I04 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



The ball gowns had but one beauty — that of originality. 

 There was always an unfortunate hiatus between bodices 

 and skirts, which was partly concealed by the long straight 

 black hair which hung down the backs of the women. The 

 shoes were in a piteous condition, never the right size, very 

 seldom mates and not infrequently both were for the same 

 foot. But all the skirts had trains and all ears bore ear-rings. 

 We were told that these women often danced all day and all 

 night, until they became perfectly dazed, their feet moving 

 mechanically in time to the music of the national dance — ■ 

 the joropa, which is a cross between a clog dance and a waltz. 



We saw dancing the women whose curiara had so narrowly 

 escaped a fatal collision with our sloop in the Guarapiche. 

 The Captain had said they were leaving Maturin "to operate 

 some speculation in Guanoco — perhaps even to find hus- 

 bands." And here among so many men, for the population 

 of Guanoco was chiefly composed of men employed at the 

 lake, surely there was hope, even for adventuresses so black 

 and uncouth as these. Here also we met one of Guanoco's 

 most amusing characters, a big black Trinidad negro. He 

 was full of the superiority of one who had seen the world; 

 for he had once been to England as stateroom steward on one 

 of the big steamers. He now dropped his h's, called his wife 

 "Lady Mackay" and on Sundays wore a monocle. 



It was twilight as we walked home through the little settle- 

 ment. At one of the huts two little naked babies were playing 

 "rock-a-by" in the great curved sheaths which protect the 

 blossom of the moriche, or eta palm. At another a child 

 came out and sang a little Spanish song for us — all about 

 her sins and the confession she must make to the priest, the 

 refrain being "Mi penetencia! mi penetencia"! and she sang 

 it with her small hands clasped and her head devoudy bowed. 

 A few coins made the wee ])enitent superlativelv happy. Her 

 mother must have taught her the song, for in Guanoco there 



