CHAPTER XX
THE PROCESSION.
In the evening, by the light of lanterns hung from windows, to the
ringing of bells and bursting of bombs, the procession started for
the fourth time.
The Governor General left the house on foot, in company with his two
adjutants, Captain Tiago, the Alcalde, the alferez, and Ibarra. The
Civil Guards and the officials of the town preceded them and cleared
the way. His Excellency had been invited to witness the procession
from the house of the gobernadorcillo, in front of which a platform
had been erected for the recitation of a loa, or religious poem,
in honor of the Patron Saint. Ibarra had previously declined with
pleasure an invitation to hear this poetical composition, as he had
preferred to witness the procession from the house of Captain Tiago
with Maria Clara and her friends. But, as His Excellency wished to
hear the loa, there was no other remedy for Ibarra but to console
himself with the hope of seeing her at the theatre.
The procession was headed by three sacristans carrying silver
candlesticks. The children of the school, accompanied by their
teacher, followed. Then came the small boys, with colored paper
lanterns fastened to the ends of pieces of bamboo, each more or
less adorned according to the caprices of the boy, for this part
of the illumination was paid for entirely by themselves. However,
they fulfilled this duty with a great deal of pleasure.
In the midst of it all, men serving as police, passed to and fro to
see that the files of the procession were not broken or the people
jammed together in a crowd. For this purpose they used their wands
and inflicted some hard blows, thus managing to add to the brilliancy
of the procession, to the edification of souls and to the glory of
religious pomp.
At the same time that the officers inflicted these sanctified floggings
with their wands free of charge, others, to console those who had
been punished, distributed wax and tallow candles, also free of charge.
"Señor Alcalde," said Ibarra, in a low voice, "do they inflict those
blows to punish the sinners or merely for pleasure?"
"You are right, Señor Ibarra," replied the Governor General, who had
overheard his question. "This spectacle ... barbarous ... astonishing
to those who come from other countries, ought to be prohibited."
Although it cannot be explained, the first saint who appeared
was San Juan el Baptisto. On seeing him, you would say that the
cousin of Our Saviour did not enjoy any great renown among these
