17* 



CHILI. 



once did tlie business. In the end^ the ladies con- 

 fessed they were well pleased that we had thus 

 forced them, in spite of themselves, to show how 

 agreeable they could be, even without the aid of a 

 fiddle. 



31st. — Our country-party broke up to-day, to 

 the great regret of us strangers, at least. The old 

 gentleman with his eldest daughter, and our friend 

 of the tender conscience, together with my young 

 officer and myself, formed the riding party to the 

 city. The day was comparatively cool, so that 

 our journey was most agreeable ; and to us it had 

 a double interest, since we now passed those places 

 in day-light over which we had before travelled 

 in the dark ; and it was curious to observe how 

 very erroneous all our impressions had been of 

 every feature of the landscape. In such company, 

 the road, formerly so tedious, was reduced to no- 

 thing ; and before we thought half the distance ac- 

 complished, we discovered that we were entering 

 the grounds of our hospitable friends who had en- 

 tertained us so kindly a few evenings before. The 

 lady of the house had, on that occasion, more than 

 once lamented that, owing to its being dark, she 



