A VILLAGE FETE. 



177 



neglect of the padre's good fare convinced me that he 

 was really in a bad way. I gave him some medicine, 

 but I believe he suspected me, and was afraid to take it. 



A.t twelve o'clock the mules sent for by the padre ar- 

 rived, with a strapping young ladino as muleteer ; but 

 they were not in a condition to set off that day. In the 

 afternoon I took a long walk on the bank of the river, 

 and, returning, stopped under one of the Ceiba trees, 

 where a travelling merchant was displaying his wares, 

 consisting of two trunks of striped cottons, beads, horn 

 combs, scissors, &c. His mule was tied by a long 

 rope, and a pair of pistols lay on one of the boxes. 



Passing on, I met a party of women, dressed in white, 

 with red shawls over the tops of their heads. I have 

 seen enough of fancy colours in women to remove some 

 prejudices, but retain an oldfashioned predilection for 

 white faces ; and here I remarked that the whitest 

 women were the prettiest, though the padre did not 

 agree with me entirely. Under the shed of a deserted 

 house near by was an old Indian with ten or twelve In- 

 dian girls, teaching them the catechism. They were 

 dressed in red plaid cotton, drawn round the waist and 

 tied in a knot on the left side, and a white handker- 

 chief over the shoulders. Other parties were out in 

 different places, organizing for a village fete in honour 

 of some saint ; and toward evening, while sitting with 

 the padre, now dressed in his long black gown, a pro- 

 cession advanced, headed by the oldest man in the vil- 

 lage, with white hair and beard, and a lame man and 

 two or three associates playing on violins. Before 

 reaching the house they set off five or six rockets, and 

 then all went up and saluted the padre, kissing the 

 back of his hand ; the women went inside, carrying 

 bundles wrapped in clean white napkins ; and when I 



Vol. I.—Z 



