392 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



lated " Caramba 1" with great emphasis. He informed us that 

 there was a good French hotel at Santa Eosa, and kindly 

 volunteered to go with us, and introduce us to the landlord 

 thereof. We stopped for a few minutes at a house by the 

 wayside at his request, as he wished to see some friends 

 there ; and presently a man appeared at the coach-window 

 with a great tumbler of " aguardiente," an intensely fiery 

 spirit, tasting strong of anise-seed, which he presented to us 

 in the most polite manner. "We of course tasted it for 

 civility's sake, but rather astonished him by not drinking it 

 right off. This ceremony over, we again set forth, and reached 

 Santa Eosa about seven, alighting at the French hotel, 

 " Hotel Colon," on one side of a large Plaza, planted with 

 four rows of trees. Here we w^ere introduced to the landlord, 

 who shook hands with us very cordially ; and as one of our 

 party was an excellent French scholar, we were soon on the most 

 agreeable terms. Our friend then took his leave, and we sat 

 warming our feet over a charcoal brazier, as we were some- 

 what cold after our long journey, while dinner was being got 

 ready for us. On making inquiries from our host as to the 

 sights of Santa Eosa, he recommended us to ride on one of 

 the following days to the top of a steep hill in the neigh- 

 bourhood, named "H Cerro de los Indies," from being the 

 last place in this district where the Indians had held out, and 

 from whence they made raids on the neighbourhood, telling 

 us that the view from the top was esteemed very fine, and 

 volunteering to be our guide thither. After talking for some 

 time, we retired to rest. The bed-chambers were ranged 

 round a court paved with round stones, like a stable-yard, 

 and opened directly upon it. They possessed no windows pro- 

 perly so called, being lighted from the doors, the upper parts 

 of which were formed of strong parallel iron rods, with inter- 



