246 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



finding all right, returned to the house. The In- 

 dians picked up a rude barrow made of two long 

 poles with crosspieces, which had been thrown 

 down by the side of the last corpse it had carried, 

 and went off for the dead body. They were gone 

 so long that we thought they wished to wear out 

 our patience, and told, the mayoral to go and hurry 

 them ; but presently we heard a shuffling of feet, 

 and the sound of female voices, heralding a tumult- 

 uous procession of women. On reaching the fence 

 of the cemetery they all stopped, and, seeing us, would 

 not come in, except one old Beelzebub, who climb- 

 ed over, walked directly to the foot of the grave, 

 leaned down, and, looking into it, made some ex- 

 clamation which set all the women outside laugh- 

 ing. This so incensed the old woman that she 

 picked up a handful of stones, and began pelting 

 them right and left, at which they all scattered with 

 great confusion and laughter, and in the midst of 

 this, the corpse, attended by an irregular crowd of 

 men, women, and children, made its appearance. 



The barrow was lifted over the fence and laid 

 down beside the grave. The body had no coffin, 

 but was wrapped from head to foot in a blue cotton 

 shawl with a yellow border. The head was un- 

 covered, and the feet stuck out, and had on a pair 

 of leather shoes and white cotton stockings, prob- 

 ably a present from her husband on his return from 

 some visit to Merida, which the poor woman had 

 never w^orn in life, and which he thought he was 

 doing her honour by placing in her grave. 



