32

PLEASING SCENE.

right hand gently upraising her left breast, she held it out in its full exuberance, alluring the boy, and saying, "Come see here, Bernardo !" as when a delicious peach or ripe cherry is presented to tantalize a child. The urchin immediately came running in, and, standing on tiptoe, with outstretched neck and lips elongated with eagerness, endeavoured to reach the proffered gift, which his mother enabled him to do by a slight inclination towards him; then with a gentle pressure of her hand upon the azure veins that swelled the yielding marble, she assisted Nature's mellifluent stream through its ruby channel, until the boy, with a breathless "Hah!" such as usually follows a hearty draught, withdrew satisfied, and scampered off to continue his play in the court. The boy was three, years of age, and his appearance did ample justice to this occasional sustenance from the maternal fount. I smiled, and the mother smiled when she saw me smiling, for there are few women who are not conscious of their charms; but although there certainly was much to admire in the full and uninterrupted view of love's elysium, which neither men nor gods can look on with indifference, yet my smile was mistaken, if it was imagined that it was excited by any thing more than the novelty of seeing

AFFECTION FOR CHILDREN.

33

a grown boy run to his mother as to a fountain to satisfy his thirst.

It has appeared to me, though probably it is not actually the fact, that in South America parents are more fond of, more doating upon, their children, than in any other country that I have been in; and there is one general practice which supports this idea, that of a newly-married couple being seldom permitted, however ample their means, to leave the house of their fathers to set up a separate establishment. The bride is either taken to the family of her husband, and with all her increase becomes a member of it, or the husband goes to that of his bride, where, if he thinks fit, he may take up his abode for life. I am aware that there are exceptions to this practice, particularly in Buenos Ayres, since its free communication with Europeans, and the consequent refinement of society; it is, nevertheless, very general throughout the country, and is grounded on the reluctance with which parents separate from their children.

34

DEPARTURE FROM ORURO.

CHAPTER II.

Departure from Oruro. Perplexity. Sudden flash of thought. Welcome in the houses of the Clergy.-Chicha. -Certain prejudices.-Scene in a Dormitory.-Bloom of youth and decrepitude of age.—A splendid and imposing scene at sunrise. - Chimborazo not the highest of the Andes.

AFTER such a journey as that to Oruro, two days' rest will scarcely be considered an unreasonable indulgence either to man or horse; at the expiration of that time, having laid in a stock for the road, I put my cavalcade in motion, and, on the 16th of September, set out to return to Potosi. I had proceeded about a mile from Oruro, when I met the courier, who delivered to me a packet of letters, which he had been directed to keep at hand, in the expectation of meeting me, according to directions given to that purpose when I left Potosi.

BARON VON CZETTRITZ.

35

Among the letters there was one from our chief miner, Baron von Czettritz, at La Paz, stating that, notwithstanding what I had written to him on the necessity of stopping all farther expenses in acquiring mines for the Company, he thought it his duty to follow the instructions previously given to him by the chief commissioner; and, in conformity with them, he now requested that I might send him funds. forthwith, it being his intention to set out in a few days from La Paz, to inspect a gold mine and another of quicksilver, which had been recently offered to him, under circumstances so very advantageous that, if upon inspection they turned out equal to report, he would secure them for the Association. This intimation induced me to suppose, either that the baron was still ignorant of the change which had taken place in our circumstances; or that, being, as he really was, somewhat captious on the subject of his rank as chief miner, he was unwilling to condescend to acknowledge himself subordinate to the directions of any one except the chief commissioner, and therefore declined obedience to my injunctions to cease from all speculations. The "Señor Secretario" might, by possibility, be a great man in his own department, and might probably understand

36

NOTHING LIKE LEATHER.

mending pens, but he had no knowledge of mining, and could have no control over the Baron Herrmann von Czettritz. "There is nothing like leather" would be a very fit motto for many persons. High as was the baron's estimation of the arts and sciences, and of knowledge in general, it was far surpassed by that in which he held mines and mining. The foregoing remark might be thought to savour a little of jealousy on my part, were I to conceal that this very intelligent gentleman was as zealous in the performance of his duty towards his employers as any individual in the Association; and no one had a higher opinion than myself of his prudence and judgment in what might, or might not, be advantageous to its interests. This opinion, on the present occasion led to the following soliloquy.

"The state of glorious uncertainty in which the Directors have placed us, with respect to our future proceedings, makes caution doubly necessary; for, in the event of our operations being continued, and of my opposing and preventing that which competent persons may hereafter prove would have been of infinite advantage, I necessarily expose myself to censure. Again, in the event of the speculation being abandoned, if I incur expenses which, in conse