Fromthemountainswehadaverystrikingviewofthiswhiteandbrilliantaerial-field，whichsentarmsupthevalleys，leavingislandsandpromontoriesinthesamemanner，astheseadoesintheChonosarchipelagoandinTierradelFuego。
WestayedtwodaysatFreyrina。InthevalleyofGuascotherearefoursmalltowns。Atthemouththereistheport，aspotentirelydesert，andwithoutanywaterintheimmediateneighbourhood。FiveleagueshigherupstandsFreyrina，alongstragglingvillage，withdecentwhitewashedhouses。
Again，tenleaguesfurtherupBallenarissituated，andabovethisGuascoAlto，ahorticulturalvillage，famousforitsdriedfruit。Onacleardaytheviewupthevalleyisveryfine；thestraightopeningterminatesinthefar-distantsnowyCordillera；oneachsideaninfinityofcrossing-linesareblendedtogetherinabeautifulhaze。Theforegroundissingularfromthenumberofparallelandstep-formedterraces；andtheincludedstripofgreenvalley，withitswillow-bushes，iscontrastedonbothhandswiththenakedhills。Thatthesurroundingcountrywasmostbarrenwillbereadilybelieved，whenitisknownthatashowerofrainhadnotfallenduringthelastthirteenmonths。TheinhabitantsheardwiththegreatestenvyoftherainatCoquimbo；fromtheappearanceoftheskytheyhadhopesofequallygoodfortune，which，afortnightafterwards，wererealized。
IwasatCopiapoatthetime；andtherethepeople，withequalenvy，talkedoftheabundantrainatGuasco。Aftertwoorthreeverydryyears，perhapswithnotmorethanoneshowerduringthewholetime，arainyyeargenerallyfollows；andthisdoesmoreharmthaneventhedrought。Theriversswell，andcoverwithgravelandsandthenarrowstripsofground，whichalonearefitforcultivation。Thefloodsalsoinjuretheirrigatingditches。
Greatdevastationhadthusbeencausedthreeyearsago。