Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

1835. TORMENT ARAUCANIANS. 463 claimed that their father would beat them terribly, that the sheep was wortli eight rials !* A dollar for the sheep, and another for each of themselves, altered their tone ; and before long we had such a fire and supper as the old ' rancho ' had not witnessed since the wedding-day of its owners. But what a night of penance we passed — the place swarmed with fleas, not one moment could I rest, though very tired and it tfas raining too hard, and was too cold to sleep outside in the open air. These insects are the torment of travellers in Chile. The natives appear either not to feel, or not to be attacked by them, but an unlucky stranger who ventures to sleep within the walls of an inferior kind of house, or even any country house, in Chile, is sure to be their victim. When I stripped to bathe the next day, I found myself so covered, from head to foot, with flea-bites, that I seemed to have a violent rash, or the scarlet fever. As the day broke (on the 25th) we mounted our horses, eager to get away from such unceasing tormentors : and the Indian girl undertook to show us a place where we might pass the river, even flooded as it was. By the help of fatlen trees, las- soes, and poles, we conveyed ourselves and the saddles across ; but to get the horses over was very difficult. The stream being rather wide and rapid, and the banks steep and rotten, occa- sioned so much difficulty, that two whole hours were spent in getting the animals across and out of the river. Our united strength applied to good lassoes, was barely sufficient to help the struggling and frightened creatures up the muddy broken banks. When one had passed, the others followed in their turns more readily ; but I thought we should have lost one of them. From this river to Arauco was not above an hour's ride, at the pace we went, though it is called seven leagues. During the last two days I had seen several Indians of pure Araucanian blood, in their native dress, and was much struck by the precise similarity of that worn by the women, to the dress . of the aborigines of Peru, as described and figured in Frezier's voyage. The square cloak, or mantle, thrown over the shoulders, * Or a dollar, equal to about four shillings.