s, running a little way to the front and returning
to the bride as if endeavoring to induce her to proceed. It did
not avail, for she would hot move till she received some trinket.

In crossing streams or other obstacles the bride was carried
by her father-in-law; the bridegroom was carried by one of his
attendants. Presently they arrived at a critical spot. This is
the place where many a man has to let his wife return to her
mother; for here it is the bride wants to see how many presents
are coming to her. If satisfied, she goes on. In this case there
was a shortage, and everybody became excited. The husband huddled
to the side of his bride and looked into her face with a very
pitiful expression, as if pleading with her to continue. But she
was firm. In a few minutes several people formed a circle and
commenced dancing in the same way as at their religious ceremony,
and chanting low and solemnly an admonition to the husband's
parents and friends to give presents to the bride. This was
repeated several times, when there came a lull. The bride was still
firm in her opinion that the amount offered was insufficient. I
had supplied myself with some cheap jewelry, and a few trinkets
satisfied her desires; so the "music" again started. Louder it
became--wilder--resounding with a thousand echoes, and as the
nude bodies of the Negritos glided at lightning speed from the
glare of one torchlight to the other, with no word uttered but a
continual clangor of the metal gongs, one thought that here was
a dance of devils.

In due time we came to a place in the path that was bordered
on either side by small strips of bamboo about 3 feet long with
both points sticking in the ground, resembling croquet arches,
six on either side. When the bride arrived there she squatted and
her maids commenced to robe her in a new gown (a la Filipina)
over the one she already had on. She then continued to another
similar place and donned a new robe over those already on. This
was repeated twice, when she arrived at a triumphal arch. There
she donned a very gaudy dress consisting of red waist and blue
skirt, with a large red handkerchief as a wedding veil.

Rejoicing in her five complete dresses, one over the other, she
passed through the arch and again squatted. Meanwhile a fire was
built midway between t