•YAILE^MVlSISSinnf-
Gift of the
HONORABLE HIRAM BINGHAM
YALE 1898

A WOMAN'S WINTER IN
SOUTH AMERICA

ML'

MRS. CHARLOTTE CAMERON

A WOMAN'S WINTER
IN SOUTH AMERICA

BY
CHARLOTTE CAMERON

WITH 37 ILLUSTRATIONS

BOSTON
SMALL, MAYNARD &f COMPANY
Publishers

TO CAPTAINS FOUR
AND
A CONSUL-GENERAL
IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF KINDNESS
AND COURTESY
Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.

Captain Farmer

.

. Aragon

Captain Hayes

.

. Orita

Captain March

. Chile

Captain Trigge

•

. Magdalena

and

TO

Alexander Finn, Esq.,
H.M. Consul-General in Chile

The Author is indebted to "The Car" for kind
permission to reprint the article with illustrations
of the Panama Canal (page 212), and also begs to
take this opportunity of thanking many kind friends
whose photographs she has included in this work.
In this connection she would particularly mention
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company.

CONTENTS

Vigo . 23
Lisbon 26
Off Brazil 32
Pernambuco 35
Bahia 41
Rio de Janeiro 43
Santos . 57
The End of the Voyage 63
Buenos Aires . . 67
Story of Fifty Dollars 79
Restaurants. Buenos Aires 81
Palermo . 89
Hints as to Clothing 96
Reflections on Mr. W. 100
Montevideo . 103
A Bull-Fight . 108
A Woman's Transandine Tour 118
Valparaiso 130
West Coast 136
Coquimbo 140
Antofagasta 143
Iquique 150
Arica 154
n

Contents

mollendo
The Land of the Incas
CallaoLimaUp the Coast
SalaverryPanama
Tivoli Hotel
Panama City
The Canal
Gatun Dam
ColonAt Sea — Caribbean
Cartagena Porto Colombia — Barranquilla — Bogota
Puerto Cabello
TrinidadBarbados Political
The Azores
Reflections
Practical Notes — Money
British West Indies .
Wardrobe Medicines
Stewards and Stewardesses — Tips
DeportmentHotels

PACE 157
159
168173
188
189194198
205212
224229 232
234240
247
255263
270276282284285286
288289290
292

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Mrs. Charlotte Cameron . . Frontispiece
Reference Map 19
Salon de Luxe, R.M.S.P. Co.'s "Aragon" . 37
Deck Scene, "Aragon" . 37
Dining Saloon, "Aragon" 55
Street Scene in Barbados 55
La Pas . . 73
Santos Harbour . 73
A Typical Central American Port 91
Naval College, Rio de Janeiro . 91
Transandine Scenery . . 91
Corpus Christi Procession at Bogota 109
Los Incas, Greatest Height of the Transan
dine Railway 109
The Oldest Catholic Church in South America 127
Spanish Monoliths . . 127
Temple to the Sun God, Tiahuanacu 127
Ancon Hill Hospital, Panama . 145
Lives Given for the Panama Canal 145
Incas Ruins . . . 163
Cantilever Crane, Panama Canal 163
Sacrificial Altar of the Incas . 163
13

List of Illustrations

Incas Gods . . . . .
Modern and Ancient in the Land of the Incas
Statue of Christ on the Summit of the Andes
Tivoli Hotel, Panama .
Machinery, Panama Canal
Map of the Panama Canal
The Henley of Buenos Aires
Public Gardens, Rio de Janeiro
Machinery, Panama Canal
Street in Barranquilla
Bay of Rio de Janeiro .
Governor's House, Trinidad
Street in Barbados
R.M.S.P. Co.'s "Aragon"
Col. Goethal's Inspection Car, Panama Canal

PAGE 181181 181 199
199
217
235 235
235253
253253253271
271

14

A WOMAN'S WINTER IN
SOUTH AMERICA
Thinking of the inconvenience of trans
planting myself and baggage from Hamp
stead to Waterloo, when London is encased
in a cold November fog, I soliloquised that
it would be far more comfortable, especially
as I was travelling alone, to jog down to
Southampton the afternoon before my ship
sailed. The special train conveying the mass of
the passengers for the s.s. Aragon, of
the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., whose
destination is Buenos Aires, leaves Water
loo at 9.28 a.m. With tons of luggage and
hundreds of people eager to guard their
possessions, the event of departure in the
early freezing morning is not altogether
pleasant. I decided to come down com-
15

A Woman's Winter in South America
fortably by an afternoon train and put up
at the South Western Hotel, a hostelry
that perhaps during the Boer War saw
more sad partings and happy meetings than
most inns of England. The dinner was
excellent, and my sitting-room and bed
room cosy. During dinner my curiosity
was excited as I picked out different groups
who I judged might be fellow -shipmates
for my long journey. Occasionally a few
Spanish words are wafted towards me, and
I realise I must study my Spanish books,
as the language will be most useful in
South America.
The porter tells me that I need have
no care for my big luggage as the South
Western Railway people lock the vans and
put everything on board early in the morn
ing. This appears to me a great blessing,
as under the circumstances I can simply
take my small baggage, go to the ship by
ten, unpack my cabin effects, explore my
surroundings and learn the general bear
ings, and be lazily leaning over the rail
16

A Woman's Winter in South America
watching the passengers frantically hurry
ing on board from the " Special."
There was a dense fog in which South
ampton and the docks seemed trying to
hide, this winter morning, as I climbed
into my cab very much crowded up with
small baggage. Proceeding slowly towards
the docks, we finally arrive, and the
huge black-and-white sides of the Aragon
become visible. I board the ship, where I
find everything quite prepared. It reminds
me of a reception where the hostess has
conscientiously thought out every detail
and takes her position to receive the first
guest. Stewards in attractive uniforms of
dark blue, with deep collars and cuffs in
red, are standing about expectantly. One
takes possession of myself and belongings,
and conducts me along the passage where
all the cabin doors are hooked back, spick-
and-span, awaiting the occupants.
Curiosity compels me to glance into the
cabins de luxe; here everything is indeed
splendid, and the most exacting could not
17

A Woman's Winter in South America
fail to be comfortable. They resemble a
self-contained flat in town — a large bath
room, a sitting-room furnished in French
style, and a commodious bedroom with two
brass bedsteads, many fitted wardrobes, with
drawers and mirrors everywhere. Alas !
they are not for me : I follow my steward
along the corridor to my small, single cabin.
After a short period of commotion in which
passengers rush about as if mad, the ship
backs away from the dock, handkerchiefs
flutter, good-byes are shouted, and our
excellent band strikes up "Oh no, vous
n'aimez me pas." By a few revolutions of
the screw we are opposite the Edinburgh
Castle, a fine ship going to the Cape. Here
we receive an ovation of cheers. We pass
her, and encounter a troopship whose
appearance does not make us envious.
Now we are in Southampton Water,
cautiously picking our way through the
traffic and fog. One can barely distinguish
the walls of Calshot Castle where Charles I
began his first experience of prison life in

i O BARBADOS
j TRINIDAD

PERNAMBUCO »cer&

• Folk land /s
Strait* of Magellan
M-IERRA DEL FUEGO

Cape Horn REFERENCE MAP

A Woman's Winter in South America
England. Hundreds of gulls seem loth to
leave us ; they circle about, their white
wings looking almost black against the
whiter fog. How easily they have solved
the equihbrium of gravitation between
earth "and sky. If only man in his aero
plane could wrest the secret from the gulls,
conquering the gods of the air, how many
valuable fives would be saved.
We pass across the Solent, and out
through the Needles ; how jagged and
cruel they look, and the siren shrieks not
as it did to Ulysses, to entice and ruin, but
to call them to beware. The usual ship
excitement arrives when every one gathers
to the rails to watch the pilot taken off.
As he climbs alertly down the ship's ladder
a girl at my side says : " Oh ! they're going
to take that gentleman " — gentleman mean
ing the pilot. Obviously this is her first
voyage, and nautical terms she has not yet
acquired. About 9 p.m. we halt off Cher
bourg to pick up the French passengers.
It is very dark. Two tenders slip into place
B 21

A Woman's Winter in South America
on each side of our ship, one bringing
human freight, and the others thousands
of mail-bags and boxes of clothing. Most
of the new passengers are Spanish, French
or Brazilian ; black eyes and hair of an
inky colour predominate. Beside me is a
beautiful girl of that type who might have
posed for Velasquez. The huge lighthouse
off Cherbourg winks gaily at us for an
instant, then it continues the game of peek-
a-boo : long rows of lights like gold-set
stars let us know where the town lies.
This is the sole impression we receive of
Cherbourg as the ship sails out into the
darkness.

22

VIGO
The next port of call is Vigo, and as one
enters the bay, the rocky mountainous coast
and the angry breakers recall the days when
Sir Walter Raleigh visited these waters
capturing much treasure, and burning many
Spanish ships. His Queen Elizabeth, al
though assuming anger, did not object to
accept a portion of the spoils. Many expedi
tions have been fitted out to recover the
wealth of the legendary galleons which were
supposed to have been sunk by the English
raiders in the Bay of Vigo, when " singeing
the beard of the King of Spain," took the
place among gentlemen's recreations that
big-game shooting now occupies.
The Spanish gulls have dark wings edged
with white ; they surround us hungrily, ex
pectant. Vigo is very beautifully situated
on rising heights and crowned by a ruined
23

A Woman's Winter in South America
castle ; they say the excursions in the
environs are charming. It being wet, I
did not land. After picking up the
Spanish passengers, we proceed at dawn to
Portugal. "THE SHARK'S DINNER BELL!"
During dinner a gentleman who had
covered many trails, and who proved to be
a most interesting conversationalist, asked
us if any of our table comrades had visited
Devil's Island — the spot where the sym
pathy of the world was drawn in order to
liberate Captain Dreyfus. None of us had
been to Devil's Island, and our friend pro
ceeded. He told us, in the first place, it
was extremely difficult to obtain a pass to
land. The island is patrolled by boats, the
distance prohibited being quite three miles.
With his permit safe in hand he was allowed
to land. He described the island as being
entirely barren, and the blinding heat and
light dazzling. He saw the white stone
tomb-like prison where Dreyfus was con-
24

Vigo
fined. He said that on that particular day,
when he arrived, three men were to be
guillotined, and they were led out with their
heads covered in a black bag on to a quay.
The first man was placed in position, the
knife descended, and immediately a bell was
rung : a shoot worked, and the body was
shot into the sea. The gentleman went on
to describe that the water here is of a trans
parent blue. At the moment when the bell
sounds the sharks seem to know the call
and quickly assemble. Instantaneously the
water is changed to a dull red. He apolo
gised for telling the story, but added that it
was one of the most sickening sights he had
ever witnessed. After the one victim, he felt
he could not endure more, and fled in horror
from the Devil's Island.

2'

LISBON
As we entered the mouth of the Tagus in
the early morning, the steep, green slopes of
the hills meeting the blue water conveyed a
pleasing impression. The Aragon anchored
off Lisbon, or Lisboa as the Portuguese
write it. We are alongside two gunboats
and a third in process of construction.
They tell us that these two moderate-sized
enemies of peace had shelled the town dur
ing the Revolution ; and from the appear
ance of the palace, where quite two dozen
large gaping holes were visible, certainly
the shells had been effective.
The palace, a hideous edifice of pink
stucco, was being repaired, workmen were
filling up the effects of strife with -plaster,
but the part of the palace where the private
apartments were situated had evidently been
the favourite target ofthe insurgents.
26

Lisbon

But their gunnery had been obviously
bad, and the effect of their projectiles on
the stucco and loose brickwork it covered
had been inefficient to accomplish the
desired damage. On the Avenida, however,
a house belonging to one ofthe Ministers
had been entirely demolished, and the walls
of an hotel emblazoned with bullet marks.
Altogether the scene gave one the im
pression of a half-hearted Revolution, the
actors of which might have been driven into
the Tagus with one royal regiment and a
man to lead it. The new Republican flag is
half red and half green, the same colours as
those of our Rifle Brigade, who may, or may
not appreciate the conveyed compliment.
We also saw the colours worn in knitted
woollen caps of Liberty over many hang-dog
faces, which recalled to mind the tragedy of
" Black Horse Square," and the murder
which initiated this so-called reign of
Liberty. At Belem is the one church worth seeing
in Lisbon. It is a perfectly impressive
27

A Woman's Winter in South America

specimen of baroque Gothic, only to be
compared with the side chapel at Monreale,
Palermo. The historical interest of the
church rests in its containing the tomb of
Tumulo de Vasco da Gama, the discoverer
of the Indies. Adjoining the church is a
school in which eight hundred boys are
being educated for the army. It being the
play-hour, the boys were let loose in the
magnificently carved cloisters. A number
of boys knew a few words of English, and
were greatly elated by improving their
English by fragmentary conversation.
We lunched at the restaurant Tavares,
where we were joined by an English fellow-
voyager who knew his Lisbon well, and was
kind enough to choose some excellent old
Callares, and assist us in ordering some
Portuguese dishes. Cod-fish in our country
is rather tasteless, but at this restaurant,
where it was dressed with soft red peppers,
tomatoes, and other ingredients, it made an
appetising dish. Here they also served a
very good table d'hote luncheon for three
28

Lisbon
shillings and sixpence, which, in the money
of the country, amounts to several hundred
reis. There is a museum at the Church of the
Misericordia, where they show a marvellously
rich collection of priests' vestments worked
in gold and silver thread by the nuns ; also
some wonderful silver-gilt candelabra and
ecclesiastical service. At dinner that night
a gentleman at our table, which was pre
sided over by genial Captain Farmer, re
lated a story he had heard from Spain, viz.
that Alphonso XIII said, "Oh, yes, they
may have a revolution in Spain, and they
may depose me, but they shall feel the
marks of my teeth first."
This seemed very characteristic of the
brave sporting ruler of Spain.
A deplorable misfortune occurred as we
left Lisbon, through the death of our Marconi
operator ; he was a young man of nineteen,
and succumbed to heart failure. He died
last night, and was buried at sea. And now
we are cut off from communication with
29

A Woman's Winter in South America
our sister ships and the shore, for, brilliant
as are the conquests of science, the human
element must step in, and we have no one
to take up the dead man's duty.
The funeral in the tropical darkness,
which falls so suddenly, occurred when most
of the passengers were at dinner, and the
distant notes of the band broke with strange
inappropriateness upon the silent scene on
the after-well deck, where officers, seamen,
stewards, and stokers were drawn up in
their ranks, reverently uncovered to pay the
final honour to their dead shipmate.
The body was borne from the Marconi
room, where he died on duty (and where
silence will reign until our voyage is over),
by sailors with solemn dignity. The red
ensign covered the body — the old flag
which has been the pall for so many bright
hopes, and the beacon for so many high
ambitions. Saddest perhaps amongst the
commander's duties is that of reading the
service for the committal to the sea; but
seldom is a burial more impressive than
30

Lisbon
when conducted by one whose life has been
spent in going down to the sea in ships.
A few scattered passengers on the bridge
looked down upon the reverent group of
officers and men on the well-deck, who stood
with bowed heads as the body passed.
The few last words of the Burial Service
from the captain, a sudden slowing down
of the engines, and our dead comrade is
plunged into a grave two thousand fathoms
deep, where legend places the lost continent
of Atlantis.

31

OFF BRAZIL
The shadowy spires of the Cathedral of
Science, the Marconi station at Fernando
de Noronha, 342 miles from Pernambuco,
puts us in communication with Dakar in
the south-west of Africa. The island is a
convict station for the worst criminals of
Brazil; it is most picturesquely situated,
and the first land we have sighted after an
interval of about ten days. The lava form
ation takes weird shapes, especially one
strange unclimbable peak, the lava core of
some vanished volcano. In a few moments
London and Pernambuco will know that
the Aragon has safely passed the Line and
the long stretches of vacantless Atlantic seas
from Lisbon.
They tell me that on the island are
many farms and industries ; the strag-
32

Off Brazil

gling white towns are visible as we steam
past. Later, the effect was fairy-like as the
prison-island faded away in the clasp of the
ceaseless warders.
During our period of crossing from Lisbon
to South America the usual deck sports,
fancy-dress ball, and concert kept the
passengers from ennui. The committee
were indefatigable in their efforts, which
were entirely successful, and their vote of
thanks was gratefully and heartily given.
On the night of the fancy-dress ball many
beautiful and original costumes were worn.
The lady who deserved and received the
first prize represented the accessories of the
toilet table.
Her costume was pale blue, the head
dress took the form of a huge powder-puff
of swansdown. On her gown hung decor
ated mirrors, sheafs of emery boards, tiny
rouge-pots, and booklets of papier poudre
tied with ribbons.
Boy scouts, stokers, chefs, Japanese and
sailors made their habitual appearance and
33

A Woman's Winter in South America
danced gaily on the ballroom deck, which
was tastefully decorated with Chinese lan
terns and international flags, to the ex
cellent music of the Aragon's band.

34

PERNAMBUCO
On December 8th, at noon, we anchored
off Pernambuco. The weather was hot, and
one wished one could send a few hours of
this blessed sunshine home td our friends in
England, who are perhaps suffering from
colds, bronchitis, and all lung infirmities.
As a rule, the sea is extremely rough here,
and the landing dangerous ; but to-day it is
calm, although a strong underground swell
rocks the flotilla of launches, barges, and
row-boats as they come tumbling across
the water to us. We lie about two miles
from the shore. The sea is of a lovely tur
quoise, translucent ; and the shore is flat and
fringed with cocoanut palms.
One of the dangers of these waters is the
sharks ; they abound in great numbers, and
should one be unfortunate enough to fall
into the sea he is immediately seized and
35

A Womaris Winter in South America
devoured. There was great excitement
when a rumour floated over the decks that
a shark had been caught aft. We enter
prising English rushed off to see the
sport, where, sure enough, was a shark
struggling for its liberty after having
swallowed a huge hook, some rotten meat,
and a few yards of chain.
A tug-of-war was formed to " play " the
shark, and after much conjecture as to how
many hundred pounds we had captured,
the manner in which he should receive his
death-stroke was decided by a gentleman
who produced a revolver.
After a battle of an hour and a half, by
some mysterious means Mr. Shark escaped
with the hook and chain. The only satis
faction we had after our long wait in the
broiling sunshine was that we must have
torn out a piece of his " board."
They have a curious way of embarking
the passengers here: a huge, high, round
basket which holds six people is slung by
cranes over the ship's side to the launch
36

SALON DE LUXE, R. M. S. P. CO. 's " ARAGON "

DECK SCENE, " ARAGON "

Pernambuco

below. JThe people stand in the basket
and are hauled on board, whereupon the
straw door is unlocked and the occupants
step out. It is the first time I have seen
this mode of embarkation, which is slow
but decidedly practical, considering the
enemies of these waters, viz. the sharks.
The town of Pernambuco lies low, and is
not particularly interesting. I am advised
not to go on shore as the ship stops only
about two hours in order to land passengers
and cargo, taking on board a consignment
of orchids, sugar, and coffee.
We again pass out to sea, following the
coast. The evenings now are very beau
tiful, the Southern Cross, lying low on the
horizon, is eagerly sought for by those who
have not before seen it. To me it seems
very much overrated. We have a full moon,
and the myriads of stars stand out distinctly,
almost dwarfing the lights on the ballroom
side of the deck, where dancing nightly takes
place. Brilliant phosphorescent lights mingle
C 39

A Woman's Winter in South America
with the white foam in our wake, and
during daylight we see porpoises dash in
and out of the sunlit waves : flying-fish and
a tiny flotilla of dainty nautilus appeared
to-day.

40

BAH1A
Bahia is most picturesquely situated on a
high promontory. There is the lower town
on the quays, a belt of green verdure, and
above, the phantastically coloured buildings
of the upper town. I went ashore in a
native boat, our commander being as
black as a Nubian. We were advised not
to pay until safely delivered back to our
floating home. There is an elevator which
connects the two towns. We did not dare
venture to explore the upper one, as our
time was limited to an hour and a half,
consequently we made our promenade
through the lower. Here the streets were
vilely paved, the odours most pungent;
horrible-looking hairless dogs slumbered
alongside the narrow pavements ; the shops
were filled with all the unattractive rubbish
of Europe, cheap jewellery shops predomi
nating. 41

A Woman's Winter in South America
Cigarettes are, I believe, supposed to be
good here. We went into a dreadful market
hoping to buy fruit, flowers, and pineapples,
which were in season ; but we were obliged
to flee at once: what with the heat, the
rotten meat, and the flies, the air was un
bearable. The buildings are of stucco, all painted in
different colours, and in the cheapest imita
tion of the fourteenth-century Spanish style.
Also there were many in Portuguese tiled
work. This town was far more artistic from
our ship than from closer inspection. The
costumes of the negresses were gay beyond
description — reds, blues, and greens, daringly
blended, appeared to be fashion's favourites.
Altogether I should not advise a second
visit to Bahia. We were content to get
on board, and left our grumbling boatman
counting up his thousands of reis, which
amounted to about 4s. 6d.

