12 



CHILI. 



entered, and the people immediately made way 

 for us, and gave us seats at the upper end of the 

 apartment. We had not sat long before we were 

 startled by the loud clatter of horses' feet, and, in 

 the next instant, a mounted peasant dashed into 

 the company, followed by another horseman, who, 

 as soon as he reached the centre of the room, 

 adroitly wheeled his horse round, and the two 

 strangers remained side by side, with their horses' 

 heads in opposite directions. Neither the people 

 of the house, nor the guests^ nor the musicians, 

 appeared in the least surprised by this visit; 

 the lady who was playing the harp merely stop- 

 ped for a moment, to remove the end of the in- 

 strument a few inches further from the horses'" feet, 

 and the music and conversation went on as before. 

 The visitors called for a glass of spirits, and hav- 

 ing chatted with their friends around them for two 

 minutes, stooped their heads to avoid the cross 

 piece of the door-way, and, putting spurs to their 

 horses'" sides, shot into the streets as rapidly as 

 they had entered ; — the whole being done with- 

 out discomposing the company in the smallest 

 degree, 



IQ 



