ANDES. 



31 



the door-way, that wemight enjoy the draught from 

 the cool breeze just then settingin. Our repast con- 

 sisted of a huge bowl of large black figs, and brim- 

 ming tumblers of cold lemonade, the fragrance of 

 which filled the whole house ; besides newly baked, 

 snow-white bread ; with fine fresh butter ; and in- 

 stead of wine, when the cloth was removed, we sip- 

 ped our pot of mattee. The kind people of the 

 cottage entreated us to take our siesta before going 

 farther ; but having resolved upon reaching the 

 capital that evening, we denied ourselves a luxu- 

 ry, more tempting now than it had ever appeared 

 to us before. 



About an hour before sunset we reached the 

 summit of the last pass, from whence we command- 

 ed a full view of the Andes. We had previously 

 seen their snowy peaks, but from a great way off, 

 at sea ; we had now, however, the satisfaction of 

 viewing them uninterruptedly from the summit 

 to the base, and at a distance calculated to give 

 full effect to their height. The plain from which 

 the great mountains take their rise not being much 

 elevated above the sea, none of the altitude of the 

 ridges is lost, as it is when the surrounding coun- 