42

RIO DE JANEIRO
There are many harbours of great beauty
in the world — the Golden Gate of San
Francisco, Stockholm, Hong Kong, and
Cape Town, for example.
I have seen all except Sydney, which
every one agrees is exceptionally beautiful ;
but the approach to Rio de Janeiro beats
anything I have ever seen, and one's
thoughts revert to history as one pictures
Sebastian Cabot's and other explorers'
amazement when they were confronted
by the almost appalling grandeur of the
sentinel-like mountains, which seem to for
bid entrance to the country.
These mountains rise boldly from the sea
to a height of three or four thousand feet,
the lower half clothed with the greenest of
branches. We steam in and out amongst
the islands and mountains, while a glorious
sunset of flecked golden clouds and deep
43

A Woman's Winter in South America
crimson madder shafts make a picture
unforgettable. The "Sugar Loaf," as the mountain
which overlooks the bay is called on
account of its peculiar shape, makes the
Brazilians feel that they are home again.
We glide up the river, and are surprised to
find a squadron of warships and four of our
cruisers. The captain drops anchor in the
midst of the British ironclads, from which
we overlook a Brazilian Dreadnought and
several cruisers and torpedo-boats. The
Aragon is at once boarded, and we learn
that revolution has broken out: this is
December 12th, 1910. The day before,
the Brazilian Dreadnought had shelled the
island which is close to the town, on which
is located the Naval College. As we look
across the island, we see that much damage
has been done. There is great excitement
on board, and rumours of all kinds float over
the ship. No one is allowed to go on shore,
not even the Brazilians, who had finished
their journey. 44

Rio de Janeiro

The darkness has by this time descended,
and in the distance there is the rumbling
of shots. They say there has been fight
ing in the streets of Rio to-day, and that
several people have been killed. All the
warships are cleared for action, even our
own, and few fights are shown. The air
seems charged with menace.
The commander of the Berwick tried to
warn us by Marconi not to enter the har
bour, but as we had lost our Marconi
operator by death, there was no one to
pick up the message.
The mutineers flashed searchlights, en
deavouring to find any of the cadets who
may be escaping from the island. None of
our boats can go ashore as they might be
fired upon. Rumour says that the English-
built Dreadnought Minas G-eraes, on which
the mutineers killed their captain, and which
cost two millions sterling, has been beached ;
but the next day we found that this was
not true.
The other Dreadnought, the Sao Paulo,
45

A Woman's Winter in South America
is quite close to our ship. Many of the
passengers are extremely nervous, and col
lect in groups discussing the dangers by
which we are surrounded. It is a warm
evening and lemon squashes are in great
demand : much to our consternation the
steward informs us that the lemons have
run out.
There was little sleep on board to-night.
Every one appears loth to retire, as the
mutineers may begin firing at any moment ;
and although on an English ship, and under
the protection of the British warships, we
are also in the line of fire of the Sao Paulo.
Looking over to the city of Rio de
Janeiro, where the lights glimmer, one
wonders what is taking place in the town.
It is beautifully situated, long chains of
light surround the bay and hang in perpen
dicular lines from the hills.
The next morning every one is awake
by dawn, up and dressed, and early on
deck, as some of the wiseacres declare then
they will open the battle. 46

Rio de Janeiro

A notice was put up in the companion-
way that martial law has been declared, and
that although the one hundred and twenty-
five Brazilian passengers would be landed,
English people go ashore only at their own
risk,. The captain advised people not to risk it,
and added that if he received orders to sail
from the warships, he should leave at once,
with cargo, and without coaling, which is
habitual here.
To me it was a great disappointment not
to see Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil,
after having come such a distance; and not
having an interest in the country, the prob
abilities were that I should not travel this
way again.
Being an adventurous spirit, I made up
my mind that I certainly should go ashore,
reasoning that if it was safe to land the
Brazilians I also could land.
Having persuaded two friends, one of
whom spoke Spanish perfectly, we climbed
down the long gangway to the small row-
47

A Woman's Winter in South America
boat waiting below, our friends calling out,
" Be careful you don't get shot."
As they rowed us under the island we
could see many marks of the shells ;
the Naval College has been completely
pierced during the mutineers' bombard
ment, showing daylight from wall to wall,
and many were killed. It will need
much repairing before it will be habit
able. The old Custom House, which is on an
island close by, is a quaint structure of
ancient Spanish architecture.
Upon landing at a pretty square, with a
monument to Columbus, and gardens, we
found very good motor-cars for hire, and
engaged one, proceeding to the Avenida
Central, which reminded me of the Nevsky
Prospect of St. Petersburg, inasmuch as
all the buildings are very handsome and
imposing but with not the least uniformity
of character. Some were of stone and many
of stucco, but some were entirely Eastern
in style, with domes, and others might have
48

Rio de Janeiro

been brought intact from New York and
planted here.
The Post Office, the Beaux Arts, Le
Aqueducto de Sta Thereza (reminding one
of Rome), Palais du President, Theatre,
Opera House, and Municipal Palace du
Government were very finished and archi
tecturally impressive.
After having seen the town, we motored
around the Jardine Public, which is filled
with marvellous tropical trees, crotons, and
unfamiliar flowers. On the lawns of this
park it was interesting to see strange birds
and curious small animals resembling musk-
rats running about in freedom as the squirrels
do in Central Park, New York. They were
delightfully fearless, and crossed the road
repeatedly in front of our motor.
We then proceeded through the resi
dential quarter and along a beautiful drive,
the Avenida Alvear, and the Avenida Beira
Mar, which one rarely sees equalled in any
part of the world.
This wide macadamised road has on one
49

A Woman's Winter in South America
side a promenade, and the other side is
bounded by gardens, palm trees and flowers.
There is a yellow-red flowering acacia tree
here which adds a glorious colour to the
landscape ; this drive is quite five miles
long. We pass the Exhibition Buildings,
glittering in the bright sunshine, and on until
we arrive at the back of the " Sugar Loaf."
It is a most enchanting run. On the way
back we stop at the Botanical Gardens,
which are very fine, comparing favourably
with the famous Spice Gardens of Kandy,
Ceylon. The great sight of Rio de Janeiro is the
cross-shaped avenue of palms, which, like
the nave and transepts of a Norman min
ster, rear skyward an avenue of shade. At
their intersection is a splashing fountain, the
pleasant music of which, ever grateful in
the tropics, sounds as if it were the organ
of this Cathedral of Nature. The vaulting
of these feathering branches, unstirred in
the tropic noon, rises some sixty feet, then
spreads over our heads. Not only the palm
50

Rio de Janeiro

avenue delights us, but hundreds of rare trees,
and clumps of rustling bamboos amid trick
ling watercourses, and green lawns of real
grass make us forget that our motor is
waiting and our stay in the land short.
And so by the route of lovely bays and
placid seas, where there was no sign of revo
lution, we drove back to the Hotel Avenida,
where we lunched. We found the hotel
comfortable : in the salon the furniture was
covered with white cotton, which gave a
pleasing sense of cleanliness and coolness.
The luncheon was very fair : their manner
of serving peeled oranges would have been
perfect had not the German knives failed to
cut them.
I append the list and prices of our lun
cheon, which was served for four people : —

Luncheon .

. 16,000 reis

Wine

. 6,000 „

Perrier

. 600 „

Liqueurs

. 2,400 „

25,000 reis.

51

A Woman's Winter in South America
In the city we saw no signs of the revo
lution ; all was quiet, and the streets were
full of people buying Christmas presents.
Huge stockings filled with novelties and
green paper Christmas-trees trimmed with
tinsel ornamented the windows. Small
groups of soldiers passed occasionally: no
one would have imagined the city was
under martial law. We bought a news
paper in Portuguese, and learnt that a
truce for twenty-four hours had been de
clared ; it was for " Monsieurs les Revolte "
to fire the first shot. We walked through
the Rua Ouvidor, the local Bond Street,
where all seemed prosperous. While at
tea in the restaurant Sao Paulo in the
Avenida Central we saw the first signs
of social strife in the form of a dismal
procession marching through the rain which
had just begun to fall, composed of two
files of depressed-looking soldiers in charge
of two young men wearing straw hats
and well dressed, who looked like gentle
men. 52

Rio de Janeiro

The mutineers demand flogging to be
abolished, and from the barbarous manner
in which flogging is conducted here it seems
they are right, also they ask for more pay
and less work.
When we reached the quay it was rain
ing heavily, and not caring for an open row-
boat, a "son of the soil" extorted two
pounds sterling for a launch to take us back
to the Aragon, and with this last kick
we left the beautiful and prosperous capital
of Brazil in the hands of a weak govern
ment and a mutinous army and navy,
whose schemes of destruction were luridly
laid forth to us by the ship's gossips when
we arrived on board.
I feel it my duty to mention for the
benefit of coming travellers, that the
Corcovado Mountain is considered the
thing to see. I hear the views are wonder
ful, which I can well believe; also that
the Hotel International, which is on the
mountain, is very comfortable. Owing to
the disagreeable circumstances, it was not
53

A Woman's Winter in South America
possible to ascend the mountain. In spite
of all, we weighed anchor shortly after
dinner, and left Rio in its cloud of rumour
and doubts. I was well pleased that I had
ventured ashore, and was delighted with
what I saw of Rio de Janeiro.

54

DINING SALON, R.M.S.T. CO.'S " ARAGON "

3L. w^

/4t&w~

^1 : "...

5. - r^BW|||;JWMH|
'
#Mklri*^
— -
STREET SCENE IN BARBADOS
SANTOS
Next morning we found ourselves in the
river approaching Santos, long famed as
the most deadly port of South America.
The river flows heavily between green-clad
volcanic-looking hills swathed in mists
which hide the more distant peaks of the
higher mountains.
Quay and river are full of traffic with, as
always, the red ensign predominating.
Here we cross our homeward-bound sister
ship, the Avon. From Rio de Janeiro
two Brazilian gunboats ran in our wake,
and as our ship was swinging at Santos,
one of them, the Tamoyo, thought fit to
execute an appalling manoeuvre by run
ning across our bows, her band playing,
and her guns cleared for action. With a
clearance from our moving ship, not more
than three feet away, she completed
D 57

A Woman's Winter in South America
the tactical exercise by sticking herself
upon a mud-Bank. An old R.N. quarter
master observed, a few minutes after we
escaped ramming by our musical friend,
that it reminded him of a procession
of organ-grinders with their monkeys.
Another remarked that he thought the
cook must have been promoted to command
the erratic Brazilian.
The city of Santos lies behind a dull
line of galvanised iron coffee-warehouses.
Stray beans of coffee lie in the mud of its
streets ; the smell of coffee is in the air.
Unhappily it cannot overpower the rich
and fruity smells of the Santos River. As
there was nothing to see in the town except
the eternal Plaza, we took a trip up the Sao
Paulo Railway, taking the purser as
hostage that we should not be left behind
in this Brazilian swamp.
Our special train was clean and elegant :
the seats of cane, with white covers. For
miles we run through mango swamps, rich
with the brilliant green of tropical verdure,
58

Santos
interlaced with large white blossoms — which
I hear are deadly poisonous — and scarlet
crotons. We were fortunate in travelling on a
rainy day, because the gentle and ubiqui
tous mosquito objects to wet his frail and
buzzing wings.
A run on the level brought us to Piassa-
quera, where the engine ahead left us, and
a brake-engine for the mountain railway
was attached behind. We move forward
and are clamped to a steel cable which
worms its way along iron sheaves and
climbs an appalling gradient ; in fact, our
ascent is only eight feet in the hundred,
but the dip of this mechanical switchback
in the event of anything giving way leads
to thought.
Gradually, below buttress mountain-sides,
and over culverts which extend through the
mist into distant forest valleys below, we
climb up the first incline, passing midway a
train of four cars laden with coffee, which
is our balance-weight on the stalwart cable.
59

A Woman's Winter in South America
Getting to the foot of the second incline,
we are gripped by another cable, and so on
up to the summit of the fourth incline.
We are carried through clouds and tunnels
with glimpses of green untrodden forest
where the orchids and the climbers with
the tree-moss blur the outline of unfamiliar
trees, and so we reach Alto de Serra, where
courteous engineers show us over the power
house, clean as a warship's quarter-deck,
where English machinery and English
brains have placed the wealthiest lands
of Brazil in communication with the
world. This is only one of five of the engine
stations on the incline, each identical with
the other, and their ordered and ceaseless
working is a triumph for that science which,
in the words of James Telford, "utilises
the great powers of Nature for the benefit
of man." "The street-bred people," who
talk of the decadence of England, should
note that this wonderful railway was de
signed by Sir Douglas Fox, and carried
60

Santos
out by English contractors with English
material. It is probably, per mile, the most costly
railway in the world. We were told the
cables lasted about thirty-three months,
and are able after that period to take four
times the strain which can be placed upon
them. But still there is a guiding spirit to
this mighty mechanism, and on a plat
form high above the pulsing cylinders we
see the controlling engineer, who, by one
mistake in handling of the levers before
him, could send a train hurling through
brushwood and cloud to the dim valleys
below. After a pleasant wait at Alto Serra
station, where there was a good refresh
ment-room, we took the return journey —
dropping leisurely from the clouds to the
marshes of Santos, where we found sun
shine, and our ship.
In the town we bought a few postcards,
worth about Is. 6d. in England. Here I
was obliged to pay 8s., and the dread of
61

A Woman's Winter in South America
South American extortion is sinking into
my souL
This excursion is arranged by the ship's
authorities, and costs only 10s., which, I
expect, is the cheapest thing I shall enjoy
in this land.
At Santos I regretfully parted from a
dear young friend, a small boy of four,
whose chief amusement consisted in rolling
a top near my chair on deck. The manner
in which he introduced himself was certainly
unique. He said : " I am Thomas Lionel
Johnson, what don't know nofthings."
However, he soon knew where the barber
lived, and where chocolates were plentiful.

62

THE END OF THE VOYAGE
The A ragon, dropping passengers and cargo,
has nearly completed her voyage. We
paused at Monte Video for about three
hours. 1 did not go ashore, as I expect
to return and visit here.
The wide Rio de la Plata, like a huge
inland sea, opens out before us, and to
morrow morning we shall land at Buenos
Ayres, or Aires, as the people of the country
spell it. In the same way with Monte
Video, as our geographies used to name it ;
here they make it all one word, Montevideo.
The sunset was again worthy of splendid
verse and artistic brush, as the river
resembled a shimmering sea of gold, and
the sun, deep crimson in colour, threw
its radiance or afterglow from the west
until the full moon asserted its reign.
The voyage out, on the whole, has been
63

A Woman's Winter in South America
very pleasant as I mentally review the
three weeks' delightful sea trip from South
ampton to Buenos Aires. The ships of
the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. are
very comfortable, the salons in white and
gold with much decoration ; the cabins are
clean and commodious. I feel I must
warn ladies taking passage that on no
account should they be persuaded to take
an inside cabin, for on crossing the Line
one would find it insupportable.
The table is most generous and excellent.
We English people used to grumble that
there was not enough salt in the food, but
the company has many races and tastes to
cater for, and the Brazilians do not like salt,
therefore the absence of its use in the cooking.
Considering the climate and the dearness
of liquid refreshment, perhaps it is just as
well not to tempt thirst, but rather to
diminish it.
I wish to thank jovial Captain Farmer and
his staff for their extreme courtesy and
attention throughout the voyage ; and I can
64

The End of the Voyage

heartily recommend the trip for ladies
suffering from the vagaries of our winter
climate, and for those who, like myself, seek
the sun.
My ticket to Buenos Aires and return to
England cost £62, with £11 extra for a single
outside cabin. This £11 pounds is more
than saved by the comfort therein derived.
There were many weird and fearsome
stories told of the brigandism of the Customs
authorities at Buenos Aires.
We arrived on a very warm morning. As
there were tons of luggage to unload, I
waited on the cool side of the ship until
nearly every one had left, when I descended
the gangway, recovered my eight pieces, and
glanced rather timidly at a Customs official.
To my great satisfaction, he demanded only
one box to be opened, and even then he was
most lenient in his examination, therefore
a worrying " bogey " had been set aside.
There are two forwarding agencies who
handle your baggage and send it to your
hotel. They charge one dollar apiece for
65

A Woman's Winter in South America
large and small baggage alike. I took one of
the " coaches," as they call the cab-victorias,
and drove to the Plaza Hotel, which is
managed by the Carlton and Ritz Co., of
London.

66

BUENOS AIRES
Buenos Aires the day before Christmas, or
Navidad, as the Spanish call it. To me
I cannot realise that to-morrow will be
Christmas Day ; it is about ninety degrees in
the shade. Even the native people acknow
ledge that "to-day it really is hot." But
they add, " We do not get alarmed at the
heat until we see people and horses dropping
in the streets."
As that period has not yet arrived, we
have something to be thankful for. The
climate changes very suddenly, and storms
come up, and immediately with the breeze
there will be a drop in the temperature of
twenty or thirty degrees, and usually, no
matter how hot the day has been, the nights
are cool. The River La Plata, which is
thirty-eight miles wide < at Buenos Aires,
brings a refreshing wind as it rushes on to
the sea. 67

A Woman's Winter in South America
I fear that the belated ones who have not
finished buying their presents will find it
very uncomfortable in the Florida to-day.
In the shops I have never seen more
gorgeous and expensive playthings : there are
toy dogs the size of a Newfoundland, and
Parisian dolls of the size of a child of three.
Many of the Brazilian children's nurses
carried these huge dolls off the ship for the
youngsters at Rio de Janeiro ; and unless you
look directly into the face, you could not be
sure they were not children, as they were
bonneted and arrayed in the same fashion
as their small mistresses.
These dolls are decidedly expensive, and
have elaborate wardrobes ofthe dernier cri of
Paris. It goes to show how wealthy most
of the people are to be able to indulge their
children's fancy to such an extent. In many
of the shop windows are the crfeches holding
the infant Saviour, camels laden with the
wise men of the East, holy villages with
impossible green trees, and standing figures
of the Virgin arrayed in white and blue,
68

Buenos Aires

which are also the colours of the Argentine
Republic. In the jewellery shops these sacred figures
and crosses are set with jewels for pendants
and for the bon chance.
The extravagance of the people here is
noticeable. They are not content simply
with gold purses, but must have them en
tirely covered with jewels as well.
The municipal authorities are most
generous with the electric light in Buenos
Aires, as nearly all the buildings are practi
cally covered with decorative designs. All
public buildings and churches are twined
with them. The large pillars of the cathedral
carry spirals of electric lamps, which also
outline the peristyle above. The effect of a
night's illumination is dazzling.
It is a beautiful city of stuccoed splen
dour, where fortunes are made and lost in a
day, and whose buildings are built for the
present with little eye for the future.
A well-known American writer describ
ing the architecture of Buenos Aires, calls
69

A Woman's Winter in South America
it " Queen Anne in front — Mary Anne
behind." Land which to-day is bought by the acre,
may be sold to-morrow by the metre at many
times its cost. Gambling enters into business
and all transactions of the city. Even the
newspaper boys, after their arduous labours
through a hot day, fling their centavos to
Dame Chance as they sit crosslegged on
cathedral steps, or in dim, back alleys, where
they congregate.
To-day the minds ofthe people are concen
trated upon the Christmas lottery tickets,
which have been selling at a premium of
fifty per cent. The problem of the fool and
his money is easily solved when one learns
that the Argentine Government absorbs
thirty per cent of the subscription for
charity and expenses.
Noon to-day is the most exciting hour
of the year in Buenos Aires. Every holder
of a ticket has a most absurd conception as
to the luck of numbers and their combina
tions. Anything from his years multiplied
70

Buenos Aires

by a hundred to the number on the label of
a bottle of stout will sway him to buy a
ticket. The drawing is perfectly fair, but the
percentage in favour of the bank would
even satisfy the modest demands of the
authorities at Monte Carlo.
The winning number was 4949 — the prize
was £80,000. But the Argentines do not
lose hope and will buy another ticket as
soon as issued. They will be sure to win
the prize — " manana."
The " Assistance Public " of the city is a
model which any European capital could
copy. Last night I saw a man faint in a
restaurant: within a few minutes a pair-
horse ambulance carrying a doctor, with
medicine and all appliances, was on the
spot. At the Central Dep6t, night and
day, are on watch, and ready, horse-ambu
lances, to turn out with the promptitude of
a London fire-brigade.
The prices in this new El Dorado are pro
hibitive to the ordinary European, as practi-
71

A Woman's Winter in South America
cally the smallest sum one handles is a
ragged, pink note, "un peso," whose
nominal value is about Is. 9d. Its real
buying capacity is about that of an English
shilling. From a cab fare to a bottle of
ginger ale the eternal un peso suffices.
On Christmas Day I lunched with some
Spanish and English friends ; it was very
warm. One could not picture the snow and
holly of old tradition. In the afternoon we
drove to Palermo, where a gay, well-dressed
throng of people was circling around the
promenade. Some one suggested tea at a
restaurant close by ; but on arriving there,
instead of the tea, which every one said
would make us more warm, we all agreed
it would be much more palatable if we took
iced champagne. Therefore the party of
eight sat under the shade of the blue gum
trees, and first drank the health of King
George and to his successful coronation,
then to our friends at home. In the even
ing an excellent Christmas dinner was
served at the Plaza Hotel, where all the
72

M:K'

'f&^.-Ai. %. -J-,

i&t&t.'ff > * W-

SANTOS HARBOUR

Buenos Aires

accustomed Yuletide fare was provided.
It was a very warm evening, and the
flowers faded almost as soon as they were
placed on the table. In Buenos Aires it is
difficult to buy flowers in the summer as
they wither immediately.
In the parks and squares crotons are used
principally for decoration. After dinner, we
drove to the Theatro de Verano in the
Palermo, where we listened to a very good
variety concert. Being in the open, the
air was delightfully cool. Later, there was
a display of fireworks.
For the Argentines, although they make
a fete of Christmas, the great day is the 1st
of January, the " Fiesta de la Ano Nuevo."
In contemplation, I shall always review my
first Christmas under the " Southern Cross "
with great pleasure.
After a week spent in Buenos Aires, for a
strenuous traveller and sightseer everything
is repetition, as there are no museums nor
picture galleries. The wealth of the city is
too recent, and most of the people are not
E 75

A Woman's Winter in South America
educated up to fine art, although I believe
there are many small private collections,
and in the Florida one can buy magnificent
objects of art, and the finest workmanship
of the jewellers.
The work-horses of Buenos Aires wear
quite stylish sun-hats, some of yellow-and-
black striped materials, others red and white.
One feels tempted to add a rose or ribbon to
further their jauntiness.
The Congressional Building, situated at
the north end of the Avenida de Mayo, is
yet unfinished, although it has been in the
process of erection for several years, with
an expenditure of thirty millions. However,
the proud Republic of the Argentine adver
tises its possible completion on its twelve
centavo "Centennial" postage stamps. This
edifice of solid stone and steel was a plea
sant contrast, unfinished as it is, to the
mass of stucco mansions and hovels scattered
over the broad area of "B.A.," as the
natives speak of their city. They prefer
the abbreviation. 76

Buenos Aires

What the stranger remarks more than
anything else is the one-story dwelling-
places of the poor, shouldering mansions
which almost aspire to be palaces. The
families of the Argentine follow the Spanish
to a great extent, that is, building the main
portion of the house around an open "patio"
or square , the houses being flat-roofed, of
one story, and without fire-places. In the
winter time, they tell me, it is usual to sit at
table to try to keep warm with great-coats
on, as the south winds blowing across the
ice-fields of Patagonia are much worse and
more cutting than any of the March winds
of our east coast of England.
Doors and windows are useless before
these winds, for the Argentine summer
with its intense heat warps the woodwork
to the extent of several inches; therefore
the draughts may be imagined.
It is quite customary to see a native
family all huddled together muffled up with
coats and shawls round a small oil heating-
stove (just as our Japanese friends cluster
77

A Woman's Winter in South America
round the "ibatchi" in the further East),
trying to think that the smell does not
exist, and that they are perfectly comfort
able in a room measuring 30 feet long by
15 and 18 feet high, carpetless, and with
cold, uncushioned chairs, while a small
reading-lamp flickers weird shadows, which
dance upon the wall.
Of course this will not be the case with
the wealthy householders, who possess all
the luxuries and the last word of comfort
which money can buy.

