and walked back to the hotel. On the way we
heard a good deal of shouting, mingled with
laughter, and presently we met a big wild-looking
man, who seemed to be in a perfect frenzy,
stopping from time to time and imprecating the
most dreadful curses on all about him. He was
followed by a number of people who were jeering
and throwing stones, which he returned
with interest, picking up flints as large as one's
fist, and throwing them with a force that would
have shattered the skull of any one but a negro.
He was, in fact, a madman; in general, they
said, tolerably quiet; but on this occasion
goaded to fury by his persecutors. I said to
C., "This is a very disgraceful scene. In any
European city the police would interfere, and
prevent this poor maniac from being tormented.
Have you no madhouse in Venezuela to which
tliis wretched man might be sent?" "Well,"
said C., "as to the police, you yourself must
admit that, though our streets are not patrolled
in the daytime, disturbances are rarer here than
in European towns. With regard to mad
people, I never heard of any serious accident
from their being allowed to go about as they
choose, and so I don't see the use of madhouses
here. But you will have more opportunities
before you leave Venezuela of forming an
opinion on this subject. Our lunatics are, in
general, very quiet. What you see to-day is an
unusual occurrence."

By this time we had reached the hotel, and I
parted with C., having first accepted an invitation
to dine with him next day. I went to his
house accordingly about seven P.M., and found
no one but himself and the ladies of the family.
In the middle of dinner, a gentleman, whom I
had not seen before, entered and walked straight
up to the hostess, as I thought, to apologise,
but he said nothing, and, after looking at her
strangely for a moment or two, moved across
the room to a picture, which he began to
examine. I thought this rather curious conduct,
but supposed he was some intimate friend or
relation, who did not stand on ceremony. As to
our conversation the day before, de lunatico
inquirendo, I had forgotten all about it. When,
however, the new comer began to walk round
and round the table, murmuring broken
sentences, I began to understand the state of the
case. Presently the madman, for such he was,
went up to the buffet, and began fumbling with
the things there. "If he takes up a knife, and
makes a rush at some one," thought I, "it will
not be pleasant." However, as no one took
any notice of the intruder, I too said nothing
about him, and went on talking to the lady who
sat next me, and eating my dinner. In a minute
or two my eyes wandered back to the gentleman
at the sideboard, when, to my consternation, I
perceived that he had indeed got hold of a knife,
with which he had already cut himself pretty
severely, for the blood was trickling from his
wrist. He was muttering, too, faster than ever,
and his eyes glittered like sparks, though he did
not seem to be looking at us, but had his gaze
fixed on the wall. I tried to attract C.'s notice,
but, failing to do so, said in a low voice, "Look
out, or there will be mischief directly! C.
glanced quickly at the man, and, with great
presence of mind, filled a glass of wine, and rose
and offered it to him. He looked at C. for a
moment in a way that was not agreeable, then
very quietly put down the knife, and walked out
of the room without saying a word. C. resumed
his seat with the greatest composure, and said:
"Poor fellow, he was one of the best scholars in
Carácas, and would certainly have distinguished
himself, but the girl he was engaged to fell in
love with his brother, and married him. He
has been insane ever since."

I went away, wondering whether it was by
peculiar infelicity that so soon after my arrival
it Carácas I should have witnessed a visit of
this kind, or whether such incidents were
common. I had not long to wait before learning
that they were by no means rare. I went one
evening to a musical entertainment at the house
of a person high in office. The lady of the house
was singing " Il Bacio " very charmingly, and a
group had been formed round her, near to which
I had taken a seat with my face towards the
door. Presently I saw a man enter, whose
peculiar look immediately reminded me of the
gentleman with the knife at the buffet. The
new comer, like his predecessor, walked straight
up to the lady of the house, and in a hoarse
voice commenced a muttering accompaniment,
which jarred strangely with the music and the
sweet tones of the singer. Everybody looked
annoyed, but no one spoke to the intruder; only,
the group near the piano gradually melted away,
leaving him standing by himself. At last, he
went closer to the lady, who continued to sing
with marvellous self-possession, and leaning over
her, began to strike chords on the piano. This
was too much even for her aplomb—she stopped
and walked down the room; and the stranger,
after addressing some incoherent remarks to
the people near him, followed her. I was too
far off to see what took place then, but there
was a bustle, and I heard the intruder talking
in a loud angry voice, after which he suddenly
went off, and the party broke up. This man, I
was subsequently informed, was intoxicated as
well as insane, yet no attempt was made to
remove him, nor was he even told to go.

On the following Sunday I went to breakfast
at the house of the minister of public works.
It was a sumptuous entertainment, with very
beautiful fruits and flowers displayed on the
table, and many more dishes than guests, for of
the latter there were only sixteen. The place
of honour fell to my lot, opposite to the acting
president of the republic: an old general with
an iron constitution, who, unhappily for me,
supposing all men to be equally vigorous, plied
me at every pause in the collation with fruits
pleasant to the eye, and of tolerable flavour, but
to the last degree pernicious to a person of weak
digestive powers. Owing to these flattering
attentions, the order of my meal ran something in
this style. A brimming plateful of turtle-soup,
good in quality, overpowering in quantity, and