FUERTEVENTURA I 9 



camels were halted before a row of flat-roofed houses, 

 the baggage-camel being made to kneel down on the 

 narrow stone-paved street, always an uncomfortable 

 proceeding to the onlooker, though the chief actor in 

 the scene immediately commenced chewing in a non- 

 chalant and contented manner. 



After knocking at the door, Lorenzo announced our 

 arrival, and we were welcomed and shown through into 

 a large, clean-looking room, some coloured pictures 

 hanging on the walls and a great number of chairs 

 ranged round the room the chair that one sees in the 

 cottages of Tenerife and Fuerteventura, always the 

 same pattern, plain Chippendale, and wooden seated. 

 These chairs are made in Tenerife, and doubtless in 

 Grand Canary too. 



My reception here was really rather amusing. The 

 household consisted of an oldish man, between sixty and 

 seventy, his son, perhaps forty-five, and a very old and 

 decrepit woman servant, who never seemed satisfied 

 unless I was eating. If she came into the room and 

 found me not eating, she would point to her mouth and 

 nod a great many times. I found the only way to get 

 rid of her presence was to keep a small store of biscuits 

 in my pocket and when she appeared to stop her mouth, 

 as it were, by filling mine, when she would go away, 

 muttering to herself and apparently highly pleased. 

 The old man did not say much, but his special duty 

 appeared to be to see that I was seated, and also that 

 I kept my hat on in the room. The moment I stood 

 up he would approach me, and placing his hands on 

 my shoulders, push me gently down again, saying at 

 the same time, " Sientase sientase" I had to keep 



