296 CHILOE. (crap. xiv. 
had some difficulty in reaching the point, owing to the intolerably 
bad paths; for everywhere in the shade the ground soon becomes 
a perfect quagmire. The point itself is a bold rocky hill. Tt is 
covered by a plant allied, I believe, to Bromelia, and called by 
the inhabitants Chepones. In scrambling through the beds, our 
hands were very much scratched. .I was amused by observing 
the precaution our Indian guide took, in turning up his trowsers, 
thinking that they were more delicate than his own hard skin. 
This plant bears a fruit, in shape like an artichoke, in which a 
number of seed-vessels are packed : these contain a pleasant sweet 
pulp, here much esteemed. I saw at Low’s Harbour the Chilo- 
tans making chichi, or cider, with this fruit: so true is it, as 
Humboldt remarks, that almost everywhere man finds means of 
preparing some kind of beverage from the vegetable kingdom. 
The savages, however, of Tierra del Fuego, and I believe of 
Australia, have not advanced thus far in the arts. 
The coast to the north of Punta Huantamé is exceedingly 
rugged and broken, and is fronted by many breakers, on which 
the sea is eternally roaring. Mr. King and myself were anxious 
to return, if it had been possible, on foot along this coast; but 
even the Indians said it was quite impracticable. We were told 
that men have crossed by striking directly through the woods 
from Cucao to §. Carlos, but never by the coast. On these 
expeditions, the Indians carry with them only roasted corn, and 
of this they eat sparingly twice a day. 
26th.—Re-embarking in the periagua, we returned across the 
lake, and then mounted our horses. The whole of Chiloe took 
advantage of this week of unusually fine weather, to clear the 
ground by burning. In every direction volumes of smoke were 
curling upwards. Although the inhabitants were so assiduous 
in setting fire to every part of the wood, yet I did not see a single 
fire which they had succeeded in making extensive. "We dined 
with our friend the commandant, and did not reach Castro till 
after dark. The next morning we started very early. After 
having ridden for some time, we obtained from the brow of a 
steep hill an extensive view (and it is a rare thing on this road) 
of the great forest. Over the horizon of trees, the volcano of 
Corcovarlo, and the great flat-topped one to the north, stood out 
in proud pre-eminence: scarcely another peak in the long range 