78

STORY OF FIFTY DOLLARS
It is said that some years ago women
could not walk in the main streets of
Buenos Aires without receiving too much
attention from the male sex. An am
bassador was the guest of the President,
and his wife had received unprovoked ad
miration in her attempts to go shopping
in the Florida. On being asked his opinion
of B.A. by some of the bigwigs present, he
answered as follows : " Your city is ex
tremely beautiful, your public buildings
compare favourably with the capitals of the
world, but why in justice do you allow
your wives and daughters to be insulted
and spoken to by men in your public
streets ? Such an outrage I cannot under
stand." The officials talked it over, and a law was
passed by which, if a man spoke to a
79

A Woman's Winter in South America
woman in the street, she could at once
summon a policeman, give the male person
in charge, and he would be fined fifty
dollars. Now the men do not speak, but they
loiter around you, and, half inarticulate, they
murmur, " 1 wish I had fifty dollars ! "

80

RESTAURANTS. BUENOS AIRES
The " Plaza " is a very good hotel ; it is
splendidly furnished ; the bedrooms have
cold and hot running water, and large
deep closets fitted with electric lights
which turn on as the door opens. This is
indeed a joy for a woman. Nearly every
bedroom has a bath adjoining, which is re
plete with every luxury ; the salons are
beautifully decorated, also the ballroom ; and
the cuisine is excellent. The prices are on
the same scale as the "Carlton" in London:
and sitting in the hall in the afternoon for
tea with music playing, and the chic monde
assembling, one could fancy oneself at home
in the " Carlton." Here it is the custom to
give ices after the tea, which is much
appreciated in this month of the year.
January is considered the hottest month.
Now the people begin to leave town for
81

A Woman's Winter in South America
their country houses, or " estancias," and the
seaside. "Camp," they call the country,
taken from "campo," the old Spanish word.
One thing that strikes the tourist is the
peculiar manner of calling the attention of a
waiter. The men press their lips, and make a
sound such as one would imagine a serpent
does before striking ; its nearest mode of
spelling I should put down as "whysstt."
Some have the knack of prolonging the call ;
at any rate the waiters, or " mozos," recog
nise, and it is effective.
There are many restaurants and cafes of
the first class in Buenos Aires comparing
favourably with all European resorts.
The restaurant of the " Paris " is a huge
salon decorated prettily in the nouveau
art style. One whole side consists of plate-
glass windows, each one measuring fifteen
feet in length, which can be opened or
closed as weather permits. And one can
watch the life of the Avenida de Mayo as
one does on the boulevards of Paris.
You can dine very well here at about
82

Restaurants. Buenos Aires
12s. a head, or six pesos native money. I
append one dinner :
Cold meats assorted (" fiambres "), with
Russian salad, which they invariably serve
in lieu of hors d'oeuvres, and very sensible
it is for the country.
Pejere, Mar del Plata, a delicious fish of
these waters, resembling our sole ; it is fried
in a light batter, and served hot and dry.
Next a "puchero," a native dish, made of
chicken, ham, rice, small pieces of corn-cob
(called "chocolas"), pumpkin, large beans
("porotos"). These ingredients are stewed
together and create a tasty plate.
Frogs' legs are served here better than in
Paris. They are larger, and are cooked
with onions, herbs, and potatoes.
The fruit salads are delicious, consisting
of fresh figs, peaches, pineapples and bana
nas. It being the Argentine summer,
nearly all the fruits are ripe. Many peaches
are sent down from Mendoza.
Nearly every one drinks what is locally
called a "claret-cup," compounded of the
83

A Woman's Winter in South America
white wine of Mendoza, peaches, oranges,
and ice. It is most refreshing.
The native brew of light beer is excel
lently suited for tropical climates. Of
course, this manufacture is exclusively in
German hands. With the exception of a
stray bottle of stout, English beer is rarely
seen on Argentine tables.
Our country has let a rare opportunity
escape in not securing a part of the beer
trade in South America. The English
brewers have been too conservative to
manufacture a light beer adaptable to
the country. Therefore this profit-making
beverage has drifted into other hands.
Even this hardy and drinking race cannot
face John Barleycorn in its full strength.
In the hotels the American way of serving
whisky-and-soda is followed, the customer
being allowed to help himself — a practice
which experts assure me is far from being
as risky as imagined, and probably pays the
administration better than the doling out
of Scotland's fluid at a franc a glass, which
84

Restaurants. Buenos Aires
is prevalent at Monte Carlo. Here in
this country the teetotaler and the heavy
drinker alike go under in the hot weather,
while the man who can carry a moderate
amount of stimulants survives.
A kindly Anglo-Argentine introduced
me to an especially local dish, the arma
dillo, called here " mulita." The flesh of
this turtle-like creature is white, and like
firm chicken, but much richer. Like frogs'
legs and caviare they are not cheap, but a
favourite luxury of the Argentine gourmet ;
and it seems a pity some enterprising Ritz
cannot introduce them into London by
cold storage.
The scaly shells are lined with bright-
coloured satin and made into dainty work-
baskets, which hang in shop windows to be
bought by the homeward bound as curios.
Mate-, the Paraguayan tea, is drunk in
all parts of South America. The mate",
or gourd, is decorated in fancy designs, and
the yerba, on which is poured boiling water,
is drunk through a tube called " bombilla,"
85

A Woman's Winter in South America
the lower end of which unites the attributes
of strainer and teaspoon. An unpleasant
feature of the consumption of this mate is
that the tubes and gourds are sociably
interchangeable amongst the teetotal revel
lers, owing to the fact that the gourd is
refilled with hot water and repeatedly
passed round to all the members of the
circle, after the manner of the Indian
hookah. Charpentier's is a French restaurant which
reminds one of Voisin's and Henri's in Paris.
The large, lofty salons in white and gold,
banked with growing palms, give the air of
coolness which is so desirable in the summer
time. The service and cuisine were re
markably good, also the music ; and as one
glanced at the diners who were seated
about, it was obvious that gourmets, not
gourmands, frequented Charpentier's. This
was our small dinner for three :
Melon, soupa (Creolla), which is most sus
taining, and made of all kinds of vegetables.
Pejere, fish del la Plata. 86

Restaurants. Buenos Aires
Cutlets Milanese avec petits pois.
Fruit salad.
Coffee, claret-cup, and whisky and
Perrier. Total, fifteen pesos.
The new Hotel Majestic, in the Avenue
de Mayo, was opened in May for the
centennial celebrations, and was taken over
by the Government to house the guests of
the President, Dr. Roques Saenz Pena. It
is a large structure, very palatial, and a
great convenience here is the roof-garden,
where, however hot it may be in the city,
in the evening there is a cool breeze and a
splendid view, which resembles fields of
lights spread over an extensive area. I may
also mention the Palace Hotel, which has a
roof-garden. At both these restaurants the
food was all that could be desired ; in fact,
in all Buenos Aires I have had no cause for
complaint in any of the restaurants I have
frequented. The " Sportsman "in the Florida has a large
clientele. Here the puchero is much in de-
87

A Woman's Winter in South America
mand. The business men make a rendez
vous of this place. Perhaps it is a little
too popular, in view of the overcrowding.
One dines very well here, and there is a
band and cinematographic performance in
the evening to amuse one. One has an
excellent luncheon at the " Sportsman " for
seven dollars, or pesos.
The Grand Hotel, also in the Florida,
gives a very good table. Friends of mine
who stayed here said they lived very well
for a pound a day, including room and
food. There is the Phcenix Hotel, where the
prices are about the same as the Grand, and
hundreds of hotels in B.A. of all classes
and conditions.

PALERMO
Palermo is the great playground for the
Argentines, comprising about three hundred
acres ; it is beautifully laid out with lakes,
islands, and gardens. A great many blue
gums flourish, and tropical trees of every
kind abound. Here, late in the afternoon,
when the monde riche promenade en voiture,
you will find the ladies dressed better than
in Hyde Park. The largest and most
gorgeous feathers toss their plumage from
well-turned- out automobiles, as if cost were
a bagatelle. Rumour says they think nothing
of paying twenty and thirty pounds for a
hat. At Palermo there is an interesting Zoo-
logico Jardine, small, but well-chosen. One
felt sorry for the white polar bears in this
intense heat, although they have roomy,
barred cages, and a large stone bath in

A Woman's Winter in South America
which they tell me ice is placed on especially
hot days, also a shower bath to play over
them. The boa-constrictors appeared con
tent behind glass windows, on which the sun
baked, and one manipulated himself slowly
along to a rock basin, in which dozens of
poor little frogs with beady eyes sat await
ing their fate.
A fine group of zebras was interesting,
also the pumas and llamas. In a huge cage
containing large families of the vulture tribe
I looked for the powerful condor of the
Cordilleras, but failed to see one.
The race-course at Palermo is prettily
situated and well patronised. In fact, I
believe that every sport is represented on
this immense playground.
One must not forget to mention the school
for national defence, " Escuelo de Tiro,"
in which soldiers and youths are taught "A
qui aprender a defender La Patria," which
is an excellent example for every country
to follow.
Driving out to the Palermo one passes
90

A TYPICAL. CENTRAL AMERICAN PORT

-.¦¦¦&•-
1 1 " M i. • j§P?"
-mf.'b£ * » i ¦ . _» ' '

« ¦ !¦¦ ^— . ., .

NAVAL COLLEGE, RIO DE JANEIRO

TRANSANDINE SCENERY

Palermo

through the Avenida Alvear, named after
a celebrated general. The rich Argentinas
have built their palace-homes here, each
according to his own light, with no regard
to the taste of his neighbour, consequently
the style of architecture is salmagundi,
although magnificent in some instances.
Then there is also Belgrano with its plaza,
and a fine statue to the general of that
name. At Mar del Plata, which is one of
the show places of the Argentine, they have
an interesting National Museum.
Buenos Aires is obviously grateful to
its heroes, as there is no lack of monuments.
The city is very well supplied with clubs,
from the stately Jockey Club, probably one
of, if not ihe most expensive in the world,
as the entrance fee is £300 and subscription
£100 yearly. It is most magnificent in
side, with marble staircase and splendid
furnishings. The Progress Club is much
frequented by the Government officials.
The English Club and the German are also
prominent. F 93

A Woman's Winter in South America
For the curio hunter, B.A. does not
offer much attraction, almost everything
is blatantly new ; but I should advise
tourists to visit several of the shops that sell
Paraguayan tea. Here, sometimes, one is
able to pick up odd things that have drifted
down the Camp from the Paraguayan Indians.
For instance, large white hammocks, made
and spun from native cotton by the women,
ponchos of fine quality, the mate, stuffed
crocodiles, small native boats made of skin,
spears, dried boa-constrictors, shields, large
blue butterflies, preserved scorpions, centi
pedes, humming-birds, and a miscellaneous
collection. I must not forget to mention
the lacework made by the descendants of
the Incas. These women are really skilful
workers, and produce beautiful lace in silk
or linen. I bought some exceedingly pretty
handkerchiefs and scarfs of this lovely work.
Llama rugs and puma skins are available.
I looked for chinchillas, but found very in
ferior skins. They say the best are shipped
direct to London and Paris.
94

Palermo

Buenos Aires, on account of its climate
and bright sunshine, gay, luxurious life and
uniqueness, will undoubtedly become a
fashionable winter resort ; many notable
English people come every year. It was said
that Scotland's philanthropic Duchess, Her
Grace of Sutherland, was contemplating
a trip to the Argentine this winter. The
Honourable Henniker Heaton, preacher-in-
ordinary to the Post Office, who believes
that all the world should be placed in com
munication for a penny postage, frequently
visits this country.
Many people who are obliged to winter
away on account of our fog and rain, and
who are tired of so many trips to Egypt,
the Riviera, and Ceylon, would find this
journey both helpful and interesting.
Everything that can be bought in London
and Paris can also be obtained in B.A.
Of course things are dear, but it must
be remembered that all these things have
to be brought here from a great distance.

95

HINTS AS TO CLOTHING
In selecting a wardrobe for this country, as a
tourist, I would suggest that one should have
well-cut coats and skirts of grey, blue, or any
dark shade of alpaca or tussore silk. . . .
Foulards also are most useful. Of course,
white linen and lingerie frocks look very
pretty and cool, but the laundry bills are
rather high, as are labour and all things in
this new El Dorado. Many cool blouses
should be taken. Owing to the damp,
warm climate, linens do not last clean and
fresh for more than a couple of days, and
they cost to launder about six dollars, or
12s. of our money. One dollar or peso is
approximately Is. 8d or Is. 9d.
One need not fear to send the finest
of lingerie, as the work is splendidly done,
quite equal to the finest French laundries.
I can especially recommend the Plaza Hotel
laundry. 96

Hints as to Clothing

For the benefit of future women travellers
like myself, I will give an idea of my ex
penses at the Plaza Hotel, which is, without
doubt, the best hotel in South America.
I had an excellent room with good view
and a private bathroom adjoining for 15s. a
day. The coffee complete, daintily served
in the morning, cost one dollar. This in
cludes bread, fresh butter, jam, and coffee.
The luncheon — the cuisine is entirely
French — costs 6s., and dinner, 8s. 8d.
The Argentine ladies are beautifully
dressed. They spend large sums on their
toilettes: no expense is spared. In Bond
Street, the Rue de la Paix (Paris), or the
Graben (Vienna) one will not see more
elaborate costumes. And the ladies of
B.A. are very handsome ; their large, dark
eyes and proud Spanish bearing make
them distinguished among the beauties of
the world.
Many people scoff at the meretricious
splendours of B.A. Some who scoff re
main to admire, as the old adage goes.
97

A Woman's Winter in South America
It is, comparatively speaking, a new town,
and reminds one of a strong buoyant in
fant, growing imperceptibly, but advancing
always and strengthening itself. If in this
short time it has made such progress,
and has for its inheritance the wealth of the
Argentine as a foster-parent behind it — even
now it is the largest city south of the Line —
one cannot help but wonder what extent
and influence it will achieve in years to
come. Personally I like B.A. ; I received
the kindliest hospitality, and hope that one
day I shall visit it again for the sake of
" Auld Lang Syne."
One night at dinner I met a certain
gentleman. His wife happened to remark
that I was writing my impressions of my
South American winter. " Writing a book,
are you ? " He turned to me with a smile
in his eyes. " Well, I guess I can give you
a pretty stiff chapter of what's happened to
me this year. Why, in one year 1 have had
enough escapes to last a hundred."
" It must be most interesting. I shall be
98

Hints as to Clothing

delighted to hear of your experiences," I
answered, and added, " Will you and your
wife have tea with me at the 'Plaza' to
morrow ? "
The invitation for the next afternoon
was accepted, and the following is a true
account of one man's actual adventures. I
write them down as he repeated the inci
dents, without elaboration.

99

REFLECTIONS OF MR. W.
A snow slide in Rogers' Pass, Selkirk
Range, Canada. About a hundred killed
and buried under the snow. The train was
blockaded, and remained there four days.
Arrested in Guatemala as a revolutionist.
Taken to prison, temporarily, and released.
Earthquake in Costa Rica, in which the
city of Cartago was destroyed. In San
Jose", where there was also an earthquake,
but of not such great force.
On a Peruvian boat going from Panama
to Callao. Off the entrance of the Guyas
River ship was chased by an Ecuadorian
warship, but no damage was done.
Crossing the Andes from Valparaiso to
Buenos Aires, the train was snow-bound at
about 8000 feet altitude for two days. This
happened in June, shortly after the opening
of the Transandine Railway. IOO

Reflections of Mr. W.

Took ship from Rio de Janeiro to
Lisbon, and had an automobile wreck at
Cintra, in which suffered the misfortune of
having two ribs broken, and friend was
killed. Across from London to Quebec in August
last, then down to New York, leaving
New York early in September for Para,
Brazil, where yellow fever was epidemic,
even the hotel being infected, in fact the
very room occupied. The day previous a
young woman had been carried out dead
with this awful malady. Slept there and
escaped. Up the Amazon, a thousand miles, as far
as the city of Manaos. Arrived and found
all the hotels crowded ; was compelled to
take an inside room at the Hotel Cusino.
This room had absolutely no ventilation.
Being within a couple of degrees of the
Equator, the disagreeableness ofthe situation
may be imagined. The next morning a
revolution broke out ; the hotel was
within one block of the Palace, where
IOI

A Woman's Winter in South America
practically all the fighting took place.
Every window in the hotel was blown out,
and the despised inside room became a haven
of rest for unfortunate beings who occupied
the outside rooms. Using racing terms,
"quite a reversal in form." One evening
the room a despised outsider, the next
morning a warm favourite.
Left Para and went to Rio de Janeiro
and saw the inauguration of a new President,
and the revolution the next day— for the
town was fired upon by the Dreadnoughts.

MONTEVIDEO
On New Year's Eve I left Buenos Aires
with a party of friends on one of the com
fortable night boats for the capital of
Uruguay. There were many people on
board, and the popping of corks testified
that the infant year was being ushered in
with revelry and goodwill. The next morn
ing I awoke at our dock, and went on deck.
One remarked that the blue waters of the
South Atlantic still showed a trace of the
mighty sandy flood of the Rio de la Plata,
but the breeze that blows is a genuine sea-
wind, dry and exhilarating. It is convenient
to step from the boat on to the dock with
out the bother of using a tender or small
boat. Two Uruguayan warships, gleaming
with white cleanliness, confront us ; and on
the summit of the only hill visible from our
anchorage, the Fort del Cerro (which may
be for the protection or coercion of the city)
dominates the situation. 103

A Woman's Winter in South America
Montevideo is a city of broad streets and
pleasant plazas, where newly planted maple
trees line both sides of the way and give pro
mise of ample shade in a few years to come.
Flowers grow profusely in the public
squares, especially geraniums. Monuments
of past presidents are to be seen on all
sides ; they are mostly of French execu
tion, and to visitors are more interesting as
objects of art than as historical monuments.
At the terminus station of Ferro Carril
del Uruguay, one's national vanity is
flattered by seeing under the portico
station a monument of heroic size to
the memory of James Watt and George
Stephenson, to neither of whom has his
parent country raised a befitting memorial.
The terminal station at Montevideo is
quite a South American St. Pancras —
spacious, clean, and classical in design. The
public park or Prado is generously pro
vided with all sorts of tropical vegetation ;
goldfish dart in its placid ponds, and crotons
rear themselves in majestic splendour from
104

Montevideo

grassy margins. Everywhere the blue gum
trees flourish, their twisted stems growing
at a rate which can satisfy even the am
bitions of a South American Republic. We
were surprised that these monarchs of shade,
like so many monarchs of humanity, are
worth little when dead, a dollar gold, more
or less 4s., being the value of their shapely
stems when hewn.
Speaking of the value of the dead re
minds me of an incident which took place
on the Aragon coming out. In the third
class, a Portuguese emigrant was standing
talking to his wife at the head of the com
panion-way. All at once giddiness over
came him, and he fell back down the
stairs. They picked the poor fellow up,
but discovered life had left him: he had
crushed his skull. His wife was overcome
with grief at her loss. They were on their
journey to Brazil in hopes to make a fortune
and home. A collection was taken for the
widow amongst the first-class passengers,
which realised £127. 105

A Woman's Winter in South America
A scientific business man, and rather a
wag in his way, figured that, supposing the
unfortunate emigrant weighed twelve stone,
an average man's weight, and his value
were £127, he would be worth 15s. 2d.
per pound. It was gruesome, but we had
to smile.
No one visiting the city of Montevideo
should omit the drive of half an hour or so
to Pocitos, where the South Atlantic waves
fall upon crystal sands, and the mighty
ocean coos softly " as doves in immemorial
elms," as our great Laureate wrote.
On New Year's Day there were many
people enjoying the sea-bathing. The
Hotel Balneario de los Pocitos, where we
lunched, is an establishment which makes
one feel like lingering for weeks, as the
air is delightful, the hotel well managed,
and the cuisine all that could be asked for.
We were told that the chef receives £850
per year. Of course, to us this sounds a
huge sum, but considering the enormous
106

Montevideo

living expenses in this part of the world,
the salary would only go as far as £300 a
year in England, the modest endowment of
many a country vicar.
We were joined by a gentleman whom
one of our party claimed as a genial Scot.
In figure, face, and dialect, he might have
Stepped off the Exchange of Glasgow.
However, we learnt with surprise he had
come out from Scotland a baby of a year
old, and had never returned to his native
land. The Spanish language came more
freely than his mother-tongue, and in some
cases it was impossible for him to explain
himself in English, and he had to resort to
French and German.
We had a delightful luncheon, perfectly
served, and not expensive. While we were
enjoying peaches, apricots, pineapples, and
strawberries, and fanned by exhilarating
sea breezes, we wondered what sort of
weather our friends at home were having,
and ended by sending off piles of post
cards. 107

A BULL-FIGHT
By good fortune, to-day there was a
special bull-fight a la Portuguese, to cele
brate the grand Fiesta de la Ano Nuevo.
A well-known matador and seven toros
from Spain were to perform at the Plaza de
Toros. We secured good places at almost
the last moment. The Plaza is situated in
Colon, half an hour's coach-ride from the
centre of the city. On arriving, we were
much struck by the number of motors,
coaches, etc., that had conveyed four thou
sand spectators, more or less.
On entering the Plaza, the gaiety and
frivolity of the huge crowd struck us as
inconsistent with the so-called sport. A
fringe of Spanish and Uruguayan flags flut
tered in the wind from the balconies of
the Plaza, where throngs of excited men's,
women's, and little children's vociferous
108

CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION AT BOGOTA

-:¦ ¦

LOS INCAS, GREATEST HEIGHT OF THE TRANSANDINE RAILWAY

A Bull-Fight

cheers gave undoubted proof of their enthu
siasm. Sometimes they were so carried
away by the sport that they threw their
hats and air-cushions into the arena as
offerings to the successful matadors, who,
in their gorgeous garments of flaming
colours, heavily embroidered in gold and
silver, smiled and bowed their thanks,
returning the offerings to the cheering
crowds. The ladies bring air-cushions to sit on, as
the wooden benches are uncomfortable, and
when a favourite has been extremely clever,
madame pins on a diamond brooch to the
cushion as she throws it into the ring.
This the matador accepts, returning the
cushion. In the same way the men slip
bank-notes into the lining of their straw hats
for offerings.
Two gates swing apart, and through a
passage facing the shady side of the arena,
where are situated the most expensive seats,
a young, gavotting black bull rushes out,
with tail flourishing fantastically.

A Woman's Winter in South America
With lowered head, he charges the torea
dor, who calmly holds the regulation mantle
to receive the impact of his horns. These
mantles are not all red, as popularly sup
posed ; some are purple, pink, and green.
The toreador slips from behind the mantle
and the bull shoots by on its wild charge.
Some of the more adventurous performers
will place their hats on the bull's horns as
he charges.
Like a well-drilled football team they
play the game, " Man versus Beast," with
admirable alertness. No sooner is one man
in danger than a comrade draws off the
bull's attention, which is again transferred
to another, by a similar waving of a coloured
mantle. So far the game has been devoid
of cruelty, and one might imagine a bull
enjoying it. The nimble and fearless torea
dors certainly deserve the applause which is
showered upon them.
There were about ten toreadors, who
were clad in gorgeous, brilliant costumes,
which are supposed to be the survival of
112

A Bull-Fight

the state dresses of the Cabileralleros of
Old Spain.
A more disagreeable part of the show
now commences. Two picadors, mounted
on wretched hacks which have their near
side eyes blindfolded, and bearing lances
with blunted points, make their appear
ance. The horses showed marked aversion
to performing their part, and were spurred
by their riders, and occasionally lashed by
the attendants, in the direction of his
Taurine Majesty. When within range the
picador prodded the bull, in far from a
gentle manner, which was resented by a
charge with lowered horns that lifted the
horse from its feet. Although the bull's
horns were padded after the Portuguese
fashion, the force of the impact and the
power employed must have seriously hurt
the horse, and gone far towards dismount
ing the rider, despite his huge Mexican
stirrups. In fact, a picador should avert
the bull's charge while guarding his horse
and himself with his lance. It is said some
113

A Woman's Winter in South America
of them are clever enough to turn the
bull over by dexterous management. The
most disagreeable part now comes on.
The horses are led out, much to my relief,
and the banderillear appear. Each man
is provided with two darts, or banderillas.
These darts are about two feet long, and
covered with bright-coloured paper. They
terminate in steel barbs, seemingly about
two inches long, which when driven into
the bull's neck make the lances secure.
The proceeding is as follows : A ban-
derillea holding a lance in each hand, but
having no cloak or other weapon, walks
deliberately up to the bull, and as he
charges, endeavours to plant the two be-
ribboned lances deep into the creature's
lowered neck.
If the two banderillas remain upstand
ing, the ring roars with savage applause,
and a shower of hats and offerings is
thrown into the ring. If one only has
found its billet there is loud execration.
. . . This mode of attack is repeated by
114

A Bull-Fight

four or five more of the banderillear until
the beast has eight of these banderillas
planted in his neck, which is dripping with
blood. It is a sickening sight. After this the
banderillear disappear, and the head matador
comes to the front. It is he who is sup
posed to give the death-stroke, after much
by-play with the wearied bull. He fixes
another dart behind the poor brute's ear,
and the sport finishes as far as that bull is
concerned. A ridiculous part is now enacted. The
large gates again open, and out come two
placid cows which conduct the bull from
the ring.
According to the Portuguese rules the
bull is not killed, and as he leaves the arena
the banderillas are removed, his wounds
bathed, and horns uncovered. After a
short rest he is sent to the Camp, where he
lives in peace ; only once is he allowed to
fight. Although it is not nearly as cruel
as a Spanish fight, 1 feel that once is
"5

A Woman's Winter in South America
enough, and that I should not care to visit
another. Driving back to town was most interest
ing. Not only did one see the people
returning from the bull-fight, and the proud
toreadors and matadors in full splendour,
but it is the Spanish custom for the families,
and the young girls especially, to don their
very best raiment, with much elaboration of
hair-dressing, and sit behind the grille of
their open windows seeing and being seen.
In the evening I dined at the Hotel
Oriental, and the slackness of the service
was Oriental indeed. There being long
waits in the restaurant, one was forced to fill
up the time by noticing the decorations.
The walls were painted panels of various
pea-greens, outlined by pallid pink ; the
curtains were of brownish green, bordered
with soiled pink, and the unique effect was
accentuated by strips of bright emerald
carpet bordered with red ; the dado of
thin marble slabs, the base green with cheap
bath marble above, to the height of three
116

A Bull Fight

feet, then a foot of pink plaster intercepted
with mirrors. Along the sides of the room
were red -glass electric lights, while from
the centre blue -glass lamps were con
spicuous. On the various tables were
water jugs of green and red, presumably
made in Germany ; they gave the port and
starboard lights of our navy. Signs of civil
isation in the shape of Worcester-sauce
bottles were not lacking. Another feature
of this hotel was large mirrors, on which
most atrocious landscapes and flowers were
painted, thereby destroying the practical
value of the glass, their only value being
"lujo," or show. Our dinner was dear,
commonplace, and what one would expect
from the artistic surroundings. I was glad
to return to B.A. that evening. Our boat,
the Venus, was new, clean, and up to date.

