NOTICES OP PERU. 219 



polists are bound under a heavy penalty to keep the city sup- 

 plied with it; if they are found without it for twenty-four 

 hours, their charter becomes null. Malignant persons have at 

 times made a run on the company, and when the stock was 

 exhausted, informed the government, in order to gain one-half 

 of the fine. Therefore it is difficult to obtain a considerable 

 quantity at a time, for they will never sell to any individual 

 more than one or two reals' worth. 



In the centre of the plaza, here and there, are glimmering 

 lights and fires. Men and women are seated around the fresco 

 tables, as they are termed, partaking of the various refresh- 

 ments. The saya y manto has disappeared, but the ladies still 

 hide their faces, by wearing a shawl over the head. Here an 

 old negress, with long bony arms, shining in grease, with 

 scarce tatters enough to conceal her limbs, squats over a copper 

 pan of boiling lard, in which fritters are cooking. A long stick 

 serves her all the purposes of a fork for turning the cakes, and 

 when she cannot see, it is first dipped into the fat, then into 

 the fire, and is at once converted into a torch. There, another 

 sybil of the same deep complexion and garb, sits upon the 

 ground, stretching her neck silently over a pan of frittering, 

 crackling fish, while a half dozen negroes are stretched out 

 about her, resting upon an elbow, eating from a gourd plate. 

 The uncertain glare which dapples these groups, gives to them, 

 at first sight, something of that appearance which the imagina- 

 tion attaches to Hades. In another spot sits a bare headed ne- 

 gro, in big breeches, making barquillos. He has three or four 

 irons, like those for waffles, arranged in a bed of hot coals, 

 and a copper pan of batter, by his side. He pours a spoonful 

 on one of the irons, from which he has just removed a barqui- 

 llo, and places it in the fire. Then taking the iron furthest to 

 his left, he opens it, and scrapes round the edges with a knife; 

 he turns the wafer-like cake upon his palm, and rolls it round 

 a stick, which is removed by a slight jerk of the hand, and 

 falls to the ground, leaving the barquillo like a sheet of lightly 

 rolled paper. Both hands are now wiped on the full part of his 

 dirty breeches, and the iron is again set in motion. These 

 cakes are made very rapidly. They are eaten with ices and 



