RE ALE JO. 



5 



having lived four years in Chili, and that 

 mostly in the wildest part of the province of 

 Ooquimbo, I arrived in Central America with 

 rather peculiar advantages for prosecuting 

 researches for minerals, or for hunting in the 

 interior: and these advantages were the know- 

 ledge of the value of ores by sight, especially 

 copper ones, the way of searching for them, 

 speaking the language, a very fair use of the 

 lasso, in which I found myself superior to 

 most of the Indians, and a good acquaintance 

 with the breaking and bitting of horses for 

 the lasso. I had also brought with me an 

 excellent Chili saddle, with lassoing girths 

 and rings, several lassos, and dressed sheep- 

 skins, or, as they are called, pillions. I was 

 well provided with all sorts of fire-arms, down 

 to holster and pocket-pistols, plenty of pow- 

 der, ball, shot, wadding, and copper caps, 

 and, in short, was quite ready to take the 

 field, after having provided horses and mules 

 for myself and servants. 



On my arrival at Realejo, I was almost 

 immediately seized with the fever that is so 

 prevalent on the low, muddy, pestilential 

 shores of the western coast, and it was only 

 the kind attention and skilful treatment of 

 the gentleman who had brought me in his 



