Show CHILI AN PLEASURES A Drive to the Palanco and Street Curiosities on the Way AN EQUESTRIAN CABALLERO Country in Which the Presence of a Belated Person Is Announced by a Shrill Whistle CONCEPTION Chili Aug 25Speci a correspondence of THE SUNDAY HEKALD In this country when one desires to take a ride he does not send around to the livery liv-ery stable fQr a vehicle but sallies forth on foot carrying whatever paraphernalia the excursion may require and walks until a birlochero comes along These public carriages car-riages are much like the hacks in common com-mon use at home except that they are built in mro substantial fashion for these roundlypaved roads would soon shake an ordinary coach into kindling wood Hail a passing birlochero and its rider will whirl his rawboned horses two or three times around in the narrow streets grazing the houses on either side to the imminent peril of pedestrians j for he considers that a deal of noise flourish and whip cracking are needed to do proper honor to the occasion Having satistled his conscience in that regard and brought his foaming steeds to a standstill you clamber in and are whisked away pell mell over the stones at a pace that maybe may-be truly termed a spanking one for you are bounded against the top like a rubber ball and hurled into your neighbors arms with force enough to fracture thinly cushioned ribs bonnets battered hats knocked off but you may be consoled by the reflection that you are riding for pleasure pleas-ure and that this heroic exercise is GOOD FOIl GARLIC1MPAIHED DIGESTION Hereabouts the favorite after dinner drive is to a suburban pleasure garden called the Polanco which is much frequented fre-quented by all classes of society The place in itself has no attractions but there are few ways of varying tho monotony of life in Chilo and the human species are like sheep the world over you know in following the lead of a bellwether When first arrived in this part of the country wo used to carefully explain to our coachmen that we were strangers in the land and desired de-sired to be shown the most beautiful and entertaining sights We found the cocheros obliging fellows always delighted with the mission and proud to exhibit home institutions institu-tions but unfortunately their ideas of the beautiful differed greatly from our own The first Jehu drove us straight to the slaughterhouse and throwing wide the door triumphantly invited us to enter and view the whole process of killing and dressing Having declined that amusement amuse-ment to his infinite surprise and disappointment he drove next to the big hospital where legs and arms are sawed galore and where a vast array of amputated sores and tumors and monstrosities are set forth in glass bottles Finding us still not agreeably agree-ably diverted even by this gruesome display dis-play which possesses extraordinary fascination fas-cination for the lowclass Chilono he spent the remainder of the afternoon driving driv-ing sulkily up and down the same streets evidently ruminating upon TOE STUPIDITY OF GIUXGOES Another cochero delegated with the same mission made a beeline to the almshouse alms-house another carried us at once to tho penetertary and another to the poor little cemetery At last we luarned that Con cepcion has no sights even her churches being too now to be interesting and now on our afternoon drive we give the unvarying un-varying order Vaya al Palanco go to the pleasure garden One is sure to encounter en-counter many novelties en route and the streets are a lively panorama slow moving butknlaidoscopic of unfailing interest to the foreigner For example there is a I graybearded dignified Guaso mounted on a fine horse with his fat wife behind him Ho is topped by a broadbrimmed hat the rest of his person enveloped in a bright hued poncho or native blanket with a silt in the centre through which he I thrusts his head while she wears a purple cotton gown a scarlet shawl and a mans hat of Panama straw The horses bridle is plated with silver and on the saddle are piled live or six shaggy pillows pil-lows of woolen cloths which almost cover his thighs The rollers of Guasos spurs are without exaggeration as large as ordinary or-dinary tea plates from six to eight inches across and often heavily plated with silver sil-ver His stirrups are made of a block of oak elaborately carved and hollowed inside in-side say ten inches high by nine inches in diameter for a moderate size each weighing weigh-ing four or five bounds forming A COMPLETE PROTECTION for the feet when passing through mud mountain bushes and rocky defiles Atone At-one side of the middle is fastened a coiled lasso made of twisted hide about as thicK as your thumb fifty or sixty feet long with a slipnoose at the end The Guaso is never wiuhout his lasso and the skill with which he can use it is amazing If he wishes to capture an animal that may be running off at full speed he takes the coil in his right hand urges his horse to a mad gallop and whirling the lasso to give it momentum hurls its loop with unerring un-erring aim around the neck horns or legs of the animal with as much ease and accuracy as a skilled baseball player sends his ball The horse is so trained that the instant the lasso leaves his riders hand he stops and braces himself to bear the strain of the struggling animal Chilians of the