14 



THE ANDES, 



was such^ that sleep was out of the question. 

 The plain appeared one blaze. If it destroyed 

 sleep, however, it enabled the doctor, who was 

 close to me making tea all the while, to eflfect 

 that operation without the aid of a lamp, which 

 was lucky, as we had accidentally broken the 

 one we had brought with us. The rain fell in 

 torrents ; but our roof was good, and I should 

 have slept, after all, but for the shallowness 

 of the hammock, out of which the coverings 

 were falling constantly to the ground, I 

 scrambling out after them to remake my 

 bed. 



I was dressed before daylight, and, notwith- 

 standing a poor night^s rest, felt quite well and 

 revived. The storm was over, and we now rode 

 gently over the plain towards the mountains. 

 We had taken leave of the galloping horse of 

 the Pampas, and, instead of flying as before, we 



