the two mountain chains by a great cross-link, which had failed for want of sufficient upheaval force. This tract, known as Los Cerillos de Teno, was in time past infested by highwaymen, the hills serving as watch-towers whence the approach of travellers could be seen for several miles, and behind which the robbers concealed themselves until proximity made escape hopeless. A more thickly-populated adjacent country, and the efforts of Government to arrest and punish offenders, have given to this section of the Province of Colchagua a better reputation than it formerly had; although a sole remnant of the bandit tribe may possibly have existed in a wayside Roto, who had evidently been imbibing liberally of Chica, and seemed ambitious of a general breach of the peace and a passage of arms with our postilion in particular.

Away to the southeast forty or fifty miles, an extinct volcano -El Descabezado-was seen lifting its decapitated trunk more than thirteen thousand feet, and standing forth in grandeur of massive proportions from the clustering peaks that stretch away to the north and south, as if he scorned support even in his headless condition. Over his bold shoulders the snow mantle fell in graceful folds, here and there being thrown aside by the blast to reveal some noble outline of figure; but dropping lower, as if in boastfulness of hardihood he thus proclaimed to his loftier brothers of Aconcagua and Tupungato, that eternal snow with him measures from three thousand to four thousand feet more of depth than with them. A gap in the lower Andean ranges showed the point at which the river Teno was pouring forth its flood; and we were soon destined to renew our morning experience of the effect of a summer-day's sun upon a snow mountain stream; for shortly after, when we reached that river, we found a French travelling coach that had passed us some miles back, and several ox-teams, standing on the bank contemplating in dismay the furious torrent, which seemed to indicate an impossible passage. What was to be done? The Frenchmen did not show any signs of advance. The great Emperor's "allons " did very well for national glory, but "allez" in their estimation. suited better their personal safety. They evidently had made up their minds that some others might be, although they should

not talk, braver than themselves. As to the Chilenos, they appeared to be striving by sundry solicitous coaxings to institute an initiative consultation with the oxen; but from their inflexible silence and immobility, they evidently designed to throw the onus of this water question on the carreteros, avoiding all responsibility and danger too if possible, and wisely concluding, no doubt, that it was sufficient for them to bear the burden on land.

Our gradually reduced stage-load consisted now of an Englishman, who was a member of the Valparaiso bar, intelligent, courteous, and fearless; a Californian who had crossed the plains, hunted grizzly bears, and encountered the greater danger of canvassing the State for the gubernatorial office-need more be said? and a third inside passenger, whose Anglo-Saxon ancestors entered land in the colonial province of Maryland under the patent of Lord Baltimore two hundred years ago, and who could not repudiate the moral force of the race from which he sprang, if he tried. Our driver, of California mettle and nerve, called out as soon as he had taken his survey of the scene, "What say you, gentlemen, shall we try it?" It would have been hopeless to wait for the melting of the Andean snow, the supply was rather large, and centuries of summers had vainly expended their hottest efforts to reduce it; retreat is becoming an obsolete English word, and Americans refuse to revive it ; so the answer was a unanimous "aye." The baggage being again transferred to the top of the coach, and preparations made for an escape from it and a buffet with the torrent if necessary, two powerful oxen trained to the service were put in the lead of the six horses; as well for the advantage of their steady draught, an indispensable quality when unseen boulders are to be encountered, as for their unswerving obedience to direction, thus serving to keep the horses from becoming unmanageable from fright of the tumultuous waters. While the driver skilfully guided his team, the postilion, an experienced carretero, stripped to the buff, mounted his spirited charger, and with goad in hand took his station beside the pair of oxen in the lead. Several smaller branches of the stream were thus crossed, all serving to reduce the main river from which they escaped, and a rough bed of

