138 ' RAMBLES AFTER SPOUT. 



US anyhow ; but then one is always doing that in Chile. 

 The road was exceedingly wild and picturesque^ winding 

 round the sides of mountains^ sometimes passing along 

 the edge of a precipice some thousands of feet deep. 

 The whole of these hills seemingly, from their summits 

 to their base, were covered with red and yellow tropaeo- 

 lums ; I leave my readers to imagine the effect. It was 

 here I had my first sight of a condor. Four of these 

 glorious birds were sailing overhead, having doubtless 

 discovered a dead carcass in one of the gorges. Except 

 the frigate bird, I know no feathered creature that can 

 compare, for grace and perfect ease, with a condor on 

 the wing. On the ground he is one of the most disgust- 

 ing objects in creation, but in the air you may watch 

 one for hours, and never see him flap his wings. Their 

 size has been greatly exaggerated ; I believe a condor 

 9ft. across the wings is above the average. Their 

 strength of beak and claw is enormous, two of them 

 mastering a calf or young guanaco with the greatest 

 ease. A celebrated feast was going on when we arrived 

 at Andacollo, the town being gaily decked with flags, 

 &c. It is rather an important pueblo , situated on an 

 elevated plateau; in the winter snow falls on the sur- 

 rounding hills. The principal mines are of copper, the 

 most important belonging to S.S. Yidela. The surround- 

 ing hills also abound in gold, that is to say, every 

 bucketful of dirt contains gold, but in minute quantities. 

 If there was a continuous and plentiful supply of water, 

 no doubt large quantities of gold would be extracted. 

 Numbers of the poorer class make their living by wash- 

 ing or "^ panning out^^ large wooden bowls of dirt, taken 

 promiscuously from the sides of the hills, their average 

 gainings being about four reals or two shillings daily. 



