I Found Out This, By Overhearing
My Two Companions Discussing The Cause, They Had Come
To The Simple Conclusion, "That The Cursed Pot [Which Was A
New One] Did Not Choose To Boil Potatoes."
March 22nd.
- After eating our potatoless breakfast, we
travelled across the intermediate tract to the foot of the
Portillo range. In the middle of summer cattle are brought
up here to graze; but they had now all been removed: even
the greater number of the Guanacos had decamped, knowing
well that if overtaken here by a snow-storm, they would be
caught in a trap. We had a fine view of a mass of mountains
called Tupungato, the whole clothed with unbroken
snow, in the midst of which there was a blue patch, no
doubt a glacier; - a circumstance of rare occurrence in these
mountains. Now commenced a heavy and long climb, similar
to that of the Peuquenes. Bold conical hills of red
granite rose on each hand; in the valleys there were several
broad fields of perpetual snow. These frozen masses, during
the process of thawing, had in some parts been converted
into pinnacles or columns, [4] which, as they were high and
close together, made it difficult for the cargo mules to pass.
On one of these columns of ice, a frozen horse was sticking
as on a pedestal, but with its hind legs straight up in
the air. The animal, I suppose, must have fallen with its
head downward into a hole, when the snow was continuous,
and afterwards the surrounding parts must have been
removed by the thaw.
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