FROM SANTIAGO TO MENDOZA BY THE TJSPALLATA PASS. 3 



a week he received an answer stating that there had heen but one offer, which was to take me 

 on the stipulated conditions for $155 — the writer going into a long statement to prove that the 

 offer was very liberal ; adducing to this effect items unheard of in the ordinary rules of trans- 

 portation across the mountains, reminding me forcibly of the story of an old whaler, Christo- 

 pher Dolphin by name, who said that when fitting out for his first voyage to sea, the slop-shop 

 man, after imposing on him everything of possible utility, recollected that it would be neces- 

 sary for him to have a left-handed palm with which to thrust the sail-needle back after he had 

 shoved it through with the right. I of course rejected this offer, and afterwards learned that 

 as soon as Palma heard of the letter, he had sent his son to Santa Eosa, who had frightened off 

 all competitors by stories about the length of time I intended to stop in the mountains, and had 

 himself been the bidder. 



I finally made an arrangement for $86 with an honest fellow, who would have taken me at a 

 more reasonable rate if I had not been obliged to stipulate about stopping at several points on 

 the road. My contract was, to be furnished one saddle-mule and two others for the baggage, and 

 be accompanied by the arriero himself and a peon. These were to saddle and unsaddle for me, 

 and have all the care of the mules ; in addition to which, they were to furnish me with the same 

 food they themselves had. 



At length, on or about the 8th of November, the first courier arrived at Santiago reporting 

 the Cordillera open, and on the 10th my arriero came in with his mules; but the state of my 

 health did not permit me to start till the 15th of the same month, when, after taking leave of 

 all my kind friends, I set out in company with Colonel Peyton, the American minister to the 

 Chilean government, who did me the honor to accompany me a few leagues on the road. We 

 parted about eight miles out, and when fairly alone, with nothing to think of but myself, I 

 began to be aware that I had undertaken no easy task. I had slung across my shoulders a 

 mercurial barometer, an aneroid and a pocket compass, and around my waist three pocket 

 chronometers and the little money I possessed; and by the time the sun had reached the 

 meridian, these weighed quite enough to make them burdensome. The day was warm and the 

 road dusty ; and notwithstanding the latter led between finely cultivated fields, with occasional 

 country seats in excellent order, long before our arrival at our first stopping place I was essen- 

 tially used up, and incapable of enjoying either cultivation or scenery. 



At nightfall we arrived at the Posada (inn) of Chacabuco, where we remained till morning. 

 Before arriving, however, I was relieved of part of my load. On mounting at the hill of Colina, 

 the aneroid barometer caught in the holsters, broke its sling, and in the fall its chain parted, 

 so that, as it was no longer of use, I stored it away with the baggage. 



On the morning of the 16th set out again, and very shortly reached the wide range of hills 

 called Cuesta de Chacabuco. Passing this, we entered the rich and picturesque valley of San 

 Felipe, and a few miles more brought us to a lane called the Calle-larga, or long street, of Santa 

 Eosa. Certainly, to the weary traveller no street ever deserved that name more : at first there 

 are no houses — only walks enclosing fields and orchards ; but at a short distance, houses are 

 not unfrequent, and become more numerous up towards a focus, where the presence of a dry- 

 goods store, and two or three grog-shops, leads one to suppose that he has finally arrived at 

 Santa Eosa. A few squares farther on, however, and the voyager is in the country again. I 

 do not know how many of these little eruptions of houses there are, but recollect that after 

 repeated disappointments, I began to think the arriero was misleading me, or that no such 

 place as Santa Eosa existed. Nevertheless, we did eventually arrive at a town fairly brought 

 to a stand near the bank of the river Aconcagua ; and I could not help thinking it very fortunate 

 that nature had placed this barrier there, as it is impossible to say where the town would have 

 got to, but for that stream. 



My arriero lived about three miles beyond, and as all his preparations were to be made there, 

 I determined to stop at his farm instead of in the town ; so we pushed on, crossing the river at 

 a part where stony islands divided it into three streams. This was my first experience iji 



