In the afternoon we strolled about the garden, and looked at the farm
and stable, and were shown the probable winner of one of the prizes at
the forthcoming race-meeting. In the cottages on the estate some
specimens of _minaque_ lace were offered to us--a lace made by most of
the peasants in this part of the country. It varies considerably in
quality, from the coarse kind, used for covering furniture, to the
finest description, used for personal adornment It is very cheap,
wears for ever, and strongly resembles the _torchon_ lace, now so
fashionable in Paris and London for trimming petticoats and children's
frocks. The women also spin, dye, and weave the wool from the fleece
of their own sheep into the bright-coloured ponchos universally worn,
winter and summer, by the men in this country. These ponchos are not
made of nearly such good material as those used in the Argentine
Republic, but they are considerably gayer and more picturesque in
appearance.
After dinner, there was nothing to do except to stroll about the town
and buy photographs. They are extremely good in Chili--both views and
portraits--but proportionately dear, the price being double what would
be charged in London or Paris for the same thing.
[Illustration: Waiting for the Train, Chili.
Pages:
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229