ary general, but a leading alfalqui.

And then he married. I have not room to give you the whole picture,
but here is the way it was done.

A lady whose position in society required her to negotiate the match,
having previously made all the necessary arrangements, one evening,
hoisted the happy damsel on her back, and accompanied by four young
women (I have drawn only one) each bearing a torch, headed the joyous
procession and marched to the house of Master M., where she dropped
her cargo of precious humanity. Then the alfalqui asked them if they
were mutually agreed on matrimony, and of course, they said "yes,"
when he proceeded to tie their clothes together. Then two old
patriarchs and two good old grandmothers (one of each of which I have
copied for you) delivered little sermons suited to the occasion. The
new couple walked seven times round a blazing fire, partook of a feast
with their friends, heard a final sort of a "ninety-ninthly and to
conclude" parting word from the four old people, and then, just as all
married people do, went to housekeeping, and having their own way as
much as possible. One thing they could not do. There was no law
of divorce to appeal to then; death was the only judge who could
entertain the question of separation.

[Illustration: PROTECTING THE GRAIN FROM RATS, IN THE YEAR ONE
RABBIT.]

Master M. will now disappear, to re-appear as the Emperor. In the
year "ten rabbits," or A.D. 1502, the monarch died, and the electoral
college selected Master M. to supply his place. In the household of
each monarch there was an electoral board of four nobles, whose duty
it was, on the death of the ruler, to elect his successor from among
the sons and nephews of the crown. Having done this, and so notified
the successor, they selected four nobles to fill their own places,
and vacated their electoral chairs. Master M. when waited upon to be
notified of his election to fill his uncle's place, was very busy
sweeping down the stairs in the great temple dedicated to the god of
war!

Four years after becoming emperor, Montezuma, to appease the gods,
made a sacrifice of a young gentleman captive by transfixing him with
arrows. This, you see, was in the year "one rabbit." It is recorded
that in this year the rats overran the country so completely that
the inhabitants had to stand guard at night with blazing torches to
prevent their devouring the grain sown in the fields.

With the last picture, I take ple