31 8 CHILOE . CHAP. 



the ground by burning. In every direction volumes of smoke 

 were curling upwards. Although the inhabitants were so 

 assiduous in setting fire to every part of the wood, yet I did not 

 see a single fire which they had succeeded in making extensive. 

 We dined with our friend the commandant, and did not reach 

 Castro till after dark. The next morning we started very early. 

 After having ridden for some time, we obtained from the brow 

 of a steep hill an extensive view (and it is a rare thing on this 

 road) of the great forest. Over the horizon of trees, the volcano 

 of Corcovado, and the great flat-topped one to the north, stood 

 out in proud pre-eminence : scarcely another peak in the long 

 range showed its snowy summit. I hope it will be long before 

 I forget this farewell view of the magnificent Cordillera fronting 

 Chiloe. At night we bivouacked under a cloudless sky, and the 

 next morning reached S. Carlos. We arrived on the right day, 

 for before evening heavy rain commenced. 



February A^th. — Sailed from Chiloe. During the last week 

 I made several short excursions. One was to examine a great 

 bed of now-existing shells, elevated 350 feet above the level of 

 the sea : from among these shells large forest -trees were 

 growing. Another ride was to P. Huechucucuy. I had with 

 me a guide who knew the country far too well ; for he would 

 pertinaciously tell me endless Indian names for every little 

 point, rivulet, and creek. In the same manner as in Tierra del 

 Fuego, the Indian language appears singularly well adapted 

 for attaching names to the most trivial features of the land. I 

 believe every one was glad to say farewell to Chiloe ; yet if we 

 could forget the gloom and ceaseless rain of winter, Chiloe 

 might pass for a charming island. There is also something 

 very attractive in the simplicity and humble politeness of the 

 poor inhabitants. 



We steered northward along shore, but owing to thick 

 weather did not reach Valdivia till the night of the 8th. The 

 next morning the boat proceeded to the town, which is distant 

 about ten miles. We followed the course of the ri\er, 

 occasionally passing a {q.\\ hovels, and patches of ground 

 cleared out of the otherwise unbroken forest ; and sometimes 

 meeting a canoe with an Indian family. The town is situated 

 on the low banks of the stream, and is so completely buried in 

 a wood of apple-trees that the streets are merely paths in an 



