Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

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strainer, to prevent the herb getting through.
And here it is reckoned a piece of politeness for
the lady to suck the tube two or three times
first, and then give it to the stranger to drink
without wiping it.
They eat every thing so highly seasoned with
red pepper, that those who are not used to it,
upon the first mouthful, would imagine their
throats on fire for an hour afterwards; and it
is a common custom here, though you have
the greatest plenty at your own table, to have
two or three Mulatto girls come in at the
time you dine, bringing, in a little silver plate,
some of these high-seasoned ragouts, with a
compliment from Donna such-a-one, who de¬
sires you will eat a little bit of what she has
sent you; which must be done before her Mu¬
latto’s face, or it would he deemed a great af¬
front. Had this been the fashion at Chiloe,
we should never have offended; hut some¬
times here we could have wished this cere¬
mony omitted,
The president never asked any of us a second
time to his table. He expected us once a
fortnight to be at his levee, which we never
failed ; and he always received us very polite¬
ly. He was a man of a very amiable character,