186 



PASSAGE ACROSS 



The great Plaza (square) has a fountain in the 

 middle, and the Director's palace on one side. This 

 building looks dirty and insufficient ; it is of a 

 fantastic style of architecture, and its outline is 

 singular rather than elegant : part of it is used as 

 a guard-room. The soldiers were badly dressed ; 

 some were blacks, wearing gold ear-rings, some were 

 brown, and some of a mongrel breed. 



It was just eight o'clock as I rode across this 

 square. The bell of one of the churches tolled, 

 and every individual, whether on horseback or on 

 foot, stopped ; the men all pulled off their hats, the 

 women knelt down, and several people called to me 

 to stop. The guard at the palace presented arms, 

 and then the soldiers crossed themselves ; in about 

 ten seconds we all proceeded on our respective 

 ways. This ceremony is always repeated three 

 times a day, at eight in the morning, at noon, and 

 at eight in the evening. I inquired my way to 

 the English hotel, and found there a hard-working, 

 industrious Englishwoman, who was the landlady. 

 She told me she had not " an inch'' of room in hel: 

 whole house, which was filled with what she termed 



mining gentlemen." I asked her where I could 



