glory
to his country. The bands enter the town playing lively airs, followed
by ragged or half-naked urchins, one in the camisa of his brother,
another in his father's pantaloons. As soon as the band ceases, the
boys know the piece by heart, they hum and whistle it with rare skill,
they pronounce their judgment upon it.

Meanwhile, there are arriving in conveyances of all kinds relatives,
friends, strangers, the gamblers with their best game-cocks and their
bags of gold, ready to risk their fortune on the green cloth or within
the arena of the cockpit.

"The alferez has fifty pesos for each night," murmurs a small,
chubby individual into the ears of the latest arrivals. "Capitan
Tiago's coming and will set up a bank; Capitan Joaquin's bringing
eighteen thousand. There'll be _liam-po_: Carlos the Chinaman will
set it up with ten thousand. Big stakes are coming from Tanawan, Lipa,
and Batangas, as well as from Santa Cruz. [80] It's going to be on a
big scale, yes, sir, on a grand scale! But have some chocolate! This
year Capitan Tiago won't break us as he did last, since he's paid
for only three thanksgiving masses and I've got a cacao _mutya_. And
how's your family?"

"Well, thank you," the visitors respond, "and Padre Damaso?"

"Padre Damaso will preach in the morning and sit in with us at night."

"Good enough! Then there's no danger."

"Sure, we're sure! Carlos the Chinaman will loosen up also." Here
the chubby individual works his fingers as though counting out pieces
of money.

Outside the town the hill-folk, the _kasama_, are putting on their
best clothes to carry to the houses of their landlords well-fattened
chickens, wild pigs, deer, and birds. Some load firewood on the heavy
carts, others fruits, ferns, and orchids, the rarest that grow in
the forests, others bring broad-leafed caladiums and flame-colored
_tikas-tikas_ blossoms to decorate the doors of the houses.

But the place where the greatest activity reigns, where it is converted
into a tumult, is there on a little plot of raised ground, a few
steps from Ibarra's house. Pulleys screech and yells are heard amid
the metallic sound of iron striking upon stone, hammers upon nails,
of axes chopping out posts. A crowd of laborers is digging in the
earth to open a wide, deep trench, while others place in line the
stones taken from the town quarries. Carts are unloaded, piles of
sand are heaped up, windlasses and derricks are set in place.

"Hey, you