$4 for the mere room was high. The day before, we had seen
the Battle of Flowers of the carnival. No flowers figured in it; it
consisted of a long procession of carriages, mostly private and mostly
good; they were filled with well-dressed young people, of whom few were
masked; all were supplied with confetti, which was thrown in handfuls
by those in the carriages upon those in carriages going in the other
direction, for the procession was double. Usually, girls and ladies
threw at men and boys, who reciprocated the compliment; the ladies had
their hair loose and flowing, and wore no hats; so that in a little time
it was filled with the brilliant bits of paper. Everyone, also, had long
strips of colored paper, rolled up like ribbons, which were now and then
launched, either with no direct aim or at some person; as these strips
unrolled they trailed prettily in the air, and everyone caught at the
trailing streamers. Crowds of poor children chased along, beside and
behind the carriages, catching at the showers of bits of paper, and at
the long streamers, which they kept, or, in turn, hurled at passers. The
balconies of all the better houses were filled with people, as were the
seats and raised platform fronting the town-house, and those in
the balconies and on the seats rained down paper upon those in the
carriages. Many children in the balconies were masked, and wore
grotesque costumes, but few grown persons were so decked out. While
pretty and characteristic, the Battle of Flowers disappointed us,
lacking the life and "abandon" which one usually associates with
the idea of carnival. It was all reserved, and respectable, and
unenthusiastic. The only persons who really seemed to enjoy it were the
poor children, with their loads of bright paper and long streamers.
Monday afternoon, the most striking function of the carnival, so far
seen, took place. This was an enormous procession of vehicles; private
carriages, with elaborate equipment, were filled with finely-dressed
gentlemen and ladies; common rented coaches were in line, and some of
them were loaded to their full capacity with common people--four, five,
or even six, in one; in one were four brawny, young _cargadors_; in
another an old grandmother, her two daughters, and some grandchildren,
pure indians, rode complacently, enjoying the admiration which they knew
their best clothes must attract; in some of the fine private coaches, no
one but indian nurses or favored serv