314 
CHILOE 
CHAP. 
difficult. At that time of the year, the ground on each side 
becomes a morass, and is often overflowed : hence it is necessary 
that the longitudinal logs should be fastened down by transverse 
poles, which are pegged on each side into the earth. These 
pegs render a fall from a horse dangerous ; as the chance of 
alighting on one of them is not small. It is remarkable, 
however, how active custom has made the Chilotan horses. In 
crossing bad parts, where the logs had been displaced, they 
skipped from one to the other, almost with the quickness and 
certainty of a dog. On both hands the road is bordered by 
the lofty forest-trees, with their bases matted together by canes. 
When occasionally a long reach of this avenue could be beheld, 
it presented a curious scene of uniformity : the white line of logs, 
narrowing in perspective, became hidden by the gloomy forest, 
or terminated in a zigzag which ascended some steep hill. 
Although the distance from S. Carlos to Castro is only 
twelve leagues in a straight line, the formation of the road 
must have been a great labour. I was told that several 
people had formerly lost their lives in attempting to cross 
the forest. The first who succeeded was an Indian, who cut 
his way through the canes in eight days, and reached S. 
Carlos ; he was rewarded by the Spanish government with a 
grant of land. During the summer many of the Indians 
wander about the forests (but chiefly in the higher parts, 
where the woods are not quite so thick), in search of the 
half-wild cattle which live on the leaves of the cane and 
certain trees. It was one of these huntsmen who by chance 
discovered, a few years since, an English vessel, which had 
been wrecked on the outer coast. The crew were beginning 
to fail in provisions, and it is not probable that, without the 
aid of this man, they would ever have extricated themselves 
from these scarcely penetrable woods. As it was, one seaman 
died on the march, from fatigue. The Indians in these 
excursions steer by the sun ; so that if there is a continuance 
of cloudy weather they cannot travel. 
The day was beautiful, and the number of trees which were 
in full flower perfumed the air ; yet even this could hardly dis¬ 
sipate the effect of the gloomy dampness of the forest. More¬ 
over, the many dead trunks that stand like skeletons, never fail 
to give to these primeval woods a character of solemnity, absent 