Guaso class are bred to this exercise from infancy and every ragamuffin urchin old enough to toddle is forever trying practis ing his art on poultry dogs cats and other small animals tnat come in his way with the same diabolical persistency that the gamin of Peru and Bolivia shy stones out of slim at passersby and Patagonian boys degree less civilized SHOOT THEIR BONETIPPED ARROWS Hurrying on toward the Polanco we meet and pass other birlocheros all tilled with chattering and smiling Chilenos drunken sailors come over from the port of Talca huana to paint the town galloping the streets at breakneck speed knowing little about horsemanship and caring loss and peons seated on the rear end of little donkeys carrying before them huge panniers pan-niers of fruits and vegestables Every street corner is occupied by a ragged exile from sunny Italy with hand organ and monkey grinding out music to the delighted de-lighted populace These troubadouring nuisances are more fortunate hero than in the far north for in Chili they are never routed by the police but are actually paid by the authorities Here comes a peon with a long pole over his shoulders from which dangle bunches of tallow candles which he sings in a musical voice with many vans tions of inflection velos desabo tallow candles aqui son velos de sebo voles de seboo Behind him comes another bare footed citizen carrying an armful of country brooms each being merely a bundle bun-dle of broomcorn tied around the end of a rough stick We pass no end of merchants mer-chants male and female seated on the ground with broad shallow baskets before them containing CAKES AND DULCES FOR SALE or charcoal pots over which garlicseasoned tomales are sizzling in grease Others have gay feather dusters made from ihe plumage of Patagonia ostriches and tho stock of trade of one or two are elegant robes of guaaaco skins a fine soft fur of mingled canarycolor i uff and white brought from down toward the Straits of Magellan and hero used for footrugs in winter time Now and then one is so fortunate for-tunate as to encounter an itinerant comer ciante with some of those splendid robes mate of the breasts of ostriches covered with gray and white feathers from four to six inches long which are prepared by the Patagonian Indians I have supceeded In capturing a beauty about three yards square which was originally intended to be worn as a dress by the favorite wifa of I o c a Patagonian chief These feathery skins wear as well as furs and nothing can be so beautiful for sofa coverings carriage robes or rugs Arrived at the Polanco we find tbe Chilian caballeros gentlemen out in full force on their pricing nags exhibiting horsemanship of which they have good reason rea-son to be proud In this country horses are seldom broken to harness all the teaming and hauling being done by oxen The gear of the Chilian gentlemans saddle horse is a most curious and complicated affair The bit is a long heavy flat piece of iron which rests on the horses tongue and 1 presses against the roof of his mouth At each end is a hole through which is passed a long iron ring about four inches in diameter diame-ter which encircles the lower law At each side of the mouth is placed another iron ring to which the reins are fastened The entire mouth rigging weighs about five enough pounds to and i suddenly jerked is powerful toTnEAI BREAK ANY ANIMALS JAW The reins are made of finely braided hide or horsehair and are joined together when they reach the pommel of the saddle terminating ter-minating in a long lash called a chicote at the end of which is a small piece of lead usually hidden in a handsome tassel When not in use the chicoto hangs down the flank of the horse often dragging on the ground Its load of lead is usually heavy enough to furnish a weapon of offense and defense as formidable as a slung shot and the poor horse is beaten unmercifully with it These soft voiced mild mannered and excessively polite Chllenos are as cruel to beasts as to men Horses are so cheap that even beggars may ride A good native broncho can be bought for 55 and the owner knows no mercy The beasts are driven until they drop and then fresh ones are subjected to the same treatment No care is taken to protect domestic animals or to make them comfortable Although the winters in this latitude are cold to the degree of ice and snow stables for horses and cattle are unknown When their days labor is done they are turned into a corral or a pasture or the street to seek their own food and every year thousands thous-ands of them DIE FROM OVERWORK AND STARVATION I have seen a number of fancy bits made of solid silver and bridles plated with gold with reins made of golden wire Se ora Cousifio the wealthiest widow in South America has one that is said to have cost 25UO Those costing 1000 or more aro common in Santiago The Chilian saddle is even more queer and complicated than the bridle First half a dozen sheepskins are piled one above another on the horses back a leather strap is passed around them and firmly secured Then comes a sort of skeleton saddle or rather a piece of wood cut into the shape of a saddletree with a cautle at each end On top of this are piled any number of sheepskins or i the owner is rich enough rare and costly furs furnish the seat which is called the montura The four corners are fastened down by