Lovely Women of Lima.

Southland Times, Issue 9163, 11 March 1886, Page 4

Lovely Women of Lima.

" *' theltdiwofLimaarealleyet. They have the refutation of being, as a clawrthe most „ - beautiful in. the world, and, meeting them on * * tteway to" mass in, the morning, or shopping later .in the day^one can easily see how they obtained it. It ts the mania, which they wear in such * coquettish Way that gives them their -v reputation for besnty, for it conceals fevery feature- except their bewitching eyes and > - lovely olive complexion. No matter how, ugly her mouth and her nose afe^; no matter how high her cheek bones or large her ears; a I uanta will make any woman with pretty eyes look handsome, and, like charity, it covers a frt -' toultitudeofauM. , * : i .* . /• ' On the street the women look like a proces. ' alon of nuns, but in their homes when^they "' " 'are dressed, like the Queen of, Bheba. Indoors . Ike is bright, vivacious, and winning.' With bore passion than r intellect, with veryjlittle ;• , - knowledge-of the^world outside of h«c own^ orbi^Jihe never reads a newspaper and faever looks at a book, bnt she" is up in art and' : - operas, plays the" piano brilliantly and < with ' ;-' exquisite' taste, and talks like a conversational ' blizzard. She is affectionate, impetuous, and „ atrong-willed ; gushes over what she likes, '. .aid. shudders over what does not please her. Impulsive, frank, and generous, the principal object in, life of her mamma is to watch over ' herlike a hawk. At 17 or 18 she marries— often, younger still; ■ At 25 she is the mother of three or four childien, shrnnken and wan, ■or else inordinately fat. Their good .looks ■eem to go with youth, and .old maids are unknown. , . ; A Peruyiau soldier^ is usually accompanied by awoman called a.iabona, who sometimes / is ;hls "wife. They^ receive rations like the soldiers, but no pay. They are. faithful and >„ ;;.. enduring'butdegraded creatures, who follow . .: ; the army in its long, weary marches, assisting their husbands by carrying part of their load, and about half of them have babies slung over 'their shoulders in blankets. When "camp is Reached thejr do the cooking ; in battle they nurse the i wounded and rob the dead. Water .....:■ ; is very scarce along the coasts of Peru, where ,jinoßt of the marching and fighting is [done, '. ■ liniitis; part of the duty of a rabona Jo see that her husband does not die of thirst. < '- ■ >: Milk is peddled/ about Lima by women, who sit astride of a horse or a mule with a' big ' . can hanging on either side of the taddle bekind them; When they^rideup to a doorway ihey give it peculiar shrill scream, which the ■ ,§ervant within recognises. " , . ' ;.'" *-' % The'fashionable.entettainment in Peru is ":_. _bull.baiting. - The bull is not killed^ jas in Spain and Mexico and other countries, and &o i hofses..>are slaughtered in the ring.- The Anitaal is simply- teased and tortured to: make :. ft liman holiday. The young men of the .- 'City do the baiting, and it is regarded as a very high- to.ntd; sort of athletic sport, like ~y^%io\6]ii Netvlprci l Ihe youiigladieffUike darts c '- made of : tin? decorale them with ribbons, lace, r « -And roset(e3, and give them to their lovers to into, the ..hide.' of the bull. The' great 'thing is to cast these, darts so as to strike the -'■-'■ DuU in-the fore shoulder or. in the face, and in order to.' do it he "who throws "them 1 must stand before the animal's horns. Active young men do the trick very dexterously, but .it takes nerve and agility, and at times fair ■enoritasbave seen their lovers ripped open,