117

A WOMAN'S TRANSANDINE
TOUR
In the early summer sunrise, Buenos Aires
with its miles of white flat-roofed houses
resembles Cairo. I awoke at six on
January 9th, although my train, the Ferro-
Carril de Buenos Aires al Pacifico, by which
I was booked to travel to Valparaiso, did
not leave the Retiro Station until 8.20.
It was with keen anticipation that I
commenced my journey alone, over the
Andes by the road which has only been
open to the public since the Argentines
celebrated their centenary of independence,
on May 25th of last year, 1910. Every one
has heard of the long, arduous trip on mule-
back, which in former times one was
obliged to make in crossing the ice-crowned
summits of the giant Cordillera.
This wonderful transandine railway, con
ns

'A Woman's Transandine Tour
necting Valparaiso with Buenos Aires, has
been built by the English, and saves the
traveller a distance of 2700 miles round
Cape Horn, greatly accelerating the mail
service and placing the capitals of East and
West in closer touch. Our train, consisting
of corridor carriages and restaurant- car, is
drawn by a powerful Scotch-built engine,
bearing the name of its destination —
Mendoza. As it is usually very dusty crossing the
Pampas, most of our fellow-travellers wear
long linen coats. Some people recommend
taking damp sponges to breathe through,
and a bottle of eau-de-Cologne will be
appreciated. I enter the train, which
corresponds with our trains de luxe — in
fact, all the carriages are built in England
— and find my reserved single compart
ment. The comfortable bed-seats are upholstered
in brown leather. There are two electric
lamps, a generous allotment of racks and
hooks, in the corner a mirror with water-
119

A Woman's Winter in South America
bottles and glasses, and a nickel-plated
lavatory, one side of which provides a
table. We pass out of the station. The suburbs
stretch for miles along the level banks of
the muddy River La Plata. A surprising
thing is that none of the train attendants
speak anything except Spanish, and, con
sidering it is an English company, and
largely patronised by English people, this
is an oversight which should be remedied.
Some few miles onward, and the rich agri
cultural lands of the Pampas open out.
We pass through miles and miles of " estan
cias," where multitudes of horses and cattle,
and occasionally a few ostriches, are grazing.
These estancias, or ranches, are of enor
mous extent: a friend tells me that hers
is sixty miles around. There is so much
land here in the Argentine, that, although
emigration pours into the country from
Spain and Portugal to the delight of the
Government, one wishes that some of our
unemployed might be sent to this prosper-
120

A Woman's Transandine Tour
ous land of sunshine. For miles one cannot
see a building, and the dreary isolation of
the " peons," or cattle-hands, might make
them envy Robinson Crusoe on his desert
island. At the stations, especially San Luis,
Rufino, and Villa Mercedes, the natives
show traces of their Inca blood by their dark,
swarthy skins, narrow eyes, and straight,
black hair similar to that of -the North
American Indian. The cattle-men are
mounted on smart little horses ; they use
the Mexican saddles, and have their lassos
coiled behind. The roads are extremely
dusty, and the American carry-all seems to
be the favourite mode of conveyance, while
the people driving wear dust-coats, which
cover all but the face.
In the dining-car, at table, I was fortu
nate enough to meet two travelled English
men. This was their first experience of
a transandine route. The table accesso
ries showed a distinct advantage to Eng
land, inasmuch as the china was English.

A Woman's Winter in South America
Cerebos salt and Worcester sauce were
conspicuous, while Argentina was repre
sented only by the inevitable toothpick.
The menu, which included thick beefsteaks
and tennis-racket chops, was well cooked,
and more than ample. The meal cost two
pesos, or a little less than four shillings. To
me, it was interesting glancing at the differ
ent diners, most of whom were men. They
were of the big, rugged type, and dark-
complexioned ; they were the workers ;
their thoughts were of business only. At
my table were the only tourists.
In the evening every one retired early.
After a hot and trying night, during which,
a wind-storm having sprung up, my com
partment was transformed into what
appeared to be a sand-box, I was obliged
to spend some time with dusters and
brushes before I could make my appear
ance. The pleasant vineyards of Mendoza, with
their trickling brooks, backed by a glorious
panorama of the Andes, were a rehef after

A Woman's Transandine Tour
the monotony of the parched Pampas.
The train arrived at 6.30, and thus com
pleted the first portion of my transconti
nental journey.
At Mendoza one has to change for the
narrow-gauge line which, considering that
the road has only been opened for a
few months, gives promise of greater com
fort to travellers in the future, when the
rolling -stock which is now in construction
has been completed.
Mendoza is two thousand feet above the
sea-level, and as we steam through the vine-
clad environs we get a splendid view of
some of the Andine peaks, on which the
white hand of our " Lady of the Snows "
has placed a perpetual crown.
Along the beautiful valley ofthe Mendoza
River we begin our steady climb, gradually
leaving all vegetation behind, with the ex
ception of the Scotch thistles, which, like
the sons of the same soil, flourish in the
Argentine. We might be in the Khyber
Pass, save that in the valley we meet the
123

A Woman's Winter in South America
thick chocolate-coloured waters of the Men
doza rushing to La Plata. As we climb, we
follow the course nearly to the summit.
The high-peaked, ferric-coloured mountains
form a great contrast, silhouetted as they are
against the clear blue sky. The views on all
sides are delightful, and as we travel farther
on the colour changes, giving magnificent
effects. Even the frequenters of the line point out
its beauties and find new pleasures in the
ever-moving panorama. In Buenos Aires
many faithful advisers warned me of the
dangers of heart disease in the upper regions,
but the fact was I had crossed the summit
level, about 11,500 feet, and was in Chile,
feeling nothing save the appreciation of the
wonderful views down the Chilean slope
towards the Pacific. Here, in our descent,
we followed the River Blanco, which is our
pilot, as its sister Red River had been on
the opposite side ; then downwards by rack-
rails and tilted bridges, by the tiny line that
wound by impossible curves and jagged
124

A Woman's Transandine Tour
tunnels, cutting the raw rock beside our
galloping guide, which rushed unnavigable
and unfordable to join the sea.
Seven minutes in the tunnel has trans
ferred us from the Argentine to Chile, and
the change was from the bare crater of an
extinct volcano to the glow of a tropical
state. Still we feel the change of frontier in the
shape of a Customs guard, who ships him
self on the train armed with sword, carbine,
and revolver.
Our engine thoughtfully broke down for
half an hour on a bridge overlooking perhaps
the most weirdly majestic view on the
Chilean side : range upon range of mountains
led the eye downwards to the Pacific, while
glancing back a herd of cattle were being
lassoed and thrown by the " vaqueros." A
little farther on the curves and tunnels grew
more frequent, and in the momentary day
light between two of the latter we crossed
a high-poised bridge which spans the raging
waters of the Rio Blanco, one thousand feet
125

A Woman's Winter in South America
below. It was a view Dore" might have
drawn in his " Inferno," and a place where
the mightiest bird of prey in the world,
the condor, might have made his nest.
We all looked out for him with sun-aching
eyes through a tiring journey, but alas ! he
was en reldche. Flowers, trees, and gardens
abound in brilliant luxuriance on the Chilean
side, and the green of some of the forest trees
growing by the tumbling waters is dazzling ;
in fact, it is a pleasant relief from the league-
long ranches of the Argentine.
At Los Andes the Customs examination
was conducted by a smart, well-dressed old
gentleman with the appearance of a retired
general and the manners of a Court official,
who courteously chalked all English bag
gage. We were promised at Los Andes
that a dining-car was to be attached to the
broad-gauge train taking us to Valparaiso.
When we arrived we were met by a wind
storm of conflicting rumours : the magnificent
pack of lies we were told ended in about
six of us English people, freemasons in travel,
126

THE OLDEST CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SOUTH AMERICA.
INCAS GODS OUTSIDE

SPANISH MONOLITHS OR " MONOLITOS

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TEMPLE TO THE SUN GOD, TIAHUANACU

A Woman's Transandine Tour
being borne off as prey to a local innkeeper,
at whose establishment We got something to
eat, after ten hours' fast, and from our dinner-
table in the open saw the last sunrays on
the mighty Andes.
Our host hurried us away, everything
unfinished, save the paying of the bill,
and left us in an unpleasant suspicion
that the local stationmaster and he were
extremely intimate. We were assured the
train stopped nowhere between Los Andes
and Valparaiso. Certainly, when under
steam, it ran at rather a reckless rate, but at
all principal stations we called, for conversa
tion with, and refreshment of the officials of
the line.
A gleam of moonlight on salt waters told
us we were outside Valparaiso, and had
safely crossed the continent at a cost of
£13 10s., with £2 5s. for compartment.

129

VALPARAISO
Valparaiso is the largest city on the west
coast of South America, and also the
largest British colony, comprising over two
thousand souls. This colony is important
and rich enough to support two Churches
of England and one Presbyterian, and what
in the United States of America would
be called a Country Club at the Cancha,
which, although nominally Chilean, is to all
intents and purposes British. They have in
the enclosure a racecourse, a golf club,
polo, tennis, and croquet grounds. This
place, which is beautifully laid out and well
kept, is about two miles north-west of Vina
del Mar, which is the fashionable suburb of
Valparaiso — the Brighton of Chili — to which
all the Santiguenos and the beau monde from
the interior flock during the summer months,
which, it must be remembered, are Decem-
130

Valparaiso

ber, January, February. Immediately after
spending their Christmas and New Year in
their broiling homes, they are glad to enjoy
the sea breezes, and recuperate. Their
carriages and motors vie with those of the
Bois, in Paris, but not so do the roads over
which they drive.
There is an excellent hotel, the " Grand,"
at Vina del Mar, with large gardens, and
quite a menagerie. It is much preferable to
stay here, which is only twenty minutes by
tram, than to remain in Valparaiso, where
there is much dust, and hotel and restaurant
life not tempting. Here you have the
lovely beach, handsome villas, and delight
ful gardens. Valparaiso is in a state of
transition, a large part of it having been
destroyed by the earthquake of 1906.
The municipality, taking advantage of
this, are effecting many improvements,
thanks to the loan of a milhon and a half
sterling recently raised in England for that
purpose ; so that two years hence it is
hoped that many of the crooked streets
131

A Woman's Winter in South America
may be made straight. A hygienic system
of drainage (also undertaken by Englishmen),
and many other improvements, are begun
(and perhaps ended) in this land of Mariana.
Amongst other adornments of the town, I
must not forget to mention the Triumphal
Arch now being constructed in Carrara
marble with bronze plaques, commemora
tive of the War of Independence, sur
mounted by a bronze lion, and presented
through the energy of our able Consul-
General, Mr. Finn.
Napoleon had his choice of three models
when he selected the Arch of Triumph for
Paris, and from the remaining two models
one was singled out by the Chileans to
represent their commemoration of inde
pendence. This presentation, given by the
British Colony in Chile to the nation, was
in memory of the part taken by Scotch,
Irish, and English in that war.
At the suggestion of Mr. Finn, Lord
Dundonald, the grandson of the hero of
the war, was specially invited to attend
132

Valparaiso

the centenary celebrations ; but it was
genuinely regretted that although other
nations sent special representatives and
men-of-war to this festivity, owing to the.
Court mourning for King Edward, Great
Britain was not represented. Unfortunately
the people of the country do not quite
appreciate the difficulties and niceties which
our Government had to deal with, as they
could not help seeing in the daily news
papers that while England could not take
part in the general rejoicings, she was
at the same time entertaining a Russian
squadron in EngUsh waters. The Fourth
Cruiser Squadron was sent to the Argentine
a couple of months later, to congratulate
the President of that country on the
centennial of its independence from Spain,
and although Chile broke off at the same
time from the mother-country, no news has
as yet been received of any such intended
courtesy on our part.
We hope that this omission will be
remedied soon, for the effect of the neglect
133

A Woman's Winter in South America
will not be easily wiped out, and cannot
fail to react, more or less, on British in
terests, which in Chile are very much larger
than people at home imagine to be the
case. The South Pacific Mail is the one
and only English newspaper published
here. Among the earliest recollections of most
children are the adventures of our old
friend Robinson Crusoe, and if one looked
westward over the Pacific, according to
the flight of a bird, the first terra firma
we should see would be the Isla Juan
Fernandez, with its volcanic mountain
overlooking the vast expanse of the
Pacific. One can picture solitary Robin
son Crusoe climbing this sugar-loaf-shaped
mountain, "monarch of all he surveyed,"
certainly, but, like Caliban, longing for his
fellow-kind. I stayed at the Royal Hotel while in
Valparaiso, and must admit that it could
be improved upon. A peculiar custom in
all hotels in Chile is that cheese appears as
134

Valparaiso

a luxury, and consequently is charged for
separately ; fruit you are supposed to
buy yourself outside, although they conde
scend to serve it for you with your meal.
Never in all my travels, which comprise
most of the globe, have I met with such
insecure-looking vehicles as are offered for
public use ; they are old, dilapidated glass
coaches, with very soiled upholstery, and
the nags which draw these antiquated cabs
over the ill-paved streets are bone-protruding
specimens of the horse family.
The amour propre of the Chileans has
fortunately been restored by the auspicious
visit of H.M.S. Kent and Challenger in
April of this year (1911).

35

WEST COAST
The Or it a of the Pacific Steam Navigation
Co. is considered one of the best ships on
the Pacific which visit the West Coast, and
after the dust-storms of the Andes, with
rather an uninteresting stay at Valparaiso,
I was genuinely glad to once more sail on
a British ship. On leaving Valparaiso the
sun, setting, threw its golden rays over the
queen city of this coast, and lighted up
the waves to a beautiful light-green colour
on one side, while on the other the waters
were tinted orange by the retiring beams.
The sea was calm, and at night the moon,
now three-quarters full, shone brilliantly,
making the Pacific a veritable dream of
delight. It is a curious thought as one
stands gazing to the west, over the miles
and miles of sea. The nearest land of im
portance is New Zealand, and out there,
136

West Coast

somewhere in the distance, hes the greatest
ocean depth known, so deep that, after
measuring seven miles downward, H.M.S.
Challenger was not able to touch bottom.
At dinner I found my place next but one
to Captain Hayes and five of my fellow-
voyagers of the Aragon. Our experiences
were talked over, and 1 think we were all
very pleased to meet again. The free
masonry of travellers unites more closely
in a few days than years of social acquaint
ance at home.
The world's circles are narrow. Opposite
me was a gentleman whom I knew I
had met before, but could not place him ;
he also remembered me in the same
way. After delving back into the pools
of memory, suddenly he asked me,
"Have you ever been on a ship on
which Lord Roberts and his family were
travelling ? "
Instantaneously with the mention of that
name all became clear — " Yes, it was the
Egypt," I replied, " two years ago, going to
137

A Woman's Winter in South America
Egypt." It was pleasant to talk over
reminiscences of that voyage, and of the
people who had passed out of our lives.
At dinner that night, Captain Hayes,
our commodore-captain, who is much
beloved by hosts of travellers, as they say
the Orita is the first-favourite ship for all
intending voyagers of the coast, told us the
following story : —
It was some years ago, when travellers
did not receive the same luxuries as in
modern times. He described a rather irri
table, impatient native, a small potentate
of one of the states of South America.
He ordered for his breakfast, scrambled
eggs ; there was a long wait, in which
he fidgeted considerably. Finally he de
manded of the steward why he did not
bring the eggs. The steward replied con-
cifiatingly : " Coming, sir, coming." But
they did not arrive. The man became angry ;
Captain Hayes also remarked that there
was cause for complaint. Having finished
his breakfast, he went along to the galley to
138

West Coast

inquire why the delay. He found the cook,
who was breaking eggs.
" What is the matter about those eggs ? "
demanded the captain.
"Please, sir, these eggs came on board
yesterday, and this is the eighty-sixth I
have broken — they are all bad ! "
A consul on board some time ago was
sorting out a number of documents,
papers, etc. He made a large bundle, and
flung it into the sea. A short time after a
shark was caught, and when they hauled
him on board and ripped him open, the
consul's papers were found in his stomach.
This is absolutely a true story, and may be
verified by seeing the identical papers in a
well-known London office. I asked the
name to put it down, but have lost it.

139

COQUIMBO
At seven the next morning after sailing,
the bugle calls for the people to go ashore
at Coquimbo. This is a dreary-looking
town of flat-roofed buildings, clinging
against barren, brown, rocky hills. There is
no vegetation, and about a dozen miserable-
looking trees seem to accentuate the lack of
vegetation. Long dusty unpaved streets,
on which corrugated iron and stucco one-
storied houses are built, lead down to the
sea. The Palace Hotel- is a four-storied,
grey structure which belies its name. In
the market-place are three trees ; these
the natives appreciate greatly on account
of the rareness of shade. Fortunately
to-day there are clouds, and it is quite
cool, but in the blazing sunshine one could
imagine this place an Inferno.
Although the population is estimated at
140

Coquimbo

two thousand, either it is too early for them
to be up, or they keep inside their dismal-
looking houses, for no one is about, even
in the market-place. A gunboat is close
by, painted black, and looking anything
but spick and span ; it flies the orange,
blue, and red flag of Ecuador.
Four hundred British live here. The
British Consul-General of Chile, Mr. Finn,
being on board, the Consular Jack is
flown at the masthead. We have also Mr.
Everard, a retired consul from the China
service, whose narratives are most interest
ing. The exports from Coquimbo are
minerals, principally copper, which is brought
down to this port from the mountains.
On sailing out of the bay the clouds lifted,
revealing the mountains, which gave a pictur-
esqueness to the otherwise commonplace
scenery. The remainder of the day was
perfect, as far as weather, sea, a good ship,
and genial company could make it. At
these small Plazas all the townspeople con
gregate after dinner. Sometimes a band
141

A Woman's Winter in South America
plays, and the chic world wanders up and
down, or round and round these depressing
" oases " ; and this is their sole recrea
tion.

142

ANTOFAGASTA
At noon, on January 13th, we saw the yellow-
brown barren mountains, under which was
stuck a town that, from the sea, resembled
a burnt moor with white surf sobbing at
its base. This desolate-looking place is
Antofagasta. You go ashore in small boats,
narrow and very pointed, in order to cut
the big Pacific waves. The sea was in an
ugly mood, so much so that when we were
in the valley of the waters we could not see
our neighbouring small boats in which the
passengers were being landed.
Our amiable and much-liked Consul-Gen-
eral, Mr. Finn, left us at this port, much to
the regret of his fellow-travellers. The
captain was relieved to hand over to the
bank officials seventy thousand pounds,
which we had brought with us. This amount
would seemingly buy the whole place. The
143

A Woman's Winter in South America
mountains spread directly down to the sea-
front ; in fact, this is the case with the entire
coast thus far from Valparaiso.
A dismal, uninteresting cemetery of large
dimensions stretches itself along the further
end of the town, while high up, midway on
the mountains, huge advertising signs made
of white stones announce that " Tratanpuro
from Stevenson & Co. is the best tea," on
another mountain Dulinea Te" recommends
itself to be the best. In our boat going
ashore three Americans and two English
made a bet that Te Lipton would make its
appearance somewhere, and sure enough
in the main street a small sign drew our
attention to the name we are all familiar
with. On landing at the steps of a so-called
dock, upon which much lumber, cases,
and compressed hay were mounted, we
remarked the condition of the streets,
broad dusty roads with sidewalks slightly
raised, not paved, and principally one-storied
buildings. A grand hotel wore a desolate
144

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LIVES GIVEN FOR THE PANAMA CANAL

Antofagasta
air, and gazed out upon " The Plaza." Ah I
this is the sight of Antofagasta.
How much trouble these people have
taken to guard that small square of sickly
green trees and shrubs I And in the brown-
baked soil a few geraniums try to breathe ;
they are lovingly cared for and watered
conscientiously with, as they told us,
water from the sea. This little garden,
tenderly cared for like an invalid, was
pathetic to behold, but it was as a jewel
to the people who have to live in this
place, where no green blade rears its head,
and only the dusty, arid mountains meet
the eye.
Even the wreaths for the dead in the
shop windows were artificial ; also they dis
played baskets of fruit made of wax. I hope
for the comfort of the inhabitants it is not
the custom to send these dry souvenirs to
repay hospitality or courtesy. I entered a
shop, which was kept by a young Scotch
man, to buy postcards. He was inclined to
talk, and I asked him how he liked it in
i 147

A Woman's Winter in South America
this desert, where even Aden would have
been pleasant by comparison.
He answered :
" Oh, it's not bad out here, when you get
used to it."
I persevered.
" But what do you do, for instance, after
business hours ? "
He replied :
" There are cafe's, and an English club,
and we just sit there, a lot of us, and see
who can drink the most whisky."
Truly a feat ! But I felt one really could
not much blame him in this wilderness of
loneliness. The primitive trams were drawn by
three weary-looking mules ; in fact, the
whole place wore the same air. We noticed
that we had not seen one woman in any of
the streets. We walked up their shopping
street ; the contents of the shop windows did
not tempt us. We took several photographs,
and every one of us was content to board
our nice clean ship. When we were getting
148

Antofagasta

into our boat we did see two old wrinkled
women sitting in a doorway. I hope they
are not the sole specimens of the sex at
Antofagasta. A gentleman who frequents
this coast told us that the sea-lions abound
here, and are most interesting in their
frolicsomeness ; but they were conspicuous
by their absence to-day, as not one showed
itself, although many cameras were con
veniently handy to focus them. After
ward we found out that this was not their
season. Maybe they were seeking cooler
waters along the shore of Patagonia.

149

IQUIQUE
Our next port of call is lquique, which
exactly resembles Antofagasta, only that the
mountains here rise perpendicularly from
the sea ; the monotonous, flat, dust-coloured
roofs are pierced by a cathedral tower, and
the surf is dancing over the rocks, threaten
ing to swamp the gay parties in the open
boats who have come out visiting our ship.
The flag of Chile, red, white, and blue,
with a lone star in the upper corner, flutters
gaily over their heads, producing a bright
contrast against the blue waters. The
chief amusement of the people who are
obliged to live in these rather God-forsaken
places is to visit the ships, make a social
call on the officers, drink English mixtures,
and buy cigarettes and tobacco. Consider
ing the lack of amusements, and isolation,
it can be imagined that this mild way of
150

lquique
entertainment may be looked forward to
with pleasurable anticipation.
It has never rained along this particular
part of the coast. From fifty miles up from
Valparaiso rain rarely ever falls ; I may
say it is almost unknown, although some
times there is a mist. They say if it rained
it would mean ruin to all these ports, as
the rich fields of nitrate lying beyond the
mountains would melt and disappear, there
by taking away all the wealth of the country.
There is great enmity between Chile and
Peru, caused by the war of 1879, which
lasted over four years. The Peruvians are
most friendly to America, whilst Chile
prefers the English, and has a large com
munity of Germans. In Chile the army
and navy are dominated by German-
trained officers, and German tactics. In
Peru the army and navy are officered under
French influence. It would be interesting
in case of war, which many predict for
the near future, to prove the superiority of
either nation on sea and land, viz. a French-
151

A Woman's Winter in South America
German war fought on the West Coast of
South America.
Peru is a rich country, and will rapidly
advance, especially after the opening of the
Panama Canal.
Afterward, at sea, we passed several open
roadsteads, each one with a few sailing-ships
lying off a small dreary town, waiting for
their cargoes of nitrate. Like young chil
dren, these nitrate ports have to be fed by
hand, as no blade of grass grows. Some of
the towns have condensing plants, and one
or two boast of an ice factory, but life in
these flat-topped hovels under a cloudless
glare, soon sends the men stationed here to
the whisky-bottle, the cemetery, or home-
leave. It is a pity the so-called nitrate kings of
the Stock Exchange do not pay an annual
visit to their subjects, for never was wealth
won under more arduous conditions.

152

A SHIP STORY
BY CAPTAIN HAYES
There was a pet monkey on board, much
beloved by the officers and sailors. She
was christened Jenny. Sadly enough, Jenny
died, and a sack was sewn up for her and
weighted head and foot with the usual iron
pieces. She had the service read over her
by one of the sailors before being consigned
to the deep. The next day, near a port,
some of the crew were fishing for sharks
with a piece of pork. It seems that a shark
is always accompanied by six or so smaller
fish, who act as aids to him in his choice of
food ; they clustered around and told the
monster that the pork was good, where
upon he tried to swallow the lot. He was
caught and pulled on board, and when they
dissected his carcase, there they found poor
Jenny wrapped in her shroud with the iron
weights intact.
Roars of silence !

