390 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



yells and proddings with their long goads. At one place, 

 where a waggon had sunk on one side ahove the axle of the 

 wheel in the mud, twelve oxen were in vain struggling to 

 drag it out, urged on by about as many men armed with 

 goads, the scene appearing like a species of battle. All this 

 time we were ascending, though very gradually, towards the 

 Cordillera, and by-and-by we flanked the jagged hills in 

 front. About half-way to San Felipe we changed horses, 

 getting five strong white quadrupeds which behaved admir- 

 ably. The driver, who some time previously had been mollified 

 by the judicious administration of a little cognac, now laid him- 

 self out to be agreeable, and he and I held much conversation, 

 with I fear a rather misty conception of each other's meaning. 

 He farther displayed his accomplishments in driving to the 

 fullest extent whenever we came to a good piece of road, 

 giving a wild yell which had the effect of making our steeds 

 set off at full gallop, and as they were all harnessed abreast, 

 they presented a rather remarkable spectacle, tearing along 

 with the old coach behind, which must have been of strong 

 material not to dissolve into its constituent elements. As 

 we drove along we passed near the openings of several 

 copper and silver mines, one of the latter of which we were 

 informed was one of the richest in Chili, and at a short dis- 

 tance from San Felipe we forded the river Aconcagua. Ar- 

 rived at San Felipe, we dismounted at a hotel on one side of 

 a large Plaza planted with rows of trees, and after consulta- 

 tion agreed on pushing on to Santa Eosa that evening so as 

 not to break into another day. We found that one of our 

 companions, a most good-humoured elderly gentleman, was 

 likewise going, and therefore engaged our places in the same 

 coach, and set out without loss of time. Just as we left 

 the town, we became spectators of one of the most glorious 



