A FIERY BULL. 



219 



train of burning candles, making the street light as day. 

 The devils were still at its head, and its arrival in the 

 square was announced by a discharge of rockets. In 

 a few minutes the first piece of fireworks was set off 

 from the balustrade of the church ; the figures on the 

 roof were lighted by the glare, and, though not built 

 expressly for that purpose, the church answered ex- 

 ceedingly well for the exhibition. 



The next piece was on the ground of the square, a 

 national one, and as much a favourite in the exhibition 

 of fireworks as the devils in a religious procession, call- 

 ed the Toros, or Bull, being a frame covered with paste- 

 board, in the form of a bull, covered on the outside with 

 fireworks ; into this figure a man thrust his head and 

 shoulders, and, with nothing but his legs visible, rushed 

 into the thickest of the crowd, scattering on all sides 

 streams of fire. I was standing with a party of ladies 

 and several members of the Constituent Assembly, the 

 latter of whom were speaking of an invasion of troops 

 from Quezaltenango, and the sally of Carrera to repel 

 them. As the toros came at us, we retreated till we 

 could go no farther ; the ladies screamed, and we 

 bravely turned our backs ; and holding down our 

 heads, sheltered them from the shower of fire. All 

 said it was dangerous, but it was the custom. There 

 was more cheerfulness and gayety than I had yet seen 

 in Guatimala, and I felt sorry when the exhibition was 

 over. 



All day I had felt particularly the influence of the 

 beautiful climate ; the mere breathing of the air was a 

 luxury, and the evening was worthy of such a day. 

 The moonbeams were lighting up the fa9ade of the 

 venerable church, and showing in sadness a rent made 

 by an earthquake from top to bottom. As we walked 



