to sink!" cried the frightened women.

"Don't be alarmed, ladies," the ex-theological student reassured them
to calm their fears. "The banka you are in is safe. It has only five
holes in it and they aren't large."

"Five holes! _Jesus!_ Do you want to drown us?" exclaimed the
horrified women.

"Not more than five, ladies, and only about so large," the
ex-theological student assured them, indicating the circle formed
with his index finger and thumb. "Press hard on the plugs so that
they won't come out."

"_Maria Santisima!_ The water's coming in," cried an old woman who
felt herself already getting wet.

There now arose a small tumult; some screamed, while others thought
of jumping into the water.

"Press hard on the plugs there!" repeated Albino, pointing toward
the place where the girls were.

"Where, where? _Dios!_ We don't know how! For pity's sake come here,
for we don't know how!" begged the frightened women.

It was accordingly necessary for five of the young men to get over
into the other banka to calm the terrified mothers. But by some
strange chance it seemed that there w, as danger by the side of each
of the _dalagas_; all the old ladies together did not have a single
dangerous hole near them! Still more strange it was that Ibarra had
to be seated by the side of Maria Clara, Albino beside Victoria,
and so on. Quiet was restored among the solicitous mothers but not
in the circle of the young people.

As the water was perfectly still, the fish-corrals not far away,
and the hour yet early, it was decided to abandon the oars so that
all might partake of some refreshment. Dawn had now come, so the
lanterns were extinguished.

"There's nothing to compare with _salabat_, drunk in the morning before
going to mass," said Capitana Tika, mother of the merry Sinang. "Drink
some _salabat_ and eat a rice-cake, Albino, and you'll see that even
you will want to pray."

"That's what I'm doing," answered the youth addressed. "I'm thinking
of confessing myself."

"No," said Sinang, "drink some coffee to bring merry thoughts."

"I will, at once, because I feel a trifle sad."

"Don't do that," advised Aunt Isabel. "Drink some tea and eat a few
crackers. They say that tea calms one's thoughts."

"I'll also take some tea and crackers," answered the complaisant youth,
"since fortunately none of these drinks is Catholicism."

"But, can you--" Victoria began.

"Drink some chocolate also? Well, I guess so, since