102 BAHIA BLANCA TO BUENOS AYEES. [CHAP. vi. 



more solitary, desolate pile of rock ; it well deserves its name of 

 Hurtado, or separated. The mountain is steep, extremely rugged, 

 and broken, and so entirely destitute of trees, and even bushes, 

 that we actually could not make a skewer to stretch out our meat 

 over the fire of thistle-stalks.* The strange aspect of this mountain 

 is contrasted by the sea-like plain, which not only abuts against 

 its steep sides, but likewise separates the parallel ranges. The 

 uniformity of the colouring gives an extreme quietness to the 

 v j ew ; the whitish grey of the quartz rock, and the light brown 

 of the withered grass of the plain, being unrelieved by any brighter 

 tint. From custom, one expects to see in the neighbourhood of 

 a lofty and bold mountain, a broken country strewed over with 

 huge fragments. Here nature shows that the last movement 

 before the bed of the sea is changed into dry land may sometimes 

 be one of tranquillity. Under these circumstances I was curious 

 to observe how far from the parent rock any pebbles could bo 

 found. On the shores of Bahia Blanca, and near the settlement, 

 there were some of quartz, which certainly must have come from 

 this source : the distance is forty-five miles. 



The dew, which in the early part of the night wetted the saddle- 

 cloths under which we slept, was in the morning frozen. The 

 plain, though appearing horizontal, had insensibly sloped up to a 

 height of between 800 and 900 feet above the sea. In the morning 

 (9th of September) the guide told me to ascend the nearest ridge, 

 which he thought would lead me to the four peaks that crown the 

 summit. The climbing up such rough rocks was very fatiguing ; 

 the sides were so indented, that what was gained in one five 

 minutes was often lost in the next. At last, when I reached the 

 ridge, my disappointment was extreme in finding a precipitous 

 valley as deep as the plain, which cut the chain transversely in 

 two, and separated me from the four points. This valley is very 

 narrow, but flat-bottomed, and it forms a fine horse-pass for the 

 Indians, as it connects the plains on the northern and southern 

 sides of the range. Having descended, and while crossing it, I saw 

 two horses grazing : I immediately hid myself in the long grass, 

 and began to reconnoitre ; but as I could see no signs of Indians I 

 proceeded cautiously on my second ascent. It was late in the day, 

 and this part of the mountain, like the other, was steep and rugged. 



* I call these thistle-stalks for the vmnt of a more correct name. I believe 

 it is a species of Eryngium. 



