28o THE ASCENT TO SAN PEDRO, [chap. xiii. 



or more scientific, but less wise, than the generality of his 

 brethren, is now mounted in the museum of the Zoological 

 Society. 



We stayed three days in this harbour, on one of which 

 Captain Fitz Roy, with a party, attempted to ascend to the 

 summit of San Pedro. The woods here had rather a 

 different appearance from those on the northern part of the 

 island. The rock, also, being micaceous slate, there was 

 no beach, but the steep sides dipped directly beneath the 

 water. The general aspect in consequence was more like 

 that of Tierra del Fuego than of Chiloe. In vain we tried 

 to gain the summit : the forest was so impenetrable, that 

 no one who has not beheld it, can imagine so entangled a 

 mass of dying and dead trunks. I am sure that often, for 

 more than ten minutes together, our feet never touched 

 the ground, and we were frequently ten or fifteen feet 

 above it, so that the seamen as a joke called out the 

 soundings. At other times we crept one after another on 

 our hands and knees, under the rotten trunks. In the 

 lower part of the mountain, noble trees of the Winter's 

 Bark, and a laurel like the sassafras with fragrant leaves, 

 and others, the names of which I do not know, were matted 

 together by a trailing bamboo or cane. Here we were 

 more like fishes struggling in a net than any other animal. 

 On the higher parts, brushwood takes the place of larger 

 trees, with here and there a red cedar or an alerce pine. I 

 was also pleased to see, at an elevation of a little less than 

 looo feet, our old friend the southern beech. They were, 

 however, poor stunted trees ; and I should think that this 

 must be nearly their northern limit. We ultimately gave 

 up the attempt in despair. 



December lo/'A.^— The yawl and whale-boat, with Mr. 

 Sulivan, proceeded on their survey, but 1 remained on board 

 the Beagle^ which the next day left San Pedro for the south- 

 ward. On the 13th we ran into an opening in the southern 

 part of Guayatecas, or the Chonos Archipelago ; and it was 

 fortunate we did so, for on the following day a storm, 

 worthy of Tierra del Fuego, raged with great fury. White 

 massive clouds were piled up against a dark blue sky, and 

 across them black ragged sheets of vapour were rapidly 

 driven. The successive mountain ranges appeared like dim 

 shadows ; and the setting sun cast on the woodland a yellow 

 gleam, much like that produced by the flame of spirits of 

 wine. The water wa*^ white with the flying spray, and the 



