CHILOK. 33 



it consists in its whole length, with the exception 

 of very few parts, of great logs of wood, which are 

 either broad, and laid longitudinally, or narrow and 

 placed transversely. In summer the road is not 

 very bad ; but in winter, when the wood is ren- 

 dered slippery from rain, travelling is exceedingly 

 difficult. At that time of the year the ground on 

 each side becomes a morass, and is often over- 

 flowed : hence it is necessary that the longitudinal 

 logs should be fastened down by ti'ansverse poles, 

 which are pegged on each side into the earth. 

 These pegs render a fall from a horse dangerous, 

 as the chance of alighting on one of them is not 

 small. It is remarkable, however, how active cus- 

 tom has made the Chilotan horses. In crossing 

 bad parts, where the logs had been displaced, they 

 skipped from one to the other almost with the 

 quickness and certainty of a dog. On both hands 

 the road is bordered by the lofty forest-trees, with 

 their bases matted together by canes. When oc- 

 casionally a long reach of this avenue could be be- 

 held, it presented a curious scene of uniformity : 

 the white line of logs, narrowing in perspective, 

 became hidden by the gloomy forest, or terminated 

 in a zigzag which ascended some steep hill. 



Although the distance from S. Carlos to Castro 

 is only twelve leagues in a straight line, the form- 

 ation of the road must have been a great labour. 

 I was told that several people had formerly lost 

 their lives in attempting to cross the forest. The 

 first who succeeded was an Indian, who cut his 

 way through the canes in eight days, and reached 

 S. Carlos: he was rewarded by the Spanish gov- 

 ernment with a grant of land. During the summer*, 

 many of the Indians wander about the forests (but 

 chiefly in the higher parts, where the woods are 

 not quite so thick), in search of the half-wild cattle, 

 II 3 



