t of the communion to the couple,
and then fastened two golden chains, crossing, about both their necks.
A scarf of satin was placed upon them so as to cover both, passing over
the head of the woman, and the shoulders of the man. From the church,
our procession, dwindled to the particular friends and guests of honor,
walked through the village to the justice-court, where the civil
ceremony was performed. The matter having been accomplished with full
respect to the requirements of the law, we thought again of dinner. The
_jefe_ told us that to-morrow we should go to our boarding-place, but
that to-day we were to dine together in state. Time passed, hour after
hour lagged by, until the _mozo_ and _arriero_ struck for money, with
which to buy themselves something to eat. Meantime, we waited. Finally,
at three o'clock in the afternoon, we were summoned, and the _jefe_,
myself, and our companions, started down the hot, dusty, main street.
On and on we walked, until, at last, the _jefe_ himself impatiently
demanded of our guide how far we had to go. At last, we heard the
strains of music, and, shortly, found ourselves in a yard crowded with
people, among whom two bands of music were present, one with stringed
instruments and the other with brass. It was the house of the bride, and
after a moment's waiting in the yard, we were ushered, by the _jefe's_
clerk, into the building. It had been cleared of all its contents and a
long table, set in the middle, ran lengthwise of the place. Benches were
placed beside it. A line of vases, filled with bouquets, occupied the
middle of the table and between these were bottles of wine, _catalan,
mescal, pulque, tepache_, beer, etc. The ladies were already seated; we
took the remaining seats. The company consisted of the bride and groom,
their parents, god-parents, families, and particular friends. And then,
we had a dinner which amply compensated for the thirty-six hours through
which we had been fasting--good bread, soup, stews, broiled meat, _mole,
mole prieto_, chicken, beans, sweetmeats, coffee, with the beverages
before mentioned. Dishes, when they came in, were politely passed across
the table to the ladies opposite; no one ate till all were served, and
when we were through, the place was cleared, and another room full of
friends sat down to the bountiful repast. And then a third, and then
a fourth, till everyone had feasted, even to the commonest, and the
musicians, to whom abundance wa