408 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



marra and his army, whose only use, since the state was at 

 peace, was to support the executive — that these local disturb- 

 ances were scarcely felt beyond the capital, and in fact they 

 were not aware of the existence of the government, except 

 when it levied contributions to support the soldiery kept about 

 the president's palace — that trifling revolutions only irritated 

 and increased the complaints of the people, < quienes, son todos 

 mui patriotas para hablar hasta que se toca la bolsilla — entonces 

 se callan' — who are all great patriots in talk, till the purse is 

 touched — then they are silent." 



We next visited the church, which was crowded with wo- 

 men, sitting upon their heels in the nave, waiting for the com- 

 mencement of mass. The bells were chiming right merrily ; 

 and presently we heard approaching music. In a few minutes, 

 a priest, followed by a half dozen Chiclayo patricians, under 

 cocked hats, and adorned with bows of red ribbons tied in the 

 button holes, entered. Immediately after them walked a dozen 

 Indians, bearing long palm leaves in their hands, to be blessed 

 by the priest, previously to being affixed to the windows of 

 their huts, to keep off witches and disease. When the padre 

 reached the great altar, which was hidden by a large green 

 curtain with a yellow cross upon it, the women raised up on 

 their knees, and having scrupulously adjusted the dress so as 

 to conceal their feet, assumed a devout look, and crossed them- 

 selves a half dozen times. The voice of the organ rolled among 

 the arches, smoke rose from the censers, and circulated around 

 the priest and the palms ; and two or three Indians, who had 

 fallen asleep behind the bench upon which we were seated, 

 started up, and were quickly kneeling and crossing. Our pa- 

 tience was exhausted ; so we returned to Don Antonio's, and 

 saw from his door a procession issue from a chapel called La 

 Recoleta, and enter the church. We were too far off for a satis- 

 factory view, and the heat was too great to attempt to get near- 

 er. All we could distinguish was that they carried palms (being 

 Palm Sunday) and lighted candles, though the sun was glow- 

 ing in meridian effulgence. 



We chatted and smoked cigars in the house for an hour or 

 two. During the conversation, curiosity prompted me to ask a 



