THE GREAT CORDILLERA. 



163 



lying dead in the hut, and by their sides the other 

 four almost dead with hunger and cold. They had 

 eaten their mules and their dog, and the bones of 

 these animals were now before us. 



These houses are all erected upon one plan, and 

 are extremely well adapted to their purpose. They 

 are of brick and mortar, and are built solid, ten or 

 twelve feet high, with a brick staircase outside. 

 The room which is on the top of this foundation, 

 in order to raise it above the snow, is about twelve 

 feet square ; the walls are extremely thick, with 

 two or three small loop-holes about six inches 

 square ; the roof is arched, and the floor is of 

 brick. 



A place so small, of so massive a construction,, 

 necessarily possesses the character of a dungeon ; 

 and, as one stands at the door, the scene around adds 

 a melancholy gloom to its appearance, and one can- 

 not help thinking how sad it must have been, 

 to have seen the snow, day after day, getting 

 deeper and deeper, and the hope of escaping hourly 

 diminishing, until it was evident that the path was 

 impracticable and that the passage was closed! 

 But without these reflections, the interior is melan- 

 choly enough, 



M 2 



