150 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC 



** And here and there, as up the crag you spring, 

 Mark many rude carved crosses near the path ; 

 Yet deem not these Devotion's offering — 

 These are frail memorials of murderous wrath ; 

 For wheresoe'er the shrieking victim hath 

 Poured forth his blood beneath the assassin's knife, 

 Some hand erects a cross of mouldering lath ; 

 And grove and glen with thousand such are rife. 

 Throughout this purple land, where law secures not life." 



At present, however, murders are rare, and the road may be 

 travelled at all hours without molestation. 



We left the city at one o'clock P. M., and were unfortunate 

 in being overtaken by rain before we reached the Caj&n de 

 Zapata, where we bivouacked for the night. The rain poured 

 in torrents, and the miserable inn did not possess a single 

 sleeping room that was not permeated by water. Yet we con- 

 trived to make the best of it. Our host was a merry son of 

 Spain, with slender legs, cased in green corduroy unmentiona- 

 bles, secured at the knee with silver buttons, and his wife was 

 a stirring, gay Chil6na, of about twenty years old. She soon 

 procured us a fine hot supper, of roasted lamb and eggs, with 

 a casu^lo and tea. After it was discussed, we were invited to 

 the private apartment of our landlady, where we found three 

 or four young women of the neighborhood, and as many 

 young countrymen in their ponchos, chatting, and smoking 

 ^<hojas." The guitar was brought from its corner, a bottle of 



aguardiente," and glasses, with a large gourd of <'chicha,'^ 

 were placed on a chair ; and we were amused with singing, 

 dancing fandangos, and drinking, till past midnight, when we 

 retired, but not to sleep, for scarcely could we get into a doze, 

 before a malicious stream of water would find its way through 

 the thatch, and trickle into the bed, or a wanton flea, in pur- 

 suit of blood, would rouse us from our slumber. About two in 

 the morning, a carreta, with a family of ladies, arrived from 

 Valparaiso, completely drenched in the storm. The house 

 was all in a bustle, and we forgot our own miseries in listen- 

 ing to the expressions of commiseration for the plight of the 

 newly arrived, by our kind hearted hostess — <^Pobrecitas 

 mojadas hasta el pellejo estan !" — <^poor things, they are wet 



