A COCK FIGHT. 



261 



mass of Indian women, with red headdresses ; and lean- 

 ing against the pillars, and standing up in the back- 

 ground, were Indians wrapped in black chamars. 



We waited till mass was over, and then accompanied 

 the ladies to the house and breakfasted. Sunday though 

 it was, the occupations for the day were a cockfight in 

 the morning and bullfight in the afternoon. Our party 

 was increased by the arrival of a distinguished family 

 from Guatimala, and we all set out for the former. It 

 was in the yard of an unoccupied house, which was al- 

 ready crowded ; and I noticed, to the honour of the In- 

 dians and the shame of the better classes, that they 

 were all Mestitzoes or white men, and, always except- 

 ing Carrera's soldiers, I never saw a worse looking or 

 more assassin-like set of men. All along the walls of 

 the yard were cocks tied by one leg, and men running 

 about with other cocks under their arms, putting them 

 on the ground to compare size and weight, regulating 

 bets, and trying to cheat each other. At length a match 

 was made ; the ladies of our party had seats in the cor- 

 ridor of the house, and a space was cleared before them. 

 The gaffs were murderous instruments, more than two 

 inches long, thick, and sharp as needles, and the birds 

 were hardly on the ground before the feathers of the 

 neck were ruffled and they flew at each other. In less 

 time than had been taken to gaff" them, one was lying 

 on the ground with its tongue hanging out, and the 

 blood running from its mouth, dead. The eagerness 

 and vehemence, noise and uproar, wrangling, betting, 

 swearing, and scuffling of the crowd, exhibited a dark 

 picture of human nature and a sanguinary people. I 

 owe it to the ladies to say, that in the city they never 

 are present at such scenes. Here they went for no 

 other reason that I could see than because they were 



