The Poor Woman Had Paid The Price Of A Cow For The
Bottle Of Water, But The Priest Had Declared That It Was An Effectual
Soul-Saver, And They Never Doubted Its Efficacy.
Around the corpse
was a throng of women, and they all chattered as women are apt to do.
The men, standing around the door, talked of their horse-races,
fights or anything else.
For some hours I heard no allusion to the
dead, but as the night wore on the prophetess of the people came
forth.
If my advent among them had caused a stir, the entrance of this old
woman caused a bustle; even the dead man seemed to salute her, or was
it only my imagination - for I was in a strangely sensitive mood - that
pictured it? As she slowly approached, leaning heavily on a rough,
thick staff, all the females present bent their knees. Now prayers
were going to be offered up for the dead, and the visible woman was
to act as interceder with the invisible one in heaven. After being
assisted to her knees, the old woman, in a cracked, yet loud, voice,
began. "Santa Maria, ruega por nosotros, ahora, y en la hora de
nuestra muerte!" (Holy Mary pray for us now, and in the hour of our
death!) This was responded to with many gesticulations and making of
crosses by the numerous females around her. The prayers were many and
long, and must have lasted perhaps an hour; then all arose, and mate
and cigars were served.
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