153

ARICA
Arica is a pretty little place : a real oasis
in this desert of mountains of sand. It has
many artesian wells, therefore plenty of
water. We arrived when the sun was low
on the horizon, and the colours were glorious.
The sea was well behaved, only a ground-
swell spoke of the long-journeyed waves,
and we went ashore in comfort. Upon
arriving at the sensibly made steps of the
landing pier, we began to explore the town.
Many whisky shops were conspicuous, and
the mounted police were very well turned
out. We went to the Plaza, which was
quite beautiful. Cotton trees were in the
perfection of harvest, and looked like white
rose trees in the distance. Geraniums, con-
volvuli, and many tropical flowers bloomed
contentedly, and from a small white band
stand military music gave gaiety to the
154

Arica
scene. We walked through the tiny Plaza,
where all the flowers — such a rare treasure
on this coast — were tenderly cared for, and
large pepper trees flourish.
Picture a long, badly paved street of one-
storied houses in different-coloured stucco,
backed by clay-grey mountains, and you
have Arica. Only two shillings the boat
man demanded to get us across from the
town, and our shopping resulted in post
cards, which were pretty and well done,
and a pineapple. A gentleman on board
remarked many times how he would like
a clove of garlic to season his salad, and as
he was popular on the ship, we brought him
a handful from the fruit-shop. Pineapples
here cost two shillings each, and are of a
very reddish colour ; the odour is delicious.
At Arica, after much discussion between
the respective countries, Bofivia, Chile, and
Peru, they are building a railroad, which
will take one to La Paz, the capital of
Bolivia. As matters stand, Chile guarantees
to keep Arica an open port for Bolivia. Let
155

A Woman's Winter in South America
us hope she does so. Of all the West
Coast towns, Arica strikes me as the
pleasantest place to live in — if one were
compelled. It is clean, has ample vegeta
tion, and its promontory, El Famoso Morro,
is decidedly picturesque.

156

MOLLENDO
At Mollendo, our first Peruvian port, many
passengers left the ship. It is here that
one takes the train for La Paz, for
Cuzco, the chief city of the Incas, for
Peno and Lake Titicaca, also for Arequipa,
the third city of Peru, boasting some
ten thousand inhabitants. The descrip
tion of the town tallies exactly with the
others of this coast ; the only difference is
that the Peruvian flag manifests itself in
place of the lone star of Chile. The rail
way zigzags around the curves of the
mountains, to the high tableland of Bolivia.
In a few years Mollendo will lose its first
place as a railway centre, as Islay, seven
miles up the coast, and a much more
pleasant spot, will be the starting-point
when the railway is completed.
Along the coast there are few signs of
iS7

A Woman's Winter in South America
life: even the little rivulets, which usually
mark a mountain-stream here, are marked
by falling boulders and drifting sands. In
many of these West Coast towns, there are
ten to thirty thousand inhabitants, and one
wonders how they can find accommodation
in the perceptible handful of one-roofed
houses, so to speak. All this coast is fre
quently visited by earthquakes and tidal
waves, and protection is more guarantee-
able under a low roof.

158

THE LAND OF THE INCAS
At Mollendo one takes the train for La
Paz, the capital of Bolivia, going as far as
Puno, remaining the night there, and con
tinuing the next day to Chililaya, on Lake
Titicaca. This lake is over twenty thousand
feet high, the most elevated in the world.
From here there is a coach to La Paz, a
journey which takes five or six hours. It
is hoped that before long the railway will
be finished, going direct to La Paz. The
most interesting place is Tiahuanacu, about
twenty miles from the capital, where one
sees the last of the surviving Indians of the
Incas. ^
It is supposed that centuries ago the
lake extended to Tiahuanacu. There is
every evidence of it, and that perhaps even
before the Pharaohs ruled in Egypt civili
sation was established in this country.
From all accounts, they had a postal
159

A Woman's Winter in South America
service formed by the tying of different
kinds of knots in coloured cords, which
were sent by carriers, and constituted a
manner of communication comprehensible
to themselves. It is true they did not
write on papyrus as the Egyptians did, but
their form of worship, the adoration of the
sun, and building splendid temples to the
glorification of this deity, is very much
akin to the rehgion of the ancient rulers of
Egypt. Tiahuanacu, which is a rich mine for
Incas' ruins, obviously at one period was a
great stronghold of vast importance. Here
you find temples, erected to the Sun-God,
of huge dark-coloured stone which is now
not to be found in the country. These
temples, of some of which I give the
photographs, are very like the Egyptian
temples, as they are entirely covered with
hieroglyphics. The "Portada en Tiahuanacu"
has deeply cut faces, which one could easily
imagine were intended to represent the
Sun-God. 1 60

The Land of the Incas

The stones forming these temples are of
immense size and weight, and one wonders
how the Incas erected them without
machinery, as there is no evidence that t^ey
possessed any. These gods are most curious
in facial expression, as you will notice by the
photographs. They have not the classical
features of the Pharaohs and Ptolemies of
Egypt, but they are certainly peculiar, and
one rarely finds a statue without the queer
cap, or headdress, the design of which is
deeply carved into the stone.
There is a Catholic church which dates
back to the days of the Conquest. You
will notice in the photographs they have
placed two gods of the sun to rest outside,
perhaps to capture evil spirits, that they
may not enter. The whole of this part of
the country, for miles around, is strewn
with ruins: one has only to excavate
to find any amount. The country, com
paratively speaking, has not been excavated,
and one has no idea what may be buried in
the home of the Incas. The stone altar,
161

A Woman's Winter in South America
you will see by the photograph, is supposed
to have been built for human sacrifice ; it is
of solid stone, fifteen feet long by ten feet
broad. There may have been in the old
days an avenue of stone " monolitos "
crowned by the heads of the gods, leading
up to the sacrificial temple, like Karnak,
with its avenue of ram-headed sphinxes ;
as among the ruins they find great blocks
of stone carved and mounted with god
heads. As one looks on these wonders of the
past, one wishes that some kaleidoscope
could turn and reveal to inquisitive eyes the-
pageants of history which have been
enacted in this mystical land ; but the dark,
silent "monolitos," or stone pillars, will
guard their secret treasures through all
eternity. On the placid Lake of Titicaca's banks,
rest the boats of compressed cane fibre,
made by the Indians. The fibre grows
along the shore. These boats are clean,
light, and serviceable. 162

INCAS RUINS

CANTILEVER CRANE, TEDRO MIGUEL LOCK, PANAMA CANAL

SACRIFICIAL ALTAR OF THE INCAS

The Land of the Incas

All the Indians are Catholics, but their
feasts are pagan ; they gorge and drink,
both the women and the men, and tattoo
their faces as fancy or tribe decrees, some
times with a delicate tracery like lacework
covering their entire face, others are content
to tattoo only the cheeks. " Chacun a son
gout." During the " fiesta " they drink alcohol of
ninety p.c. strength. There are two prin
cipal races, or tribes : the Cholas inherit all
the vices of their mixed blood, white,
Spanish, and Indian. They are very de
praved ; the pure Incas do not descend to
their depths. The Cholas wear wonderfully
made garments of silk and jewels, whereas
the Indian contents himself with woollens.
On the days of the fiesta the assemblage
of the tribes is most interesting. They are
fond of dancing, and wear dark loose cloth
trousers, the bottoms of which are slit to
the knees, and some bright material or em
broidery is pleated in. Their waistcoats
are dazzling with the glittering gold and
K 165

A Woman's Winter in South America
gay-coloured silks, while on their heads
they place a huge hoop, or something re
minding one of a denuded drum-barrel.
These high, upstanding hoops are covered
with leather, cloth, or paper, according to the
taste and pocket of the wearer, and entirely
sewn over with pieces of metal, bone, or
gold. Sometimes for these fiestas, or de
bauches, they mask themselves. The masks
always represent some ancient god or
sacred animal. To see the dancer in this
rig-out is weirdly thrilling.
In the eleventh century, when Manco-
Capac, male, and Mama-Ocello, female,
appeared and announced they had been
sent down by their father, the Sun-God,
to rule over the land of the Incas, they
found a peaceful and industrious people
who were content to till the soil.
The Incas were never warlike and
ferocious like the North Americans, and
it seems pathetic when one thinks of the
advantage Pizarro took over Atahuallpa,
the king, in the sixteenth century. The
1 66

The Land of the Incas

Incas on beholding the Spaniards in their
resplendent equipments believed that they
were friendly gods, and welcomed them
accordingly, not knowing of the avaricious
thirst for gold which at that time was con
spicuous at the Court of Spain.

167

CALLAO
Just as the sun was dying in gorgeous robes
of red and gold, our ship turned towards
the huge rocks which mark the entrance to
the great Bay of Callao.
Previously we had amused ourselves by
watching the sea-lions, hundreds of them
rollicking below and jumping out of the
blue water, while overhead as many pelicans
circled about flapping their wings and dart
ing down for small fish. On proceeding up
the bay, which is spacious enough to hold
all the navies of the world, we saw several
mastheads rising out of the water. A
Peruvian gentleman, who was kind enough
to give me information, explained that these
masts were the remains of the Chilean fleet
which the Peruvians had sunk during the
war. He said, " It was a satisfaction for
the people of Peru to see these floating
168

Callao
memorials, and in a measure it helped to
appease their mortification at the loss of
the rich nitrate fields which the Chileans
had taken from them during the war."
One had to think of the danger to naviga
tion, and to me it appeared a senseless
memorial to strife. The harbour was full
of ships from all over the world. The smart
white English-built warships, over which flew
the ensign in perpendicular stripes of red
and white with the coat-of-arms of Peru
in the centre, dominated the scene. These
were the Col. Bolognesi, named after the
hero who commanded the defence of Arica
and lost his life there with two thousand five
hundred of his people, and the Almirante
Grau, whose captain died in the command
of the famous hussars. These two ships are
of the latest design and build, their speed
being twenty-four knots an hour.
In the distance against the setting sun rose
the slender black spars of many sailing
ships, dear reminders of old times when
voyages were long and perilous. We
169

A Woman's Winter in South America
drop anchor, and immediately a flotilla
of small open boats surrounds us, filled with
friends, who have come out to welcome
their comrades home.
There are many messages exchanged,
but alas ! owing to dock rules, Government
regulations, and medical mismanagement,
no one is allowed to leave the ship. We
have arrived an hour too late. One could
not help feeling sorry for that disappointed
welcoming flotilla as it disappeared in the
now deepening dusk, voices cheeringly
shouting, "A manana." At dinner that
evening our Peruvian friend supplied the
captain's table with champagne, and we all
drank to the prosperity of the country,
while the band struck up the national
anthem. We rose to the occasion, not
forgetting to toast our dear, genial Captain
Hayes, who had done so much for his
guests, and was the ideal of an English
commander. The captain's wife also claimed a toast.
Once again we raised our glasses to the
170

Callao
captain's wife, the Orita. The captain was
a bachelor. Every one was sorry that this
part of the voyage had ended, as one could
not find a cleaner ship, and every one of
the crew did his utmost in attention and
care for the passengers. To-morrow we
must transfer to the Chile — the Pacific Steam
Navigation Co. These different companies
have amalgamated, and in the near future I
hope it will not be necessary to change ships
at Callao, where the transition of baggage
to cabins unknown is not pleasant.
For the benefit of other travellers one notes
that the cost of the voyage from Valparaiso
to Panama and across the Isthmus to the
Royal Mail steamers at Colon is about £40.
I was fortunate enough to have a cabin
to myself all along the West Coast. The
officers are very careful and considerate in
not mixing the English and the natives.
For instance, the Britishers are put at the
captain's table, and every officer is an
Englishman. I trust I am not inconsiderate
in so speaking of the natives, but one can
171

A Woman's Winter in South America
imagine how disagreeable it would be for
an Englishwoman, in case the ship was
crowded, to have a brown-skinned native
woman to share the cabin. She might be
covered with diamonds, but they would not
conceal the native blood. I refer to the
Indian or the Negro.
In Peru the Indian complexion was re
markably noticeable — the high cheek
bones, the slanting brown eyes, flat nostrils,
the straight dark hair. Their faces
were Mongolian in character. At Callao
the women wore long sweeping black skirts,
and as the dust in the streets was several
inches deep, one could imagine the filth
which these long skirts gathered, Around
the head and across the body was wrapped
a black shawl, and every woman had
children clinging to her: altogether their
appearance was in no way attractive.
Even in the shops the brown colour was
noticeable in the faces of shopmen and
attendants. Callao is the seaport for Lima,
which is eight miles distant. 172

LIMA
An excellent tramway service leaves Callao
every few minutes for Lima. It is a ride
of twenty minutes and costs twopence-
halfpenny. One goes through pretty scenery. Nas
turtiums in abundance, convolvuli, and
many flowers, fields of corn, growing much
taller than ours at home, are passed on
the way ; banana trees spread their torn,
dusty leaves, vineyards grow up by the
roadside. Of course, all this vegetation is
produced by irrigation, as practically it
never rains there.
There are many peculiar small yellow
dogs of no certain breed lying full length,
basking in the sun. We notice that the
women do not wear hats. The well-dressed
Peruvian drapes the mantilla over her dusky
hair, and her poorer sister is content with
her black shawl. 173

A Woman's Winter in South America
On entering the environs of Lima one is
rather disappointed with the aspect of the
streets and its low-roofed stuccoed houses,
each stained a bright colour to satisfy the
taste ofthe inhabitant, most of them wearing
an air of dilapidation. Nearly every street
is supplied with street-cars, which make the
town a noisy place.
We alight and take an ancient cab, which
looks as if it might collapse at any moment,
with wretchedly thin horses whose ribs were
easily counted. We drove to the Plaza de
Armas. Two sides of the square are bounded
by small shops, which look as if they
contain all the undesirable merchandise of
Europe. There are many overhanging glass
balconies, in brilliant colourings.
The chief glory of the Plaza, however, is
the cathedral, which dates from the Spanish
Conquest, and is a large yellow building,
with massive doors and two towers, the
only height that pierces the flat city of
Lima. 174

Lima
The vaulted ceilings, gorgeously painted
in blue, pink, and gold, show neither taste
nor architectural beauty.
In one of the chapels I saw a marvellous
silver altar, beautifully carved, obviously a
relic of Spanish grandees. The altar-cloth
showed very fine handiwork, but was un
fortunately spoilt by cheap lace trimmings.
The pride of the cathedral is in the fact
that here, in a side-chapel, rest for evermore
the bones of the great Pizarro, the autocratic
Viceroy of Peru, he who captured all before
him and spared no man, and was account
able for the death of the last king of the
Incas, Atahuallpa. But he, too, had to
pay the penalty of fame, and the civil
wars and lack of strength vanquished him
in turn as he had vanquished others.
Francisco Pizarro, from the portrait of
him in the City Hall of Lima, wore a steel
beplumed " morion " without the visor, a
steel corslet, over which was his cloak of
knighthood, bearing the cross of St. James
on the left shoulder ; one hand rests lightly
175

A Woman's Winter in South America
on his swordhilt, and his right grasps a
sealed document, doubtless his patent to
conquer and rule the lands of the Pacific
for Spain. The dress is the half-armour ofthe
gentleman of Spain of the period, and the
face of the wearer befits it well. The man
who, by treachery, led the Inca to his
death, and with undaunted courage led his
few horsemen to conquer a world for Spain,
has a manly, though not a pleasant face.
Some weight of care and recollection is
shown in the brooding eyes, but the firm
mouth and chin tell of the policy of the
man who was indomitable.
Now the charred, dry skeleton of the
great Pizarro is stretched full length in a
glass coffin. The old verger, wearing a
very dirty collar and shirt, lights a large
candle and passes it along the glass case
from Pizarro's head to his feet, and one looks
in wonder and reverence on that mummy
like form crumbling to dust; and as one
looks, one pictures the bravery, the cruelty,
the avarice, and perhaps the many virtues
176

Lima
which in the sixteenth century dominated
this dry-boned chest, wherein a human
heart once beat, a being breathed, who
loved and hated as we do now.
Alas I The great dead, Cheops, Phoeni
cians, Romans, Huns, and all the con
querors — anno Domini claims them, and
they sink into the rest which awaits us all.
But Pizarro, even in his crumbling
dust, appeared a tall well-proportioned
man, and they must have embalmed him
almost on the same principles as in Egypt,
for the brown, mummified figure resembles
the Egyptians. In one corner, at the
feet of Pizarro, is a large, round bottle, in
which, the verger informs us, rests Pizarro's
heart. This manner of preserving the
heart apart from the body reminds one of
the canopic vases which held these sacred
remains from the days of the Egyptians.
The glass coffin is supported by a black-
and-white sarcophagus, on which is in
scribed the date of Pizarro's birth and death,
with eulogistic references to his valour.
177

A Woman's Winter in South America
As I leave the tiny chapel, which holds all
that remains of this renowned man, a great
feeling of sadness oppresses me. In the
short span of life, most of us accomplish
little, and for those who do achieve and
make history, when the roll is called no
one disobeys — great and small rush on to
unknown futurity — no description of how
to go, or the scenery we pass through.
Mentally, I say good-bye to illustrious
Pizarro. Having no interest in South
America, probably I shall never again tread
its soil. Thousands and millions will come
and look as I have done, and pass into
oblivion. Bright sunshine illuminates the Plaza,
where the trees, shrubs, and flowers are
prolific in their production of perfume
and shade. The bold red blooms of the
hibiscus flame against backgrounds of green
leaves, refreshing traveller-palms throw fan
tastic shadows, and a palm, which none
of our party could name, had a bloom of
long, hanging pink flowers on one side,
178

Lima
while on the other side of the same palm
green and white flowers thrived. Large
circulars, and fanciful drapings of electric
lights must make the Plaza beautiful in the
evening, when the band plays on the pretty
white stand.
One thing which struck us as an un
pleasant blot upon the Lima landscape
was this : From all parts of the town, a
mountain, their only one, had these two
words plainly visible, " Pilsen Beer." It was
written in large letters composed of small
white stones, which stood out so boldly
there was no ignoring it. The advertise
ment seemed to follow us and fix our
attention, whether we would or no.
We had friends at the Hotel Maury,
which is considered the best. We called
upon them, and were much amused at
their room-apartment. Space appears to
be no object at this hotel, as every bedroom
has a sitting-room. Our friends' suite was
palatial in size : first a sitting-room, very
neat and clean, but filled with weird
179

A Woman's Winter in South America
furniture, ornaments, and mirrors on which
were daubed ghastly flowers. In the bed
rooms were black iron bedsteads, upon
which queer wild birds were depicted flying.
The bathroom, however, we envied her ; the
floor was tiled, and the white marble bath was
large enough for six people. The luxury
and the squalor of the apartment were
entirely incongruous.
We went downstairs and ordered lemon
squashes, sandwiches, and biscuits. After
waiting about half an hour, a " mozo "
brought some glasses, two small limes, and
some water. We were obliged to make our
own squashes. They sent out to a grocery
store for a tin of biscuits ; this they served
intact for us to open, and the sandwiches
we are still waiting for.
We asked a young man who was living
at the " Maury " how the food was.
He replied by simply a shrug of his
shoulders. We understood.
The streets of Lima are wretchedly
1 80

AN INCAS SUN GOD

INCAS GOD

THE MODERN AND ANCIENT IN THE
LAND OF THE INCAS— RAILWAY
RUNNING BESIDE AN OLD
TEMPLE

STATUE OF CHRIST ON THE
SUMMIT OF THE ANDES

Lima
paved, as is usual on this side of the world.
Earthquakes are often a good excuse for
laziness. The long straight lines of streets
stretch through the flat city ; there are
many shops, but all are small to what
Europeans are accustomed to ; no em
poriums line the way. The sale of cotton
goods must be enormous. It being the
summer season, nearly all the ladies were
gowned in white ; I saw some pretty girls of
the Velasquez type. In Peru are many
Spanish grandee families who proudly
trace their ancestors to the sixteenth
century. The houses are built low, and enclose a
"patio," and we caught glimpses of cool
green gardens and trickling fountains as we
passed. In the Avenue de Colon are many fine
houses ; here are situated the different
legations. It is quite a pretty drive, and
the centre is laid out with splendid tropical
foliage ; there are also several monuments
to the dead heroes of Peru. The Public
L 183

A Woman's Winter in South America
Gardens are exquisite — roses of all varieties,
nasturtiums, flowering shrubs, and the most
beautiful tree I have ever seen grows here.
This particular tree is called "Paradise,"
and is worthy of its name. There are many
of these trees in the country, and we wished
we could have brought a specimen to Eng
land. They grow as high as a maple, and
have the leaf of the acacia. The bloom
breaks out in wonderful clusters of hyacinth
and blue bells, which hang about a foot
long. These blossoms form one mass of
blue ; they cover the leaves so that all you
can see is this marvellous splendour of
colour. The magnolia trees were starred by their
creamy flowers, which shed delicious per
fume. The Zoological Gardens are well worth
a visit. They are beautiful, and contain an
interesting collection of alpacas, vicunas,
and llamas (the camel of the country, who
refuse to move, however much you may
urge them, if they are overladen). There
184

Lima
was a magnificent puma with long furry tail,
many zebras, and something which was new
to me, a huge iron cage full of the celebrated
condors, the largest bird that flies. One
had his wings of black and white feathers
spread to their utmost capacity ; he stood
there as if posing to show us exactly how
wide he could make himself. There were
quite a dozen of these monster fliers, and woe
to dog or lamb when his gigantic majesty
swoops down from his heights in the Cordil
leras. Of his strong talons, each toe is
as long as a good-sized hand.
One cage fascinated me entirely. In it
romped the dearest little baby lion of six
weeks old. He was a sweet creature in
furry yellow, with topaz-coloured eyes, and
he had a white fox-terrier puppy in the cage
to keep him company, in order that he
should not suffer ennui. The manner in
which these two played and tumbled over
each other was charming. The keeper,
noticing our interest in their performance,
kindly opened the door, and allowed us to
185

A Woman's Winter in South America
take them out into the garden. It was
a new sensation to hold a fluffy lion in one's
arms, and to stroke him ; and when one
opened his httle mouth one saw the tiny
fangs, which would soon grow to be terrify
ing. I took his soft paw in mine, and could
not help wishing that he could always re
main a "baby," and never become a fero
cious beast. The puppy was snow-white
with a black spot, and also a dear.
It was with regret we had to hurry on,
as our time was limited, and leave the
babies. Lima is twelve degrees south of
the Equator, but the temperature is com
paratively cool and pleasant even in summer.
Unfortunately it has had its share of earth
quakes, for it was entirely destroyed in
1724. The Indians of Peru, although
they understand and speak Spanish, have
"Quichua" for their native tongue. A
pretty bathing resort within a few miles of
Callao attracts the Peruvians in the hot
season. This place on the bay is called
La Punta. 1 86

Lima
We have been sight-seeing, that is, driv
ing about as quickly as possible for four to
five hours, and the young friend who
accompanied us and lived in Lima, told us
we had seen practically all the places of
interest in the town.
We again mounted the tram back to
Callao. On arriving we bought some fruit —
mangoes, grapes, oranges, avocado pears,
cacti, and bananas, which are specially
delicious here.
We embarked on rather a rickety steam
launch to our Tiew home, the Chile. Upon
steaming out of the harbour we passed the
large floating dry dock, and when opposite
our beloved Orita handkerchiefs were waved,
and our new captain gave the salute to
Captain Hayes, who flew the commodore-
captain's flag of the Pacific Mail Naviga
tion Co.

187

UP THE COAST
From Callao northward the coast is
bleak, sun - scorched, and uninteresting.
The weather, however, was delightful. A
cool breeze followed us all the way ; the
Pacific has a distinct advantage over the
Atlantic for this reason. By the Atlantic
route, in crossing the Equator one passes
through what is called the " Doldrums,"
where one experiences warm, damp, sticky,
unpleasant weather, caused by the Gulf
Stream, which renders the temperature
oppressive, while all the way up the Pacific
the Humboldt Current follows you, and
as this stream flows from the Antarctic,
its effect is cool breezes, which are most
acceptable.

