All that day there was exploring by small companies, and on the next thearchbishop landed in solemn procession. The boats from the ships all metat early morning, near the shore, the sight bringing together a crowd ofislanders on the banks; men, women, and children, who, with an instinctthat something of importance was to happen, decked themselves withflowers, wreaths, and plumes, the number increasing constantly and thecrowd growing more and more picturesque. Forming from the boats, aprocession marched slowly up the beach, beginning with a few lay brethren,carrying tools for digging; then acolytes bearing tall crosses; and thenwhite-robed priests; the seven bishops being carried on litters, thearchbishop most conspicuously of all. Solemn chants were sung as theprocession moved through the calm water towards the placid shore, and thegentle savages joined in kneeling while a solemn mass was said, and thecrosses were uplifted which took possession of the new-found land in thename of the Church.These solemn services occupied much of the day; later they carried tentson shore, and some of them occupied large storehouses which the nativeshad built for drying their figs; and to the women, under direction ofJuanita, was allotted a great airy cave, with smaller caves branching fromit, where the natives had made palm baskets.
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