348 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



easily taken by the bait. If Jack only spies his own bunting in 



the picture, it is enough, and he seldom cares to notice any- 

 thing further. 



When we called on the captain of the port, we were courte- 

 ously received by his lady, who appeared at the door, smoking 

 a cigar. We found in the room a very pretty collection of 

 books, which is quite an unusual sight in these places. It con- 

 sisted mostly of novels; amongst them were translations of 

 Ivanhoe, the Talisman, two cantos of Byron's Don Juan, 

 Pranklin's works, and several treatises on marine and military 

 tactics. 



Islay is at present quite gay, and presents as busy a scene as 

 may be imagined, for a place containing no more than eight 

 hundred or a thousand inhabitants. There is a number of fami- 

 lies here from Arequipa, where, at this season, I am told it is 

 disagreeable and unhealthy. The ladies are amusing themselves 

 in this inhospitable-looking place, by bathing, and promenad- 

 ing the hills. To judge from the specimen here, the Arequipe- 

 nas are rather pretty : they are remarkably small, and have 

 black eyes, clear skins, fine hair, and dear little feet ! 



When we returned to the boat, we found the whole world 

 assembled round a seal that had been just shot, and laid on the 

 bridge before mentioned. The governor and the captain of the 

 port, with their ladies, were amongst the crowd. The news of 

 the phoca ran through the town, and curiosity soon brought 

 all the ladies in the place around it. They took this opportuni- 

 ty of seeing the progress made in removing the stones from a 

 spot, surrounded by perpendicular rocks, which is intended for 

 a bathing place. Some of the ladies were finely dressed, and 

 wore beautifully embroidered shawls, and large filigree combs, 

 with the hair tastefully supported by them ; others were in dis- 

 habille, with red baize shawls over the shoulders, and the hair 

 plaited in two braids, hanging down the back, and some wore 

 round hats of Manila or Guayaquil manufacture. All were scru- 

 pulously nice about the feet. They were cased in silken hose 

 and white satin shoes, which did not seem exactly adapted to 

 the dust and rocks of the streets. When they turned up the 

 hill towards the town, we could not but admire the turn of 



