I835-] ARAUCARIAN INDIANS. 217 



the country or of its inhabitants. There is not much cleared land 

 near Valdivia: after crossing, a river at the distance of a few miles, we 

 entered the forest, and then passed only one miserable hovel, before 

 reaching our sleeping-place for the night. The short difference in 

 latitude of 150 miles has given a new aspect to the forest, compared 

 with that of Chiloe. This is owing to a slightly different proportion 

 in the kinds of trees. The evergreens do not appear to be quite so 

 numerous ; and the forest in consequence has a brighter tint. As in 

 Chiloe, the lower parts are matted together by canes: here also 

 another kind (resembling the bamboo of Brazil and about twenty feet 

 in height) grows in clusters, and ornaments the banks of some of the 

 streams in a very pretty manner. It is with this plant that the Indians 

 make their chuzos, or long tapering spears. Our resting-house was 

 so dirty that I preferred sleeping outside : on these journeys the first 

 night is generally very uncomfortable, because one is not accustomed 

 to the tickling and biting of the fleas. I am sure, in the morning, 

 there was not a space on my legs of the size of a shilling, which had 

 not its little red mark where the flea had feasted. 



February \-2th. We continued to ride through the uncleared forest ; 

 only occasionally meeting an Indian on horseback, or a troop of fine 

 mules bringing alerce planks and corn from the southern plains. In 

 the afternoon one of the horses knocked up : we were then on a brow 

 of a hill, which commanded a fine view of the Llanos. The view of 

 these open plains was very refreshing, after being hemmed in and 

 buried in the wilderness of trees. The uniformity of a forest soon 

 becomes very wearisome. This west coast makes me remember with 

 pleasure the free, unbounded plains of Patagonia ; yet, with the true 

 spirit of contradiction, I cannot forget how sublime is the silence of 

 the forest. The Llanos are the most fertile and thickly peopled parts 

 of the country ; as they possess the immense advantage of being nearly 

 free from trees. Before leaving the forest we crossed some flat little 

 lawns, around which single trees stood, as in an English park : I have 

 often noticed with surprise, in wooded undulatory districts, that the 

 quite level parts have been destitute of trees. On account of the tired 

 horse, I determined to stop at the Mission of Cudico, to the friar of 

 which I had a letter of introduction. Cudico is an intermediate district 

 between the forest and the Llanos. There are a good many cottages, 

 with patches of corn and potatoes, nearly all belonging to Indians. 

 The tribes dependent on Valdivia are " reducidos y cristianos." The 

 Indians farther northward, about Arauco and Imperial, are still very 

 wild, and not converted ; but they have all much intercourse with the 

 Spaniards. The padre said that the Christian Indians did not much 

 like coming to mass, but that otherwise they showed respect for 

 religion. The greatest difficulty is in making them observe the 

 ceremonies of marriage. The wild Indians take as many wives as 

 they can support, and a cacique will sometimes take more than 

 ten : on entering his house, the number may be told by that of the 

 separate fires. Each wife lives a week in turn with the cacique ; 

 but all are employed in weaving ponchos, etc,, for his profit. To 



