XII THE BELL OF QUILLOTA 273 



hundred thousand. Every year in the early spring, in August, 

 very many are cut down, and when the trunk is l}'ing on the 

 ground, the crown of leaves is lopped off. The sap then 

 immediately begins to flow from the upper end, and continues 

 so doing for some months ; it is, however, necessar}' that a thin 

 slice should be shaved off from that end every morning, so as 

 to expose a fresh surface. A good tree will give ninety 

 gallons, and all this must have been contained in the vessels of 

 the apparently dry trunk. It is said that the sap flows much 

 more quickly on those days when the sun is powerful ; and 

 likewise, that it is absolutely necessary to take care, in cutting 

 down the tree, that it should fall with its head upwards on the 

 side of the hill ; for if it falls down the slope, scarcely any sap 

 will flow ; although in that case one would have thought that 

 the action would have been aided, instead of checked, by the 

 force of gravity. The sap is concentrated by boiling, and is 

 then called treacle, which it very much resembles in taste. 



We unsaddled our horses near the spring, and prepared to 

 pass the night. The evening was fine, and the atmosphere so 

 clear that the masts of the vessels at anchor in the bay of 

 Valparaiso, although no less than twenty-six geographical miles 

 distant, could be distinguished clearly as little black streaks. 

 A ship doubling the point under sail appeared as a bright 

 white speck. Anson expresses much surprise, in his voyage, 

 at the distance at which his vessels were discovered from the 

 coast ; but he did not sufficiently allow for the height of the 

 land and the great transparency of the air. 



The setting of the sun was glorious ; the valleys being black, 

 whilst the snowy peaks of the Andes yet retained a ruby tint. 

 When it was dark, we made a fire beneath a little arbour of 

 bamboos, fried our charqui (or dried slips of beef), took our 

 mate, and were quite comfortable. There is an inexpressible 

 charm in thus living in the open air. The evening was calm 

 and still ; — the shrill noise of the mountain bizcacha, and the 

 faint cry of a goatsucker, were occasionally to be heard. 

 Besides these, few birds, or even insects, frequent these dry, 

 parched mountains. 



August iJtJi. — In the morning we climbed up the rough 

 mass of greenstone which crowns the summit. This rock, as 

 19 



