Cli. XL] 



DIFFICULT TRAVELLING. 



193 



down the abrupt slope ; but he made another spring, fell 

 again, but this time with his forefeet over the rock, and 

 on the third attempt he scrambled over and landed me 



THE ROAD AND ROCKY LEDGE. 



safely on the top, but, I confess, much shaken in my 

 seat. My straw r -hat came off in the struggle, and was 

 rolling merrily down the hill, when it was caught in a 

 low bush, much to Bito's satisfaction, who w r as antici- 

 pating a long tramp after it. We had a fine view from 

 the top of this range over a deep valley, bounded with 

 precipitous cliffs and dark patches of forest. Over our 

 heads floated drifting rain-clouds from the north-east 

 that sometimes concealed the mountain tops, sometimes 

 lifted and showed their craggy summits. 



Our beasts were tired out with the rough travelling, 

 and we moved along slowiy.. About five o'clock we came 

 in sight of the rock of Cuapo, an isolated perpendicular 

 cliff rising about 300 feet above the top of a hill that 

 it crowns. After descending a long, steep range, we 

 reached, near dusk, a small hut, called Tablason, and 

 here we determined to pass the night, although the 

 accommodation was about the scantiest possible. A man 

 and his wife, six children, and a woman to grind the 



o 



