[140] "If a man could but bear an indolent life, there can be no spot upon earth where he might be more indolent and more independent than at Mendoza, for he might sleep all day, and eat ices in the evening, until his hour-glass was out. Provisions are cheap, and the people who bring them quiet and civil; the climate is exhausting, and the whole population indolent" (Head, "Rough Notes," pp. 70, 71). [141] See Mrs. Mulhall's "Between the Amazon and Andes," pp. 127-31. [142] "When one hears of a natural bridge, one pictures to oneself some deep and narrow ravine, across which a bold mass of rock has fallen; or a great arch hollowed out like the vault of a cavern. Instead of this, the Inca's Bridge consists of a crust of stratified shingle, cemented together by the deposits of the neighbouring hot-springs. It appears as if the stream had scooped out a channel on one side, leaving an overhanging ledge, which was met by earth and stones falling down from the opposite cliff. Certainly an oblique junction, as would happen in such a case, was very distinct on one side. The Bridge of the Incas is by no means worthy of the great monarchs whose name it bears" (Darwin, "Voyage of the _Beagle_," chap. xv.). CHAPTER XXI THE PARANA, ROSARIO, AND SANTA FÉ The Parana is one of the most magnificent rivers in the world. It was in the earliest times the most valuable route for the Spaniards into the interior, as is shown by the fact that while they were struggling for a foothold at Buenos Aires, and several times abandoned the settlement altogether, they were in possession of a flourishing colony in Asunçion. Up to recent times few immigrants thought of going to Entre Rios or Corrientes because of the difficulties of the journey, but now there is a train-ferry across the Parana, and there will soon be railway connection with the capital of Paraguay. The territory, highly favoured by nature, will in course of time be one of the richest parts of Argentina. [Illustration: COLON, ENTRE RIOS.]