A Central American Festival

Befóle lea ving the little settlement at Tañía pasiV the party had the novel experience of assisting at a feetival of unuBual interest. Senor Macheo, being the owner of the sumrait lands, comes froni Oaxaca once a year to brand the cattle, nd the occasion is a fetoday. Early in the morning men hunt the cattle in the woods and drive thein into a largO endosare. Thon, selecting from the herd tho largest buil, the herdsman on a swift horse dashes Bftor it, and at full speed flings the lasso, ■which never fails to coil itself about the fiorns of the animal: The horse is blindfolded, but is tatrgM to turn half round i soon as he feels tho lasso thrown from the rider's hand. He then stiffens bis hind-legs, puts out his neck and gets ready for tho jerk, which, throws the buil to tho ground, tor one end of the lasso isattached to the horse's tail. After the clowi of dust, caused by the chase, oleara away, the buil is seen madly trying to getloose. A moment after he is draggsd to the corral. In this way twenty or thirty herdsroen will soon fflï a largo corral with animals of all' sizes and description At dark et the day, eiiants and the iiitany of the Virgin are sung by the peoplö) knoeling around tho large cross,. ih tho square formed by the few housea at lárifa. The same evening, dolegation waited .on Senor MÊaebeo, the women beariug banners and crowns of flowors, and after arrangïng themselves in a semicircle, thoir spokesman made a speech. Crossing himfielf hurriedly, he said in a rather a conftised style, tliat he was convinced that it vas his daty toló-ve Göd and the Yirgin, then his master, and to say his prayers, bnt fter his duties were well done, nothing mado a man foei better than a dango with the pretty maidens. Permission was granted, and a man Was immodiately sent to a noighboring town tor a band of music. The wonien then prosented tboïr wild flowers, and placed garlands on the heads of their master and his guost8, departing irnmediately afterwards to dance till morning. On the next day, a delegation of natiyes, preceded by the band, caine with an anritatioa to witness the branding. Acordïwg- to custom, one of their number was supposed to be a prisonor whom his friends were to libérate. The men and women stood in semicircle before the hut. The spokesman than brought forward the handsomest man of their nuuober, aa athlete, entirely naked, his body painted1 blue and red to imítate wounds, while his Hmbs were bound with cords. After exkibiting him, his frieiids untied his legs, and passed about an old bat, for alms to defray the expenses of' tho journey home whieh he rs supposed to be about to make. The procession then formed, Senor Maeheo and tho strangers occunying the place of honor, and all raarched to the cottbIv virbere a platform was erected, covered whith palm-leave8, and already crowded with squaws. Itockets, torpedos and the Mexican national hymn bogan the Then men wim ouncues oí ary grass m nana, and making a peculiar noiso with their lips, leap inside tlie inclosure. of them :8eizo a buil by the horns ; a third by the tail. The red hot branding iron is then Tiandod to a fonrth man, who lifts hishat and gives the first hurrah : "Long live "my master, the Señor Don Juliau Hacheo '" The crowd yclls in reply, "Que Viva!" and simultaneously tail ia jerked, the horns twisted, and the buil is iown and marlced in a twinkling with the sign here shown. This ia the branrlmark used by Cortes, who originally owned these landa. The nest animal is branded, and some other person is cheered, and so on to the end of tfie chapter. In the evening, ♦here is a regular Mcxican fandango. Their dances are called Bolero, Torito, Zandunga, the dancers signing couplais, whieh they often improvise. An Indian invites his partner to dance, by putting his hathiponhar head. If she accepts, she stands up, and the young man addresses has ih fantastio lánguage. One of these improvisad songs may be freely trauslated as follows : - " I the rolden fish, IPT' Stoimming iñ the lake of sadness, The dart of your killin# eyes Has changed ny. sifhí to bliiidness.? The girl replies, " I've Feen tha.t fish bcfore, His sudden hlindneps feigning, . But ah ! his end obtaining, Swims of tocóme no mere."