358 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



some water collected in the hollow of a stone, with 

 which we slaked our thirst and made a partial ab- 

 lution ; and it was somewhat extraordinary that, 

 though we were barely recovered from illness, had 

 exerted ourselves greatly, and been exposed to rapid 

 alternations of heat and cold, we never experienced 

 any bad effects from it. 



On our return to the village we found that an un- 

 fortunate accident had occurred during our absence ; 

 a child had been run away with by a horse, thrown 

 off, and killed. In the evening, in company with 

 the alcalde, the brother ofij^^e padrecito, we went 

 to the velorio, or watching. It was an extremely 

 dark night, and we stumbled along a stony and bro- 

 ken street till we reached the house of mourning. 

 Before the door were a crowd of people, and a large 

 card-table, at which all who could find a place were 

 seated playing cards. At the moment of our arri- 

 val, the whole company was convulsed with laugh- 

 ter at some good thing which one of them had ut- 

 tered, and which was repeated for our benefit ; a 

 strange scene at the -threshold of a house of mourn- 

 ing. We entered the house, which was crowded 

 with women, and hammocks were vacated for our 

 use, these being in all cases the seat of honour. 

 The house, like most of those in the village, con- 

 sisted of a single room rounded at each end. The 

 floor was of earth, and the roof thatched with 

 long leaves of the guano. From the cross-poles 

 hung a few small hammocks, and in the middle of 



