. The Spanish-American republics . ighed separately, and then reloaded on the truck. Progressiveas Chili is in many things, she is sadly behindhand in the managementof her seaports, and peculiarly deficient in moles. The Pacific portsare fearful places. We have already spoken of Iquique and its wadingwharfmen. At Pisagua things are still more primitive. Goods arecarried from the shore to the lighters on da/sas, which are queerdouble canoes made of inflated seal-skins. It requires four seal-skinsto make a canoe which will hold five sacks of nitrate and the boatmanastraddle in the stern, with hi
. The Spanish-American republics . ighed separately, and then reloaded on the truck. Progressiveas Chili is in many things, she is sadly behindhand in the managementof her seaports, and peculiarly deficient in moles. The Pacific portsare fearful places. We have already spoken of Iquique and its wadingwharfmen. At Pisagua things are still more primitive. Goods arecarried from the shore to the lighters on da/sas, which are queerdouble canoes made of inflated seal-skins. It requires four seal-skinsto make a canoe which will hold five sacks of nitrate and the boatmanastraddle in the stern, with his feet dangling in the water and toilingheavily with a double-ended paddle, like some belated Esquimau. After seeing the backward and semi-barbarous conditions of life inthe Pacific ports, one is agreeably surprised to find in the pampa therefinements of a London drawing-room and the amusements of anEnglish country-house. No more striking example could be found ofthe English faculty of transplanting a bit of England into the midst. THE NITRATE DESERT OF TARAPACA. 177 of the desert than the houses in the pampa of Tamarugal. In thepampa the manager of an oficina and his assistants, almost exclusivelyEnglishmen, are lodged in a house provided and kept up by the pro-prietors, whether individuals or companies, and form together a moreor less numerous family, comprising very often two or three ladiesand some children. Some of these houses are handsomely furnished,lighted with electricity, provided with every comfort that an exactingEnglishman can demand, and adapted for offering ample hospitality tovisitors, who are always welcome. In the drawing-room the ladiesexercise the same refining influence as they would at home; in thedining-room the table is served with English correctness; in the bed-rooms a stock of novels with the familiar stiff board covers and sen-sational pictures of passionate heroines offers a soporific to the uneasysleeper; other illustrated papers and magazines and
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