NOTICES OP CHILE. 



117 



French. He ushered us into a travellers' room on one side of 

 an inner patio'' or court, where we found three gentlemen 

 voyageurs. One a huge Frenchman, as corpulent as Daniel 

 Lambert was wont to be represented on our copy-books, in 

 by-gone days; another was a tall, almost bone-bare Spaniard, 

 with an immense nose and a squeaking voice, and the third, a 

 young Chileno of pleasing manners. An oblong table stood 

 in the centre of the room, leaving space on each side for chairs, 

 and servants to pass, covered with a cloth, stained with red 

 wine, and scattered with crumbs, informing us that the party 

 had just supped. At one end of the apartment stood a long 

 settee, which filled the space between the side walls ; at the 

 other was the entrance, and a small table with glasses and 

 bottles. 



The Frenchman sat at one end of the settee, picking his 

 teeth with a fork, while the old Spaniard lolled at the other, 

 smoking an <'hoja" cigar; both were listening to the little 

 Chileno, who was walking up and down, puffing at intervals, 

 when we entered. The party saluted us very politely, asked 

 us to be seated, and then the Chileno continued his recital. 

 Feroni inquired, " Cavaliere, que quieren ustedes cenar?" — 

 meaning, Gentlemen, on what will you sup? Having ascer- 

 tained our wishes on that head, he retired, and brought in a 

 large copper pan of well burnt charcoal, which w^as quite wel- 

 come to our benumbed fingers and toes. 



After the fire had infused a little suppleness into my limbs, 

 I walked forth to survey the premises while our supper was 

 preparing. The house is one story high, built around a pa- 

 tio" or court yard, into which open several small sleeping 

 rooms, the travellers' room, a passage to the kitchen, and an- 

 other to the stable yard. Two small rooms in front are occu- 

 pied by Feroni, Madam Feroni, and all the little Feronis. I 

 found the family seated on mats around a ^^brazero" of coals 

 prattling, while the mother, squatted on the ground, was sew- 

 ing by the light of a tallow candle supported on a very low ta- 

 ble before her. The children, though barefoot, were otherwise 

 warmly clothed. The furniture of the room was complete in 

 a few old stamped leather back chairs, and a bed which seemed 



