29§ 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



followed dancing, and, I am obliged to add, smoking. 

 The room was badly lighted, and the company, frona 

 the precarious state of the country, not gay ; but the 

 dancing was kept up till twelve o'clock, when the ladies 

 put on their mantas, and we all went to the Cathedral, 

 where were to be performed the imposing ceremonies of 

 the Christmas Eve. The floor of the church was crowd- 

 ed with citizens, and a large concourse from the villages 

 around. Mr. Savage accompanied me home, and we 

 did not get to bed till three o'clock in the morning. 



The bells had done ringing, and Christmas mass had 

 been said in all the churches before I awoke. In the 

 afternoon was the first bullfight of the season. My 

 friend Vidaury had called for me, and I was in the act 

 of going to the Plaza de Toros, when there was a loud 

 knock at the porte cochere, and in rode Mr. Cather- 

 wood, armed to the teeth, pale and thin, most happy at 

 reaching Guatimala, but not half so happy as I was to 

 see him. He was in advance of his luggage, but I 

 dressed him up and carried him immediately to the 

 Plaza de Toros. 



It stands near the church of El Calvario, at the end 

 of the Calle Real, in shape and form like the Roman 

 amphitheatre, about three hundred and fifty feet long 

 and two hundred and fifty broad, capable of contain- 

 ing, as we supposed, about eight thousand people, at 

 least one fourth of the population of Guatimala, and 

 was then crowded with spectators of both sexes and all 

 classes, the best and the vilest in the city, sitting to- 

 gether indiscriminately; and among them were con- 

 spicuous the broad-brimmed, turned-up, and sharp-point- 

 ed hat and black gown of the priest. 



The seats commenced about ten feet above the area, 

 with a corridor and open wooden fence in front to pro- 



