94 



FEELINGS AT THE TIME. 



dillera ! This was an anxious glance for me, 

 fraught with deep reflection ; the various reports 

 we had heard of the danger, the lives that had 

 already been lost, the uncertainty of being un- 

 able to proceed, and the total want of correct 

 accounts of the state of what now appeared so 

 awfully before us, rendered our situation alto- 

 gether extremely precarious and doubtful. While 

 in this frame of mind, trusting to the divine pro- 

 tection to save us through all, we suddenly met 

 a courier from Chili, which was a great relief to 

 us. He had at last ventured, and had been 

 fifteen days crossing, six of which he had tra- 

 velled on foot in the snow. He gave us cheering 

 prospects, informing us that the snow was hard, 

 and that he thought the weather settled. 



We now travelled along the plain, which was 

 covered with brushwood, when in crossing a 

 deep stream, one of the cargo-mules fell back 

 into it, and it was astonishing to see how soon 

 the peons were in the water, to relieve the ani- 

 mal of its load, and assist him out. Shortly 



