FROM MENDOZA TO SANTIAGO AND BACK. 57 



The valley is crossed by a number of streamlets, and has houses and farms scattered about it 

 pretty thickly — the presence of those in the distance being indicated by rows of Lombardy 

 poplars. Stopped for the night near one of these, and the next morning — December 8 — went 

 on sis leagues farther, to a rancheria called La Arboleda, where we stopped at a rancho owned 

 by relations of the arriero. 



At the distance of five leagues from our last night's stopping-place we crossed the Kio de las 

 Tunas, a tributary of the Tunuyan. Its bed is extensive, and the stream divided into six 

 streamlets, each about two yards wide. Country thinly wooded with jarillas^ chanares, and an 

 abundance of cactus bearing the prickly pear, which is called tuna — hence the name of the river. 



As it was snowing in the mountains, we employed the remainder of the day in preparing 

 oharqui, killing and cleaning a sheep to take with us, smoking, and sleeping. During the 

 afternoon two of the men went off to look for nests, and returned at sunset; one of them, by 

 tracking an ostrich, having found a nest containing eighteen fresh eggs. 



In a garden belonging to the rancho there were eleven tame ostriches, which laid their eggs 

 very regularly, but did not breed. 



December 9. — Set out early, and, after travelling seven miles in a southwesterly direction 

 across a thinly-wooded and stony plain, arrived at the point where the road enters the mount- 

 ains. Thence a ride of two miles farther brought us to the banks of a rapid stream called the 

 "Arroyo Grande," along which," sometimes on one side and then on the other, but always 

 gradually ascending, we reached the "guardia" or custom-house, about eight miles from the 

 plain. The only other house on the road after entering the mountains is a small hut occupied 

 by men who cut out drip-stones from a quarry at the base of a white hill on the left. Crossed a 

 streamlet from the southward and a short ladera. 



At the guardia it was necessary to show our passports, always a disagreeable business, but 

 which in this instance was particularly annoying. I had called on the chief of police before 

 leaving Mendoza and told him I was merely going across the mountains by the Portillo Pass 

 for the iDurpose of measuring their heights, but would return immediately, and wished to know 

 if it was necessary to take out passports except for my final trip. To this question I received 

 the very abrupt answer, "As many times as you leave the territory of Mendoza, just so many 

 you must pay for a passport" — or, in other words, give five dollars for myself and seventy-five 

 cents on account of my servant for the privilege of leaving such a miserable country ; and I am not 

 sorry to state, in this connexion, that I owe the government of Mendoza the sum of five dollars 

 and seventy-five cents, for the ofiicer at the guardia was so drunk that he forgot to endorse 

 the document, and it served me on the next trip across the UsiDallata Pass. 



From La Guardia we proceeded eight miles farther along the south bank of the ' ' Arroyo 

 Grande," and as it was snowing in the portillo we stopped at a part of the road called "Los 

 Arenales." We passed a deserted hut, two streams from the southward, and one from the 

 northward, after leaving the guardia. 



This place is about eight thousand two hundred feet above the level of the sea, with high 

 snow-capped mountains on each side ; and as a strong bleak wind was blowing from the east- 

 ward, we found it cold in the shade and too warm in the sunshine. When we attempted to 

 make it warm in the shade by building a fire, the wind blew the smoke into our eyes and drove 

 us out, so that there was no comfort. 



Having nothing else to amuse me, I occupied myself observing some curious looking ducks 

 disporting themselves in the stream. They were about the size of teal. Those I supposed to 

 be males, because they were larger, were dark on the breast, had white heads and tails, chocolate- 

 color on the back, and red about the roots of their bills. The females were slate-colored on the 

 back, and brownish-red on the breast ; their bodies and tails were long, and, with the exception 

 of the short legs, their form resembled that of doves. They appeared to have power to fly but a 

 short distance, but had great facility in crossing, ascending, or descending the rapid stream. 

 The larger or male bird appeared to take more care of the young than the female, and it 



