18S4.J SAN PEDRO. 281 



for more than ten minutes together, our feet never touched the 

 ground, and we were frequently ten or fifteen feet above it, so 

 that the seamen as a joke called out the soundings. At other 

 times we crept one after another on our hands and knees, under 

 the rotten trunks. In the lower part of the mountain, noble 

 trees of the Winter's Bark, and a laurel like the sassafras with 

 fragrant leaves, and others, the names of which I do not know, 

 were matted together by a trailing bamboo or cane. Here we 

 were more like fishes struggling in a net than any other animal. 

 On the higher parts, brushwood takes the place of larger trees, 

 with here and there a red cedar or an alerce pine. I was also 

 pleased to see, at an elevation of a little less than 1000 feet, our 

 old friend the southern beech. They were, however, poor stunted 

 trees ; and I should think that this must be nearly their northern 

 limit. We ultimately gave up the attempt in despair. 



December lOth. — The yawl and whale-boat, with Mr. Sulivan, 

 proceeded on their survey, but I remained on board the Beagle, 

 which the next day left San Pedro for the southw^ard. On the 

 13th we ran into an opening in the southern part of Guayatecas, 

 or the Chonos Archipelago ; and it was fortunate we did so, for 

 on the following day a storm, worthy of Tierra del Fuego, raged 

 with great fury. White massive clouds were piled up against a 

 dark blue sky, and across them black ragged sheets of vapour 

 were rapidly driven. The successive mountain ranges appeared 

 like dim shadows ; and the setting sun cast on the woodland a 

 yellow gleam, much like that produced by the flame of spirits of 

 wine. The water was white with the flying spray, and the wind 

 lulled and roared again through the rigging : it was an ominous, 

 sublime scene. During a few minutes there w^as a bright rain- 

 bow, and it was curious to observe the effect of the spray, which, 

 being carried along the surface of the water, changed the ordi- 

 nary semicircle into a circle — a band of prismatic colours being 

 continued, from both feet of the common arch across the bay, 

 close to the vessel's side: thus forming a distorted, but very 

 nearly entire ring. 



We stayed here three days. The weather continued bad ; but 

 this did not much signify, for the surface of the land i/i all these 

 islands is all but impassable. The coast is so very rugged that 

 to attempt to walk in that direction requires continued scrambling 



