CHAPTER XX.
The bountiful Harvest. Thankfulness. The Thunder-storm and Conflagration. The Return of Almagro. His Story of Sorrow and Trial, and Account of his Arrival at Santiago.

THE maize was quite ripe, and the parrots and pigeons were hourly visitants, the sisters being kept fully employed in watching and driving them away. At length they began the task of plucking all the ears, which were carried in baskets to the colonnade, where they were shelled; the grains were stored in chests and hide bags, and the husks built in stacks, behind the kitchens, for fuel. After this was finished. which occupied many days, the stalks were cut down, tied | | 230 in bundles, and stacked for the cattle. Some weeks before, a quantity of leaves had been collected to store for thatching.

Then came the important wheat harvest; the plot was small; but, with their inefficient implements, it took the young workmen several days to reap it; for they worked very cautiously, lest they should waste a grain of their precious corn. When they judged the wheat was perfectly dry, it was conveyed to the work-shop, on the floor of which the large sailcloth used for their travelling tent was spread, and a flail was soon constructed of two long poles united by a hinge of hide; then the corn was thrashed, winnowed, and stored in sacks of hide. The produce was calculated to be about twenty bushels, and of this they proposed to reserve two bushels at least for seed.

How happy the young men felt as they looked round on their well-stocked farm; and all being finished, they assembled at church to return thanks to God for the blessings he had bestowed on them. Mr. Merton concluded the service by a serious injunction to them not to put their trust in the multitude of their riches, nor incur the judgment of God, like the presumptuous men in the parable, by saying, "Soul, thou hast much good laid up for many years," but to be humble in the midst of their plenty, and remember all was the gift of God.

When they returned from church, Maria seemed troubled, and, addressing Mr. Merton, she said, "Do you think, my dear friend and father, that I am doing the will of God, by remaining in this happy valley without benefiting my fellow-creatures? You have been a friend to Almagro and a father to me; and surely God sent me also into the world for some good purpose, but I have done nothing: I am negligent and idle, for I know many wonderful things that you have taught me, and I might teach them to the ignorant savages, who are, like us, God's creatures, but do not, like us, know him."

"Your thoughts are just, my dear child," said Mr. Merton "I fear I have too much neglected my mission on earth, but an unpardonable want of energy has prevented me from seriously contemplating my duties. I would gladly listen to | | 231 any plan for opening a communication with the heathens, for I now feel the solemn responsibility of my situation."

Maria entreated that she might be allowed to go out and meet the Indians, who would never hurt a girl, and especially one who spoke Spanish; which most of the tribes understood, from visiting the towns to exchange their skins. She was very sanguine that they would allow her to teach their children. Dr. Lewis, however, assured her she was very unfit for such a perilous mission; nor would he hear of Mr. Merton attempting any intercourse with the tribes, of whom they yet knew nothing but that they were savage and cruel. At all events, they must wait for the return of Almagro, before any mission could he planned, and day after day they watched and hoped to see their friend, but in vain.

The weather had been intolerably sultry for some days, when one evening, as the family were about to separate and retire to their several resting-places, they were startled by a loud peal of thunder. They went into the open air, and beheld, through the thick darkness of the night, the forked lightning darting along the heavens, like the fiery serpents of fable. Then came the terrific peals of thunder, which can only be heard amidst gigantic mountains. Mr. Merton and Dr. Lewis looked on with admiration, and pointed out to their youthful hearers the immediate causes, and the beneficial effects of these elemental strifes, so mysterious to human comprehension, like all the mighty works of the great Creator. The sisters clung to each other, trembling, and the family withdrew into the hail, agreeing not to separate, though they usually occupied both the dwellings, until this awful storm was past.

"Surely," said Mr. Merton, "I perceive some smell of combustion beyond that of the sulphureous vapors that fill the air?"

Convinced that this was the fact, they all left the house once more, and saw, to their great distress, the stack of maize-stalks in flames. Not a moment was to be lost, and Lewis, with his usual coolness and decision, appointed every one his work. Buckets and vessels of every description were hastily collected, and the young people formed a line from the well to the stack; Nanny drew the water, and the buckets passed swiftly from hand to hand, and were received by | | 232 Lewis, who threw the water on the burning stack. Tom and Jack were left out of the line, and were employed in pulling down, and flinging to a distance, with the aid of two lances, the bundles of beans which formed the next stack.

