ARRIVE AT SANTIAGO. 



209 



tales of ladrones or thieves, that were always, 

 (he said,) very numerous thereabouts. He did 

 it, no doubt, to amuse me, but certainly might 

 as well have dispensed with them on such 

 a dark and dreary road. He was continually 

 cautioning me to keep my pistols in readiness, 

 and kept as close to my side as he conveniently 

 could. On entering the city of Santiago, it was 

 so dark, that I could not absolutely see my 

 horse's head ; and as it was raining hard, some 

 of the stones had been taken up to let the w ater 

 run off. Those who have been at Santiago, know 

 well the danger of these places; into one of them 

 my horse fell, and coming right on his broad- 

 side, with my left leg under him, I verily thought 

 it was broken, for the animal struck his head 

 against the wall of a house, and so did I, which 

 stunned me for the moment ; but on recovering 

 myself, I found that I had received no further 

 damage than a sprained ancle and broken spur. 

 At ten I arrived in Santiago, where 1 was kindly 

 received by Mr. Cameron; here I heard of 



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