclamation" 



But the most eloquent was a little German saddler, 

 who wound up a long High-Dutch tirade against the 

 miserable inhabitants of the country, their mode of living, 

 their ignorance, dishonesty, and the hard lot which com- 

 pelled him to cast his life away among such wretches, 

 by saying, " There is not von man here so honest as my 

 tog Spitz — Carampa!" 



But in our case, besides this known feeling of jealousy 

 of the Mexicans towards the foreigner, something was 

 to be laid to the charge of the season of Lent, during 

 which it seemed that there were neither bullfights nor 

 tertullia. 



In addition, the veteran Galli, the faded Pelligrini, in 

 short, the whole corps cTopera Italienne was out of hu- 

 mour. And they might well be. They had been invited 

 to charm the eyes and ears of the Mexicans for the sea- 

 son, under certain conditions. The government had 

 bound itself to ensure them a certain amount of re- 

 muneration ; that is, whatever sum their professional re- 

 ceipts might fall short of it, it had pledged itself to make 

 good. Now, as it happened, the people were in poor 

 spirits, and had neither time nor ears for them. Their 

 receipts fell far short of their hopes, and in utter distress 

 they applied to the liberal government. Government 

 responded to their application in rather a cavalier man- 

 ner ; for instead of hard dollars, it sent a file of pass- 

 ports regularly made out, from the prima donna to the 

 scene shifter and candle snuffer, and the advice to take 

 their departure forthwith. This was poor satisfaction ; 

 but singers are proverbially unfortunate in Mexico. 

 There was, for example, Garcia, who, travelling, was 

 set upon by banditti and pillaged, even to his snuffbox, 

 diamond ring, and pantaloons : after which, the robbers 



* Who knows ? 



\ 