1 88

SALAVERRY
We called at Salaverry, an open roadstead,
surrounded by barren sands and hills, that
put one in mind of the Libyan Desert.
There was a heavy roll at the anchorage,
which spelled mal de mer to many, and
although this did not incommode me, I
had no desire to land, as the town was
not attractive. We could see all we wished
to through our glasses ; and if I had gone
ashore, it would have meant eight days'
quarantine at Panama.
Salaverry consists of clusters of squalid
native huts and a rusty iron pier, from
which clumsy barges brought us many sacks
of raw sugar, minerals, and cocoa as cargo.
One young man came on board in lavender
kid gloves and a jaunty grey suit. He
was the only son of a sugar king at
Salaverry; he was young and well edu
cated. His father was sending him round
189

A Woman's Winter in South America
the world in order that he might forget a
charming miniature face which hung from
his watch-chain.
The towns on this part of the coast are
among the first established by the Spaniards
under Pizarro's rule. They are the ship
ping ports for all the rich valleys of the
interior, where rivers, waterfalls, mountains,
and practically virgin soil make fortunes
for the Peruvians.
Divorce is unknown in Peru. As in the
Argentine, one may obtain a separation,
which of course the Catholic Church re
fuses to recognise. Even the civil authorities
do not countenance divorce. A peculiar
custom in the Argentine is that all children,
legitimate or illegitimate, share the same in
their father's property.
In the next two days we called at Pacas-
mayo, Eten, and Paita, or Payta, as some
spell it. They were not interesting ports,
as on account of the surf the ship lies far
out, and cargo is brought to us. We were
amused at Eten to watch the disembarka-
190

Salaverry
tion of two native women, who seated
themselves in a sort t)f wooden sleigh
arrangement, and were lowered into the
rocking fighter with a bump.
Our sister ship, the Peru, was anchored
alongside of us, and we saw them loading
cattle. In the old days it was done with
great cruelty. They used to haul the poor
beasts over the side, by the horns, and
sometimes the weight was so heavy that
the horns were torn from the head, and the
animal foundered in the sea. Now, how
ever, that is forbidden, and a wide belt of
canvas is placed under their bodies, which
cannot hurt them as they are lifted on board.
It is grotesque to see the animals sus
pended in the air. As the crane or derrick
lifts them, they look back on their fellow-
cattle with such a comical and astonished
expression. At Eten men came on board to sell
Panama hats, which are also made here.
They say that the finest are plaited under
water to make the reeds more pliable.
191

A Woman's Winter in South America
At Paita we met the similar surf, iron
pier, and huts nestling low on the sand.
They joke about this place, as they say it is
so healthy that there are no hospitals, and
the cemetery is scarcely occupied, although
boredom and ennui, stalking hand-in-hand,
would kill as surely as disease.
On this coast some of the well-to-do
native families have fevers of kleptomania.
I heard a queer story, which is vouched
for by the purser. A family were about to
leave the ship ; they were waiting for the
tender. A steward rushed to the purser, and
breathlessly exclaimed: "Those people
have taken all the sheets and blankets from
their cabin." It was awkward ; if the purser
spoke to the family and it were not true,
they would naturally be angry. He forth
with inspected a portmanteau belonging to
the family; it was not locked, and when
they opened it, the contents displayed not
only the sheets, counterpane, and blankets
but half a dozen towels as well.
Inkstands, for some unknown reason,
192

Salaverry

tempt light-fingered people on the west
coast. It was nearly impossible to find an
inkstand, and when I asked the chief
steward why, he explained that he could
not keep them out, as people appropriated
them to such an extent. He told me that
six had already disappeared this trip —
really to steal an inkpot seems so very
small. There were many warnings about lock
ing up one's things ; but personally I lost
nothing nor did my friends, and the
stewards are most careful about locking
one's cabin door during the time the ship is
in port.

193

PANAMA
At five o'clock in the morning com
menced a tremendous knocking on our
shuttered cabin doors, and the voices of
officers and " mozos " informed us " The
doctor has come on board. You must be
inspected in the salon. Please, be quick."
Before one had time to half dress, voices
without warned us that the last one
who appeared would have to pay a fine.
This was of course pour rire. We all good-
naturedly hurried as much as possible.
Although the hour was so early, the
doctor and quarantine officer were amiable,
and the dreaded examination finished
speedily. Fortunately there were no ill
nesses on board.
The port authorities are quite right in
demanding strict obedience as far as health
rules are concerned, and the Americans can
well be proud of their work at Panama. They
have transformed one of the deadliest pesti-
194

Panama

lent ports of the world into a clean, healthy
place where white men can live and labour,
and complete that gigantic wonder — the
Canal. American money and brains have
drained the torrid swamps, have built reser
voirs for pure drinking-water, and have
practically destroyed the dreaded mosquito
for miles around.
From our ship, the Chile, Panama looked
most attractive : the early morning sunshine
glowed upon it, showing us the white town
backed by the high hills which are richly
clothed in brilliant green tropical verdure.
One was able to distinguish queen palms,
bananas, and cocoanut trees ; while farther on
the blue misty mountains made a splendid
background. It would have been delight
ful to have had a water-colour of this
exquisite scene. We anchored close to the
two islands, one of which is the " Quaran
tine Station " ; here we became familiar
with the stars and stripes. A little out to
sea, we remarked a barren rocky island ;
this was, one of the officers told us, ceded
195

A Woman's Winter in South America
to Queen Elizabeth. We could not
imagine Queen Bess feeling much elated
upon acquiring the possession.
Nothing could be a greater contrast than
the freshness of foliage by which we are
now surrounded and the barren mountain
wastes we have left behind us, all along the
rainless west coast.
We were some time in landing, and had
to wait until a sister ship sailed, to give us
her place at the dock ; in the meantime
every one was interested to point out the
mouth of the Canal, that great achieve
ment which will change the map of the
world. We tried to picture the ships as
they will glide in and out, and think of the
great celebrations which will take place at
the opening.
When the ship lay at her dock there
seemed to be every shade of brown man re
presented, from palest coffee to ebony black.
The coloured police were well dressed in
neat khaki uniforms. We were advised by
our most obliging purser to deliver over our
196

Panama

keys and receipts for baggage to a tall black
man and his assistant, who promised to see
the things through the Customs and deliver
them at our hotel at once. They eventually
arrived about six in the evening.
Having bid good-bye to Captain March
and his officers, who had been indefatigable
in courtesy and attention for our comfort,
we all wished that a wise management
would transfer them to a larger ship more
worthy of themselves.
We landed, and engaged a cab to take us
to the Tivoli Hotel. These cabs are an
American vehicle, a sort of double buggy.
We passed up and down the hills, through
beautiful gardens in which crotons flamed
gorgeous colours. Presently we came to a
hill which looked as if one side had been
sliced away. Men, cranes, and rock-drills
were working, and in a moment several dull
detonations like thunder seemed the earth's
protest that dynamite was taking advantage
of its feebleness as the hill gave up tons of
its earth and rock. 197

TIVOLI HOTEL
I feel exceedingly grateful to the Canal
Commission for building this hotel. After
a long sea-trip, it is a comfort to sleep in a
large clean bed, and to be able to sort one's
belongings into some order. This is a very
large hotel, built of wood, and painted a
dark slate colour (as are all the houses in
Panama), picked out with white trimmings.
There are wide verandahs which completely
encircle every floor, back, front, and sides :
all these cool resting-places are covered in
with fine copper-wire netting, excluding
every fly and insect.
There are miles of netting, and they tell
me that this alone cost a hundred thousand
dollars. Every house in Panama is enclosed
by wire screens. The houses are built in
the same style, with white facings, and the
unobtrusive slate colour ; in a way, they
resemble huge meat-safes, or birdcages.
198

' I' I If Wilt 7 B^^Hllft.^HHJf'B'iB'Irv ~£j

<gt>w!9»Rs#3Psaaaj^* ;

'>',.*'l^!f'g'Trj,l-..iiii

TIVOLI HOTEL, PANAMA

MACHINERY, PANAMA CANAL

Tivoli Hotel

The gardens around the "Tivoli" are beau
tiful. Crotons of every colour and variety
grow to the height of ten feet or more, and
at a distance one would imagine they were
shrubs covered with bright flowers, which
shade from pale pink to deepest red.
Clusters of hibiscus, single and double,
raise their stately heads in open defiance to
the sun's fiercest rays, and yellow con
volvulus and lianas drape a rival porch
and balcony in lace-like patterns of Nature.
There are tennis, croquet, billiards, and
every Saturday a ball is given in the spa
cious lounge, where assembles the society
of Panama.
The table is excellent. Negro waiters,
in white linen, serve daintily ; and to me,
who have not been familiar with the
American cuisine, like buckwheat cakes,
corn bread, cream chicken, etc., for more
than ten years, the revival of these dishes
was delicious.
The chambers are practically the same —
carefully thought out with every regard to
M 201

A Woman's Winter in South America
modern hygienic principles. There is a
large screened window and a door opening
on to the balcony in every room. The
lathed walls are stained a restful shade of
green. This preparation of coal-tar product
is supposed to be insect-proof.
There are set porcelain bowls with running
water ; large, comfortable, white beds, and as
many baths as you hke. The cost per day,
which includes five meals if you care to take
them, with electric light, and baths free,
ranges from four dollars to six dollars ; the
cheaper rooms being on the sunny side.
This, I think, considering that everything
has to be brought here and is of the best
quality, cannot be said to be excessive.
One objectionable thing, from a tourist's
point of view (and I should think that when
the Canal opens and the influx of strangers
increases it must be changed), is this rule,
that no wines or spirits of any kind are sold
in this hotel. An hour's notice often fails to
secure a bottle of beer or wine for lunch, as
it must be sent out for. The general result
202

Tivoli Hotel

of this puritanical ordinance is that the
men of the hotel take carriages after dinner
and proceed to the " Central " and other
hotels in the town, where cocktails and
high-balls are dealt out without grand
motherly superintendence.
Ancon Hill, on which is the hospital
village, is at the back of the Tivoli Hotel.
Some fifty or sixty bungalows are situated
along the road which winds around the hill.
These form the wards and staff quarters.
From most of them the blue waters of the
Pacific are visible, and the cool, invigorating
winds circulate in the beautiful gardens
which divide the wards.
Sadly enough, the road comes to a dead
stop, for the last gate in this paradise of
the sick is that of the cemetery, where,
under formal little slabs of Government
pattern, drawn up as stiffly as a regiment
at attention, lie the dead, left by the great
battle of civilisation against disease and the
powers of Nature.
It was sad to remark that nearly all rest-
203

A Woman's Winter in South America
ing here were comparatively young men,
their ages ranging from sixteen to thirty-
six. We noticed only one grave that bore
the age-record of forty years. There was
a grim reminder of the step between life
and death in the presence of half a dozen
new-made graves waiting to receive the toll
the tropics claim from the white men.
Fortunately, most of the cases now in
hospital are surgical, although there are a
number of mental invalids, and it gave me
a great shock to see some hideous, contorted
faces gazing out from iron-barred windows
into a mass of tangled barbed wire, which
was to prevent escape.
Wards, residences, administrative build
ings, are all of the regulation type, raised
from the ground on stone pillars and pro
tected from insects by bronze-gauze screens.
Auxiliary hospitals are placed all along the
Canal zone, the doctors and nurses in every
one having the highest qualifications and
receiving generous pay.

204

PANAMA CITY
In driving through the curious streets of
Panama one cannot fail to remark the blend
of the lower classes who have settled here.
The mixture of much Chinese blood with
Spanish and Negro produces a peculiar and
unpleasant countenance : every shade of
colour, and the slanting eyes of the Mon
golian are represented. It is a common
thing to see in the native quarters small
children playing outside their homes naked
as when they were born. They stand on
their rickety balconies watching the wheel
ing kites as they circle slowly about. They
resemble small brown statues, their black
eyes gleaming, and usually they are made
happy with a piece of sugar-cane. Most
of the life of the menage takes place on the
balcony. Old paraffin tins are revived into
stands for plants. Macaws and parrots
shout across the narrow streets to each
205

A Woman's Winter in South America
other. The women of the houses bring
out their small cooking arrangements, and
many pungent odours float down to the
people in the streets. These balconies are
painted in almost every colour, and glancing
down the narrow streets one catches a view
ofthe blue Pacific, which gives a picturesque
touch to the scene. The streets remind one
of China, India, and Mexico. An artist
would find plenty of material awaiting him.
The cathedral, which dates from the six
teenth century, is an ugly structure, and
within is most uninteresting, containing a
few gravestones and much dirt, and the
ornaments of the chancel are the most
blatantly vulgar tinsel crudities imaginable.
There is a great number of Chinese
merchants, and every shop, no matter what
their line is, sell whisky and mysterious
bottles of liquids. Their names are " Rose
bud Bar," " A les enfants de France," many
Ching Hoys and Ling Sings, and " All
Welcome Come."
An engineer friend of mine laughingly
206

Panama City

suggested, " I suppose if I open an office
for large dredgers, etc., I also shall be
obliged to stock bottles as well."
He is responsible for this story, which
will show the hygienic care of the Tivoli
Hotel. Within the screened windows some
one discovered a mosquito. Immediately a
doctor came to examine the "monster."
Two other medical men were sent for.
They gained possession of this noxious beast,
put him in a bottle, and took him to their
laboratory to dissect.
The President's residence is a commodious
mansion, and the opera-house and theatre
are pretentious buildings in white stucco.
Through the kindness of a friend I was
invited to one of the legations, and was
privileged to be a guest in a Panamanian
house, which proved to be the acme of good
taste, and to contain many souvenirs of
European travel.
Her Excellency was a charming, well-read
woman, who did not believe in war, and
with this we all agreed. His Excellency
207

A Woman's Winter in South America
raised his glass to the honour of England.
Naturally we also drank to the health of
the country he so efficiently represented.
He told us that when the Japanese fleet
was here the Canal Commissioners invited
the Japanese officers to inspect the Canal.
Obviously the Japanese appreciated this
offer, as every one of the officers accepted.
I have also heard from other sources that
on a dark night some of the men were
found taking depths and scrutinizing the
coast without lights. This, however, is
nothing to do with me, and may be rumour.
The English lady, who is a companion to
my Panamanian hostess, laughingly told us
how people at home were aghast at her idea
of coming out to Panama, and warned her
that she must not take valuables of any
kind, and that they would be scarcely
civilised in South America. She has re
mained with this lady some three years now,
and apparently enjoys herself immensely.
People at home who travel little have absurd
notions about other countries. 208

Panama City

After a most delightful visit, we bade
our host and hostess good-bye. It was very
interesting to exchange views and ex
periences of the world together. It seems
to me a pity that people of different
nationalities do not oftener meet and ex
change ideas to the advantage of both.
The drive to Savannah along the Old
Panama Road is picturesque, The im
penetrable jungle has been formed of
lianas, their green feathery webs, mingled
with palms and banana trees and old
tree -trunks, trimmed and draped in a
manner quite inimitable. Hibiscus, and a
huge yellow flower, which I do not know
the name of, show glowing faces through
the green leaf traceries. Gourd trees and
cocoanut palms look down disdainfully
on the ambitious creepers. Butterflies of
gorgeous colours and dragon flies seem very
busy. One could not help thinking of the snakes
which must make their homes in the under
brush. 1 asked the driver about them. He
209

A Woman's Winter in South America
said, "Oh yes, lady, big snakes live down
there." I felt I had no desire to verify his words.
At Old Panama, which has long been
deserted, there are some interesting ruins, a
picturesque dilapidated church, with a tree
growing on the arch, and a few isolated
Spanish families of the poorer class.
Another drive, with similar scenery, is to
Corisande. One thing which we remarked
in this beautiful rich virgin soil was, there
appeared no cultivation. A few cattle
rambled over some of the cleared places,
but there was an absence of farms, fruit
gardens, and so forth. I presume these
will come in the course of time, but at
present fruit and vegetables are mostly
sent from the States by the United Fruit
Company's lines. It should be a good
hint to farmers to settle here, as there is
plenty of water, and irrigation would make
farming profitable in this paradise of tropical
vegetation. " Hielo," or ice, is one Spanish word I shall
2IO

Panama City

always remember, as I seemed to be in
want of it from Pernambuco to the Azores.
A strange thing happened to-day. I often
drove to the Savannah, which is the prettiest
road here, and I noticed a large building
in construction, evidently a factory. A
friend and myself had talked it over, and re
marked that there was no foundation to speak
of, the under-pinning being fragile laths and
small beams. To-day, on my return drive,
I was obliged to get out and walk around
the ruin, for the building had fallen across
the street, splintering the dry wood into
thousands of pieces and tearing down tele
phone and electric wires. Quite a hundred
people had gathered, instead of going to
church. It was a Sunday afternoon. Some
said the reason was that, as the building had
not been placed on concrete, or stone pillars,
the ants which abound here had under
mined the foundation by making deep
furrows. At any rate, I felt grateful I
had not been passing at the time of the
accident. 211

THE CANAL*
Before dawn a party of friends and myself
took the train for Culebra, where, by the
courtesy of Colonel Goethals, chief of the
Canal Commission, a private inspection
motor-car awaited us. We retraced our
steps along the single line which we had
traversed, which passes through the rolling
hills of the tropical Savannah.
After a few miles through beautiful scen
ery, we reached Culebra Cut, by a series
of startling inclines, all being single lines.
The excitement at times was added to by
heavy trains and wagons following us at
a few yards' distance. Every set of points
and crossing is guarded by a flag-signaller —
yellow for advance, red for stop, and green
for precaution.
One signalman had lost both arms, and
we were much surprised to note the clever
* By kind permission of "The Car."
212

The Canal

manner in which he waved the signal with
his foot.
Of course, on a great work like this
accidents are numerous, and we heard that
about a thousand surgical cases have been
in hospital at one time.
An ambulance train is always kept under
steam with efficient orderlies who can
render first aid, and in a half-hour or less the
train is at the Hospital Station in Panama
city. By gradual but somewhat rough inclines
the rail joins the network of lines which
cover the bottom of this gigantic cutting.
To the right stands the isolated peak of
Golden Hill, the highest point the Canal
traverses, and to the left is the pretty little
engineering capital of Culebra, with its
bungalows and clubs, standing in gardens
with carefully trained tropical plants and
creepers. The gardens each show some individual
taste. Sometimes scarlet crotons form the
hedges, and curtains of flowering creepers
213

A Woman's Winter in South America
conceal the wire-netting on the verandahs.
In fact, the settlement forms a pleasing
contrast to the hideous, temporary build
ings which spring up around pubhc works
in Europe.
The bottom of the Culebra Cut is still
some forty feet above its final level, but
ten lines of railroad and three hundred
engines, with countless cars, are carting
away the heart of the Isthmus to the Gatun
Dam on the one hand, and the Panama
Breakwater on the other. All the powers
of Nature seemed chained to rend this path
way through a continent.
The forces of a hundred mighty steam
shovels are attacking with insatiable hunger
what we used to call the "Everlasting
Hills." At another point a cluster of rock-drills
are hammering their way into the rock,
leaving bores to receive the dynamite, the
explosions of which we constantly hear.
A third force, that of water, is harnessed to
the task, and we saw huge hydraulic jets
214

The Canal

employed in washing away the softer strata
of the cutting.
We could not stop our car as often as we
wished, as it had to be run to avoid inter
ference with the construction trains; but
once we were fortunate enough to be
stopped below one of the steam shovels
which was loading a train of cars. The
enormous bucket, with its four steel teeth,
attacked the mountain-side like an enraged
mastodon, and tore away some six or seven
tons of clay and boulders, the great arm
swung around over the train, into which its
spoil was dashed with a deafening crash.
These wagons, which hold thirty tons,
move forward a few feet between each
operation. About five of these giant
mouthfuls are sufficient to fill one of them.
The whole earth seems to tremble with the
bellow of dynamite, the roar of machinery,
and the dull vibration of the loaded trains.
All along our route of some ten miles we
were never out of sight of dense masses of
workmen, nor clear of the black smoke of
215

A Woman's Winter in South America
straining engines, which clanked, groaned,
shrieked, and whistled through miles of
construction track, which is being daily
shifted to lower levels as the strenuous
work of excavation progresses.
Over all the toiling bells the American
locomotives sound the death-knell of the
cordilla of a continent.
The brains that guide, and hands that
execute, a work like this deserve some
mention of us, who had the privilege of
visiting the executive building, and the
pleasure of being introduced to Col.
Goethals and some of his staff. We found
this class of American, undiscovered by the
novelist or dramatist. These tall, modest
men conduct their work without fuss or
noise, and explain it without boast or
adjective. They know, although a moun
tain-side may collapse, or a fall of rock
dwarf a year's weary labour, that the work
will go on.
One of our party pointed out some
treacherous green silt, and suggested a
216

PANAMA CANAL

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The Canal

possible slip. A junior engineer humor
ously said : " I suppose the U.S. would
line the Canal with marble in that case."
Passing downwards in the ranks, we come
to the principal mechanics and engine-
drivers, the latter, by the way, drawing
£500 per annum. All this class are pro
vided with good houses, electric light, fuel,
water, and medical attendance free, also
their houses are furnished for them from
the Government shops, and in case of acci
dent to even a cup, they have only to apply
to Uncle Sam for more.
The unskilled labour is equally favoured.
Men of all nations are in its ranks — Italian,
Spanish, and Negro. The average pay is
twenty-five and thirty cents an hour. The
day consists of nine hours. A labour train
takes them to each meal, which costs them
thirty cents, and is abundantly provided
from the Government stores.
The men are dressed in khaki, and look
clean and well cared for.
Our car returned towards Panama by
N 219

A Woman's Winter in South America
the Isthmian railroad, which we left by a
construction fine to visit the great Mira-
flores Lock. This, one of the six locks of
the Canal, is probably the largest concrete
construction in the world. The facing of
the lock-pit is of concrete blocks, and the
filling in behind of concrete en masse, which
is placed in position in a remarkably ingeni
ous manner. A cantilever crane runs on
the floor of the lock-pit and hoists the tubs
of concrete from the cars beneath, runs them
out to either side, and deposits their contents
to an inch on any point of the works.
Some idea of the size of the lock-pits is
shown in the fact that any of them will hold
a steamer a thousand feet long by a hundred-
and-ten beam, or two Dreadnoughts. The
passage which drains the water from the
upper lock is an iron tube embedded in
concrete, large enough to take a locomotive.
This stupendous structure towers above the
tropical shrub like some prehistoric temple,
impressive in its bulk and lack of orna
mentation. 220

The Canal

We were surprised to hear at Culebra
that more Englishmen than Americans
visit this marvellous work in construction.
Fear of ill-health or bad hotel accommo
dation need keep no one away. The city
is healthy, and the Government Hotel
excellent. Altogether, a week spent here
is most delightful.
In abolishing a geographical expression,
by destroying an isthmus, the U.S. have
done more than make a new route for
commerce. They have put in training a
race of oversea Americans who will one
day rival our own Indian administration.
The far-reaching hands of America already
grasp the Far East via the Philippines ;
soon they will hold the keys of a trade
route as important as the Suez Canal. The
men who work, plan, and sanitate the Canal
zone are able to rise to its administration,
and will take less and less interest in petty
interstate squabbles, and more in the
future of their race as a mighty power
overseas, 221

A Woman's Winter in South America
The initial difficulty of all attempts to
make a canal across the Isthmus of Panama
has been the pestiferous climate of the
country. The laying of the railway cost
unknown thousands of lives, and the
disastrous failure of Count de Lesseps's
canal was due as much to fever as to faulty
finance. When the U.S. Canal Commission was
appointed, it was decided that the sanitation
of the zone to be traversed must take pre
cedence of all works of construction, and the
entire available labour force for nearly two
years was devoted to this object. The city
of Panama was paved, drained, and
provided with a water supply, which was
subsequently extended to the entire Canal
zone. It is a matter of common rumour that
the inhabitants of Panama are far from
being grateful for the sanitary attention of
the U.S.A. The dense mangrove swamps
were burnt and drained, fire and axe cut
broad roads through the interlacing shrub

The Canal

of the Savannah, every ditch and pool was
treated with mineral oil, laid on in tubes
and made deadly to the mosquito grub.
A new Panama rose, of perfect plan for
a tropical climate. Every precaution was
taken that the heavy rains should not form
damp spots in its boundaries, such as gnats
and mosquitoes love to incubate in. Every
where in the streets are concrete conduits
which conduct every drop of rainwater to
the sea, and when the pest-ridden city was
clean, and the mist of filthy insects vanished
from the Isthmus, it was with clear con
science that the Sanitary Board called on
Uncle Sam to send his sons with pick and
shovel to commence — the great Canal.
The U.S. Government paid the Panama
Assembly £2,000,000 cash for five miles
each way from the Canal, but stipulated
that £1,500,000 should be invested in
Manhattan securities. They also paid the
French, £8,000,000 for all concessions, and
work done by them.

