DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. 229 



world/' — and accordingly, in a short time, we 

 saw stretched at our feet the pretty fertile 

 valley of the river Limari, as rich in all sorts 

 of vegetation as the desert we had just passed 

 was sterile : it was fresh and green, with its 

 clear river rippling and winding through the 

 valley, which was dotted, as far as the eye 

 could reach, with white cottages, even one or 

 two gentlemen's houses, and a white church- 

 tower. I asked the peon in what consisted 

 the great beauty he had spoken of. He was 

 astonished at my (to him) want of taste, and 

 replied, " That valley would feed all the 

 mules in the province of Coquimbo." The 

 man was a muleteer ! 



My Granada guide told me that on the 

 summit of the next hill we should see a 

 beautiful view, and so we did ; but I asked 

 him the same question that I put to the peon, 

 and, as I expected, the beauty of the view 

 consisted in his native town, lying at our 

 feet, while he entirely neglected the beautiful, 

 — nay more, — the majestic view of mountain, 

 forest, and lake, that was before us, on as 

 grand a scale as nature can produce. We 

 approached near the western end of the lake, 

 but on the south side, and the opposite shore 

 was clearly visible about fifteen miles distant. 



