ve me, he never even asked them where they had been!
Pancho and Pedro went back to their wives, who were watching the
interview anxiously from the other side of the patio, and the wives knew
the moment they saw the men's faces that everything was all right and
they could be happy once more.

The rest of the people had already gone into the dining-room of the Big
House and were eagerly watching a great earthenware boat that hung from
the middle of the ceiling. They knew that the boat was full of good
things to eat. Beside the boat stood pretty Carmen with a long stick in
one hand and a white cloth in the other.

[Illustration]

As Pancho and Pedro with their wives and Pedro's baby came into the
room, she was saying: "Now, I'll blindfold each of you, one at a time,
and you must whack the pinata[26] real hard or nothing at all will
happen! I'll begin!"

She tied the cloth about her own eyes, turned round three times, and
then struck out with the stick. But she didn't come anywhere near the
pinata. Instead she nearly cracked Jose's head!

Everybody laughed, and then it was Lupito's turn. Lupito was a great man
at roping bulls, or breaking wild horses, but he couldn't hit the boat
with his eyes covered any better than Carmen had.

Then Jose tried. He struck the pinata--but it was only a love-pat. The
boat swung back and forth a little, but not a thing dropped overboard.

At last Carmen cried out, "Come, Tonio, see if you have not a better aim
than the rest of us."

Tonio stepped boldly into the middle of the room and Carmen bandaged his
eyes, turned him round and gave him the stick. Tonio knew what was in
that boat, and he was bound to get it out if he could, so he struck out
with a kind of sideways sweep and struck the ship whack on the prow!

It was made of earthenware on purpose so it would break easily, and the
moment Tonio struck it there was a crashing sound, and then a perfect
rain of cakes and candies, and bananas, and oranges, and peanuts, and
other goodies which fell all over the floor, and it wasn't two minutes
before every one in the room had his mouth full and both hands sticky.

Dona Teresa and Pancho watched the fun for a while, and then Dona Teresa
whispered to Pancho: "My angel, when did you eat last? You look hungry."

Pancho at that very moment had his mouth full of banana, but he managed
to say: "Last night I had some tortillas. I have had nothing since until
now."

"Bless my soul!" cried Do