lOO PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS : NARRATIVE. 



with an abundance of good bread and a pot of hot coffee, were sufficient 

 for our present needs. Supper finished, the contents of the cart were 

 carefully covered for the night, and, after reassuring ourselves that the 

 horses were all securely hobbled or picketed, we unrolled our beds along- 

 side the cart, undressed, crept into the blankets and found warmth and 

 rest, secure from the chilling blast that howled mournfully without. 



The following morning broke cold and uninviting. The atmosphere was 

 raw and damp, and continued so throughout the day. We were on our way 

 early. Hour after hour the cart rolled wearily over the shingle-covered sur- 

 face. The vegetation was extremely scanty, and such plants as were to 

 be seen belonged for the most part to those fleshy, leafless varieties com- 

 mon to arid districts. Besides such, there were a few inconspicuous mem- 

 bers of the Compositaeand Leguminosae, while a member of the Cruciferae 

 with rather large yellow flowers seemed to thrive fairly well, since I 

 saw frequent examples of a foot or more in height. Large circular masses 

 of Bolax glebaria were everywhere. 



Early in the forenoon we saw, through the clouds outlined on the hori- 

 zon in front of us, a number of small conical elevations. As we drew 

 nearer, these proved to be small outlying craters, or lava vents. Each of 

 these was surrounded by a lava bed of limited area, similar to that 

 shown in Fig. 6. For several miles we wound in and out among these 

 local lava sheets, finally gaining the level pampa which lay beyond. 

 Late in the afternoon we came to a deep draw, or canon, with rather pre- 

 cipitous but grass-covered slopes. Since we had seen no sign of water 

 throughout the day and the country ahead was equally unpromising, we 

 decided to follow the course of this canon for a distance, in hopes of finding 

 sufficient water for the night. Just as it was growing dark, we came upon 

 a place where the nature of the grass at the bottom of the canon indi- 

 cated that water was present on the surface, or could be had by digging, 

 at no great distance beneath. Driving the cart to a narrow bench just 

 beneath the crest of the pampa, in order to secure shelter from the wind, we 

 turned out for the night. Although there was no water at the surface, we 

 obtained sufficient for our needs, by digging, at a depth of about three feet. 



I had felt miserable throughout the day. The wound on my head, 

 which had not yet entirely healed, was paining me considerably, and 

 since I had no appetite for supper, immediately that the horses were 

 cared for, I sought the comfort of my bed, where I passed a restless 



