348 NORTHERN CHILE. [chap. xvr. 



little pasture, that we could not purchase any for our horses. 

 At Sauce we found a very civil old gentleman, superintending a 

 copper-smelting furnace. As an especial favour, he allowed me 

 to purchase at a high price an armful of dirty straw, which was 

 all the poor horses had for supper after their long day's journey. 

 Few smel ting-furnaces are now at work in any part of Chile ; it 

 is found more profitable, on account of the extreme scarcity of 

 firewood, and from the Chilian method of reduction being so 

 unskilful, to ship the ore for Swansea. The next day we crossed 

 some mountains to Freyrina, in the valley of Guasco. During 

 each day's ride further northward, the vegetation became more 

 and more scanty ; even the great chandelier-like cactus was here 

 replaced by a different and much smaller species. During the 

 winter months, both in northern Chile and in Peru, a uniform 

 bank of clouds hangs, at no great height, over the Pacific. 

 From the mountains we had a very striking view of this white 

 and brilliant aerial-field, which sent arms up the valleys, leaving 

 islands and promontories in the same manner, as the sea does in 

 the Chonos archipelago and in Tierra del Fuego. 



We stayed two days at Freyrina. In the valley of Guasco 

 there are four small towns. At the mouth there is the port, a 

 spot entirely desert, and without any water in the immediate 

 neighbourhood. Five leagues higher up stands Freyrina, a long 

 straggling village, with decent whitewashed houses. Again, ten 

 leagues further up Ballenar is situated ; and above this Guasco 

 Alto, a horticultural village, famous for its dried fruit. On a 

 clear day the view up the valley is very fine ; the straight open- 

 ing terminates in the far-distant snowy Cordillera ; on each side 

 an infinity of crossing lines are blended together in a beautiful 

 haze. The foreground is singular from the number of parallel 

 and step-formed terraces ; and the included strip of green valley, 

 with its willow-bushes, is contrasted on both hands with the naked 

 hills. That the surrounding country was most barren will be 

 readily believed, when it is known that a shower of rain had not 

 fallen during the last thirteen months. The inhabitants heard 

 with the greatest envy of the rain at Coquimbo ; from the ap- 

 pearance of the sky they had hopes of equally good fortune, 

 which, a fortnight afterwards, were realized. I was at Copiapo" 

 at the time ; and there the people, with equal envy, talked of 



