28o CENTRAL CHILE 



whose snowy peaks were bright with the evening sun. At the 

 first glance of this view, it was quite evident that the plain 

 represented the extent of a former inland sea. As soon as we 

 gained the level road we pushed our horses into a gallop, and 

 reached the city before it was dark. 



I stayed a week in Santiago and enjoyed myself very much. 

 In the morning I rode to various places on the plain, and in 

 the evening dined with several of the English merchants, whose 

 hospitality at this place is well known. A never-failing source 

 of pleasure was to ascend the little hillock of rock (St. Lucia) 

 which projects in the middle of the city. The scenery certainly 

 is most striking, and, as I have said, very peculiar. I am 

 informed that this same character is common to the cities on 

 the great Mexican platform. Of the town I have nothing to 

 say in detail : it is not so fine or so large as Buenos Ay res, 

 but is built after the same model. I arrived here by a circuit 

 to the north ; so I resolved to return to Valparaiso by a rather 

 longer excursion to the south of the direct road. 



September ^tJi. — By the middle of the day we arrived at 

 one of the suspension bridges made of hide, which crosses the 

 Maypu, a large turbulent river a few leagues southward of 

 Santiago. These bridges are very poor affairs. The road, 

 following the curvature of the suspending ropes, is made of 

 bundles of sticks .placed close together. It was full of holes, 

 and oscillated rather fearfully, even with the weight of a man 

 leading his horse. In the evening we reached a comfortable 

 farm-house, where there were several very pretty seiloritas. 

 They were much horrified at my having entered one of 

 their churches out of mere curiosity. They asked me, 

 " Why do you not become a Christian — for our religion is 

 certain ?" I assured them I was a sort of Christian ; but 

 they would not hear of it — appealing to my own words, *' Do 

 not your padres, your very bishops, marry ?" The absurdity of 

 a bishop having a wife particularly struck them : they scarcely 

 knew whether to be most amused or horror-struck at such an 

 enormity. 



6//^. — We proceeded due south, and slept at Rancagua. 

 The road passed over the level but narrow plain, bounded on 



