148 ELIZABETH CARY AGASSIZ 
ticos around the braseiro where simmered the little 
kettle for the preparation of their maté tea; alto- 
gether it looked to me very cheerful and vastly en- 
tertaining, perhaps because we had been for three 
weeks so out of reach of people. When we returned to 
the landing place to embark, we were met by a most 
gratifying spectacle. Now I have already mentioned 
that our larder was Jow and the truth is we had had 
nothing but beans and bread for a number of days, 
and not too much of that. Our caterer and steward 
were on the wharf with chickens, beef and mutton, 
with potatoes, eggs, cheese and butter, with fresh 
rolls and loaves from the baker’s, with cabbages, 
cauliflowers, beets and carrots. I dare say that 
sounds very commonplace and uninteresting, but it 
is utterly impossible for you people living on the fat 
of the land to conceive of the emotions awakened in 
the company of the Hassler by the sight of these 
provisions. I shall never to my last hour forget the 
soup we had for dinner that day. We left that after- 
noon and had a good run to Lota, our next port, where 
we were to take in coal. We reached there toward 
evening on the tenth. Lota has left a strange impres- 
sion on my mind. We went on shore that night and 
visited the great copper foundries which lie just along 
the beach and are fed by the coal mines on the shore, 
the discovery of which has made or is making the 
fortune of this little place, which hardly existed fifteen 
years ago. A foundry has always a kind of weird, un- 
canny element to me with its fierce unceasing fires, 
and this was especially impressive at night with the 
