1835.] A PRICKLY PLANT. 295 



a distance of no less than twenty-one sea-miles across a 

 hilly and wooded country. We had some difficulty in 

 reaching the point, owing to the intolerably bad paths ; for 

 everywhere in the shade the ground soon becomes a perfect 

 quagmire. The point itself is a bold rocky hill. It is 

 covered by a plant allied, I believe, to Bromelia, and called 

 by the inhabitants Chepones. In scrambling through the 

 beds, our hands were very much scratched. I was amused 

 by observing the precaution our Indian guide took, in 

 turning up his trousers, thinking that they were more 

 delicate than his own hard skin. This plant bears a fruit, 

 in shape like an artichoke, in which a number of seed- 

 vessels are packed : these contain a pleasant sweet pulp, 

 here much esteemed. I saw at Low's Harbour the 

 Chilotans making chichi, or cider, with this fruit : so true 

 is it, as Humboldt remarks, that almost everywhere man 

 finds means of preparing some kind of beverage from the 

 vegetable kingdom. The savages, however, of Tierra del 

 Fuego, and 1 believe of Australia, have not advanced thus 

 far in the arts. 



The coast to the north of Punta Huantam6 is exceedingly 

 rugged and broken, and is fronted by many breakers, on 

 which the sea is eternally roaring. Mr. King and myself 

 were anxious to return, if it had been possible, on foot along 

 this coast ; but even the Indians said it was quite im- 

 practicable. We were told that men have crossed by 

 striking directly through the woods from Cucao to San 

 Carlos, but never by the coast. On these expeditions, the 

 Indians carry with them only roasted corn, and of this they 

 eat sparingly twice a day. 



January 26th, — Re-embarking in the perlagua, we 

 returned across the lake, and then mounted our horses. 

 The whole of Chiloe took advantage of this week of 

 unusually fine weather, to clear the ground by burning. 

 In every direction volumes of smoke were curling upwards. 

 Although the inhabitants were so assiduous in settmg 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 



