enemy, especially if reinforced by hand grenades of like ammunition,
thrown by squaws and pappooses from the flat roofs of their houses.
By some means or other it had become known to the descendants of
Montezuma that when an Apache stepped on something out of the
ordinary "he scented mischief" and believed himself unclean and
befouled with dishonor, and fancied himself disgraced before God and
man; and forthwith he would hie himself away to do penance at the
shrine of the nearest water sprite. This superstition they brought
from Asia, their native land.

When the day of our departure drew near, I visited my numerous
friends to bid them farewell and receive many like wishes in return.
I must own that I felt a pang of sadness when I saw tears well up in
the innocent eyes of sweet maidens and saw the fires dimmed in the
black orbs of lovely matrons whom I had held often in my arms to the
measure and tuneful melody of the fantastic wild fandango; musical
Andalusian strains which words cannot describe--soul-stirring,
enchanting, promising and denying, plaintive or jubilant, songs from
Heaven or wails from the depths of Hades. Here I lived the happiest
hours of my life, but being young, I did not realize it then.

When I came to the house of Don Reyes Alvarado, who was my chum and
bosom friend, and also of like age, he gave me a pleasant surprise.
He informed me that there would be a dance at the Hancho Indian's
settlement that same night, one of those ceremonial events which I
had long desired to attend in order to study the customs and habits
of these descendants of the Aztecs. Their social dances are inspired
by ancient customs and are the outbursts of the dormant, barbaric
rites of a religion which these people were forced to abandon by
their conquering masters, the Spaniards. Outwardly and visibly