Ch.II. south AMERICA. 217 



clouds, and heard the thunders roll far beneath us; 

 and whilft the lower parts were involved in tempefts 

 of thunder and rain, we enjoyed a delightful ferenity ; 

 the wind was abated, the Iky clear, and the enliven- 

 ing rays of the fun moderated the feverity of the cold. 

 But our circumftances were very different when the 

 clouds rofe-, their thicknefs rendered refpiration dif- 

 ficult j the fnow and hail fell continually, and the 

 wind returned with all its violence ; fo that it was 

 impofiible entirely to overcome the fears of being, 

 together with our hiit, blown down the precipice ori 

 whole edge it was built, or of being buried under it 

 by the daily accumulations of ice and fnow. 



The wind w^as often fo violent in thefe regions, that 

 its velocitv dazzled the fio-ht; whilft our fears were 

 increafed by the dreadful concuffions of the precipice 

 by the fail of enormous fragments of rocks. Thefe 

 craflies were the more alarming, as no other noifes are 

 heard in thefe deferts. And, -during the night, our 

 reft, which we fo greatly wanted, was frequently dif- 

 turbed by fuch fudden founds. When the weather 

 was any thing fair with us, and the clouds gathered 

 about fome of the other mountains which had a con- 

 nedion with our obfervations, fo that we could not 

 make all the ufe we defired of this interval of good 

 weather, we left our hut, toexercife ourfelves, in order 

 to keep us warm. Sometimes we defcended to fome 

 fmall diiiance, and at others amufed ourfelves with 

 roliifig large fragments of rocks down the precipice ; 

 and thefe many times required the joint ftrength of 

 us ail, though we often faw the fame performed by 

 the mere force of the wind. But we always took 

 care in our excurfions not to go fo far, but that on 

 the leaft appearance of the clouds gathering about our 

 cottage, which often happened very fuddenly, we 

 could regain our ftielter. The door of our hut was 

 faftened with thongs of leather, and on the infide not 

 the fmalleft crevice was left unftopped ; befides which, 



7 K 



