their
frog-like motions as they swam downward after the vanishing prize,
and the good-natured scuffle under water for its possession. Laughing,
sputtering, coughing, they would come to the surface, shaking the water
out of their bright eyes like so many cocker spaniels, the sun gleaming
on their brown skins, their white teeth shining, as they pointed out
the complacent victor, who would hold the money up that we might see
it, before they would again begin their clamour of "Dam'me--dam'me,"
and go through a pantomime of how quickly each personally would dive
and bring it up, did we throw our donation in his direction.

When the supply of coins and candies had been exhausted, some one
bethought him of throwing chunks of ice overboard, and as none among
the natives had ever seen ice before, their amazement may well be
imagined. The first boy to pick up a piece of the glittering whiteness
let it drop with a howl, and when he caught his breath again warned
the others in shrill staccato tones that he had been burned, that
it was hot, _muy caliente_, wringing his hands as if, indeed, they
had been scorched. Presently, finding that the burn left no mark
and had stopped hurting, he shamefacedly picked up the ice again,
shifting it from one hand to the other with the utmost rapidity,
and occasionally crossing himself in the interim.

Meanwhile more ice had been thrown overboard, and the rest of the
natives, not at all deterred by their comrade's warning, examined the
strange substance for themselves. Very excited were their comments,
those in the far _bancas_ scrambling over the intervening boats to
see with their own eyes the miracle of hard water so cold that it was
hot. They smelled and tasted of it, like so many monkeys, chattering
excitedly the while, and they rubbed it on each other's bare backs amid
screams of genuine fright, while many tumbled overboard to escape the
horrible sensation of having it touch their flesh, the superstitious
being reminded, no doubt, of all the tales the padres had ever told
them of hell or purgatory.

Some thrifty and unimaginative souls tied up their bits of ice in
cloths or packed them in small boxes, to take back to the village,
while others, engrossed in their examination of the strange substance,
transferred it from one hand to the other until, miracle of miracles,
it had entirely disappeared. Others, emulating the laughing people
on the big boat, put their pieces of ice into their mou