223

GATUN DAM
I left Panama basking in the rays of a
tropical noon, and with regret took a fare
well glance at the pale blue waters of the
Pacific glittering like an aquamarine in its
setting of golden sand. From the railway
I had again a sight of the gigantic trench
through the mountains at Culebra, which
grows more impressive every time one
sees it.
Farther on we crossed the yellow, sullen
waters of the Chagres River, which is at
once the dread and the assistance of the
Canal Commission ; its sudden floods often
rising three to four feet in an hour make it
a dangerous ally, but without its tribute of
water it would be impossible to work the
locks of the Canal. Its waters will be
stored in an artificial lake, with a larger
area than all the fresh -water lakes in
224

Gatun Dam

Great Britain. This hundred square miles
of water will have sufficient depth in the
channel to allow the largest ocean steamers
to travel at full speed. Forests will have to
be hewn and submerged.
The present railway, made at the cost of
so much hfe and treasure, will become a
geographical memory, for a new line on
higher ground is being built to take its
place. On arrival at Gatun we sighted the
breakers of the wild Atlantic from the
station platform. With the introduction of
Col. Goethals we called on Col. Siebert,
who is in charge of the Atlantic section.
With the charming courtesy which dis
tinguishes the officials of the Canal Com
mission he delegated one of his assistants
to take us around the Gatun Dam and
Locks in a private car. I have motored
fifty miles over the Canal. They tell me
the U.S. pay-roll reaches two milhon
dollars a month.
This stupendous work holds up the
waters of the Chagres River to form the
225

A Woman's Winter in South America
lake from which the locks will be fed,
which is the summit-level of the Canal.
The locks at Gatun form a colossal stair of
three steps, which will lift the ships from
the Atlantic level to the summit. The
mode of construction is picturesque and
striking. Some hundred feet above us, we
saw a spider's web of steel cables miles in
extent, stretching from steel towers, along
which black bodies passed and repassed.
These were steel tubs conveying concrete
for the huge structure ; they stopped in mid
air with apparently human instinct, lowered
themselves spider-like by a thread of steel,
and emptied their load within a yard on the
spots required. Gigantic steel cylinders
revolve in the concrete-mixing works, and
when a car is ready to be loaded, auto
matically lower themselves, and fill the
waiting tubs to an inch of accuracy ; weird
cars bringing gravel, sand, and cement,
move driverless, in a procession along an
electric railroad ; immense hooks descend,
condor-like, on two-ton loads of concrete,
226

Gatun Dam

which are whirled away sky-high to the
place decreed for them.
All is thorough, determined, and pre
ordained. The forest a thousand summers
have made rank, must be converted into the
bed of a great reservoir ; the hills a million
years have scarped and moulded, must have
their flanks bitten deep by the engineer ; and
one feels the joining of two oceans is not a
matter of time nor money, but a determina
tion of undaunted genius.
From sea to sea the voyage is supposed
to take about ten hours, through scenery
the loveliest in Central America. The
delay at each lock will be approximately an
hour and a half. At the Gatun it will be
remembered there are three locks, at Pedro
Miguel there are two, and at Miraflores
one. Then the Pacific level is reached,
where the forthcoming forts of Panama
will frown grim defiance to all enemies of
the people who have halved a continent.
I hope England will never be amongst
their number. 227

A Woman's Winter in South America
In the early morning the views of the
Pacific were with us ; in the afternoon we
were greeted by the wild Atlantic, whose
white breakers roared on the Colon shores.
A few miles' run took us from Gatun to
Colon; part of the old French canal is
being used on this section.

228

COLON
Colon was in a state of hysterical excite
ment over the Chinese New Year. The
roll and roar of fire-crackers had even
frightened the placid cabhorses of the
station, and for nearly an hour we waited
with our hand-baggage for a vehicle to take
us to the steamer.
The Chinaman with fireworks is an in
fliction, preferring noise to colour. Most
of his efforts are of the schoolboy-cracker
variety, and one longs for a British constable
who would promptly move on the offensive
and noisome " Chink."
A genial literary friend and his wife
insisted upon my dining with them at the
Hotel Washington. The other hotel at
Colon bears the respected name of " Lin
coln," and is only open to the Canal staff.
To our kindly host's dismay he found the
229

A Woman's Winter in South America
" Washington " served no wine and very little
food, but with the energy of a Napoleon,
and the perseverance of a Von Moltke, he
interviewed the chef, and informed him that
the smallest eater of our party was the
chairman of the Kitchen Committee of a
leading London club. This reduced the
coloured gentleman to a receptive state of
mind. Our friend commandeered turtle
soup, a delicious Spanish mackerel, and an
Imperial planked steak some three inches
in depth, and a square foot in area. The
artistic surroundings matched the joint:
circling potatoes, peas, peppers, and beans
completed the scheme of colour. Our table
decorations were hibiscus and croton leaves.
The only thing we regretted was the lack
of an appetite such as four hours after the
partridges over turnips gives one in England.
The sacred portals of the "Washington"
are, of course, unsullied by the hoof of the
alcohol fiend, but our invincible host had
dived into a shop and procured the dainty
wine of Eastern France. The three pint
230

Colon
bottles he bought exhausted the stock of
the dealer; all were good brands, but all
wore different labels. However, confidence
in our host and an Isthmian thirst made
each equally enjoyable. Another novelty,
as far as I was concerned, was a liqueur called
Creme de Cocoa, which our artful host bore
into the hotel in a mineral- water bottle con
cealed in his pocket. Our rather elaborate
meal was gazed upon open-eyed and open-
mouthed by the coloured staff of the hotel,
who were obviously impatient to consume
the balance of our feast.
My host and hostess accompanied our
party on board the Magdalena, where
pleasant au revoirs and promises of reunion
in London kept us talking till close upon
midnight. The next morning saw our re
spective ships sailing together on their
varied courses, one for New York, and
mine for England.

231

AT SEA— CARIBBEAN
A fellow-voyager at dinner related his
experience of a cock-fight at Panama. A
friend and himself passed a small amphi
theatre ; curiosity compelled them to enter.
They found seats, and the fight began. In
the cock-pit were a brown cock and a grey
one. They spurred them on to battle, and
the grey cock fought fiercely, tearing the
plumage off the brown cock's neck in a
fearful manner. He took his punishment
meekly, and tried to hide his poor injured
head under the grey cock's wings, but
occasionally his spur gained revenge, rip
ping the feathers off the sprightly grey
one's neck. After several rounds, in which
the brown appeared to get the worst of it,
and seemed nearly dead, the grey bird for
a moment relaxed his vigil, and instantly
the brown, who had been hiding his head,
232

At Sea — Caribbean

attacked ferociously, and slew his grey
rival. After leaving Colon, southward bound,
we encountered a stiff breeze in the Carib
bean Sea, which in the afternoon assumed
almost the force of a hurricane. The ship
pitched and strained, and the wind met us
with merciless force.

233

CARTAGENA
In the early morning the Magdalena picked
up a coloured pilot, and proceeded to the
harbour of Cartagena, which has been so
graphically described in Westward Ho!
The approach, with its green boundaries,
looks attractive. We made fast to the
quay, which is in the heart of a mangrove
swamp. In the harbour was anchored a small,
grey, Colombian gunboat, which was once
Mrs. Langtry's celebrated yacht, The White
Lady. When I had last seen it, years ago,
at Monte Carlo, it was resplendent in gold
and white enamel.
We took a two hours' drive in, perhaps,
the most ruinous town in Central America.
The ancient walls, built during the Spanish
occupation, are grass-grown and decayed,
the streets are filthy and unpaved, and the
234

THE HENLEY OF BUENOS AIRES — THE TIGRE DE LA PLATA
. ¦ -„ •

PUBLIC GARDENS, RIO DE JANEIRO

4B

nmH

MACHINERY, PANAMA CANAL

Cartagena

buildings mean and dilapidated. There
was no sign of energy about the people.
The children, up to the age of ten, wear the
garb of Nature, and assume the colour of
their dusty surroundings. The cathedral
resembles a vast barn, stuck around with
coloured plaster images. A so-called Mu-
rillo, painted on wood, and practically
obhterated by age and exposure, is shown
as the only object of interest. The daub
represents the Archangel Michael, with
sword and helmet, driving sinners to the
nether regions. A squad of young, untidy
buglers were drumming and fifing on the
neglected ramparts. They were only too
willing I should photograph them, and
formed up in a slouching parade for the
purpose. I have a lurking suspicion that
they constituted the bulk of the standing
army of Colombia. On these ramparts
tradition places the guns of Columbus,
but the only two guns we saw were of
Elswick manufacture, about thirty years
old, and were being consumed by rust.
o 237

A Woman's Winter in South America
The walls of the fortifications are largely
composed of coraline rock, the graceful,
fan-like pattern of which gives a pretty
decorative effect. The currency here is
entirely paper. A hundred-dollar bill is,
therefore, worth only 4s. 2d. English,
and fifty dollars goes a very short way to
purchase two bottles of beer. However,
it pleases the Colombian to think in dollars
when he is paying in pence. There is a
small English colony pleasantly situated on
an arm of the sea outside the fortifications.
Here are a tennis club and some pretty
bungalow residences, with many cocoanut
palms and gorgeous flowers in their
gardens. In the old ruined fortress of St. Philip,
Drake was supposed to have made a stand,
and, as we walked over the tangled walks,
we were shown a stone portal leading into
the sea. This was the route by which
smugglers and escaping prisoners were con
ducted. I drove to Walters' American Hotel,
238

Cartagena

which is a clean, well-kept place. I had
the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Walters
thirteen years ago, when I last visited
Cartagena. It was pleasant to again chat
with her, and find the family well and
prosperous, and the httle daughter grown
to quite a young lady.

239

PORTO COLOMBIA— BARRAN
QUILLA— BOGOTA
We moored to the long pier at Porto
Colombia, where we found two German
steamers occupying the other two berths.
The pier is about a mile long, and carries a
railroad which connects the port to Barran
quilla, an hour's distance.
Among our passengers was the Bishop
of Trinidad, who organised a party to visit
the city. A special train, which the com
pany would run if twenty people guaranteed
to go, we took at the rate of five shillings
a head. For the first few miles the line
runs along the shores of the bay, then,
branching inland through straggling under-
growths and mangrove swamps, at one
point it affords a glimpse of the great
Magdalena River, which is navigable for
some eight hundred miles.
The native negro huts were tiny one-
240

Barranquilla

storied shanties, thatched with palm
leaves. Pelicans flew over the bay, and
all along the line we admired a beautiful
pink-flowering tree of the acacia family,
which reminded one of Japan.
The city of Barranquilla has thirty
thousand inhabitants ; the streets are
extremely sandy and dusty, as none of
them are paved except in the centre of the
town and business portion. Owing to the
bad surface of the streets, driving is most
uncomfortable. We climbed into an an
tique vehicle of the American carry-all
class, and with two thin, worn-looking
horses prepared to visit the sights of the
town. These consisted of the cathedral, a
large stucco building, containing rather a
fine marble tomb of a local benefactor. A
Plaza, full of crotons and flowers, has two
monuments which proclaim the thanks of
the city to Liberty — "Barranquilla al
Libertador." The better-class houses are of one story,
encircled by a verandah, with gardens. The
241

A Woman's Winter in South America
poorer dwellings are small, with thatched
roofs, the walls being made of large sun-
dried bricks, held together by straw, called
the "adobe." These are covered with
stucco, which is colour-washed in every
tint, blue being a favourite.
The prison was large and well guarded.
Many faces looked out from behind the
open barred windows. They were mostly
political prisoners, they told us. The only
clean, bright spot in this depressing city
was Pension Inglesi, kept by an English
woman. It seemed to be the rendezvous
of those unfortunate Englishmen who are
expatriated in this uninteresting Central
American third-class city.
We saw a fleet of stern-wheeled steamers
on an arm of the Magdalena River. These
boats form the means of communication
to Bogota, the capital of Colombia. The
length of time consumed on the journey
varies from ten days to seven weeks, as the
condition of the river dictates. The stream
abounds with islands, crocodiles, and malarial
242

Bogota
mosquitoes. The boats have to tie up at
night, and no one must venture without a
thick mosquito net,
A gentleman who lives at Bogota, bearing
the name of one of Columbus's navigators,
tells me that Bogota, which is situated on a
tableland nine thousand feet high, has the
most delightful climate imaginable. The
temperature varies little, and remains about
sixteen degrees centigrade the year round.
Flowers and fruit are always procurable.
On the high lands they grow apples, wheat,
and all products of a temperate zone, while
below in the tropical valleys they have pine
apples, peaches, chirimoya, and aguacate.
These two fruits are delicious, but being most
delicate, they are not frequently exported.
The capital has nearly a hundred thousand
inhabitants, mostly of Spanish descent.
There is an English and a German colony,
and many native Indians, but few negroes.
They have one large theatre and an opera-
house. The influence of the priest here is
very strong, and revolution often threatens.
243

A Woman's Winter in South America
The Colombians say that the Americans
instigated the Panamanians to demand their
independence, and are not content to have
Panama under an influence not their own.
Bogota must be unquestionably an in
teresting place, and doubtless would be a
Mecca for tourists were it not so inaccessible.
One leaves Barranquilla by steamer to go
up the Magdalena River, where the scenery
is beautiful, and after eight or ten days one
arrives at Dorada. Here you vary the
monotony by taking a train for an hour
and a half to two hours, and you alight at
a small town called Honda. At this place
you change trains, and in half a day, if
there are no breakdowns, you get out at
the upper river Port. More changing, this
time into a small river boat, which is com
pelled to move very slowly on account of
the rapids, usually taking a day and a night,
according to the mood of the river. Here
you again take a train at Girardot, which is
noted for luxurious gardens. At seven in
the morning you begin your ascent of
244

Bogota
nine thousand feet, passing through lovely
valleys, winding in and out. At one place
the railway becomes a veritable switchback,
and at six o'clock of the same day you
finally arrive at Bogota, a wonderful old
place with a delightful temperate climate.
A fellow-shipmate who occupied a con
sulate position at Bogota, and who was a
merchant of some eminence in the city, told
me an amusing story of one of the perennial
revolutions, which act as a tonic to these
irrepressible republics, which but for them
would relapse into the " sleepily-drowsily "
of the land of Manama. The faction that
found itself "top dog" in the bloodless
revolution arrested and put in prison my
consulate friend. Alas ! for him there was
no consular guard, but the outrage on
his flag was as nothing to that on his
hunger, for by noon the call of dejeuner
asserted itself. Four hours in a dirty
Central American cell is almost a casus
belli to the most pacific of representatives.
He gravely passed the sentry, informing
245

A Woman's Winter in South America
him that the consul of " Rutinia " was going
to lunch, and Mr. X., the merchant, would
return to prison at four. The end of the
drama, like most political moves in South
America, ended in blackmail, and our friend
had to eventually pay what was mentioned
as a " subscription " to the election expenses
to the party in whose hands, until the
next revolution, rests the peace, welfare,
and honour of the precious Repubfic of
Colombia.

246

PUERTO CABELLO
I fear that the greatest enthusiast could
record little of interest at this port of
Venezuela. We steamed to our dock early
in the morning. The country, with its back
ground of shaded mountains and brilliant
verdure, looked attractive from the sea.
Usually the Royal Mail Steam Packet
Company does not include Puerto Cabello
as a calling-place, but this time we were
obliged to collect three hundred tons of
frozen beef. The ship lies in dock, and the
railway lines are close by. I watch the
negroes handling these huge sides of beef,
which have come down from the interior
in refrigerator cars and are carefully and
cleanly sewn in canvas. As the negroes
take the beef from the car it is immediately
placed in our ship's chilled room. Although
the sun blazes mercilessly, it is so quickly
247

A Woman's Winter in South America
restored to icy chambers that it has not
time to feel the change of temperature.
Opposite us is a small island, obviously
a military station. From an insignificant
fort the bugle rings with startling frequency,
and the flag of Venezuela — red, yellow, and
blue, with a few scattered stars in the centre,
which stand for their different provinces —
droops lightly from its flagstaff. There was
a bandstand in a small Plaza with beautiful
palms and large trees, upon the tops of which
bright red flowers bloom, forming a pleasant
picture against the blue, tropical sky. On
the dock the black boys are selling oranges,
cocoanuts, bananas, a badly cured alligator-
skin, some hideous striped cotton slippers,
small green parrots, and daintily coloured
humming-birds. The man with the post
cards is also in evidence ; his charges are
twenty cents for each, about fivepence.
I took a cab, rather a good one, with two
strong brown horses. It is a relief to ride
when you are sure that the horses can com
fortably be relied on. In most places one
248

Puerto Cabello

felt such genuine pity for the animals that
the pleasure of sight-seeing was curtailed.
I drove past a little Plaza and through the
streets, which did not require a long time.
They are not paved, and the open mud-
ditches, full of sewage, did not induce one
to linger. The houses of all colours, di
lapidated and squalid, appear anything but
attractive. My driver and I could not
speak a word together, as neither of us
comprehended the other's language, but
conscientiously he wound in and out of all
the streets, insisting I should see every
thing, and at the end of our excursion he
halted at a shop which was supposed to sell
curios. Upon entering, I found a collection
of some rather pretty pink shells, corals, fat,
ugly dried beetles, a family of tropical birds,
and many venomous snakes preserved in
English pickle-bottles, which still bore the
name of Crosse and Blackwell. I must
acknowledge that at Puerto Cabello they
make one of the most delicious liqueurs I
have ever tasted ; it is called Creme de
249

A Woman's Winter in South America
Cacao-Chonao, and can be obtained in Eng
land. For my promenade en voiture my
gesticulating driver demanded one dollar,
or four shillings, which certainly was not
excessive. For our matinee amusement we watched
the shipping of some twenty or thirty
turtles, who arrived on their backs in a
dugout alongside. A rope was tied around
their shoulder flippers, and they were un
ceremoniously flung on deck. The larger
ones, weighing about 225 lbs., came singly,
but the smaller fry were landed in groups
of three and four. Their appearance as they
lay helpless on their backs on deck gasping
for breath, their eyes rolling in their small
heads, was ludicrous ; but also one had to
feel a certain amount of pity for them. As
soon as possible, large wooden tanks were
brought, and they were berthed, only the
big fellows having a cabin to themselves.
The smaller fry were mated together, then
the sailors played the hose upon them, filling
their tanks with cold sea -water, which must
250

Puerto Cabello

have been refreshing. They splashed about
with seeming content.
The first officer was standing beside me,
and said that, with the exception of the
water, they took nothing throughout the
voyage; and when I inquired if they did
not lose weight, he said, " No, we sometimes
try to feed them with herbs, but they will
not eat. Last voyage we brought home
one turtle which weighed over four hundred
pounds." I heard this afternoon that we had taken
five thousand head of cattle on board for
the cold storage. Really, when one realises
this great slaughter, one feels very much
inclined to become a vegetarian.
The Venezuela Navy, consisting of three
tramp-steamers, flying the pennant and flag,
steam past us. The size of the flag makes
up for the insignificance of the ship, while
a disabled torpedo-boat seems to complete
the roll of this Caribbean fleet. The port
is innocent of drains, water supply, and ice,
to the provision of which the money spent
251

A Woman's Winter in South America
on a burlesque fleet might be more worthily
directed. A red-and-white placard announces that
a cock-fight takes place at three this after
noon. An American fellow-shipmate, who
has a mania for this form of sport, said he
was going. I asked him if ladies ever
attended. He thought for a moment,
and replied, " Well, I have never seen any
one I thought was a lady, but I have seen
plenty of women there."

252

GOVERNOR'S HOUSE, TRINIDAD

STREET IN BARRANQUILLA

BAY OF RIO DE JANEIRO

STREET IN BARBADOS

TRINIDAD
This beautiful island has been so often
written about, one can add httle to Charles
Kingsley's able description. The approach
to the Port of Spain past the high wooded
hills was well worth getting up at six in the
morning to see. The ship lay about two
miles from the pier. To avoid the nuisance
of coaling, I went ashore early. The town
looked clean and healthy, and a friend
who was with me said the English had
done wonders for the place since five
years ago when we were there last and
the " Johnny Crows," or vultures, were
the scavengers. Now clean streets have
driven them to wider fields of forage,
and by the transference of the R.M.S.P.
Company's chief office from Barbados,
the Port of Spain has sprung into an
era of prosperity, largely owing to the in
dustrious Indian coolies, who are imported
p 255

A Woman's Winter in South America
to work on the cocoa plantations. The
streets are bright with hotels, shops, and
consulates. The coloured inhabitants were
obviously preparing for the coming carnival,
the shop windows being filled with glaring
costumes, confetti, and idiotic masks ; those
most favoured by the coloured race are the
wire ones, showing the face of a blonde
English woman. Probably when the
humour of the masquerade has ceased to
interest the most degenerate of the Latin
races, the dark man will cherish this sur
vival of the Saturnalia, in childish ignorance
of its origin, and deck his wool with con
fetti beneath the palms of the Caribbean.
The native grog-shops, which modestly
announce themselves as groceries, boast one
or two peculiar signs, such as "Agar
sells everything." "The Merry Widow
Grocery." "The Fair-play Shop," one
excelling the others in the Whiteley-like
variety of goods by numbering on its side
" Ecclesiastical objects and cool Drinks."
The streets bore the names of great English
256

Trinidad

admirals ; one, rejoicing in the name of
Piccadilly Street, consisted of small nigger
huts, facing a slum. The ideal beauty-spot
of the Port of Spain is the " Savannah," a
level plain of some two or three miles in
extent, with a view of the Gulf of Paria
on one side, and a semicircle of gloriously
wooded hills on the other, where the
scarlet paradise tree flames hke streaks of
fire across the adjacent greenery. The
landscape fulfilled Dr. Samuel Johnson's
requirements of a perfect view, for it had
a good inn in the foreground, and it would
be a very captious traveller who complained
of the Queen's Park Hotel, with its smart
white-clothed negro waiters, good cooking,
and seductive verandah, which you never
feel inclined to leave.
At lunchon salmon was on the menu. I
ordered it, and found it was a white fish with
firm flesh and excellent flavour. Doubt
less it received its name from one of the
wandering Scots who dreamed of Tay and
Tweed beneath the shadow of his cocoa
257

A Woman's Winter in South America
trees. Not fancying meat in the tropics, I
ordered salted fish a la Trinidad, that is,
cooked with onion sauce and yellow-and-
green peppers, against which strangers
should be warned, for the heat without is
simply nothing to that produced within by
these virulent vegetables.
There was a long menu, which comprised
crab-backs, ochre (a glutinous green vege
table, more unpicturesque to eat than maca
roni), and an ample supply of West Indian
delicious fruit. The service was perfect,
and the charge, six shillings each person,
not out of the way.
Regretfully I left the shade of the veran
dah, and chartered a victoria, driven by a
well-groomed coloured coachman, who
spoke English with a decidedly cultured
accent. In fact, the natives in the West
Indies have forgotten the origin of their
race, and, unlike the East Indian coohe, are
without a language or a nationality, save
that of England, to whom they profess
unbounded loyalty — a loyalty which is
258

Trinidad

emblazoned in the records of our two West
Indian regiments.
We started our long drive in the direc
tion of Coolie Town. The road is exception
ally good, and the coolie huts remind one
of Ceylon at its best ; the cross-roads bear
the names of Indian cities, such as Bombay
Street, Agra, Calcutta, etc.
The coolie women, heavy with nose-rings,
ear-rings, anklets, bracelets, and necklaces,
walked unveiled ; and the children, plump,
well clad and smiling, waved their greeting
to the " mem Sahib."
The schools were ended for the day, and
crowds of happy scholars with their slates
and books filled the streets — black, white,
and chocolate mixing in comradeship to
gether. At Coohe Town there appeared
to be schools for all denominations.
A less pleasant feature is the iniquitous
Chinese grog-shop, which blasts the country
from the Yukon to Trinidad.
Driving around the north of the
Savannah, we visited the beautiful Botanical
259

