LOS BAGNOS. 
247 
grotesque, as to tax our risibility very severely in avoiding to 
offend him by our mirth. Imagine a figure little more than five 
feet high, having a large head with black hair, projecting forehead 
with a wart in the centre that looked like the budding of a horn, 
pig’s eyes, flat nose, expanded nostrils, wide mouth and thick lips, 
dressed in an old-fashioned suit of black cloth, without stockings, and 
his shirt hanging below his knees, rushing out wild with astonishment, 
and only answering with grins the questions put to him. When the 
excess of surprise was passed, he walked successively round each of 
the party, viewing him narrowly from head to foot, but at length was 
motioning us to be seated, when he found fresh occasion for astonish- 
ment. Mr. Griffith, the chaplain to the Embassy, had entered the 
room with a double-barrelled gun in his hand, and was now intro- 
duced as a brother clerigo. A protestant clergyman was, no doubt, 
in himself an object of great curiosity to one brought up in the 
extreme of bigotry, but a clergyman with a double-barrelled gun 
seemed to disturb all his notions of ecclesiastical propriety. He im- 
mediately went up to Griffith and examined him with great delibera- 
tion, walked round him again and again, and did not recover himself 
till repeated requests for refreshment induced him to depart. He soon 
re-appeared with shoes and buckles, and his shirt properly adjusted, 
and calling loudly about him, brought out one of his female associ- 
ates, a very striking contrast to himself. With some of his peculi- 
arities of physiognomy, she was tall, thin, and withered, decorated 
with crucifixes and other ornaments, and might have illustrated 
Smollett’s description of the Indian wife of Lismahago. She had 
more self-possession than her friend, and speedily supplied us with 
some delicious chocolate, the famed produce and preparation of the 
island. Having drunk it, large glasses full of the coldest water that 
could be procured was, according to the custom of the country, 
handed to us. As the chocolate is taken very hot, a draught of cold 
water after it is a great luxury, and according to local report, very 
wholesome. 
On visiting the hot springs we found several of them situated 
