102 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



dancing, backing the company in a summary way 

 as far as they could go, and then taking the men 

 and boys by the shoulder, and jamming them down 

 upon the floor. While they were thus engaged, a 

 stout gentleman, of respectable appearance, holding 

 some high office in the village, appeared in the 

 doorway, quietly lighting another straw cigar, and 

 as soon as they saw him they desisted from the 

 work they had in hand, and, in the capricious and 

 wanton exercise of their arbitrary power, rushed 

 across, seized him, dragged him to the centre of 

 the floor, hoisted him upon the shoulders of a va- 

 quero, and, pulling apart the skirts of his coat, bela- 

 boured him with a mock vigour and earnestness that 

 convulsed the whole company with laughter. The 

 sides of the elevated dignitary shook, the vaquero 

 shook under him, and they were near coming down 

 together. 



This over, the rogues came directly upon me. 

 El Ingles had not long escaped their eye. I had 

 with difficulty avoided a scene, and my time seemed 

 now to have come. The one with the cacique's 

 mantle led the way with long strides, lash raised in 

 the air, a loud voice, and his eyes, sparkling with 

 frolic and mischief, fastened upon mine. The crowd 

 followed, and I was a little afraid of an attempt to 

 hoist me too on the shoulders of a vaquero ; but all 

 at once he stopped short, and, unexpectedly changing 

 his language, opened upon me with a loud harangue 

 in Maya. All knew that I did not understand a word 



