18 



CHILI, 



the players, which exhibited, in a striking man- 

 ner, the variety of expression pecuharly belong- 

 ing to such scenes. A party of these gamblers 

 detected me upon one occasion, and insisted good 

 humouredly that I should try my fortune. By 

 accident the ball rested several times successive- 

 ly on the same square, which raised the odds on 

 my casts to a considerable amount ; I took all the 

 bets that were offered, and, in the end, won a 

 handful of silver, principally from the people 

 who had been most active in persuading me to 

 play. Their companions joined me in laughing 

 at them a little ; but I thought it better, all 

 things considered, to insist upon returning the 

 money ; for which I was laughed at in my turn ; 

 but we parted all the better friends. 



A Chilian gentleman of my acquaintance lived 

 close to the bull-ring, and parties used frequently 

 to be made up at his house to go to the Chinga- 

 nas, the general name given to the scenes de- 

 scribed above. After chatting together for some 

 time one evening at this house, the gentlemen of 

 the party went off to the bull-ring, while the la- 

 dies excused themselves for not accompanying us, 



