i834.] POOR BRIDGES. 263 



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 Ayres, 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 ^th. — 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 farmhouse, where there were several very pretty 

 senoritas. 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. 



September 6th. — We proceeded due south, and slept at 

 Rancagua. The road passed over the level but narrow 

 plain, bounded on one side by lofty hills, and on the other 

 by the Cordillera. The next day we turned up the valley 

 of the Rio Cachapual, in which the hot-baths of Cauquenes, 

 long celebrated for their medicinal properties, are situated. 

 The suspension bridges, in the less frequented parts, are 

 generally taken down during the winter when the rivers 

 are low. Such was the case in this valley, and we were 

 therefore obliged to cross the stream on horseback. This 

 is rather disagreeable, for the foaming water, though not 

 deep, rushes so quickly over the bed of large rounded stones, 

 that one's head becomes quite confused, and it is dillicult 

 even to perceive whether the horse is moving onward or 

 standing still. In summer, when the snow melts, the 



