28o 
CENTRAL CHILE 
CHAP. 
whose snowy peaks were bright with the evening sun. At the 
first glance of this view, it was quite evident that the plain 
represented the extent of a former inland sea. As soon as we 
gained the level road we pushed our horses into a gallop, and 
reached the city before it was dark. 
I stayed a week in Santiago and enjoyed myself very much. 
In the morning I rode to various places on the plain, and in 
the evening dined with several of the English merchants, whose 
hospitality at this place is well known. A never-failing source 
of pleasure was to ascend the little hillock of rock (St. Lucia) 
which projects in the middle of the city. The scenery certainly 
is most striking, and, as I have said, very peculiar. I am 
informed that this same character is common to the cities on 
the great Mexican platform. Of the town I have nothing to 
say in detail: it is not so fine or so large as Buenos Ayres, 
but is built after the same model. I arrived here by a circuit 
to the north ; so I resolved to return to Valparaiso by a rather 
longer excursion to the south of the direct road. 
September 5 th .—By the middle of the day we arrived at 
one of the suspension bridges made of hide, which crosses the 
Maypu, a large turbulent river a few leagues southward of 
Santiago. These bridges are very poor affairs. The road, 
following the curvature of the suspending ropes, is made of 
bundles of sticks placed close together. It was full of holes, 
and oscillated rather fearfully, even with the weight of a man 
leading his horse. In the evening we reached a comfortable 
farm-house, where there were several very pretty senoritas. 
They were much horrified at my having entered one of 
their churches out of mere curiosity. They asked me, 
“ Why do you not become a Christian—for our religion is 
certain ?” I assured them I was a sort of Christian ; but 
they would not hear of it—appealing to my own words, “ Do 
not your padres, your very bishops, marry ?” The absurdity of 
a bishop having a wife particularly struck them : they scarcely 
knew whether to be most amused or horror-struck at such an 
enormity. 
6 th .—We proceeded due south, and slept at Rancagua. 
The road passed over the level but narrow plain, bounded on 
