A FESTIVAL OF THE CHURCH. 17 



seen. Near us was a bevy of young girls, beauti- 

 fully dressed, with dark eyes, and their hair adorned 

 with flowers, sustaining, though I was now a year 

 older and colder, my previous impressions of the 

 beauty of the ladies of Merida. 



The chant died away, and as the women rose 

 from their knees, their appearance was like the hft- 

 ing of a white cloud, or spirits of air rising to a 

 purer world ; but, as they turned toward the door, 

 the horizon became dusky with Indian faces, and 

 half way up a spot rose above the rest, black as a 

 thunder-cloud. The whole front ranks were In- 

 dians, except a towering African, whose face, in the 

 cloud of white around, shone like the last touch of 

 Day and Martin's best. 



We waited till the last passed out, and, leaving 

 the empty church blazing with light, with rockets, 

 fireworks, drums, and violins all w^orking away to- 

 gether on the steps, we followed the crowd. 



Turning along the left side of the plaza, we en- 

 tered an illuminated street, at the foot of which, and 

 across it, hung a gigantic cross, also brilliantly illu- 

 minated, and apparently stopping the way. Coming 

 as we did directly from the church, it seemed to 

 have some immediate connexion with the ceremo- 

 nies we had just beheld ; but the crowd stopped short 

 of the cross, opposite a large house, also brilliantly 

 illuminated. The door of this house, like that of 

 the church, was open to all who chose to enter, or 

 rather, at that moment, to all who could force their 



Vol. L— C 



