ROIIND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 131 



pity and shame. To see these figures of saints, decked 

 out in tawdry finery, paraded through the streets and 

 followed by thousands, is to me one of the most humi- 

 liating sights in the world. I saw a procession at Coquimbo 

 once, and the santa on that occasion was decorated with 

 a wonderfully fine waterfall, lent for this express purpose 

 by " one of the most religious and beautiful young ladies 

 of the town," so said the paper next day. I was witness, 

 however, to a sight far more debasing and horrible than 

 this; I allude to that godless, wicked thing called an 

 anjelito. I had frequently heard of them, but had 

 never believed such a thing possible ; I have told several 

 people in England of the fact, but I fancy I am rarely 

 believed. I was at Carrizal in company with an estim- 

 able young Chileno gentleman, and, on passing the door 

 of a house from whence issued shouts of drunkenness, 

 we looked in. My companion hurriedly pulled me away, 

 saying " There^s an anjelito J^ I shall never forget the 

 horror of that scene. Imagine a long room with a table 

 in the middle, covered with glasses of wine and mugs of 

 aguardiente; around it some fifteen or twenty of the 

 lowest class of miners in various stages of drunkenness, all 

 drinking, shouting, dancing, and fighting ; a few wretched 

 women were joining in the dance, while two others were 

 strumming with all their might on two guitars. Perched 

 on a niche in the wair was what I thought was a wax 

 image, crowned with flowers ; it was a dead child. The 

 eyes by some device were kept open, its little hands 

 placed decently in front, its cheeks rouged and whitened 

 to resemble life, and in its mouth a flower was placed. 

 As it looked staring down on the scene of drunkenness 

 below, with its dull, lack-lustre eyes, I thought I never 

 saw anything so horrible. I can assure my readers 'that 



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