346 PORTILLO PASS chap. 



tainous country, intermediate between the two main ranges, 

 and then took up our quarters for the night. We were now 

 in the republic of Mendoza. The elevation was probably not 

 under 1 1,000 feet, and the vegetation in consequence exceed- 

 ingly scanty. The root of a small scrubby plant served as 

 fuel, but it made a miserable fire, and the wind was piercingly 

 cold. Being quite tired with my day's work, I made up my 

 bed as quickly as I could, and went to sleep. About midnight 

 I observed the sky became suddenly clouded : I awakened 

 the arriero to know if there was any danger of bad weather ; 

 but he said that without thunder and lightning there was no 

 risk of a heavy snow-storm. The peril is imminent, and the 

 difficulty of subsequent escape great, to any one overtaken by 

 bad weather between the two ranges. A certain cave offers 

 the only place of refuge : Mr. Caldcleugh, who crossed on this 

 same day of the month, was detained there for some time by 

 a heavy fall of snow. Casuchas, or houses of refuge, have not 

 been built in this pass as in that of Uspallata, and therefore, 

 during the autumn, the Portillo is little frequented. I may 

 here remark that within the main Cordillera rain never falls, 

 for during the summer the sky is cloudless, and in winter 

 snow-storms alone occur. 



At the place where we slept water necessarily boiled, from 

 the diminished pressure of the atmosphere, at a lower temper- 

 ature than it does in a less lofty country ; the case being the 

 converse of that of a Papin's digester. Hence the potatoes, 

 after remaining for some hours in the boiling water, were nearly 

 as hard as ever. The pot was left on the fire all night, and 

 next morning it was boiled again, but yet the potatoes were 

 not cooked. I found out this by overhearing my two com- 

 panions discussing the cause ; they had come to the simple 

 conclusion *' that the cursed pot (which was a new one) did 

 not choose to boil potatoes." 



March 22nd. — After eating our potato-less breakfast, we 

 travelled across the intermediate tract to the foot of the Portillo 

 range. In the middle of summer cattle are brought up here 

 to graze ; but they had now all been removed : even the 

 greater number of the guanacos had decamped, knowing well 

 that if overtaken here by a snow-storm, they would be caught 

 in a trap. We had a fine view of a mass of mountains called 



