but
an instant to appreciate all this; and then, being fully roused to my
wrongs, I gave one vigorous spring, which sent the _monte_ man, candle,
cards, and coppers, flying against the wall, and bounding to my feet I
made a dash at the Patrona, drank all the _licores_ on the tray, and
seizing her around the waist, away we spun through the fandango. Long
before rosy morn I had become as merry and delighted as the rest of the
company. I bought a dirty pack of cards for a rial, and opened a monte
bank, for coppers and paper cigars, and although a select party of
Indios did their best to impose upon my youth and inexperience, yet on
receiving their treasure of _centavos_, winning a hatful of cigarritos,
and only paying half a one for _importas_, I comprehended by their
gutteral exclamations that their _compadre_ was not so verdant a person
as they at first imagined. Thus I left them to their reflections, and
busied myself swearing love, and sipping _dulces_ with the brunettas;
vowing friendship to the men; drinking strong waters; promising to
redress all grievances, to pay all claims out of my own pocket for the
government; and ended by repudiating the Yankees, and swearing myself a
full-blooded Californian. However, these ebullitions were partially
attributable to the heated rooms, and _licores_ of Madre Mariqueta; but
when the golden sun came streaming into the house, the links had formed
heavy stalactites against the walls; and notwithstanding the earnest
solicitations of my new made friends, I jumped up behind my little guide
of the evening previous, and galloped off towards Monterey.

Thus passed my first visit to Carmelo, and scarcely a week went by that
I did not enjoy a supper of one of the Patrona's capital ollas, with may
be a little wholesome exercise to digest it, at the evening fandango--it
was the only place where could be seen a dash of native life, but even
this lost its charm. During carnival, I made my homage to all who were
docile enough, and I must add clean enough to receive it; but whether
owing to a want of tact, fervor, or devotion, I failed to keep the
mercury up to boiling point, and after presenting one slim little dona
with a two shilling brooch of great magnitude and brilliancy--crushing
dozens of variegated eggs on the shining tresses of others, and nearly
driving a horse distracted through the agency of enormous spurs, in
hopes to show my skill and win a smile from one in particular--I at
las