S60 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



ful for his escape, swore vengeance against Spinosa. 

 The latter, as I afterward learned, swore that the next 

 time Chico should not escape with the loss of his hand ; 

 and, in all probability, when they meet again one of them 

 will be killed. 



All this time the uproar continued, shifting its loca- 

 tion, with occasional reports of firearms ; an aunt was 

 wringing her hands because her son was out, and we 

 had reason to fear a tragical night. We went to bed, 

 but for a long time the noise in the street, the groans of 

 poor Chico, and the sobbing of his mother and sister 

 kept us from sleeping. 



We did not wake till nearly ten o'clock. It was 

 Sunday; the morning was bright and beautiful, the 

 arches and flowers still adorned the streets, and the 

 Indians, in their clean clothes, were going to Sunday 

 mass. None except the immediate parties knew or 

 cared for the events of the night. Crossing the plaza, 

 we met a tall, dashing fellow on horseback, with a long 

 sword by his side, who bowed to Mr. Pavon, and rode 

 on past the house of Chico. This was Spinosa. No 

 one attempted to molest him, and no notice whatever 

 was taken of the circumstance by the authorities. 



The door of the church was so crowded that we could 

 not enter ; and passing through the curate's house, we 

 stood in a doorway on one side of the altar. The cu- 

 rate, in his richest vestments, with young Indian as- 

 sistants in sacerdotal dresses, their long black hair and 

 sluggish features contrasting strangely with their garb 

 and occupations, was officiating at the altar. On the 

 front steps, with their black mantons drawn over their 

 heads, and their eyes bent on the ground, were the dan- 

 cers of our party the preceding night ; kneeling along 

 the whole floor of the immense church was a dense 



