Identifier: journalofresear01darw (find matches)
Title: Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage round the world of H.M.S. 'Beagle,' under the command of Captain Fitz Roy
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882
Subjects: Beagle Expedition (1831-1836) Natural history Geology Voyages around the world
Publisher: London : J. Murray
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Spaniard, who collected a great body ofIndians together and established himself by a stream in thePampas, which place none of the forces sent after him couldever discover. From this point he used to sally forth, andcrossing the Cordillera by passes hitherto unattempted, heravaged the farm-houses and drove the cattle to his secretrendezvous. Pincheira was a capital horseman, and he madeall around him equally good, for he invariably shot any onewho hesitated to follow him. It was against this man, andother wandering Indian tribes, that Rosas waged the war ofextermination. September I ^th.—We left the baths of Cauquenes, and rejoin-ing the main road slept at the Rio Claro. From this place werode to the town of S. Fernando. Before arriving there, the lastland-locked basin had expanded into a great plain, whichextended so far to the south that the snowy summits of themore distant Andes were seen as if above the horizon of the sea.S. Fernando is forty leagues from Santiago ; and it was my
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xii YAQUIL GOLD-MINES 283 farthest point southward ; for we here turned at right anglestowards the coast. We slept at the gold-mines of Yaquil, whichare worked by Mr. Nixon, an American gentleman, to whosekindness I was much indebted during the four days I stayed athis house. The next morning we rode to the mines, which aresituated at the distance of some leagues, near the summit of alofty hill. On the way we had a glimpse of the lake Tagua-tagua, celebrated for its floating islands, which have beendescribed by M. Gay.1 They are composed of the stalks ofvarious dead plants intertwined together, and on the surfaceof which other living ones take root. Their form is generallycircular, and their thickness from four to six feet, of whichthe greater part is immersed in the water. As the wind blows,they pass from one side of the lake to the other, and often carrycattle and horses as passengers. When we arrived at the mine, I was struck by the paleappearance of many of the men, and inquired f

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