XIV RIDE TO PUNTA HUANTAMO 317 



be paid at all. In the morning, being left alone with these poor 

 people, we soon ingratiated ourselves by presents of cigars and 

 mate. A lump of white sugar was divided between all present, 

 and tasted with the greatest curiosity. The Indians ended all their 

 complaints by saying," And it is only because we are poor Indians, 

 and know nothing ; but it was not so when we had a King." 



The next day after breakfast we rode a few miles northward 

 to Punta Huantamo. The road lay along a very broad beach, 

 on which, even after so many fine days, a terrible surf was 

 breaking. I was assured that after a heavy gale, the roar can 

 be heard at night even at Castro, a distance of no less than 

 twenty-one sea-miles across a hilly and wooded country. We 

 had some difficulty in reaching the point, owing to the intolerably 

 bad paths ; for everywhere in the shade the ground soon becomes 

 a perfect quagmire. The point itself is a bold rocky hill. It is 

 covered by a plant allied, I believe, to Bromelia, and called by 

 the inhabitants Chepones. In scrambling through the beds, our 

 hands were very much scratched. I was amused by observing 

 the precaution our Indian guide took, in turning up his trousers, 

 thinking that they were more delicate than his own hard skin. 

 This plant bears a fruit, in shape like an artichoke, in which a 

 number of seed-vessels are packed : these contain a pleasant 

 sweet pulp, here much esteemed. I saw at Low's Harbour the 

 Chilotans making chichi, or cider, with this fruit : so true is it, 

 as Humboldt remarks, that almost everywhere man finds means 

 of preparing some kind of beverage from the vegetable kingdom. 

 The savages, however, of Tierra del Fuego, and I believe of 

 Australia, have not advanced thus far in the arts. 



The coast to the north of Punta Huantamo is exceedingly 

 rugged and broken, and is fronted by many breakers, on which 

 the sea is eternally roaring. Mr. King and myself were anxious 

 to return, if it had been possible, on foot along this coast ; but 

 even the Indians said it was quite impracticable. We were told 

 that men have crossed by striking directly through the woods 

 from Cucao to S. Carlos, but never by the coast. On these 

 expeditions the Indians carry with them only roasted corn, and 

 of this they cat sparingly twice a day. 



26th. — Re-embarking in the periagua, we returned across 

 the lake, and then mounted our horses. The whole of Chiloe 

 took advantage of this week of unusually fine weather, to clear 



