3 8 6 Mr. WAFERV Voyages, &c. 



of my own, i at laft came to the Top of the third 

 Mountain, where we fat down and refted our felves 

 Sea-ftells under the Shade of a vaft craggy Rock. The Place 

 topfof wiiere we lat was cover'd with Sand and Sea-ihells of 

 Hiii s ° divers Shapes and Forms ; tho 5 indeed, which I 

 No shell- wonder'dat, there were no Shell-fife on the Shores 

 fiflh on the all along this whole Coaft. I have landed at many 

 oa Places of it, but could never find any. When we 

 had refted our felves in this Place, which was as 

 near as we could compute 8 Miles from the Sea, and 

 at leaft a Mile in perpendicular above it, we looked 

 round us to fee for the River ; but to our great 

 Grief could difcover none. All this Land, as well 

 high as low Ground, is cover'd with Sand and Sea- 

 feells, many of which are of the Shape of a Scal- 

 lop -iliell and thefe in vaft Quantities, iii fome 

 Places, efpecially at the Feet of the Rocks, from 

 whence they are crumbled and driven down by the 

 Winds : For in the very Mafs of the Stones of 

 Rocks there were, as I remember, of the very fame 

 Sorts of Shells. We were told by the Spaniards, 

 that at one Time of the Year, the Sun melting the 

 Snow that lies upon the Top of Mountains that are 

 a great way up in the Country, makes the River 

 that we looked for overflow. It may as well pofli- 

 bly be from Rains falling on thefe Mountains far 

 within Land ; for I never knew it rain on all the 

 No Rain Sea-Coaft of Chili and Peru ; but we could fee 

 on the Clouds hovering over the Tops of the Mountains 

 oa # within Land, as we fail'd along the Coaft : And 

 once at Arica we could not fee the Mountain's peek- 

 ed Top for Clouds that hung about it ; though at 

 another Time we law it plain enough ; the Rains 

 then probably, being gone off from the Hill-Coun- 

 try : But as for Arica it felf and its neighbouring 

 Sea-Coaft, we were told by old Spaniards. Inhabi- 

 tants there, that they never had any Rain. I have 

 alfo been at one Time of the Year afhore at the 



River 



