THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 317 



height) grows in clusters, and ornaments the hanks of some 

 of the streams in a very pretty manner. It is with this plant 

 that the Indians make their chuzos, or long tapering spears. 

 Our resting-house was so dirty that I preferred sleeping out- 

 side: on these journeys the first night is generally very un- 

 comfortable, because one is not accustomed to the tickling 

 and biting of the fleas. I am sure, in the morning, there 

 was not a space on my legs the size of a shilling which had 

 not its little red mark where the flea had feasted. 



12th. — We continued to ride through the uncleared forest ; 

 only occasionally meeting an Indian on horseback, or a troop 

 of fine mules bringing alerce-planks and corn from the south- 

 ern plains. In the afternoon one of the horses knocked up : 

 we were then on a brow of a hill, which commanded a fine 

 view of the Llanos. The view of these open plains was very 

 refreshing, after being hemmed in and buried in the wilder- 

 ness of trees. The uniformity of a forest soon becomes very 

 wearisome. This west coast makes me remember with pleas- 

 ure the free, unbounded plains of Patagonia; yet, with the 

 true spirit of contradiction, I cannot forget how sublime is 

 the silence of the forest. The Llanos are the most fertile 

 and thickly peopled parts of the country, as they possess the 

 immense advantage of being nearly free from trees. Before 

 leaving the forest we crossed some flat little lawns, around 

 which single trees stood, as in an English park : I have often 

 noticed with surprise, in wooded undulatory districts, that 

 the quite level parts have been destitute of trees. On ac- 

 count of the tired horse, I determined to stop at the Mission 

 of Cudico, to the friar of which I had a letter of introduc- 

 tion. Cudico is an intermediate district between the forest 

 and the Llanos. There are a good many cottages, with 

 patches of corn and potatoes, nearly all belonging to Indians. 

 The tribes dependent on Valdivia are " reducidos y cris- 

 tianos." The Indians farther northward, about Arauco and 

 Imperial, are still very wild, and not converted; but they 

 have all much intercourse with the Spaniards. The padre 

 said that the Christian Indians did not much like coming 

 to mass, but that otherwise they showed respect for religion. 

 The greatest difficulty is in making them observe the cere- 

 monies of marriage. The wild Indians take as many wives 



