206 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER X. 



Hacienda of Narengo. — Lazoing. — Diplomatic Correspondence. — Formulas. — 

 F^te of La Concepcion. — Taking the Black Veil. — A Countrywoman. — Re- 

 nouncing the World. — Fireworks, &c. — Procession in honour of the Virgin.— 

 Another Exhibition of Fireworks. — A fiery Bull. — Insolent Soldiery. 



The next day, in company with Mr. Savage, I rode 

 to Narengo, a small hacienda of the Aycinena family, 

 about seven miles from the city. Beyond the walls all 

 was beautiful, and in the palmy days of Guatimala the 

 Aycinenas rolled to the Narengo in an enormous car- 

 riage, full of carving and gilding, in the style of the 

 grandees of Spain, which now stands in the coiu-tyard 

 of the family-house as a memorial of better days. We 

 entered by a large gate into a road upon their land, 

 undulating and ornamented with trees, and by a large 

 artificial lake, made by damming up several streams. 

 We rode around the borders of the lake, and entered a 

 large cattle-yard, in the centre of which, on the side of 

 a declivity, stood the house, a strong stone structure, 

 with a broad piazza in front, and commanding a beau- 

 tiful view of the volcanoes of the Antigua. 



The hacienda was only valuable from its vicinity to 

 Guatimala, being what would be called at home a 

 country-seat ; and contained only seven thousand acres 

 of land, about seventy mules, and seven hundred head 

 of cattle. It was the season for marking and number- 

 ing the cattle, and two of the Senores Aycinena were 

 at the hacienda to superintend the operations. The 

 cattle had been caught and brought in ; but, as I had 

 never seen the process of lazoing, after dinner 51 hun- 



