THE LAKE OF ACULEO IN THE ANDES. 



3d 



a particle of fat might be lost ; and I observed 

 they even took the pains to strip off a thin skin 

 from each of the ribs. The finer parts of the 

 tallow were now spread out on a frame in the shape 

 of a boy's kite, and hung up in one of the minor 

 divisions. 



The three men who had been employed in cutting 

 up the bullock now commenced an operation 

 peculiar, I believe, to South America, namely, the 

 preparation of what is called by us jerked beef, a 

 term probably derived from the local name charque. 

 The men seated themselves on low stools in the 

 different cells, and began catting each of the 

 detached portions of meat into long strips, or 

 ribbons, uniform in size from end to end ; some 

 of these, which were cut from the larger pieces, 

 | being several yards in length, and about two 

 inches in width. To perform this operation 

 neatly requires considerable expertness. The 

 piece of meat is held in the left hand, and at each 

 slice is hitched round so as to offer a new place 

 to the knife ; and in this way it seems to unwind 

 itself, like a broad tape from a ball, till at last 

 nothing remains. We tried to perform this our- 

 selves, but continually cut the strip across before 

 it had attained any length. When the whole has 

 been treated in this manner, it is allowed to hang 

 under cover for a certain time, during which it 

 acquires a black colour ; and owing to the heat 

 and dryness of the air, speedily loses much of its 

 moisture. The meat is afterwards exposed to the 

 sun till thoroughly dried, and being then made 

 up into great bales, strongly tied round with a 

 network of thongs, becomes the jerked beef or 

 charque of commerce. 



CHAPTER X. 



Visit to the Lake of Aculeo amongst the Andes.— Return 

 towards Santiago.— Chilian Flower Garden, with the 

 Flowers planted in the Form of Birds and Beasts — 

 Unceremonious Habits of Travellers in Chili.— Effects of 

 the setting Sun on the Andes. 



After breakfast we varied our amusements, 

 by forming a party to ride to the Lake of Aculeo. 

 We had to wind for some time through the valleys 

 of the lower Andes, before reaching the Lake, 

 which lay placidly amongst the mountains. Per- 

 haps it is the smoothness and delicacy of finish, 

 as it were, of a mountain lake, together with its 

 solitude, compared with the bold and rugged 

 majesty of the surrounding scenery, which give 

 it so much grace and beauty. It may be, too, 

 that a scene like this, altogether without artificial 

 embellishment, is more engaging from its simplicity 

 than one enriched with towns, and ornamented 

 with villas and gardens, and other works of man, 

 in the brilliant manner of the Italian lakes. 



In strictness, however, the Lake of Aculeo is 

 not altogether desolate ; for we could see here 

 and there a cottage amongst the luxuriant groves 

 skirting its margin on every side. But these 

 served rather, I fancied, to augment the solitude ; 

 and the eye wandered more frequently to the 

 lofty snow ridges above, and to the vast flocks of 

 undisturbed wild-fowl floating on the breast of 

 the lake, than to these faint traces of population. 

 One of the company who possessed an active 

 fancy, entertained us by drawing a lively picture 



of what the lapse of a century might produce 

 here, if the country continued to prosper. He 

 planted villages along the banks, cut commodious 

 roads on the sides of the mountains, and covered 

 the lake with boats ; substituting the busy hum of 

 man for the present silence of the scene. While 

 our ingenious friend was thus enlarging on the 

 possible effects of these anticipated improvements, 

 another gentleman, who cared little for such spe- 

 culations, was bitterly lamenting that we had not 

 brought our fowling-pieces ; as the birds, which 

 showed no alarm at our presence, allowed us to 

 pass quite close ; so near, indeed, were they to us, 

 that we could distinguish wild ducks, swans, and 

 flamingoes, besides many others of which we knew 

 nothing ; and once we were startled by the sudden 

 appearance of a flock of wild parrots, which passed 

 close overhead, screaming most discordantly, while 

 their beautiful plumage flashing in the sun was 

 the most brilliant sight imaginable. The flamingo 

 we recognised by the delicate pink colour under 

 the wings. 



When travelling, there often arises a peculiar 

 interest out of circumstances, which, however 

 trivial in themselves, distinctly speak to the senses, 

 of a new and foreign land : thus, what the Andes 

 had failed to do, the sight of a single bird effected 

 at once. A lofty snow ridge is comparatively 

 speaking a familiar object, and associates itself 

 readily with European recollections ; but we feel 

 at once, that a bird so remarkable in its appear- 

 ance as the flamingo, can belong only to a foreign 

 and different climate. 



In the evening, most of the ladies whom we 

 had met at the dance last night came to the 

 house in which we were living ; but their hilarity 

 seemed to have fled with the sound of the music, 

 and nothing more formal or prim than they were 

 can be easily imagined. They ranged themselves 

 along the wall in so determined a manner, that it 

 would have tried the skill of the most hardy 

 tactician to have broken their line. Presently, 

 however, an accidental opening weakened their 

 position, and at once did the business. In the 

 end, the ladies confessed they were well pleased 

 that we had thus forced them, in spite of them- 

 selves, to show how agreeable they could be, even 

 without the aid of a fiddle. 



31 st. — Our country-party broke up to-day, to 

 the great regret of us strangers at least. The 

 old gentleman, with his eldest daughter, and our 

 friend of the tender conscience, together with my 

 young officer and myself, formed the riding party 

 to the city. The day was comparatively cool, so 

 that our journey was most agreeable ; and to us 

 it had a double interest, since we now passed 

 those places in daylight over which we had before 

 travelled in the dark ; and it was curious to 

 observe how very erroneous all our impressions 

 had been of every feature of the landscape. In 

 such company, the road, formerly so tedious, was 

 reduced to nothing ; and before we thought half 

 the distance accomplished, we discovered that we 

 were entering the grounds of our hospitable friends 

 who had entertained us so kindly a few evenings 

 before. The lady of the house had, on that 

 occasion, more than once lamented that, owing to 

 its being dark, she could not show us her garden, 

 the pride of her life ; she was therefore delighted 

 to have caught us on our return, and led the w ay 

 I) 2 



