to the man's hands, he
transferred this to the woman, and she to the priest; single chains
were hung about the neck of each of the party, both men and women; the
covering sheet or scarf was stretched over all four couples at once,
covering the heads of the women and the shoulders of the men.

Near the town-house, along the main street, is a series of sheds or
shacks used as shops, altogether numerically disproportionate to the
population. Great was our surprise to find that one of these was kept
by a Frenchman, who spoke excellent English, and who is married to an
English lady. They were the only white people living in this great
indian town. Monsieur de Butrie has a coffee plantation in the valley a
few miles away, at Chichotla, but he finds the climate bad for himself
and lady. Accordingly, they had moved up onto the high land, and it is
easy for him, when he must give attention to his _finca_, to go to it
for the necessary time. They have some pretty children and are doing
well. We called at their house, quite like the others of the town, and
were hospitably received with chocolate and sweet English cakes. During
our stay, this gentleman and his wife did their utmost for our comfort,
and gave us many interesting bits of information regarding the people,
their customs and their superstitions. We have elsewhere described in
detail their witchcraft practices, their belief in transformation into
tigers, and their ideas regarding the destiny and condition of persons
after death.

[Illustration] [MAZATEC FROM SAN LUCAS]

[Illustration] [MAZATEC FROM SAN LUCAS]

Just across the way from the town-house, was a large house of the usual
fashion, which we quickly learned was the rendezvous and practice-place
of the town band. This consisted entirely of boys, none of them more
than twenty years of age, and numbered upwards of thirty pieces. The
leader was a man of forty, a capital trainer. The daily practice began
at 4:30 in the morning, and was kept up until noon; then ensued an
hour's rest. At one, they were again practicing, and no break occurred
until long after dark. During the days that we were there, a single
piece only was being practiced. It was our alarm clock in the morning,
beat time for our work throughout the day, and lulled us to sleep when
we retired for the night. Senor de Butrie insists that during the year
and more than he has lived in the village, several boys have blown
themselves, through consumption, in