We Had Not Proceeded Far, Before
We Were Joined By A Woman And Two Boys, Who Were Bent On
The Same Journey.
Every one on this road acts on a "hail
fellow well met" fashion; and one may here enjoy the privilege,
so rare in South America, of travelling without fire-arms.
At first, the country consisted of a succession of hills
and valleys:
Nearer to Castro it became very level. The road
itself is a curious affair; it consists in its whole length,
with the exception of very few parts, of great logs of wood,
which are either broad and laid longitudinally, or narrow and
placed transversely. In summer the road is not very bad; but in
winter, when the wood is rendered slippery from rain, travelling
is exceedingly 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.
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