42 



THE ANDES AT -SUNRISE. 



curvature of the earth, when the distant ridges 

 were still distinctly in sight, and more magnificent 

 than ever. We were occasionally surprised, when 

 we had little expectation of seeing the Andes, to 

 behold their snowy tops towering above the clouds, 

 and apparently so close, that it required a con- 

 siderable degree of experience, and a strong effort 

 of reason, to remove them in imagination to their 

 proper distance. At first every one was disap- 

 pointed to find them so much lower than had been 

 anticipated. This, however, arose from a mis- 

 conception of their distance, and gave way gradu- 

 ally to the highest admiration, when it became 

 known by measurements, and by due reflection, 

 how far they were off. Observations were made 

 on some, which, though ascertained to be upwards 

 of a hundred and thirty miles off, were distinctly 

 visible. 



The pleasure which this constant view of the 

 Andes afforded cannot be described ; and we 

 watched every morning for the day to break with 

 great anxiety, certain of the highest gratification. 

 Our enjoyment from this source was at times very 

 short-lived, at others it lasted throughout the 

 whole day. One morning, we were much mor- 

 tified when the day dawned and no mountains 

 were to be seen in the eastern quarter. The ship 

 was not above a hundred miles from the shore ; 

 but no land could be distinguished. Presently 

 the sun began to show himself above the horizon, 

 and I have no language to tell the degree of in- 

 terest with which we discovered on his disk, as he 

 rose, the outline of a distant summit of the Cor- 

 dillera, clearly and sharply traced, though the 

 mountains were so far removed as to be totally 

 invisible except at this particular moment, when, 

 being interposed between us and the sun, they 

 intercepted a portion of his light, disclosed the 

 form and situation of the ridge for a few seconds, 

 and then vanished again into thin air. 



Our thoughts, however, were at this stage of 

 the voyage called off from matters of taste and 

 curiosity, by a series of anxious official duties 

 connected with the British trade on this part of 

 the coast. As I do not feel myself at liberty to 

 enter into any of the details of these proceedings, 

 I shall omit all mention of them, and pass on 

 to matters perhaps of less interest, but more im- 

 mediately characteristic of the country and the 

 times. 



On the 1 2th of June we anchored at Ylo, a town 

 which, as well as Arica, is often celebrated in the 

 voyages of Dampier and the old Buccaneers. We 

 landed at a little sandy beach, sheltered from the 

 swell of the sea by a reef of rocks, on which the 

 surf was breaking with prodigious violence, so as 

 to cover half the bay with foam. We were greeted 

 by two men and a woman : the lady was evidently 

 a native, and her two companions were also deeply 

 dyed with aboriginal blood ; one was a young and 

 active man, the other an old ragged beggar-like 

 person. I asked the first to point me out the 

 Alcalde's house. « This is the Alcalde himself," 

 said he, pointing to his aged companion ; and cer- 

 tainly of all tbe constituted authorities whom we 

 bad to deal with on the shores of the Pacific, the 

 Alcalde of Ylo was the least like what the imagi- 

 nation conceives of a chief magistrate. But things 

 must be judged with reference to their mutual fit- 

 ness ; and in this view, our shabby Alcalde was 



appropriate to his office ; for in his town we en- 

 countered only three living things — a ragged wild- 

 looking Patriot soldier — an Indian from the moun- 

 tains fast asleep in the middle of the street, and a 

 lean, half-starved, solitary jackass. Most of the 

 houses had lost their doors, so that the sand drifted 

 through them at every blast of the sea-breeze, 

 which had just set in. A walk of five minutes 

 brought us to an olive grove, under the shade of 

 which we trod on a rich, elastic coating of grass ; 

 and after wandering a little onwards, we reached 

 a rivulet completely arched over by trees, the 

 branches of which meeting above the stream, 

 were interlaced and matted together by innumera- 

 ble creepers ; and the whole being overlaid with 

 a thick mantle of leaves and blossoms, not a single 

 ray of the sun was allowed to reach the water. A 

 little path conducted us to an opening in this ver- 

 dant screen, where a rude bridge, formed of two 

 trees, laid from bank to bank, invited us to cross, 

 although we saw no house nor living creature. 

 We had hardly reached the opposite side, however, 

 when a cock crowed, and we found ourselves in 

 the next moment close to a cottage completely 

 enveloped in the luxuriant foliage I have been 

 describing. 



A fine old dame presented herself, and although, 

 no doubt, somewhat surprised at the sight of 

 visitors so unexpected, she welcomed us with that 

 intuitive sort of politeness which characterises 

 the whole population of the South American coast. 

 Having spread mats on the grass for us, she sent 

 her sons to collect guavas, and brought out a little 

 bottle of aguardiente, that we might refresh our- 

 selves after our walk ; and all with such simple 

 earnestness of good-will, that we knew not how to 

 express our obligations, or to offer any adequate 

 return. 



On our way back, the Alcalde told us the cause 

 of the present deserted state of the town, and 

 described the miseries of the war in language 

 which showed him worthy of a higher office. We 

 invited him to go on board the Conway, but could 

 not prevail upon him to accompany us. 



In the evening we get under-weigh, and, in the 

 course of the night, stole gently along-shore by 

 means of the land-wind, which was just sufficient 

 to fill the sails, dripping wet with the heavy dew. 

 In the morning of the 13th of June we anchored 

 in the open roads of Mollendo. There are no 

 harbours on this coast ; a circumstance, however, 

 which is nearly immaterial, since the wind is 

 always so gentle, that ships anchor and lie exposed 

 in perfect security. The water being deep, vessels 

 are obliged to approach the shore, within a quarter 

 of a mile, before they can find anchoring- ground ; 

 and, as there is nothing .to break the prodigious 

 swell which rolls in from the Pacific against the 

 rocky coast, a surf is caused of enormous magni- 

 tude, which dashes up and roars along the base of 

 the cliffs in the most terrific manner, trying the 

 nerves of strangers, who, in spite of their convic- 

 tion that all is safe, and that no storm will occur, 

 cannot at once divest themselves of the most dis- 

 agreeable associations, connected with a shore so 

 formidable in appearance. 



It is in such situations as this that Captain 

 Brown's invention of the chain-cable is of so great 

 utility. The coast being rocky, hempen cables are 

 liable to be cut through ; and, as the anchoring dis- 