broad leather straps ornamented with silver or brass buckles to enable the rider to wedge himself in and the whole is bound arouna the horse with a broad band of canvass or leather Some wealthy equestrians have a highpommelled saddle like those of the Mexicans which is covered with silver and stamped on top with the owners coatofarms In Chili it is distinctly understood that the amount of silver on a mans riding outfit INDICATES HIS STATION IN LIFE and naturally there is a good deal of competition com-petition in that direction among the swell cabelloros While the poor mans stirrup is a rude affair hewed by hand out of a block of wood as above described his aristocratic aris-tocratic neighbor uses one quite as heavy but much more ornamental made of brass or silver usually in the shape of a slipper Those designed for ladies are often made of solid silver beautifully chased and are a favorite gift English manufacturers are able to produce these equestrian adornments adorn-ments so much cheaper than the native workmen who have no laborsaving machines ma-chines that nearly all are now imported When the rider is settled in the saddle his legs are entirely concealed by the furs and sheepskins I going on a journey he wears on his back a poncho which bears no closer resemblance to that of the Guaso than does the rest of his outfit I is about the size of the rubber rub-ber blankets used in the United States and is woven of vicuna hair or lambs wool which keeps the wearer cool by day for the suns rays cannot penetrate it and warm by night I answers as well lor an umbrella as for an overcoat and HhpHa the rain better than rubber becausotho oil has not been extracted from the wool The vicuna the Andean goat is yearly becoming becom-ing more scarce and nowadays a good 5oucno made of its hair is as rare as a camels hair shawl which it somewhat resembles re-sembles and is worth from S150 to 500 Thus you see that a tully equipped saddle horse for a Chilian caballero with silvea spurs vicuna poncho gold or silver mounted saddle and bridle etc represents an investment of 45000 or more I is considered THE HEIGHT OF VULGARITY among the aristocrats to use modern English En-glish saddlery and new ponchos for in their families these almost indestructible articles have been handed down from gen oration to generation growing more valuable valu-able with age and usage Returning to the city in the twilight wo notice that each squatting street merchant has lighted a tin lantern and will doze over his wares until bedtime The police aro being detailed de-tailed to theirjdiffercnt beats for the night They are divided into two forces the vigilantes vigi-lantes who preserve order duringthe day and the Serenos who watch by night Some are mounted and all ara armed with sabres and uniformed in coarse blue cloth At daylight the vigil atnes march to their beats and are author ized to arrest anyone who violates the pub lie peace or decency and to see that the streets are kept clean and orderly In street encounters with the drunken and turbulent they use their sabres with intent to hurt but in regard to decency and clean liness they are not the most efficient cLan censors cen-sors beingignorant of what these qualities qualtes really are One vigilante is usually placed at the intersection of every two streets and at twilight THE SERENOS to their relief On no account is a sereno allowed to leave his beat until a comrade has responded to his whistle A householder house-holder may send him in greatest haste to call a priest or physician but i either reside re-side outside of his particular district he must pass the message along through his next comrade A part of his duty is to examine ex-amine the streetdoors of the houses and if they are not properly secured to notify i residents After 10 oclock ho cries the hours f throughout the night in a pro longed sing song tone and the presence of a belated person is announced by a shrill whistle sounding from sereno to sereno to put all on the alert Near the garden we cross a wide deep sewer now nearly dry but which is a raging torrent during part of the year It is called an estero and is flanked on one side by rows of adobe pulporias where they sell the liquors of the country and despatchos where all sorts of meats fruits and vegetables vege-tables are to be had Thn sidewalks sire unpaved and all the doors stand wide open disclosing dim and filthy interiors whose floors of earth are always a little lower than the streetwhere unwashed uncombed and vermininfested buyers and I sellers are chaffing together halfnaked children roll around among pigs dogs and chickens and GREASYLOOKING WOMEN are seated on the ground twanging guitars And oh the dogs They are the pets of the cityor all kinds and colors from the tiny white Lueia poodle a parlor pet which is washed and brushed every morning to homely mongrels of every aspect and vicious propensities They prowl about the streets and sleep in doorways and hundreds that have no masters gather their food by night from the city offal One day to our horror a donkey fell dead in front of our door We wondered why tho authorities did not immediately remove the carcass but their negligence was explained ex-plained when a horde of half famished dogs pounced upon it and in a few hours no trace of the deceased animal remained FANNIE B WARD |