202 EAMBLES AFTEE SPOKT. 



Doctor was personally known to everybody, we had to 

 turn back and take the usual amount of chicha, without 

 which nothing can be done in Chile. The haciendado 

 himself was mounted on a splendid Chile horse, of a 

 chesnut colour, or rather of the colour known in the 

 country as alisan de oro. Ee was short on the legs, 

 large-barrelled, and as broad across the loins as a prize 

 ox ; his saddle was composed of twelve snow-white 

 sheepskins, topped with a valuable one of fur, and the 

 tree was richly ornamented with silver. The bridle 

 was composed of netted hide, as fine as linen almost, 

 and covered with silver rings and bosses ; the bit was a 

 massive steel ring, which encircled the horse^s lower jaw, 

 while the stirrups were formed out of two solid masses 

 of wood, in size and shape like a cheeso' cutter. He 

 himself was habited in a handsome vicuna poncho, which 

 concealed his person down to the hips, and was as fine as 

 silk ; a broad-brimmed somhrero of the finest Panama 

 straw covered his head and on the heels of his long 

 patent leather boots were silver spurs with rowels three 

 inches long, and which perhaps weighed half a pound a 

 piece. Altogether, as he sat there on his horse, he 

 looked one of the most picturesque figures I ever saw. 

 The two Imiasos were dressed in the same fashion, but of 

 course without the ornaments, and their garments were 

 of a coarser quality. The horse that one bestrode was a 

 small grey animal about 13^ hands high, rather thin, 

 and apparently of no particular use ; indeed, it seemed 

 half asleep. That it could, however, be uncommonly 

 wide awake when required subsequent events proved. 

 The other was mounted on a beautiful little Chile horse, 

 full of courage, and restless as a hawk, which was having 

 the finishing lessons to perfect it as a good huaso horse. 



