Page:Pictures of life in Mexico Vol 1.djvu/44

20 was surrounded by a halo of faded gilded rays.

In a niche stood a clumsy cross, with stony drops of blood issuing-from the limbs of the figure upon it, while a variety of articles of a different character were suspended around; among them a saddle and a halter, some sheepskins and a cuchillo (a weapon resembling-a knife), a pair of enormous silver spurs, with heavy Mexican stirrups belonging to them, a ragged reboso (or scarf for the head), an old pistol, a lasso, a broken powder-flask, and several not very devotional-looking-string's of beads.

The whole room had a miserable look of squalor, gloom, and mouldiness: it was a perfect lumber store, and thing's were huddled together in the most whimsical disorder: a pack of cards was thrust between the stone crucifix and the wall, a string-of beads hung from the same nail as the cuchillo, the reboso had fallen upon one of the sheepskins, the points of the spurs were piercing the' eyes of the Virgin, and the lasso—suspended from one of the picture-frames—hung-like a halter on the neck of a very hairy saint, dressed in a sombrero, slashed leathern trousers, and bright blue jaceti.