But, alas! the supply of water was scanty, the remains of the bean-stack soon took fire; and now all their concern was for the hut of Alutagro, immediately adjacent, which contained not only their valuable tools, but many sacks of corn. All the supply of water was now directed to the thatch of the hut, but they saw with dismay that the flames must inevitably spread to it; from thence the fence against which it was built would also take fire, and not only all their possessions, but their very lives were in danger. Their arms were wearied with carrying the buckets, the water of the well was nearly exhausted, and Nanny, in despair, relinquished her occupation.

With aching hearts, they now hastily prepared to escape from this scene of desolation and danger; when suddenly, in a moment, the rain descended in torrents, quenching the fire, and driving them in, greatly relieved, to the shelter of the house.

Then, after many tears of joy, they knelt down, and, with fervent spirit and grateful hearts, offered up their thanks to God, who had once more preserved them in the extremity of despair.

The thunder ceased, but all night long the rain came down with undiminished fury. The thick leather curtains of winter were suspended before the windows, and the whole family remained together watching all night, dreading that the thunder might again come on. When day broke, they looked out on the scene of desolation sorrowfully, but grateful for all that was spared to them; and wrapped up in skin cloaks, they all ventured out to see the animals, which were in the fields beyond the inclosure.

They found the llamas, crouched under the hedge, trembling with fear, the youngest animal lying dead by the side of the mother, struck by the lightning. The cows were quietly grazing, uninjured, and apparently heedless of the storm. The sisters wept over the fate of their little favorite, and removed the body from the sight of the distressed mother. They next proceeded to the corral, and found all safe, for the | | 233 stables and sheds were left open, and the horses had taken shelter. The gardens were perfectly devastated; all the bright flowers were gone, and carrots, onions, and lettuces broken down and destroyed. But the loss was only for a season--they were still rich in stores; and they were filled with gratitude when they reflected, that if the storm had occurred a month before, all the crops must have been destroyed.

In a few hours the rain ceased, the sun beamed forth, and all nature revived after the terrible but health-bestowing dispensation. The young men then completed the survey of their losses: they found the stack of maize-stalks burnt to the ground, as well as all the beans, except some sheaves which they had thrown off before the stack caught fire.

"We still have the hay," said Tom; "and if the winter should prove severe we must spare some maize for the cattle."

"I propose," said Lewis, "that we make another inclosure, into which we can turn the animals, and then try to raise a second crop of hay. This glorious rain will give new vigor to the parched soil, and vegetation will spring rapidy. And now, boys, set to work for the sun has already absorbed the moisture from our lately flooded gardens, and we must have them put in order."

This was a work of great labor, for fragments of stone and pebbles had been washed from the rocks above and scattered over the whole valley. The gardens had to be cleared from these stones, the broken plants propped, and those which were torn up replaced. Then the beans which were saved were spread to dry, and it was found there would be abundance left for seed, though none for consumption. Finally, all the cattle were removed into the corral, till another plot of ground should be fenced for pasture.

The next morning the young men set out to procure poles and cactus plants for the fence. They had put the strong baggage waggon into order, and on this occasion they harnessed to it, for the first time, two oxen, which they had taught to draw. The river was greatly overflowed by the rain, but descending lower, they crossed it at a wide and shallow part. Then moving still along the valley for about a mile, they reached a spot where a gradual ascent enabled them to take | | 234 the waggon within the shelter of the wood which clothed the lower part of the mountains. Securing the oxen, they sought for trees suitable to their purpose, and set vigorously to work. They cut down pines, and took up young cactus shrubs,--now an easy task in the moist state of the earth. With these they loaded the waggon, and then sought out and collected a large quantity of pinones. They found several trees blasted by the lightning, under one of which a bullock was lying dead. Some nests of young pigeons were lying scattered on the ground; many of the young birds were still living, and these they picked up, and wrapping them in the remains of the torn nests, placed them in the waggon, hoping to bring them up and tame them, that they might found a colony of pigeons within the fortress.

And now, their labor being accomplished, they sat down to take some refreshment previous to taking the road homewards. As they sat talking cheerfully over their plans of labor, Charles suddenly made a sign for silence. "Jack," whispered he, "be on your guard, for I certainly heard a movement among the low bushes below us; there must be some wild animal watching us."

The rifles were ready in a moment, and they were all cautiously looking out through the trees. A continuous low rustling was now plainly heard, but the thick bushes concealed the cause, till before an opening in the wood, about fifty yards from them, they caught a glimpse of a horseman. "It is Almagro!" cried Jack, springing impetuously down the sloping wood. The horseman, evidently alarmed, raised his rifle, and would certainly have fired, but for the well-known voice of Dr. Lewis crying out, "Almagro, we are here." He rode forward mounted on Niger to meet them, with a glowing countenance; he was followed by a train of six loaded mules,--a pleasant sight for the whole party.