A Woman's Winter in South America
Gardens, which the usual afternoon torrent
of rain prevented me from exploring as
thoroughly as I should have liked. The
heated soil drank in the warm downpour,
and one could fancy one saw or heard the
bamboo clumps growing. Here we remarked
an avenue of Indian rubber trees ; on the
one side was a hedge of huge scarlet hibiscus,
and on the other the crotons raised their
banners of red and gold.
Close to these lovely gardens is the
Governor-General's residence, looking across
terraced lawns to the wide Savannah ;
the King's representative in this beautiful
island could not be more delightfully
located. Afterwards we drove along the
coast, through miles of negro huts, which,
although they have not the brightness of
Coolie Town, still exhibited pathetic httle
efforts in the way of decoration ; small
houses, scarcely bigger than a tramcar,
faced with firewood and flattened paraffin
tins, often boasted a pair of flimsy lace
curtains to the windows of their one room.
260

Trinidad

Along the road chickens abounded, but, by
some mysterious law, all seemed the same
size and thinness. Like Peter Pan, they
appeared determined not to grow up.
We met many negresses, cleanly clothed
in bright cottons, bearing on their heads
trays, on which yams, plantains, and bread
fruit rested. Their stately poise is one that
justifies the comphment — one of the nicest
which a woman with a good figure can
receive — that she has " a negro back."
They all pass us with a pleasant smile, and
the black police salute in military manner.
The hmit of our drive was an English-
owned cocoa estate which shadowed our
road on each side for about a mile. As far
as one could see, the brilliant, feathery
branches waved in the soft sea breeze,
without which the cocoa-palm cannot live.
The annual estimate of each tree is about
sixty cocoanuts, the dried kernel of which —
copra — is exported all over the world for its
oil-yielding qualities.
On returning to the town we found the
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A Woman's Winter in South America
local custom is to close the shops at half-
past four, therefore a preserved baby shark
which I had coveted was unobtainable.
Our party took refuge while waiting for
the ship's tender on the shady balcony of
the " Ice House," a delightful name for a
hostelry in this sunny city. Here a fellow-
traveller introduced us to the famous Trini
dad cocktail (green swizzle), which seems
compounded of ice, lime-juice, spirit, and
Angostura bitters, which are made here,
the works having been removed from one
of the South America repubhcs on account
of the painful frequency of its revolutions.
In the shops are all manner of stuffed
reptiles, dried blow-fish, centipedes, scor
pions, octopus, and other horrors ; cheap
Indian brasswork and curios abound — a mis
cellaneous mixture — while many people lay
in a supply of tinned turtle soup, fiery pickles,
peppers, and sauces. Our drive, which lasted
nearly four hours, cost us sixteen shillings ;
but the driver's patriotism and willing infor
mation won him the balance of a sovereign.
262

BARBADOS
Barbados is unlike Trinidad, although
only thirteen hours' steaming separates
the islands. We dropped our anchor at
Bridgetown early in the morning, and
found the merciless sun, which some of us
had grumbled at in Port of Spain, covered
with grey clouds. The undulating fields
and low hills of the island form a great
change from the luxuriant volcanic peaks
of Trinidad. The coast seems to justify
the boast of the Barbadians, that this is the
England ofthe Antilles. Since its Caribbean
inhabitants owned its pleasant lands, no flag
but that of England has flown upon its soil.
Every other island of the Spanish Main
has been a pawn in the game of war, to be
conquered, ceded, or stolen ; but with pride
our black fellow-subjects of Barbados claim
English birthright, and speak our language
with a soft and perfect intonation.
A friend who visited Bridgetown in the
263

A Woman's Winter in South America
dark hours of the Boer War was assured by
the stalwart boatmen that " England is all
safe, because the Barbadians would fight
for her to a man."
These same boatmen are of splendid
physique, and are fine oarsmen, and it is
a pity that their services cannot be enlisted
in one or two coast-defence gunboats, where
their service and discipline might rival that
of their brothers of the West Indian Regi
ment. Bridgetown meant for us the parting
of the ways, for we miss our cheery deck-
passengers. They were of all shades of colour,
but of one mood, that of happy content.
We had watched for days their interlaced
hammocks and uncomfortable perches on
brass-guarded skylights, where mysterious
games of cards were carried on during the day,
and semi-religious concerts were thumbed
out on banjo and concertina in the evening.
We remember one performer on a form of
musical bellows who bore on his ebony face
the rapt inspiration of a Paderewski. Hour
by hour revivalist hymns rolled on, until a
handful of cigarettes and a shilling from the
264

Barbados

bridge induced him to venture into a toler
able imitation of " God Save the King."
We had only a few hours on shore, so
chartered the whale-boat Gertrude, manned
by a crew of four pleasant black men. We
walked through the Custom-house and found
ourselves in the main street, which is called
"Broad," on the same principle that a
certain street in Damascus is called in the
Scriptures " Straight." Broad Street starts
from Trafalgar Square and, as far as its geo
graphy interests tourists, ends in a hostelry,
again boasting the refreshing name of the
" Ice House." The call from the memory of
victory to the absorption of refreshment
seemed essentially British.
An indifferent statue of Nelson stands
upon a paltry pedestal. The inscription can
scarcely be read for hurrying mule-trams,
which congregate at its base. The great
admiral is the idol of the island, for at
Bridgetown he received the summons to
his last campaign, which ended in the dearly
bought victory of Trafalgar.
The kindly familiarity of the negroes is
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A Woman's Winter in South America
amusing. I happened to be dressed in
white from head to foot, which obviously
found favour with the natives, one dark
some lady exclaiming,
" I like dat lady." Farther on, another
said : " Nice lady," with an engaging smile.
In Broad Street one old darky woman,
whose head was wrapped in a red-and-yellow
turban, and who carried a basket of bananas
for sale, assured an English officer, "It's
all right, sweetheart ; you buy another day."
We took a drive to Victoria Park — it is
of somewhat recent creation — which led us
into the main road towards Hastings, where
the Marine Hotel is the fashionable resort
for lunch. Time, however, was short, and
we had to turn back after passing the
Governor's house. The villas here do not
show the same prosperity as those of the
Port of Spain. The walls are mildewed
and the gardens ill kept. The negro
cottages, or "shacks" as they are locally
called, are as conspicuous for their pre
tentious names as for their insignificance.
266

Barbados

Along the route we saw many experi
mental fields of cotton, whose pale yellow
blossoms resembled roses in the distance.
The towers of ruined windmills surround
ing Bridgetown are monuments to the dead
sugar industry of the island. Each wind
mill twenty years ago marked the site of a
cane-mill, but now sugar only lingers on a
few of the better-managed plantations, and
the hope of the island is in the cultivation
of cotton, which was introduced into the
Antilles by the late Sir Alfred Jones.
Among our cargo we carried some dozens
of bales of high-quality sea-island cotton,
and I hope that labour and capital will be
found to enable this and other West Indian
islands to extend a valuable source of supply
to Lancashire.
Barbados suffers keenly from the with
drawal of the headquarters of the Royal
Mail Steam Packet Company. It offered
a subsidy of £5000, which its sister island,
Trinidad, outbid by one of £20,000.
In the back streets a few of the great
267

A Woman's Winter in South America
sugar warehouses still show the relics of
the staple industry of the island, and stray
hogsheads of molasses, covered with flies,
await shipment. Another remarkable feature
of the streets was the number of old guns
at every stage of rust and decay placed as
door- or corner-posts, which tell ofthe break
ing up of many privateers and pirates of all
nations. The Northern Antilles are full of
memories of these great sea criminals. The
healthful hills above Port Royal, in Jamaica,
are supposed to conceal the treasure of John
Morgan, the raider of Old Panama, while
every tiny reef surrounding the Cayman
Islands has been dug and explored in search
of the storied treasure of Captain Kidd,
one of whose schooners, with slave-rings
and gratings in position, the new-comer has
still pointed out to him at St. Thomas,
together with an ineligible marine residence
known as " Captain Kidd's Castle."
People charitably disposed, and wishing
to bring curios home to friends, should call
at "The Women's Self-help," where one
268

Barbados

finds a large display of lace embroideries
and island curios, such as necklaces, daintily
tinted, made of fish-scales, brooches of tiny
native shells, table-centres, and doilies of
lace-tree fibre decorated with ferns, and a
further array of curios, ranging from stuffed
fish to West Indian pickles.
On my return to the Magdalena I found
that most of the gay souls we had taken on
board the day before at Port of Spain had dis
embarked. They were only birds of passage.
We had fortypassengers homeward bound.
I regretfully think of my friends who have
vanished to other parts and duties, and 1
feel sad to leave these beautiful tropical
shores and face the big Atlantic swell, over
the leagues of sea which are to complete my
twenty-four thousand miles of wandering.
Visions of home, my good dog "Bogie,"
and hosts of friends make me wish that
aeroplanes were perfected, and one could,
like the stupid gulls, fly immediately to
England. 269

POLITICAL
During my lengthy travel, the merchant
men of England filled every port ; nineteen
out of twenty of the flags we saw were the
red ensigns of our Mercantile Marine, but
only once, at Rio de Janeiro, did we see the
white ensign of the British fleet.
The old West Indian Squadron so many
of my fellow-travellers remembered, has
drifted into the oblivion of the pirates and
buccaneers it had replaced. The English
Antilles, which form a fringe of outposts
and coaling-stations, guarding a new artery
of commerce, stand with their troops with
drawn, their harbours empty of the white
ensign, and their trade depressed by selfish
legislation from " Home."
The value such islands are to more
progressive Powers is shown by the frantic
eagerness of the United States to purchase
270

R.M.S.P. CO.'S "ARAGON"

COL. GOETHAL S INSPECTION CAR, PANAMA CANAL

Political

St. Thomas from Denmark, and acquire
Curacoa from Holland, offers which these
small nations patriotically refuse. Our
neglect of the West Indies is eating into
the heart and the life of their people. We
are keeping an expensive administration to
make the islands an American health resort.
Already the dollar has displaced the
King's coinage, and I had much pleasure
in making the shopmen convert dollars
and cents into the legal specie of the
country. This criminal neglect of the strategical
and colonial value of the West Indies to
England is incomprehensible.
If, previous to the opening of the Suez
Canal, we had withdrawn our garrisons and
fleets from the Mediterranean, the rulers
of Europe would have said, "Whom the
gods wish to destroy, they first make
mad." To-day, on the eve of the opening of an
equally important channel of world's trade,
the traditions of England's power in the
Q 273

A Woman's Winter in South America
Caribbean have been allowed to fade ; and
memories of Drake, Rodney, and Nelson,
with a few rusty guns as gateposts, are all
that are left to remind our fellow-subjects
of the might of Britain's senior service.
Should earthquake or cyclone destroy, or
the black devilment of negro republics ex
press itself in outrage and insult, we tell
our colonies to rely on the kindly interven
tion of the Stars and Stripes.
A long and lasting peace has bound our
flags together, but we must remember -that
times may come when our sister nation may
require every man and gun on her own
lengthy seacoast.
The envious eyes of Germany, who has
no foothold here, already search for oversea
coaling-stations, especially those which form
a strategical key to the Panama Canal.
Only those who have visited the islands can
understand the sorrow of the people at the
absence of the soldiers and the bluejackets ;
the oppression of the dechning trade and
Imperial neglect seem to have sapped the
274

Political

confidence of the people. One feels this,
especially in Barbados, where the flag of
King Charles flew during three years of
Cromwell's misrule.
The policy of Great Britain is simply
a case of either hold, cede, or sell. Certainly
the decision of England will be to hold, and
if this is emphatically declared by the
presence of a West Indian Squadron and
signs of mihtary occupation, heart will be
put into our oversea subjects, and these
mighty outposts ofthe Empire, these smaller
gems of the Imperial crown, will reassert our
old sovereignty of the Caribbean.

275

THE AZORES
" Henry the Navigator " must have been
endowed with the love of the picturesque
when his " galleons steered for these Islands
of the Blessed," long fabled as existing
beyond the pillars of Hercules, which still on
the Spanish dollar bear the proud motto,
" Plus ultra."
Worlds have been won and lost by
the Latin race, but still Portugal, now
republican, flies its gaudy flag in red and
green, alike over the Azores and distant
Macoa. At dawn the Magdalena dropped anchor
at Ponta Delgada, the port of St. Michaels.
A concrete breakwater gives security from
the heavy surges of the Atlantic. I made
an early rush on shore, and with some
fellow - voyagers chartered a somewhat
broken-down landau, which cost untold
276

The Azores

" reis " an hour, which condensed itself to
2s. a head at the finish.
The diminutive landing-place was quaint
and particularly clean for a Portuguese
town. The paved sidewalks are laid in
mosaics, that remind one of the Rolling
Square of Lisbon.
The far from too lovely inhabitants of the
gentle sex cover themselves in mysterious
garments called " capotas," which is a volu
minous circular cloak of black woollen sur
mounted by a huge black cowl, which is
wired to stand out in the back, and com
pletely disguises the wearer, their appear
ance altogether being too ghoulish and
revolting. Malta in this respect is bad
enough, but the Azores is worse, although
neither has any visible charms to conceal.
When two housewives meet on scandal
intent, the nodding hoods endorse the
spoken lie. We drove through the narrow,
well-paved streets, on each side of which
were the featureless one-storied houses
in stucco, daubed in those bright colours
277

A Woman's Winter in South America
which make every artist wish to paint them
from the sea, but revolt from them when
he has a closer acquaintance.
Pink walls with bright green doors ap
peared to mark the fashionable quarter.
An utter absence of shops severely dis
appointed some of my fellow-passengers, as,
search as we would, the only thing we could
purchase were postcards and some small
terra-cotta figures of the cloaked figures of
the islanders.
We drove to Antonio Borge's garden,
which must have been created at an enor
mous expense, as the different grottos
showed. Up winding paths through a
neglected subtropical garden we climbed
through forests of pink-and-white camellias
and by hedges of geraniums interlaced with
azaleas to a ruined outlook-tower. The
gardener presented the ladies of the party
with large bunches of pink-and-white
camellias. Driving homeward, we called at the
Church Matriz, where we were shown a
278

The Azores

marvellous altar in wood-carving, said to
be done by the nuns. The front of the
church is in the type of Spanish rococo
architecture. The fame of St. Michael's
oranges is past, pineapples having taken
their place. The island pineapple is grown
under glass shelters, which are whitewashed,
giving a peculiar effect as of a vast encamp
ment of tents on the green hillside. The
scented fruit is far from cheap, although
it is grown here, and five shillings is
no uncommon price for a single pine
apple. Goats and dogs were harnessed in small
carts bearing loads of firewood and charcoal.
The bodies of these carts were braided
willows. Men from the environs, selling
chickens, stood on the kerbstone. They
held as many as a dozen fowls in a hand,
heads downwards, and wore bright hand
kerchiefs around their heads, upon which
was perched a sombrero.
White and coloured shawls and handker
chiefs seemed to be the chief articles in
279

A Woman's Winter in South America
demand at the shops. My friend and I
could discover no other souvenirs.
The climate is moist and temperate.
There are no fireplaces, consequently the
houses must be chilly in the cool season.
There does not appear to be much in the
way of entertainment. The whole place is
quiet and picturesque, but breathes of
neglect and dullness. Those active bekigs
who care for riding and walking tours may
possibly enjoy St. Michael's.
The hotel where our English friends put
up was " Brown's." We had no difficulty
in exhausting the sights of the town in two
hours, and were content to catch our boat
at the appointed time, our boatman only
charging two shillings a head for the double
journey. On leaving St. Michael's a splendid pano
rama presented itself. We steamed for
hours past the rich, high, cultivated hills,
surmounted by volcanic peaks of the last
remaining indications of the lost continent
of Atlantis. 280

The Azores

White villages and farms are set like
jewels in the green circle of this " Isle of
Summer Seas." Cape beyond cape drops
behind, and only some few hundred miles
of sea separate us from the welcome leads
man's call — " Channel soundings — sand and
shells."

Q 2

281

REFLECTIONS
When one looks back upon a twenty-four-
thousand-mile journey, and as one's mental
kaleidoscope turns the pictures ever plea
sant over one's whole voyage, it may
confidently be put down as a success.
This is how I felt about South America.
When one thinks of the variety of places
and scenery, the wonderful new develop
ment of some of the cities, the remote
historical interest of the ancient Incas, the
comfort of the Royal Mail steamers, where
you, comparatively speaking, are on Eng
lish soil and surrounded by home luxuries,
it makes one wonder why more people, and
especially women who, like myself, are
obliged to winter abroad, do not, instead
of continually visiting the well-known
winter resorts, make a new departure and
explore South America, which is the coming
282

Reflections

country. Although a traveller all my life,
I have never enjoyed a more interesting
trip, and can conscientiously recommend it
to others.

283

PRACTICAL NOTES
MONEY
Although I had a letter of credit from my
bankers, I never used it. I found Messrs.
Thomas Cook and Sons' circular notes far
more convenient. They have their agents
in all the cities of South America, and the
pursers on the mail steamers willingly cash
the notes. On the English-owned steamers
gold is required for wine bills, tips, etc.
Travellers should be careful in touching
the various American republics to take
away as little of their silver or paper
currency as possible, as the exchange always
results in a heavy loss to the traveller.
The following list will show the varying
money I had to bargain in : —
s. d.
Brazil . . one mil reis ..22
Argentina . dollar paper . . 3 10
Chile . silver or paper dollar . 1 5
Peru . . dollar gold . . 3 10
Peru has a gold standard, and an English
sovereign passes at par. Panama has a
284

Practical Notes

duplex coinage, the United States gold
dollar having a fixed value of 4s. 2d., while
the Panamanian or silver dollar is worth
2s. Id.
Travellers will avoid some annoyance if
they take care to ascertain whether prices
are quoted in silver or gold.
Colombia: the currency of this most
eccentric repubfic reminds one of Kipling's
description of Cecil Rhodes "as one who
thought in Empires." The make-believe
dollar notes of Colombia float into circula
tion on the artistic wings of the American
Bank-note Engraving Company, with the
proud emblazon of one dollar on their front :
their actual value of currency, however, is
one halfpenny English, or one cent U.S.A.
Two hundred and fifty dollars Colombian
will barely procure a decent luncheon in
their capital — Bogota.
BRITISH WEST INDIES
English and United States money are
equally current, and as a mark of our
neglect in the West Indies, shopkeepers give
their price in dollars and cents, and with some
delay convert it into pounds and pence.
285

A Woman's Winter in South America
The last changing of money is at the
Azores, where the exchange is discreetly re
ported to be " variable." Here anything in
the way of coin is taken, and generally kept.
The extravagant Portuguese coinage of reis
again meets us and, hke all travellers, we
long for a sight of one of these illusive
coins which seem to be the fabled " snark "
of European coinage.
Passports are not necessary, although one
feels safer with one. WARDROBE
It is difficult to choose a wardrobe for such
varying climates. For instance, when one
leaves Southampton, the regulation blue
serge, a heavy coat, and rug are comfort
able. Thick warm clothing will be required
for quite four or five days out, after which
each day becomes warmer — light flannels,
coats and skirts in blue, grey or black alpaca,
Sicilian, or tussore silk. I found alpaca
costumes most convenient. They do not
crush or soil easily, are light in weight,
and one has not to have them brushed
continually. Demi-toilettes are worn for
286

Practical Notes

dinner — silk, lace, or chiffon. They may be
cut away slightly, but in my experience the
best class of travellers do not wear decollete
for a ship dinner.
A good Burberry is indispensable, also
rubber-soled deck shoes. Chiffon scarves
should be taken, as they are useful in
motoring, shielding the face from the sun,
and most light and becoming to throw over
the hair on deck to keep it tidy, and also
as a protection for the head.
Several linen gowns should be included,
and it is more practical to have them in
blues, greys, and browns. White soils
easily, especially in the damp heat of the
Doldrums, although nothing looks better
on board ship in the tropics. A few muslin
or lingerie frocks one must have, as in cross
ing the Line it seems impossible to put on
anything cool enough, and also in Buenos
Aires. In fact, one needs only summer
clothing for the whole trip, with the excep
tion of four days, those of leaving England
and of returning. Fancy-dress costumes
are taken by many, who go in for the
contests, and I should think that one
287

A Woman's Winter in South America
evening gown, or decollete, would be
ample, that is, for a traveller. Of course,
if one competes with the ladies of Buenos
Aires, who are said to be the most extrava
gant in the world, then one requires fifty
or sixty frocks and all accessories, but it
must be remembered that although the
steamers carry your innumerable pieces of
baggage free, not so does the Transandine
Railway, nor the Panama, where the
charges per pound make an item in one's
expense list. MEDICINES
I am thankful to say I needed none of
these, but took, by the advice of a friend, a
bottle of chlorodine, which came back intact,
and some packets of Burroughs & Welcomes'
quinine, cascara, and soda -mint, none of
which had their bulk diminished. On
the other hand, I would advise all intend
ing voyagers to lay in a plentiful supply
of soaps, tooth-powder, brushes, eau-de-
Cologne, and all petty toilet necessities, as
in South America the prohibitive duties
make prices extortionate. On the R.M.S.P.
Line the ship's barber carries an assortment
288

Practical Notes

of these articles that makes him a nautical
Whiteley, whose prices are reasonable.
STEWARDS AND STEWARDESSES— TIPS
Being a good sailor I give very little trouble
to my stewardess, save in fastening up my
gown for dinner,
For a three weeks' voyage she was quite
pleased with a present of a pound and stray
oddments in the way of a hat, soiled blouses,
etc. My table steward 1 gave ten shillings,
also my cabin steward, as he had access to
the hold baggage.
Five shillings each go to the bath steward,
the boots, and deck steward, who is responsi
ble for the position of one's deck-chairs. This
seemed to amply satisfy them.
Of course, men passengers who frequent
the smoking-room have its staff to reward.
Naturally on short trips one's donnier
is less.
At the American hotels you tip your
waiter when you sign the bill for luncheon
or dinner, if you desire attention. The Eng
lish hall-porter, always obliging, deserves
289

A Woman's Winter in South America
a weekly remembrance, especially in Buenos
Aires. If you can't speak Spanish, an odd
sixpence is gratifying to the boys who call
your " coach," and is a good investment, as
also to the liftmen who swing you to the
dizzy heights of the Plaza Hotel.
I have found in travelling that it is not
so much in the value of a gratuity, as in the
manner in which it is given. Some em
ployees would prefer a kick from a gentle
man to a sovereign from a cad.
DEPORTMENT
In the words of Shakespeare, " A merry
heart goes all the way, your sad tires in a
mile." The merry heart does not involve the
eternal giggle, but a kindly interest in the
affairs of one's fellow-travellers is an obliga
tion we must all feel when bound together
for a long voyage.
The great Dr. Johnson stigmatised a ship
as a prison with the possibihty of being
drowned, and life on a big liner would be
insupportable save for the good comrade
ship which is the pass degree in the Univer
sity of Travel. 290

Practical Notes

A kindly smile and a pleasant "Good
morning " cost nothing, but may go deep
into the heart of an ill, solitary voyager,
and often may open great fields of in
formation and experience from men and
women who appear at first most hopelessly
uncomrady. The test of a snob is his
anxiety to force himself to the captain's
table in order to shoulder any distinguished
official or titled person on board. He meets
his due reward, as half the meal-times the
commander is on duty, and must be un
speakably bored by the mass of silly
questions flung at him whenever he makes
his appearance. Captains are most patient
in this respect : apparently they regard it as
part of their duty.
The paths of the Seven Seas are pleasant
for those who maintain a cheerful manner.
Do not try to run the ship, nor endeavour
to be the most popular being on board ; do
not seek, nor avert, friendship, but be ever
ready to do a kindly action and you will not
lack appreciation.

291

A Woman's Winter in South America

LisbonRio de Janeiro

Monte Video
Buenos Aires
Valparaiso .
Antofagasta Lima .
PanamaColonCartagena .
Barranquilla
Puerto Cabello
TrinidadBarbados .
Azores

HOTELS. Restaurant Tavares.
. Hotel Avenida, Central,
and Hotel International
at Corcovado.
. Hotel de Pocitos.
. Plaza Hotel.
. Royal Hotel and Grand
Hotel at Vina del Var.
. Palace Hotel.
. Hotel Maury.
. Tivoli Hotel.
. The Washington.
. Walters' American Hotel.
. Pension Inglise.
. Grand Hotel.
. Queen's Park Hotel.
. Marine Hotel, Ice House.
. Brown's Hotel.

WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD.
PRINTERS, PLYMOUTH