THE GREAT CORDILLEIIA. 



177 



(the inn) was. He settled the point very quickly 

 by saying, " Fonda no hai however, I learnt that 

 there was a house where travellers were occasionally 

 received, and he directed me to it. When I got 

 there, I found it locked up. I knocked at the door 

 for some time in vain ; at last, a woman from the 

 opposite side of the street told me that the people 

 were gone away, and that the house was empty. 



It was summer, and the sun, which in Chili is 

 always burning, was to us who had come down 

 from the snow so exceedingly overpowering, that I 

 found it necessary to get into the shade somewhere 

 or other, so I told my story to the women, and 

 asked them where we could get shelter, a dinner, 

 or even anything to drink. They said that the 

 woman at the corner pulperia (shop) sold lemonade; 

 but, as I was setting off, I saw at a little distance 

 a quantity of rich clover-grass which had just been 

 cut, so I filled my arms with it, and walked to- 

 wards my mule. The grass was delightfully green, 

 and the smell quite refreshing. The mule pricked 

 up his long ears as he saw me coming ; I threw it 

 down before him, and took the iron mameluke-bit 

 out of his mouth. After eating some mouthfuls of 



