VIEW OF THE LLANOS. 41 



to be quite so numerous ; and the forest, in conse- 

 quence, has a brighter tint. As in Chiloe, the low- 

 er parts are matted together by canes : here, also, 

 another kind (resembling the bamboo of Brazil, 

 and about twenty feet in height) grows in clusters, 

 and ornaments the banks of some of the streams in 

 a very pretty manner. It is with this plant that the 

 Indians intake their chuzos, or long tapering spears. 

 Our resting-place was so dirty that I prefeired 

 sleeping outside : on these journeys the first night 

 is generally very uncomfortable, because one is not 

 accustomed to the tickling and biting of the fleas. I 

 am sure, in the morning, there was not a space on 

 my legs of the size of a shilling which had not its 

 little red mark where the flea had feasted. 



12^7^. — We continued to ride through the un- 

 cleared forest, only occasionally meeting an In- 

 dian on horseback, or a troop of fine mules bringing 

 alerce-planks and corn from the southern plains. 

 In the aftei'noon one of the horses knocked up : we 

 were then on the brow of a hill which commanded 

 a fine view of the Llanos. The view of these open 

 plains was very refreshing, after being hemmed in 

 and buried in the wilderness of trees. The uni- 

 formity of a forest soon becomes very wearisome. 

 This west coast makes me remember with pleasure 

 the free, unbounded plains of Patagonia ; yet, with 

 the true spirit of contradiction, I cannot forget how 

 sublime is the silence of the forest. The Llanos 

 are the most fertile and thickly-peopled parts of 

 the country, as they possess the immense advan- 

 tage of being nearly free from trees. Before leav- 

 ing the forest we crossed some flat little lawns, 

 around which single trees stood, as in an English 

 park : I have often noticed with surprise, in wood- 

 ed, undulatory districts, that the quite level parts 

 have been destitute of trees. On account of the 

 D t 



