88 



VIEW OF THE PAMPAS. 



where the snow lay hard and frozen in our path^ 

 which was a complete zigzag all the way up, 

 the mules slipped, stumbled, and struggled, and 

 it required much labour, noise, and encourage- 

 ment from the peons, to get them to the top, 

 where it blew a perfect hurricane ; but the scene 

 beneath us was grand and magnificent in the 

 extreme, and fully compensated for all our la- 

 bour. The vast and dreary Pampas lay stretch- 

 ing before us like a sea as far as the eye could 

 reach, without a solitary house or tree to obstruct 

 the view. 



We were now at the top of the first range of 

 mountains that are seen from Mendoza^ and the 

 snow in many places of our path began to lay 

 very thick, hard, and slippery ; passing through 

 one large drifts two of the cargo-mules stumbled 

 and fell ; the peons were obliged to dismount to 

 unload them and assist them up. Being myself 

 on a very bad one, I was obliged, much against 

 my inclination, to spur the poor animal till the 

 blood literally dropped from its sides, or I 