The meeting was joyful and noisy ; and so many questions were asked on both sides, that Dr. Lewis prudently requested Almagro to defer all explanation till they were assembled at home, where it was now desirable to hasten, with such a valuable freight. They proceeded therefore as rapidly as the slow movement of the oxen would permit, Almagro much amused with the new team, and the young men greatly delighted with the handsome mules, and not a little curious to | | 235 know what their load consisted of. As they went along, Almagro heard the little history of the settlement since his departure; the encounter with the Indians on the Pampas, and the lucky escape. Then they reported the work done, the rich harvest, the storm, and the conflagration.

Alinagro had also experienced the storm, but had fortunately been sheltered with his mules in some caves he had found in the rocks; but he declared that he expected every moment to be crushed by the rocks falling upon him, such were the fearful explosions, which seemed like the rending of the mountains above him.

When the sisters unbarred the gate, and admitted Almagro, the rejoicing was great; the girls clung round their dear friend with a thousand questions, and Nanny even wiping her eyes, said "God keep us altogether now, for it is sore work parting with friends, when they are so scarce."

The mules were unladen, and taken to the corral, to be introduced to their new friends; and then, after supper, the impatient boys begged to know what Almagro had brought with him.

"Many useful and valuable remembrances from Mr. and Mrs. Douglas," said he; "and, for the rest, I have done for Charles all I could effect, though not, perhaps, all that he wished."

This was a mystery, and all looked to Charles for an explanation, who, addressing Mr. Merton, said:

"You know, dear uncle, if I chose to visit Valparaiso, I should be a wealthy man, but having made up my mind to stay with you, I gave Almagro the bills and letters I had brought out with me, that if he reached any commercial town in Chili, he might get credit, and procure some little additions to the comforts of the family circle. I jotted down such things as I wished, rather than hoped for, and left him to wake the best of it."

"Which I tried to do, Charles, for I honored your good intentions," said Almagro. "But will you now inspect the packages, or shall I give you the details of our melancholy journey."

All were anxious to hear how the travellers reached Chili; and though Jack and Mary looked inquisitively at some packages, the inspection was deferred till next morning; and | | 236 Almagro commenced his narrative in Spanish, the language he spoke most fluently, and which the whole family now readily understood.

"When we left you," he began, "we proceeded towards the north, continuing on the plain in hopes of meeting with some track which might point out to us the pass over the mountains. For two days we pursued this solitary road, erecting a tent at night for shelter, and meetiug with no inconvenience except the extreme uneasiness and the ceaseless complaints of Mrs. Carruthers, who declared that we were certainly lost, and should either be murdered by the savages, or torn to pieces by wild beasts. Mrs. Douglas with kindness and energy, reproved her fears, and used every argument to divert her from them; but in vain. On the third day Mr. Carruthers pointed out some faint traces of a path on a gentle slope towards the Cordilleras. On examining the spot, I recognised with satisfaction the footsteps of mules, which convinced me this was not the track of the Indians, who always journey on horses, and ever at full speed.

"We followed the track for some time up the ascent; the path soon became stony; then we reached a ravine, in which we found a hut which we concluded to be a post-house, and hoped we should there meet with a guide; but we were doomed to be disappointed. The hut was a wretched abode, destitute of every comfort, and inhabited only by a deaf old woman and a stupid young girl. All my inquiries produced no other information than that the son of the old woman had left the hut some days before to guide some travellers. Miserable as this hut was, it was agreed, for the sake of the ladies, that we should spend the night there; and, though the only provision the dwelling contained was charqui, which we did not want, we had the refreshment of the pure water which flowed in a clear stream through the ravine.

"The beds which were offered to the ladies were but heaps of filthy and foul skins, from which they shrunk with disgust; but we carried into the hut all the blankets and mattresses to form couches for them; while the two gentlemen with John and I slept in the open air, and certainly had the most agreeable lodging; for no sooner had day broke than Mrs. Douglas came to us, declaring it was impossible any longer to endure the attacks of the millions of vermin | | 237 that swarmed in the hut. She certainly had suffered greatly, for her face was absolutely disfigured by the wounds inflicted by the bloodthirsty little insects. She had left her sister weeping in great distress, and calling on us for the assistance which we could not possibly afford her. Fortunately the morning was fine, and abandoning the filthy hut, we breakfasted in the open air, and discussed the question of our proceeding.

