108 BAHIA BLANCA TO BUENOS AYRES. [chap. vi. 



it well deserves its name of Hurtado, or separated. The 

 mountain is steep, extremely rugged, and broken, and so entirely 

 destitute of trees, and even bushes, that we actually could not 

 make a skewer to stretch out our meat over the fire of thistle- 

 stalks.* The strange aspect of this mountain is contrasted by 

 the sea-like plain, which not only abuts against its steep sides, 

 but likewise separates the parallel ranges. The uniformity of 

 the colouring gives an extreme quietness to the view ; the whit- 

 ish grey of the quartz rock, and the light brown of the withered 

 grass of the plain, being unrelieved by any brighter tint. From 

 custom, one expects to see in the neighbourhood of a lofty and 

 bold mountain, a broken country strewed over with huge frag- 

 ments. Here nature shows that the last movement before the 

 bed of the sea is changed into dry land may sometimes be one 

 of tranquillity. Under these circumstances I was curious to 

 observe how far from the parent rock any pebbles could be found. 

 On the shores of Bahia Blanca, and near the settlement, there 

 were some of quartz, which certainly must have come from this 

 source : the distance is forty-five miles. 



The dew, which in the early part of the night wetted the 

 saddle-cloths under which we slept, was in the morning frozen. 

 The plain, though appearing horizontal, had insensibly sloped 

 up to a height of between 800 and 900 feet above the sea. In 

 the morning (9th of September) the guide told me to ascend the 

 nearest ridge, which he thought would lead me to the four peaks 

 that crown the summit. The climbing up such rough rocks was 

 very fatiguing ; the sides were so indented, that what was gained 

 in one five minutes was often lost in the next. At last, when I 

 reached the ridge, my disappointment was extreme in finding a 

 precipitous valley as deep as the plain, which cut the chain trans- 

 versely in two, and separated me from the four points. This 

 valley is very narrow, but flat-bottomed, and it forms a fine 

 horse-pass for the Indians, as it connects the plains on the 

 northern and southern sides of the range. Having descended, 

 and while crossing it, I saw two horses grazing : I immediately 

 hid myself in the long grass, and began to reconnoitre ; but as I 

 could see no signs of Indians I proceeded cautiously on my 



* I call these thistle-stalks for the want of a more correct name. I be- 

 lieve it is a species of Eryngium. 



