230 



DEPARTURE FROM SANTIAGO. 



to join them— we declined — amusing contrast be- 

 tween them and the gravity of my party, drinking 

 tea, with their pistols in their belts, and prepared 

 for a long journey— full chorus of Rule Britannia, 

 then God save the King ; shook hands with the two 

 Scotchmen— drank half a glass of their brandy, 

 and then mounting our mules— we groped along in 

 the dark tov/ards the black mountains of the Cor- 

 dillera. 



***** 



RETURN TO MENDOZA. 



* * ^ ^ * 



Got to Uspallata late in the evening with two of the 

 party ; at sunset the rest arrived. Mules tired — 

 the maestro de posta had three horses, and being 

 anxious to get on to Mendoza (ninety miles), three 

 of us rode all night. We had three times travelled 

 the road, and therefore went by ourselves. About 

 half way we saw a fire on the ground, and by the 



