Aug. 1834. 



BELL OF QUILLOTA. 



313 



that it is absolutely necessary to take care^ in cutting down the 

 tree^ that it should fall with its head upwards on the side of 

 the hill ; for if it fails down the slope^ scarcely any sap will 

 flow ; although in that case^ one would have thought that the 

 action would have been aided^ instead of checked^ by the 

 force of gravity. The sap is concentrated by boilings and is 

 then called treacle^ which it very much resembles in taste. 



We unsaddled our horses near the spring, and prepared to 

 pass the night. The evening was fine, and the atmosphere 

 so clear, that the masts of the vessels at anchor in the bay of 

 Valparaiso, although no less than twenty-six geographical 

 miles distant, could be distinguished clearly, as little black 

 streaks. A ship doubling the point under sail appeared as a 

 bright white speck. Anson expresses much surprise, in his 

 voyage, at the distance his vessels were discovered from the 

 coast ; but he did not sufficiently allow for the height of the 

 land, and the great transparency of the air. 



The setting of the sun was glorious ; the valleys being 

 black, whilst the snowy peaks of the Andes yet retained a 

 ruby tint. When it was dark, we made a fire beneath a 

 little arbour of bamboos, fried our charqui (or dried strips of 

 beef), took our mate, and were quite comfortable. There is 

 an inexpressible charm in thus living in the open air. The 

 evening was calm and still ; — the shrill noise of the moun- 

 tain bizcacha, and the faint cry of the goatsucker, were only 

 occasionally to be heard. Besides these, few birds, or even 

 insects, frequent these dry, parched mountains. 



August 17th. — In the morning we climbed up the rough 

 mass of greenstone which crowns the summit. This rock, 

 as frequently happens, was much shattered and broken 

 into huge angular fragments. I observed, however, one 

 remarkable circumstance, namely, that many of the surfaces 

 presented every degree of freshness — some appearing as if 

 broken the day before, whilst on others lichens had either 

 just become, or had long grown, attached. I so fully be- 

 lieved that this was owing to the frequent earthquakes, that 

 I felt inclined to hurry from beneath every pile of the loose 



