BY THE POETILLO PASS, AND RETURN HOME. 61 



reflected that -we were in an earthquake country, and a shock would, in all probability, send 

 such a shower of these from above as would sweep all before it. The arriero, to test how far a 

 man might roll before he could stop himself in the event of a fall, dislodged a loose rock from 

 the road-side, and from the antics it cut on its way down, concluded that he would walk in 

 preference to trusting himself on the mule. 



December 12. — Started at daylight, and proceeded eight miles down a ridge separating the 

 Yeso from the Manzanito — the stream on whose bank we had camped. "We here found thin 

 13asturage and shrubs, and at the end a low growth of Maiten and Quillai trees. In one or two 

 places on this ridge the road approaches within a foot of the precipitous banks of the Yeso, and 

 is dangerous. 



Forded the Manzanito, and a hundred yards farther on, another stream, called the San Nich- 

 olas — both entering the Yeso from the northeastward. These streams are rapid, about ten 

 yards wide each, and from one to two feet deep, with rocky bottoms. My mule fell on his 

 knees in one of them, but fortunately recovered himself without any harm being done. Thence 

 five miles along the bank of the river brought us to a ruined hut, called El Manzanito, after 

 passing which we crossed the ladera de San Francisco — without question, the worst j^lace in the 

 Cordillera. There are two roads from the hut, but we did not know it at the time, and instead 

 of taking the upper, which, although longer, is good, we followed the lower one over the ladera. 

 This is in very few places more than two feet wide, and in many not one — the hill sloping at an 

 angle of twenty degrees with the vertical, and the river rushing and roaring over the rocks at 

 the distance of near two hundred feet below. The descent from the ladera is very steep, and 

 the zig-zags so short, that the mules had hardly time to recover themselves in one stretch before 

 it was necessary to turn abruptly down another. At the end of this perilous pass the road leads 

 for a short distance along in the edge of the stream, and then ascends its bank to more level 

 country. About a mile and a half farther on is the junction of the rivers Maypu and Yeso, 

 where the latter, although the larger of the two streams, loses its name, and the whole, to its 

 mouth on the Pacific coast, is called the Maypu. 



"We were now at the beginning of settlements. Cultivated lands, fruit-trees, comfortable 

 huts, smiling faces, bright eyes, and every indication of industry and superior intelligence, 

 notified us that we were really in Chile. No contrast can be greater than the two sides of the 

 Cordillera in nearly all these respects. Nature, in the first place, has been more bountiful to 

 the Chilean side. Where there is soil enough on the rocks to cultivate, there is water for irri- 

 gation ; and an almost total absence of political strife or feeling among the inhabitants remote 

 from large towns, has left them nothing to think of but the improvement of their worldly con- 

 dition. A good market for their produce is at hand, and good roads lead to it ; so that there is 

 no excuse, except laziness, to prevent them from availing themselves of its benefits — and the 

 Chileans are the least indolent of any of the Spanish race. 



We passed a settlement of five or six houses called San Gabriel, crossed an arroyo, and 

 stopped for dinner at a rancho by the roadside. After dinner we started for San Jose, crossed 

 a hill to a gorge from the northeastward, and then a ladera to another from the southward, out 

 of which comes a stream. There is here a foot-bridge over the river. Crossed a stream about 

 twelve feet wide, by a bridge ; then passed behind a hill called the Divisadero ; and from there we 

 had quite a long stretch to another point where there is a suspension bridge across the river. 

 Eanchos, farms, and orchards on both sides, of course, and hills high, but gradually decreasing. 

 About five o'clock we reached the resguardo or deputy custom-house ; had our baggage over- 

 hauled, and paid twenty-five cents for it ; and from there proceeded through the same nature of 

 country to San Jose, where we arrived at sunset, without causing any unusual stir among the 

 inhabitants, for the reason that they were run half mad by the discovery of some rich silver 

 mines in its vicinity. 



We here turned the mules into a pasture-ground, in order that they might recuperate by the 

 time of my return from Santiago. For the sum of four dollars the keeper of the fonda was 



