There he got his pistols, and came back armed to the teeth to fetch the hat, which lay where it had fallen.

The supposed robbers turned out, on enquiry next day, to have been national guards, patrolling the street; but certainly their proceedings were rather questionable.
We had an unpleasant visit the same night.

The custom of the Casa Grande was that after dark a watchman patrolled all night, giving a long blast every quarter of an hour on one of these same doleful Mexican whistles, to show that ho was not sleeping on his rounds.

This was for the outside.

Inside the house, _pour surcroit de precaution_, a servant came round to see that every one was in his room; and having satisfied himself of this, let loose in the courtyard two enormous bulldogs, which were the terror of the household and of the whole neighbourhood.