"Mr. and Mrs. Douglas were of opinion that our most prudent plan would be to retrace our steps, and endeavor to preserve the mule track to the last station on the Pampas, in order to procure a guide; but Mrs. Carruthers vehemently protested against returning, and moreover declared, she would certainly never again enter a post-station while she lived, words which were but too true!

"Mr. Carruthers, who was ever attentive to her wishes, entreated his brother and sister to proceed forward on the track which was now plainly marked. They reluctantly complied with his desire, and we went on, not knowing what dangers lay before us. Sometimes the track led us up a gentle green slope, sometimes through a ravine formed by some torrent, which, in part subsided, left a narrow path by the side. These were the pleasant scenes of the first two days after we left the hut, and the weather contining fine, the tent was a sufficient night lodging.

"But on the third morning we entered a gorge. which lay before us a perfect labyrinth of huge fragments which had fallen from the mountains above. The gentlemen led the horses on which their ladies were mounted, and we followed each other closely, for if one by mischance was left behind, he became distracted at the disappearance of his companions, and the bewildering objects around him, and knew not where to turn. I could not but fancy that such must the world have been, in the first days of creation, which Mr. Merton had so frequently and beautifully described to me, before the Great God had called forth the vegetation that gives it beauty, or the animals that give it life. It was an awful solitude; and even the peevish complaints of Mrs. Carruthers were momentarily hushed by the grandeur and terror of the scenery.

"A lofty mountain lay before us, which seemed to bar our | | 228 progress, and defy any attempt to ascend it, but at length we made out a deep cut path, which carried us up to a pass which wound along the side of the mountain for some miles. The fragments brought from the heights by storms had formed a sort of steep inclined plane, at the foot of which foamed a deep torrent. It was on the side of this descent that the steps of the mules had formed a path which the hand of man had done little for, and which was in many parts fearfully narrow and perilous. As we proceeded, the precipice on one side became more abrupt, while on the other hand rose a lofty and inaccessible wall of rock; and far below us the rushing torrent sounded like a death-knell. I held my breath for fear, and saw my dear friends grow pale with terror; it was not for ourselves we trembled, but for the helpless females, who, seated on the sillon, had their feet frequently hanging over the precipice; for horse and mule alike fear the wall, and always choose to walk on the outer edge of the pass. At length we reached a part where the path was not more than four feet wide, and was strewed with untrodden stones; evidently brought down recently, probably by the melting of the snows.

"Half-way down the precipice on one side of us, lay the dead body of a mule on a ledge of rock,--a signal of the dangers of the road. No sooner had Mrs. Carruthers caught sight of this painful object, than she became fearfully agitated, and uttered loud screams, which the rocks echoed back with a mocking sound. This alarm added to our peril; and I proposed that we should make this difficult pass on foot, first seeing the ladies to a place of safety, and then returning to lead the animals.

"All were willing to accede to this plan except Mrs. Carruthers: she would not be lifted from the mule; entreaties and remonstrances alike were unavailing. Mr. Carruthers endeavored to persuade her to allow him to carry her in his arms, but she refused, which I did not regret; for the lady was so untranquil, I considered the attempt would be dangerous. We were compelled to comply with her unreasonable fancy. I took care the lady was tied to the sillon, and relying on the sure-footedness of my old mule I felt some degree of confidence in our safety. We then dismounted, and Mr. Douglas agreed to lead our horses tied together in | | 239 line; Mrs. Douglas with great resolution proposed to follow alone; then John was to join with the loaded animals, and last, Mr. Carruthers leading his wife's mule, as I knew the animal would not refuse to follow its companions, whatever might be the risk.

"For myself, I undertook to guard against accidents, a scheme which I communicated to Mr. Douglas alone; and before the procession moved along the dangerous part of the pass, I descended the steep: it was an immense height; but accustomed from my youth to scale rocks, it was not so perilous as it would have been to an inexperienced person. I found a narrow path by the side of the river, and watched there, with my lasso prepared, in case any accident should occur.

