The Don turned slowly round, the cologne,
running down his face, and over his clothes and a loud laugh
breaking out from every quarter. He looked round in vain, for some
time, until the direction of so many laughing eyes showed him the fair
offender. She was his niece, and a great favorite with him, so old Don
Domingo had to join in the laugh. A great many such tricks were
played, and many a war of sharp manoeuvering was carried on between
couples of the younger people, and at every successful exploit a
general laugh was raised.
Another singular custom I was for some time at a loss about. A
pretty young girl was dancing, named, after what would appear to us
the sacrilegious custom of the country- Espiritu Santo, when a young
man went behind her and placed his hat directly upon her head, letting
it fall down over her eyes, and sprang back among the crowd. She
danced for some time with the hat on, when she threw it off, which
called forth a general shout; and the young man was obliged to go
out upon the floor and pick it up. Some of the ladies, upon whose
heads hats had been placed, threw them off at once, and a few kept
them on throughout the dance, and took them off at the end, and held
them out in their hands, when the owner stepped out, bowed, and took
it from them.
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