NOTICES OP CHILE. 



149 



and not that of the meekness of religion. He rode a stout black 

 horse, with a valise on his back, and at the saddle bow a long 

 double barrelled Spanish fowling piece with brass mountings, 

 the whole so highly polished, even to the barrels, that it would 

 have done credit to a marine serjeant, and pleased the eye of 

 the most rigid martinet. Like his prototype, our friar Tuck 

 was fond of "creature comforts," and occasionally indulged 

 his " inward man for, after telling us of the fatigue of riding 

 over bad roads, feeble health from vigils and fasting, he beg- 

 ged, as a particular favor, that we would replenish his bottle 

 with gin, which somehow or other had been emptied on the 

 way. His bottle was filled, after he had tasted of the quality 

 of the liquor, of which he said, "viene bien al paladdr" — it falls 

 well on the palate — as he smacked his lips. Having lighted a 

 cigar, he threw himself agilely into the saddle, saying as he 

 cantered off, ^^Dios le pague!" — may God reward you. 



Amongst our visiters was an '^old" Spaniard named Don 

 Jos^j who was noted for story telling and amiability. He fre- 

 quently lamented the change in times and civilization. *^In 

 my memory," he was wont to say, ^Madies required a long 

 training before they were admitted into society ; but now, they 

 catch a young girl who is frisking and playing with her doll, 

 wash and dress her clean, send her to school, where she is 

 taught to read and write, and repeat the multiplication table, 

 and at the end of three weeks she is broken into an accom- 

 plished miss, Dona graci6sa'), capable of getting through a 

 tune on the piano, and aufait in all the small talk of the day!" 

 Female perception is wonderfully quick in Chile ! 



In spite of the diversion of killing pigeons, hunting condors, 

 witnessing the making of "tapias" or mud walls, examining 

 the dry and the green hedges, and observing men in retire- 

 ment, a month saw me dying with ennui, and consequently 

 on my way to Valdivia's city ; and in a few days, I set out on 

 my return to Valparaiso. 



My compagnon de voyage was an elderly Chileno, who 

 amused me the whole way by telling stories, and pointing out 

 spots where murder had been committed, marked by rude 

 wooden crosses, some of them of lath : — 



