Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 3.djvu/455

416 «795- April.

night, and after travelling twenty-eight miles in a way to which wc were little accultomed, we all gladly agreed to the mcafure. Cafa Blanco is a hamlet, confilUng of a neat church and about forty houles in its neighbourhood ; which, with fome inclofurcs of land under cultivation, formed a pleafing contrail to the barren naked country through which our days journey had be^jii direftcd. The principal per- fon of the village appeared to be the curate, who having been made ac- quainted with our approach, was prepared to meet us, and gave us a like hofpiiable reception with that which had been fo generally Ihewn by all the good people of this country with whom we had hitherto met. In the exercife of his humanity and good wifhes, our Reverend Friend Teemed to be much hurt that he had fo little to bellow; but as we fortu- nately did not Hand much in need of his aflillancc, e.xcej)ting in one rc- fpett, that of providing us with a lodging, we foon relieved him from his embarralFment. This gentleman immediately furniflied us with a houfe, over which he held fome authority ; a manfion precifely of the defcrip- tion which, we had been given to underftand, we fhould find on the road for our accommodation.

This houfe, if the (Irutlure could be intitled to fuch a name, was fitu- ated nearly in the centre of the village, and was fo rudely formed, that it could hardly be confidered as the work of a civilized people. Its walls were made ofdriedpieces of earth cut fquare into the fhape of bricks, which had been laid on each other when in a wet ilate, and plaflered over with the dime fubllance ; but by drying unequally the plafter had fallen off in many places. Its infide was open like a barn, and confillcd of but one apartment, which contained nothing but our baggage, that had arrived fome hours before us ; and had the weather been rainy, it would have afforded us but 'cry im perfect Ihelter, The floor was no other than die ground in its natural, unlcvelled (late; but though it wa^; not remarkable for its cleanlinefs, it was fpacious, and in that rcfpcft more fuital)le to the purpofes of our party, than the tent we had brought with us. As it, however, was totally dellituie of all kinds of furniture, we were obliged to refort to our neighbours for fuch temporary conveniences as we fhould want, which they very readily fupplied : and whilll our fupper was pre-

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