Spanish Serenade by Jennifer Blake

Author:Jennifer Blake
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780759278431
Publisher: e-reads.com
Published: 1990-01-01T13:00:00+00:00

13

IMMEDIATELY AFTER BREAKFAST on the following morning, Refugio and the other men went into the town of New Orleans. Their purpose was to seek the whereabouts of Don Esteban, to find out what kind of household he had established and where. At the same time, they would discover as much as possible about how the town was laid out and how it was policed, and how often the main streets were patrolled. All this could be important in what lay ahead.

The men had been gone no more than an hour when a message came from the colony's governor, Esteban Miro, ordering the widow Elguezabal and her guests to present themselves at the government house. The coastal vessel's captain had informed officialdom of their arrival. They must be questioned to determine if they were of suitable character to remain in Louisiana and had the means to settle any debts they might incur during their stay. If the examination was favorable, they would be issued a permit to remain for a specified period. It was a formality, but one that could not be omitted.

At Pilar's insistence, Doña Luisa sat down at once and wrote a note to the governor, setting a time when they would appear before him, subject to the governor's approval. It would not do to give the man reason to send soldiers after them. If Refugio did not care for the time the widow appointed for him, he could change it.

The band returned shortly before noon. New Orleans, they said, though it appeared to contain upward of six thousand souls, had the style of a French country village. It was a haphazard collection of dwellings of one and two stories, most of them of timber and bousillage, though there was a newer house here and there of plastered brick decorated with wrought iron imported from Spain and featuring arched doorways and enclosed courtyards. The residences were scattered over only half of the sixty-six blocks laid out for occupation within the palisaded town walls. They were, for the most part, to be found along the river or else set about the Plaza de Armas. It was on this square that the prison, or calabozo, and also the guardhouse were located, standing cheek by jowl with the church of St. Louis. On the other side of the church was the house of the Capuchin fathers, while the soldiers' barracks, built in a rather grand French baroque style, faced the square at right angles on either side.

New Orleans, like most tropical ports, was not known for being salubrious. There was a place outside the city walls called the Leper's Land where these unfortunates were isolated, and a Charity Hospital to take care of the many indigents who persisted in dying in the streets. These streets were standing in water because there were no drainage ditches, a possible contribution to the health problems. As additional drawbacks to public welfare, there was no arrangement for lighting the streets at night, no organized municipal services such as firefighting, and no regular patrols of the streets by police.

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