ng, saw coming toward us a man, whose head was broken open and from
it was streaming blood, his head and face were covered, and his white
shirt, to the waist and even below, was soaked with the red fluid. He
was wringing his hands and crying in a piteous manner. When he came to
where we stood, he told his tale of woe. He was the majordomo in charge
of the church property. He had expected that the priest would make his
visit to the pueblo on that day, and had so announced it to the people;
the pious parishioners looked forward, with interest, to the coming of
the _padre_. When the day passed, however, and the priest failed to
appear, one of the more religious felt so outraged that he had
broken open the head of the majordomo with a club, on account of his
disappointment. We told the poor fellow to go home and let his wife
clean him up and change his clothing, promising that, if he died, his
assailant should be punished. That evening there was a little moonlight
at Chicuhuastla, the only time during our stay. As we sat eating supper,
we heard an outcry in the direction of the church and jail. Asking Don
Guillermo what might be the cause, he replied that there was probably
some trouble at the jail. We insisted on going to see what might be
happening. Don Guillermo, the plaster-worker, Mariano, Manuel and I,
seizing whatever weapons were convenient at hand, started for the jail.
We found an excited crowd gathered around the doorway. On a log before
the door there sat a creature crazy-drunk. I have never seen a case more
horrible. He screamed, yelled, gnashed his teeth, struck and snapped
at everyone around. The whole village stood in terror. I addressed the
policemen, who seemed quite helpless. "Why not thrust him into the jail?
Quick! Seize him! In with him!" Encouraged by our words, they seized
him, the door was quickly opened, and he was cast into the little room,
which already contained more than thirty persons, the harvest of a
single afternoon. When the door was locked, we saw for the first time
why the policemen had been so timid. One of them came limping up to us,
crying, and showed his leg. From its fleshy part a good mouthful of
flesh had been cleanly bitten by the madman. The wound was bleeding
profusely, and the poor fellow wrung his hands and cried with pain.

[Illustration: VIEW AT CHICAHUASTLA]

We had finished our measurements and photographs, but there had been no
sign as yet of the plaster; concluding that