468 



PLAYA BLANCA FERRY-BOAT. 



June 



We reached ' Playa Blanca' as it got dusk. The heights near 

 Point Coronel were difficult, in the dark, but we passed without 

 worse disaster than a roll in the mud, from my girths breaking 

 while struggling in a slough. Along the level lands of Don 

 J uan de Dios Rivera we galloped briskly, until we were com- 

 pletely bewildered in the darkness. At last we found ourselves 

 among enclosures, and by pulling up rails and breaking fences, 

 made our way to a farm-house, where such information was 

 obtained as enabled us to reach San Pedro, on the south bank 

 of the Bio Bio, soon after midnight. No inducement could 

 prevail upon the owner of the ferry-boat to let her take us 

 across before daylight, so we sat down by a fire, after feeding 

 our excellent horses, and dozed till daybreak. 



With the first dawn we drove the lazy boatmen to their 

 barge, urging them alternately with money, entreaties, re- 

 proaches, and threats. The river was exceedingly swollen by late 

 heavy rains, so that it was almost twice as wide, and quite as 

 rapid, as usual. Our heavy ferry-boat was 'tracked' up it 

 until it seemed possible for us to reach the other bank before 

 the current swept us out to sea; but the appearance of the 

 boat and men, and the utter uncertainty caused by a very 

 thick fog, gave me no great hopes of reaching Concepcion in any 

 reasonable time, though a vivid expectation of passing a few 

 hours upon a sand-bank at the mouth of the river, if we escaped 

 being hurried into the open sea. In this clumsily-built, flat- 

 bottomed boat (a sort of large punt) were five horses, a trouble- 

 some young bull, six men, and three nominal boatmen, one of 

 whom merely attempted to steer. With very long poles oui 

 unwieldy craft was pushed into the stream, and while the shore 

 could be distinguished through the fog, made progress in a 

 proper direction, though most crab-like was the movement. 

 When fairly out of sight of land, the boatmen became alarmed 

 and puzzled ; but just then a large bell was heard tolling at 

 Concepcion, which served to animate them, and to ensure our 

 trying to go in the right direction. After an hour's unpleasant 

 work, in a very cold morning, we landed about a mile below 

 Concepcion, having started about as much above it on the oppo- 



