396 



PASSAGE OF CORDILLERA. March/l835. 



though false appearances of gathering rain-storms : we may 

 imagine that the wind, which coming from the eastward is 

 thus banked up by the Hne of mountains, would become 

 stagnant and irregular in its movements. 



Having crossed the Peuquenes, we descended into the 

 mountainous country, intermediate between the two ranges, 

 and then took up our quarters for the night. The elevation 

 was probably not much under 1 1,000 feet, and the vegetation 

 in consequence exceedingly scanty. The root of a small 

 scrubby plant served as fuel, but it made a miserable fire, 

 and the wind was piercingly cold. Being quite tired with 

 my day^s work, I made up my bed as quickly as I could, and 

 went to sleep. About midnight I observed the sky became 

 suddenly clouded : I awakened the arriero to know if there 

 was any danger of bad weather ; but he said that without 

 thunder and hghtning there was no risk of a heavy snow- 

 storm. The peril is imminent, and the difficulty of subse- 

 quent escape great, to any one overtaken by bad weather 

 between the two Cordillera. A certain cave offers the only 

 place of refuge : Mr. Caldcleugh, who crossed on this same 

 day of the month, was detained there for some time by a 

 heavy fall of snow, as is related in his travels. Casuchas, 

 or houses of refuge, have not been built in this pass as in 

 that of Uspallata, and therefore, during the autumn, the 

 Portillo is little frequented. I may here remark, that within 

 the main Cordillera rain never falls, for during the summer, 

 the sky is cloudless, and in winter snow-storms alone occur. 



At the place where we slept, water necessarily boiled, from 

 the diminished pressure of the atmosphere, at a much lower 

 temperature than it does in a less elevated country ; the case 

 being the converse of that of a Papin^s digester. In conse- 

 quence of this, the potatoes, after remaining for some hours 

 in the boiling water, were nearly as hard as ever. The pot 

 was left on the fire all night, and next morning it was boiled 

 again, but yet the potatoes were not cooked. I found out 

 this, by overhearing my two companions discussing the 

 cause; they had come to the simple conclusion, " that the 



