THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 



399 



whilst the Beagle went for water. We found here a party 

 of Spaniards, who had been sent from Charles Island to dry 

 fish, and to salt tortoise-meat. About six miles inland, and 

 at the height of nearly 2000 feet, a hovel had been built in 

 which two men lived, who were employed in catching tor- 

 toises, whilst the others were fishing on the coast. I paid 

 this party two visits, and slept there one night. As in the 

 other islands, the lower region was covered by nearly leafless 

 bushes, but the trees were here of a larger growth than else- 

 where, several being two feet and some even two feet nine 

 inches in diameter. The upper region being kept damp by 

 the clouds, supports a green and flourishing vegetation. So 

 damp was the ground, that there were large beds of a coarse 

 eyperus, in which great numbers of a very small water-rail 

 lived and bred. While staying in this upper region, we lived 

 entirely upon tortoise-meat: the breast-plate roasted (as the 

 Gauchos do came con cuero), with the flesh on it, is very 

 good; and the young tortoises make excellent soup; but 

 otherwise the meat to my taste is indifferent. 



One day we accompanied a party of the Spaniards in 

 their whale-boat to a salina, or lake from which salt is pro- 

 cured. After landing, we had a very rough walk over a 

 rugged field of recent lava, which has almost surrounded a 

 tuff-crater, at the bottom of which the salt-lake lies. The 

 water is only three or four inches deep, and rests on a layer 

 of beautifully crystallized, white salt. The lake is quite cir- 

 cular, and is fringed with a border of bright green succulent 

 plants ; the almost precipitous walls of the crater are clothed 

 with wood, so that the scene was altogether both picturesque 

 and curious. A few years since, the sailors belonging to a 

 sealing-vessel murdered their captain in this quiet spot ; and 

 we saw his skull lying among the bushes. 



During the greater part of our stay of a week, the sky 

 was cloudless, and if the trade-wind failed for an hour, the 

 heat became very oppressive. On two days, the thermometer 

 within the tent stood for some hours at 93° ; but in the open 

 air, in the wind and sun, at only 85 0 . The sand was ex- 

 tremely hot; the thermometer placed in some of a brown 

 colour immediately rose to 137 0 , and how much above that 

 it would have risen, I do not know, for it was not gradu- 