The procession had reached the narrowest part of the pass, which turned round the angle of a rock, when a guanaco, which was perched on a ledge above, and was probably the sentinel of the herd, suddenly bounded down on the path directly before the mule. Mrs. Carruthers uttered a piercing scream, and struggled to extricate herself from the saddle. Whether the fright of seeing the guanaco before it, the struggling of the impatent. rider, or some loose stone which had rolled beneath its feet, was the occasion of the fatal catastrophe, no one can tell, but the mule, in a moment, was over the edge. It clung for a minute by its fore-feet ; and Mr. Douglas declared afterwards, that if the unfortunate woman had only remained still, John and he would have come up in time to drag up the animal, or to save her; but her shill cries and struggles only hastened the catastrophe; and Mr. Carruthers still vainly pulling at the rein, was hurled, with the mule, down that frightful precipice.

"My first impression, when I saw the creature rolling over and over down the steep, was, that it was the baggage-horse laden with Mrs. Carruthers' portmanteau; and I shall never forget my horror when I saw that it was the mule. It dashed into the torrent, and sunk; I rushed down the banks, and in a few moments Mr. Carruthers rose to the surface; I flung my lasso, and brought him out at the first attempt, quite insensible; but I believed, not dead.

"I left him lying, after disengaging my lasso, and again ran forward, when I was astonished to see the mule swimming | | 240 composedly towards me. It landed; and shaking the water from its sides, appeared uninjured, I scarcely dared to approach, for I saw the sillon was still on its back, and the lady tied to it: she was hanging forward, apparently dead, covered with blood, and her arms drooping as if shattered by the fall. It was a terrible sight, and I was greatly relieved by the arrival of Mr. Douglas, who had with great risk and difficulty made his way down the fatal precipice. We immediately released the lady from the saddle we found her face and head much cut, and we fancied her arms were both fractured; but she still breathed. I took off my poncho, on which we placed her, and moving up the stream we found an ascent less abrupt than that we had come down; and we succeeded, I can scarcely remember in what manner, in scrambling up with our senseless and mutilated burthen; and placing her in the charge of her weeping sister, we again descended to Mr. Carruthers.

"We raised him, and after a short time he opened his eyes, and gazed round with a strange, wild, expression. We were alone; for the mule had made its way up the steep, and joined its companions, apparently little the worse for the fall. Mr. Carruthers shuddered as be looked at the torrent, and without speaking be turned his eyes inquiringly on us.

"'Eliza is much hurt,' said Mr. Douglas, 'but let us hope the best; she is now with Margaret, and you must try, if possible, to join them.'

"We found, on examination, that most wonderfully the unfortunate husband had no bones broken. The descent was too steep for pebbles to rest on; and the melted snow flowing over it, succeeded by a hot sun, had clothed the hard rock with a short and scanty growth of grass, which had rendered the fall less destructive. Still he was much bruised and cut; but, his anxiety to see his wife, induced him to strain every nerve to make the ascent. But he was struck dumb with horror when he saw the lovely youthful form, that not many minutes before was full of life and bloom, now stretched senseless, maimed and disfigured with wounds. She still continued in the same state of insensibility: and we feared there must be concussion of the brain. We used every means we possessed to recover her, but in vain and at length we agreed to move forward, as night was drawing on, and we could find | | 241 no place on which to place our tent till we had emerged from this perilous pass.

We continued on the winding road for about a mile; Mr. Douglas and I carrying the unfortutate lady, Mrs. Douglas walking by her side in deep distress, and Mr. Carruthers, scarcely able to sit on his horse, following us. The path then became more open; we reached a small plain covered with stunted pasturage, and on one side, on a little elevation, was a building which I recognised as one of the Casuchas of the passes, erected by the government for the use of travellers in case of snow storms. It was raised on a solid foundation about ten feet above the ground, and was merely one small room built of brick; the roof was arched, and covered with bricks placed so as to form two inclined planes, on which the snow could not rest. We entered it by means of a flight of rude stone steps, and gratefully took possession of it. It was only lighted by a few loopholes left in the masonry, but there was a table fixed in the midst, and in one corner a pile of firewood.

"In this miserable hut, on a bed formed of mattresses and cloaks, we rested the shattered form of the beautiful Mrs. Carruthers. We lighted a fire, and then, while John and I unloaded the animals, and tethered them so that they could not stray, Mrs. Douglas washed the disfigured features and bound up the bleeding wounds of her unfortunate sister. The application of the cold water revived the spark of life; she murmured faintly, 'Henry! Margaret!' They spoke tenderly to her, and inquired if she suffered; but she did not seem to have strength to reply; then Mr. Douglas brought a flask which still remained of his stores, and they administered to her a few drops of brandy. This cordial partially revived her; she again spoke 'Mr. Merton,' she uttered, 'pray for me!' We entered the hut, and joined in the fervent prayers for the dying which Mr. Douglas offered up.

