Much Amusement
Was Caused Sometimes By Gentlemen Putting Hats On The Ladies' Heads,
Without Permitting Them To See Whom It Was Done By.
This obliged
them to throw them off, or keep them on at a venture, and when they
came to discover the owner, the laugh was often turned upon them.
The captain sent for us about ten o'clock, and we went aboard in
high spirits, having enjoyed the new scene much, and were of great
importance among the crew, from having so much to tell, and from the
prospect of going every night until it was over; for these fandangos
generally last three days. The next day, two of us were sent up to
the town, and took care to come back by way of Capitan Noriego's
and take a look into the booth. The musicians were still there,
upon their platform, scraping and twanging away, and a few people,
apparently of the lower classes, were dancing. The dancing is kept
up, at intervals, throughout the day, but the crowd, the spirit,
and the élite, come in at night. The next night, which was the last,
we went ashore in the same manner, until we got almost tired of the
monotonous twang of the instruments, the drawling sounds which the
women kept up, as an accompaniment, and the slapping of the hands
in time with the music, in place of castanets. We found ourselves
as great objects of attention as any persons or anything at the
place. Our sailor dresses - and we took great pains to have them
neat and shipshape - were much admired, and we were invited, from
every quarter, to give them an American sailor's dance; but after
the ridiculous figure some of our countrymen cut, in dancing after
the Spaniards, we thought it best to leave it to their imaginations.
Our agent, with a tight, black, swallow-tailed coat, just imported
from Boston, a high stiff cravat, looking as if he had been pinned
and skewered, with only his feet and hands left free, took the
floor just after Bandini; and we thought they had had enough of
Yankee grace.
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