THE STKAIT OF MAGELLAN. 387 



minutes, the carriages were besieged by vendors of fruit, con- 

 sisting of grapes, oranges, apples, peaches, and lucumas. The 

 last mentioned, the produce of a low tree of the order Sapota- 

 cese, we regarded as far from palatable, though it is highly 

 esteemed by the Chilians. It is about the size of a small apple, 

 of a rounded form, tapering slightly to the stalked extremity, 

 with a green rind suggestive of that of a fig, enveloping a yellow 

 mealy pulp, in consistence intermediate between the yolk of 

 a hard-boiled egg and a potato, and enclosing two or three 

 seeds shaped a good deal like those of the horse-chestnut. 

 The number that some of our fellow-passengers managed to 

 consume was surprising. We reached the Llaillai station soon 

 after one o'clock, and on alighting proceeded to make in- 

 quiries as to the means of transit to San Felipe, a town in the 

 valley of the Aconcagua, and about fifteen miles distant from 

 Santa Rosa. Eiding was the first idea that suggested itself to 

 us, but was soon abandoned as impracticable, the road being 

 feet deep in black mud ; and, accordingly, after some delibera- 

 tion, we engaged three places in one of two miserable, dirty, 

 rickety old coaches, about the size of cabs, which we were in- 

 formed were about to start for San Felipe. Our prospects of 

 a safe arrival at our destination, the condition of the road 

 which stretched out in front of us considered, did not appear 

 of a very reassuring nature ; but there being no alternative, 

 we established ourselves in one of the vehicles ; my com- 

 panions with two Cliilians occupying the inside seats, while I 

 mounted the box beside the driver. Tlie latter, a truculent- 

 looking fellow, being anxious to accommodate a friend of his, 

 endeavoured to persuade me, by dint of many entreaties in 

 Spanish, to all of which I turned a deaf ear, to dismount and 

 go inside, finally appealing to our two Chilian fellow-passengers 

 as to the rights of the case. As they, however, took my part, 



