SHOOTING IN CHILE. 199 



another casuela — whoever saw an old Chilena doing 

 anything else, except smoke cigarros ? I rejoiced the 

 heart of the old lady by giving her a couple of bundles 

 of cigarettes,, whereupon she immediately uttered the 

 invariable exclamation of '^ Ah, senor, por Dios ! '^ and 

 fell to on the casuela again. I was jast going to anathe- 

 matise the doctor for not showing up in time for dinner, 

 when a series of triumphant whoops outside aroused me, 

 and that worthy made his appearance, horse and all, at 

 the door, looking more like a game-dealer's shop than 

 anything I can think of. On his saddle, round his saddle, 

 round himself, and round his steed hung festoons of 

 plover, while behind him stood a boy, about two feet and 

 a half high, in a poncho about two feet or more long, 

 completely covered with birds. '^ There, my boy, what 

 do you think of that ? I followed those blessed 

 jpacliarones all day long; and if they have not had a 

 jacketing, call me a Fenian. Beat that if you can !" 

 cried he, as he threw bunch after bunch on to the 

 ground. " Juana, casuela, my ancient, casuela ! Oliver, 

 my flask's empty these two hours. Goodness ! if I had 

 had a breechloader I might have killed double.'' 



We turned out the whole lot and counted eighty 

 plover, of which twenty had fallen to our quadruple 

 discharge in the morning, and the rest the doctor claimed. 

 This completely took the shine out of my handurrias, at 

 the sight of which the Doctor merely remarked that " for 

 a young man I was qaite canny." 



After our exertions it may well be supposed that I, at 

 all events, had speculated on an early couch, but as we 

 were in the middle of our casuela, a neighbouring huaso 

 dropped in, and insisted on our coming over to his 

 house, adding, as an additional inducement, that Senoritas 



