apricious and wanton exercise of their arbitrary power, rushed across,
seized him, dragged him to the centre of the floor, hoisted him upon
the shoulders of a vaquero, and, pulling apart the skirts of his coat,
belaboured him with a mock vigour and earnestness that convulsed the
whole company with laughter. The sides of the elevated dignitary shook,
the vaquero shook under him, and they were near coming down together.

This over, the rogues came directly upon me. El Ingles had not long
escaped their eye. I had with difficulty avoided a scene, and my time
seemed now to have come. The one with the cacique's mantle led the way
with long strides, lash raised in the air, a loud voice, and his eyes,
sparkling with frolic and mischief, fastened upon mine. The crowd
followed, and I was a little afraid of an attempt to hoist me too on
the shoulders of a vaquero; but all at once he stopped short, and,
unexpectedly changing his language, opened upon me with a loud harangue
in Maya. All knew that I did not understand a word he said, and the
laugh was strong against me. I was a little annoyed at being made such
a mark, but, recollecting the achievement of our vernacular at
Nohcacab, I answered him with an English oration. The effect was
instantaneous. He had never before heard a language that he could not
understand, bent his ear earnestly, as if by close attention he could
catch the meaning, and looked up with an air of real perplexity that
turned the laugh completely against him. He began again, and I answered
with a stanza of Greek poetry, which had hung by me in some
unaccountable way; this, again, completely silenced him, and he dropped
the title Ingles, put his arms around my neck, called me "amigo," and
made a covenant not to speak in any language but Castilian.

This over, he ordered the music to commence, planted a vaquero on the
floor, and led out a Mestiza to dance, again threw all the bystanders
into confusion, and sat down quietly on the floor at my feet. All the
Mestizas were again called out in order, presenting the same pretty
spectacle I had seen the evening before. And there was one whom I had
noticed then, not more than fifteen, delicate and fragile, with eyes so
soft and dovelike that it was impossible to look upon them without a
feeling of tenderness. She seemed sent into the world to be cherished
and cared for, and closeted like the finest china, the very emblem of
purity, innocence, and loveliness; and, as I h