THE COUNTESS D'AUNOY. 197 brought me my watch to wind it up, as it was my custom at noon: it was a striking watch of Tompion's make, and cost me fifty louis d'ors. My banker, who was by me, expressed a desire to see it. I gave it him with the customary civility. This was enough: my blade rises and makes me a profound reverence, telling me that he did not deserve so considerable a present, but that such a lady as I could make no other, and he would engage his faith that he would never part with my watch as long as he lived. He kissed it at the end of this pleasant compliment and thrust it into the pocket of his small-clothes. You will take me to be a very great sot for saying nothing to all this, and I do not wonder at it. But I confess I was so surprised at his proceeding, that the watch was out of sight before I could resolve on what I was to do; in fine, I let him go with it, and endeavoured to do myself honour from a thing which gave me great mortification--but it will be my fault if I am trapped again." Thus far the countess d'Aunoy the following adventure is my own. In the Peninsular war, I became acquainted with a Spanish colonel, whose regiment was in the same brigade as that to which I belonged, and whenever I chanced to praise his horses, or 198 SPANISH POLITENESS. admire any thing belonging to him, he always said with a "profound reverence" that it was at my service. Knowing this to be empty compliment on his part, I thought the least I could do for civility's sake was to make a similar reply on similar occasions. One day he observed in a corner of my room a new sabre, which I had just received from England, and taking it up, he expressed his admiration in terms that induced me, with infinite politeness, to assure him it was at his service. This was enough, my blade rises, (as the countess observes,) makes me a profound reverence, and in an instant both blades disappeared but "it will be my fault if I am trapped again.” Within very little more than half an hour after our arrival at the house of Don José Torres, our peones had killed, roasted, and devoured three full-grown goats. Our own supper consisted of a kid, two fowls, good bread and bad cheese, served up in large silver dishes, with forks, spoons, drinking-cups, and candlesticks of the same metal, all of the rudest workmanship, but extremely massive. Indeed, their weight was what led me to discover their value, for their dingy colour at first caused them to pass for tarnished pewter. DOMESTIC SCENE. 199 Don José is a gentleman of large landed property, and of the first respectability in the province, but has nothing in his dress or appearance indicative of it, still less in his habitation and family. His wife had neat shoes and white stockings on pretty feet, and was fair and cleanly in her person; but as for any other distinguishing quality about her, there was none. Dirty, half-naked children, and dirtier slaves, male and female, were all of one party; there was nothing by which a stranger, unaccustomed to the manners of the country, could distinguish rank, or birth, or education. General Paroissien, who becomes passionately fond of other people's children, after covering a boy of four years old with kisses, and sharing with it alternately a mouthful from his spoon or his fork, called for some water to wash, which was handed to him by a negress in a deep silver basin, and with this he washed the child's face, and certainly improved it very much, even in the opinion of the mother; who said, that "for some days past the weather had been too cold and damp for using water with any degree of comfort, and that, for her part, she never had courage to wash herself on a cold day." This is neither tale nor exaggeration, but the plain translation of her speech, which 200 may EFFECTS OF WAR. be considered as conveying the sentiments of a very great part of the population of South America, so far as I have observed. A morning visit to a family is generally very repugmant to the feelings of an Englishman, for he seldom sees that neatness and delicacy to which he has been accustomed at home, and a want of which would there be deemed more than unpardonable. There are, however, many exceptions to be made in this particular, in the society of Buenos Ayres, Cordova, &c.; and in the full-dress of evening, the South American ladies equal those of any other country in the neat and tasteful embellishment of their persons. Don José Torres, at one period possessed upwards of three thousand head of horned cattle, out of which only eight cows now remain ; of all the rest he was despoiled in the course of the late revolutionary wars. Those who grumble to pay war-taxes and consider them a hardship, would do well to reflect upon the greater hardship that are averted by paying to keep the field of battle out of one's own country; for wherever the seat of war is, the armies of friend and foe occasion nearly equal desolation. HOSPITALITY OF DON JOSÉ. 201 CHAPTER XII. Hospitality to strangers.-Tigers. - Rio de las Piedras.— Difficulties of the roads.-Armadillos.-Rapidity of the River Passage.-Doubts entertained on the extraordinary relations of travellers.-Romantic situation of the village of Cobos.-Adventure on horseback.-Arrival at Salta. FEBRUARY 16th. On taking leave of Don José, we had great difficulty to prevail upon him to accept payment for the three goats which regaled our peones, and he would not hear of any thing of the kind for ourselves; a sufficient proof that generosity and hospitality are here to be met with by the stranger without expectation of reward. We took away with us the head of a monstrous tiger, which had been killed upon an excursion into the woods a few days before our arrival; its size was the astonishment of all the neighbours. Tigers abound in the forests hereabouts, and commit great depredations among |