shingle being also passed, we then plunged into the turbid flood which rushed by in volume and speed, as if a mountain lake had burst its barriers. For a time it seemed as if we were likely, instead of pursuing a circuitous land route to the Pacific, to seek it by the shorter and less tedious channels of the Rio Teno, and the Rio Mataquito into which the first-named empties; and we soon found it necessary to mount to the higher altitudes of the coach, which sprung a leak and threatened to bilge, sometimes floating and at others attempting lateral somersets, Noticing this latter gymnastic proclivity, our pilot steered an oblique course across the stream so nearly in the direction of the current as to present the back of our extemporaneous pontoon boat instead of the side to its force. By this manœuvre it received a momentum that assisted the crossing, and in from ten to fifteen minutes we, more frightened than hurt, landed on the opposite side of an unquestionably dangerous looking river of two hundred and fifty yards width, in its swollen condition. Our own joy on reaching shore in safety was scarcely greater than that of the French travellers left behind, interested spectators of the experiment; for they saw in the favorable result a promise that they might risk its repetition with impunity, and "allons" now became doubtless the animated word of command to their postilion, although we did not wait to see whether or not they received a cold bath in the icy waters of the Rio Teno.

CHAPTER XVI.

ROAD COSTUME-CURICO-RIO LONTUE-PRIMITIVE HABITATIONS-SOCIAL CONDITION

POLITICAL UTOPIANISM-INCONSISTENCY AND CRUELTY OF FANATICISM-MOLINO-RIO CLARO-TALCA-RIVER MAULE-LONCOMILLA AND ITS FRATRICIDAL BATTLE-RIVER PUTAGAN--LONGAVI AND CERRO FLORIDA PEAKS-MIRAGE-RIO ACHIHUENO-PARRAL -ARRIVAL AT SAN CARLOS,

RESUMING Our journey, the road led for a mile or two over a rough and barren tract, and then the country presented an appearance of agricultural wealth; a rich soil and teeming crops bounteously irrigated, and long lines of the alamo bordering the road, which itself was thronged with happy people, pedestrians, equestrians, arrieros, and carrateros. The road costume is peculiar, and may be reduced to four essentials for each sex, that is of the nine-tenths of the population seen in travelling, who have the ring of the Indian copper; the one-tenth of Caucasian silver is not in common circulation. The dress of the men consists of a little conical straw hat, minus the apex; a poncho, resembling a gaudy venetian carpet with a longitudinal slit in the middle to pass the head through, bound with bright ribbon, and hanging from the shoulders around the body down to the hips; a graceless garment befitting its sluggish Indian inventors, but an incumbrance to one who values the privilege of manhood to use his arms. To the Chileno, from the inquilino to the roto, the poncho is bed, board, and broidery; for he sleeps on it, eats from it, and often spends the wages of a year to procure one of bright colors with which to decorate his person. A pair of trousers, which would be both more symmetrical and useful, if some of the material were taken from the width and added to the length; and finally, spurs of terrific proportions secured to the heels, sometimes through the intermedium, at

others independently of, the less necessary appendage a pair of shoes. The women have invariably two long black hair plaits hanging down the back; a gay shawl worn à l'Espagnole, one end thrown gracefully over the shoulder, or à la tapada to conceal the greater part of the face when concealment is a merit or coquetry dictates the cunning device; a skirt à l'antique-innocent of inflation; and the gaudiest-colored shoes obtainable. From this it will be perceived that parts of our road were not without a considerable display of human butterflies, although the variety of species was not great, the yellow and red evidently predominating.

By the sight of a large cross on a hill we became aware of our approaching a town; and in a few minutes more, doubling the hill, we passed along a prettily-shaded alameda, and landed at the principal hotel of Curico. While breakfast was being prepared we strolled about the town, containing about five thousand inhabitants; a public promenade of nearly a mile, planted with poplars, and aqueducts of limpid water, running down their long avenues; houses without taste or variety, except that some were built of adobes and others of mud-daubed reeds, occasionally whitewashed, and squatty enough to warrant the belief that their enormous tile roofs were slowly crushing them to the earth; unfinished churches without external architecture, whatever may be said of internal sanctity; adults burdened with ennui, and children not burdened with books, or any sense of obligation to use them, made up the sum of observations, from which we cheerfully returned to something more agreeable to hungry travellers—an excellent breakfast-except the butter, which from the abounding alfalfa pastures of the neighborhood ought to have been golden, fresh, and of rich flavor, but was pale, and old enough to vote at the coming election for President of the Republic, were it not for the constitutional disqualification of poverty.

A hearty meal despatched, seats were resumed in the coach, and a productive country of four or five miles having been passed over we reached at meridian the Rio Lontue, heading in the snow mountains of Las Llamas, in the vicinity of the Planchon Pass; from the mountain of which name, as also from