348 NORTHERN CHILE. [cHAP. xvI. 
little pasture, that we could not purchase any for our horses. 
At Sauce we found a very civil old gentleman, superintending a 
copper-smelting furnace. As an especial favour, he allowed me 
to purchase at a high price an armful of dirty straw, which was 
all the poor horses had for supper after their long day’s journey. 
Few smelting-furnaces are now at work in any part of Chile; it 
is found more profitable, on account of the extreme scarcity of 
firewood, and from the Chilian method of reduction being so 
unskilful, to ship the ore for Swansea. The next day we crossed 
some mountains to Freyrina, in the valley of Guasco. During 
each day’s ride further northward, the vegetation became more 
and more scanty ; even the great chandelier-like cactus was here 
replaced by a different and much smaller species. During the 
winter months, both in northern Chile and in Peru, a uniform 
bank of clouds hangs, at no great height, over the Pacific. 
From the mountains we had a very striking view of this white 
and brilliant aérial-field, which sent arms up the valleys, leaving 
islands and promontories in the same manner, as the sea does in 
the Chonos archipelago and in Tierra del Fuego. 
We stayed two days at Freyrina. In the valley of Guasco 
there are four small towns. At the mouth there is the port, a 
spot entirely desert, and without any water in the immediate 
neighbourhood. Five leagues higher up stands Freyrina, a long 
straggling village, with decent whitewashed houses. Again, ten 
leagues further up Ballenar is situated; and above this Guasco 
Alto, a horticultural village, famous for its dried fruit. Ona 
clear day the view up the valley is very fine; the straight open- 
ing terminates in the far-distant snowy Cordillera; on each side 
an infinity of crossing lines are blended together in a beautiful 
haze. The foreground is singular from the number of parallel 
and step-formed terraces ;. and the included strip of green valley, 
with its willow-bushes, is contrasted on both hands with the naked 
Lills. That the surrounding country was most barren will be 
readily believed, when it is known that a shower of rain had not 
fallen during the last thirteen months. The inhabitants heard 
with the greatest envy of the rain at Coquimbo; from the ap- 
pearance of the sky they had hopes of equally good fortune, 
which, a fortnight afterwards, were realized. I was gt Copiapd 
at the time; and there the people, with equal envy, talked of 