"The poor lady moaned feebly, and in a few minutes after said, 'Margaret, I am then dying.' The sobs of her sister and the deep groans of her husband were her answer. 'Will God pardon me?' she said, in a broken voice; 'I have been very wicked; I have forgotten Him in my pride of beauty [sic] will he now remember me?

| | 242

"Then Mr. Carruthers roused himself from the lethargy of despair, and spoke to the dying creature in words that seemed inspired by God himself, he told her of his surpassing love and mercy to sinful man, and earnestly besought her to pray faithfully, and to put her whole trust in him who freely offered forgiveness and salvation, and who could remove her by his will from that bed of agony to the mansions of eternal blessedness. The poor sufferer wept and prayed. John and I withdrew and spread our tent outside, and left the sufferer with her sorrowing friends.

"For twenty-four hours she lingered; but Mrs. Douglas told me her mind recovered the holy and pure character of her childhood; and her friends humbly trusted that she died in peace with God and man. I have dwelt thus on her death as a warning to the dear girls who are now weeping at the recital to avoid the temptations which haunt the paths of youth and beauty.

"The bereaved husband, who had struggled against illness while his wife lived, sunk down in a violent fever as soon as the excitement of attending her was passed. We conveyed him from the chamber of death to the purer air of the tent, and watched him night and day; but our means to allay the fever were few and inadequate. John, who understands all useful arts, opened a vein in his arm, and bled him freely. This ought to have been done immediately after the accident; but all our care and thought had been given to Mrs. Carruthers. We gave him the water which burst from the rocks above us to allay his burning thirst, and poured it over his head to cool and refresh him; and this was all we could do.

"For many days he raved with fever, and then sank into a stupor, which we feared would terminate fatally. By this time even the ample store of food provided by you began to fail; and though in a dry mountain air, the body of the dead showed no signs of corruption, yet it was needful the rites of sepulture should be performed; and it was the wish of Mrs. Douglas that her sister should be buried in consecrated ground. We scarcely knew how to act. I proposed to go forward to endeavor to reach some post where I might procure assistance; but I knew that I should find no post till I | | 243 gained the west of the mountains; and the consequent delay induced them to reject my proposal.

"But in our great need God sent us help. A party of travellers from Chili arrived at the casucha. They were shocked and moved to compassion by our tale of misery, and offered all the assistance in their power. One of the party was a professor of medicine, going to Mendoza for the sake of his own health. He was a man of knowledge and benevolence; he told us Mr. Carruthers was now suffering from a nervous affection produced by a brain fever and great mental distress. He administered proper restoratives to him, and recommended us immediately to remove him from the scene of his affliction, supplying us with medicine and good advice.

"By the assistance of the strangers, who carried with them chests of tools, we made a coffin to contain the remains of Mrs. Carruthers, using for the purpose some deal boxes which had been filled with her dresses. Our kind friends finished by giving us clear directions for our journey,and we parted from them with gratitude and revived hopes. The coffin was suspended on one side of the baggage-horses, balanced by the portmanteau of fine clothes which the unhappy lady prized so greatly. This horse John undertook to keep behind, as far as possible from the observation of Mr. Carruthers, whom we got placed on his horse with much difficulty; and during the first day's journey, which was necessarily very short, Mr. Douglas and I had to hold him up.

"But the next day he was a little stronger, and ate some boiled meat, though he still continued silent and deeply depressed. We met with scarcely any vegetation on this day, and the next morning we came on patches of snow. Another day and the snowy heights lay before us, which we must absolutely ascend; but Mr. Carruthers seemed to grow better in difficulties; and we began with stout hearts the zig-zag upward path, sometimes slipping back, sometimes clinging to the manes of the strugging horses; and finally we reached the highest point of the pass, and moved through a narrow passage between two lofty peaks, which led to the western descent.

"After a very cold night's rest, we proceeded downwards so rapidly, that before night we again reached the region of | | 244 vegetation over a well-tracked road. Two days more brought us to wooded hills, and from thence we went on to a post station, the fist dwelling of man we had entered since we left the filthy hut, in the valley of the Pampas. This hut was clean, though it was a mean dwelling; and we rewarded the inhabitants liberally for a supply of milk, butter, and fruit. They directed its to a village lower down the hills, which proved to be only a few huts; yet the people were hospitable, and furnished us with food. We obtained a guide, who brought us in three days to the city of Santiago."