ANDES. 



177 



with the rest of the party. Our self-elected com- 

 panion seeing a vacant space spread out one of his 

 horse-cloths, and drawing his saddle under his 

 head, was asleep in a moment — an example soon 

 followed by the others. 



The sun went down while we were still a league 

 or two from the city, and his rays, by passing 

 through the thick haze before described, shed a 

 remarkable gold-coloured light on the spires and 

 domes of the churches ; whilst the tops of the 

 mountains, the highest of which were covered with 

 snow, still retained the clear bright sunshine. In 

 a short time the light began to fade, even on the 

 highest peaks, and at every successive moment a 

 change took place in the colour of the different 

 ranges ; the lower ones first catching the golden 

 tint, which was soon changed for a variety of pink, 

 and lastly, for a dull cold grey ; so that the whole 

 view in the eastern quarter was variegated in the 

 most singular manner, according to the height, 

 each ridge of hills being thus prominently distin- 

 guished from all the others, and its outline most 

 distinctly displayed. It was rather a disappoint- 

 ment to discover that our fair companion, with aU 



VOL. I. M 



