aughter, Domatilda, who were the
liege and lady hostesses of the Carmelo Mission. With her own hands the
jolly madre soon prepared me an _olla podrida_ of tomatoes, peppers, and
the remains in my game bag. Then her laughing nymph patted me some
_tortillas_; and after eating ravenously, and draining a cup of
aguadiente, the hospitable old lady tumbled me into her own spacious
couch, which stood in an angle of the hall, and giving me a hearty slap
on the back, shouted, "_Duerma usted bien hijo mio hasta media
noche_"--Sleep like a top until midnight. I needed no second bidding,
and in a moment was buried in deep sleep. Unconscious of fleeting hours,
I was at length restored to life, but in the most disordered frame of
mind; suffering under a most complicated attack of nightmare, of which
bear-hugs, murders, manacles and music present but a slight idea of my
agony; and indeed, when after pinching myself, and tearing my eyelids
fairly open, I had still great difficulty in recalling my erring
faculties. I found my own individual person deluged with a swarm of
babies, who were lying athwart ships, and amid ships, fore and aft,
heads and toes, every way; and one interesting infant, just teething,
was sucking vigorously away on the left lobe of my ear, while another
lovingly entwined its little fingers in my whiskers. Nor was this half
the bodily miseries I had so innocently endured. A gay youth, with a
dripping link, nicely balanced against my boots, was sitting on my legs,
with a level space on the bed before him, intently playing _monte_, to
the great detriment of the purses of his audience. On glancing around, I
beheld the lofty apartment lighted by long tallow candles melted against
the walls, whose smoke clung in dense clouds around the beams of the
lofty hall; the floor was nearly filled, at the lower end, with groups
of swarthy Indians and paisanos, sipping aguadiente, or indulging in the
same exciting amusement as the gentleman sitting on my feet. On either
side were double rows of men and women, moving in the most bewildering
mazes of the contra danza: turning and twisting, twining and whirling
with unceasing rapidity, keeping time to most inspiriting music, of
harps and guitars; whilst ever and anon, some delighted youth would
elevate his voice, in a shout of ecstasy, at the success of some
bright-eyed senorita in the dance: _Ay, mi alma! Toma la bolsa!
Caramba!_--Go it, my beauty! Take my purse! Beautiful!--It took me