ere their cloaks, called _ponchos_, which are square pieces of coloured
cloth, with a round hole in the middle for the head to go through; and
their leggings and their high straw hats.

They are Roman Catholics; that is, they call the Pope of Rome the head
of their Church. I saw several processions of priests, in gold, and
scarlet, and purple, and yellow dresses, and figures as big as life
carried on men's shoulders, and flags, and crosses. The priests walked
under a piece of coloured silk, stretched out at the ends of four gilt
poles, carried by men in red and white dresses. And some rang bells and
chanted, and others swung to and fro carved silver baskets, with
sweet-smelling stuff burning in them, and others long, wax, lighted
candles; and when the people saw the chief priest, who carried what I
was told was the Host in his hand, they fell down on their knees, and
they did the same when the figures passed, and crossed themselves, and
some of them beat their breasts and cried out. There were also a number
of boys, dressed up in silk of many colours, with silver wings, to look
like angels; but some of the young monkeys made faces at me and Toby,
and laughed, and seemed to think the thing a joke. I thought that we
had got into a Christian country, but I now found that they were little
better than idolaters, for I remembered the commandment, "Thou shalt not
make to thyself any graven image... Thou shalt not bow down to them,
nor worship them."

I read not long ago of what happened in the largest church in the
capital city, Santiago, not far from this. Nearly two thousand of the
principal ladies, and other women of the place, and many children, and a
few men, were collected to worship the Virgin Mary and her image, and
the whole church was lighted with paraffine oil--the roof, the pillars,
the sides. Suddenly some hangings near the figure of the Virgin took
fire, and soon the whole church was in a blaze. Some of the priests ran
off through a small side-door with their trumpery ornaments, leaving the
poor women and children inside. On the heads of these the burning oil
came pouring down. A few, but very few, were got out at the front door;
but those trying to get out trampled down each other, and blocked up the
door. The greater number were burned to death. I never tell of my
visit to Chili, without thinking of the fearful scene in that burning
church.

The watermen in the bay go out to sea in a curious sort