February i, 1905.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



147 



WILD 'CASTILLOA," SHOWING STUMP OF BIQ TREE FROM WHICH SPROUTS 

 HAD GROWN. 



both ripped off, instead of slipping her hind legs out of the 

 cinch and continuing on after the rest, she might have wailed. 

 I certainly gave her to understand that I advised the other side 

 of the trail, and in response to my vigorous pull her head came 

 round until it almost touched my knee, but the obstinate little 

 body went straight on. 



Some of the " hog backs " climbed were of the razorback va- 

 riety — just a narrow path along the spine of lofty ridges 

 forested on both sides, incredibly steep. The gray mule got in 

 difficulties on one, lost his balance, curled up and rolled over 

 and over until stopped by a big tree and a tangle of monkey 

 vine. He lay at ease until relieved of the pack, then struggled 

 to his feet and climbed back to the path, not in the least ruf- 

 fled. 



It must not be supposed that the trail went up all the time ; 

 on the contrary, it was a quarter of a mile up, then an eighth 

 of a mile down, and we rode sometimes lying flat on the beast's 

 back, at others with feet along the sides of the mule's neck and 

 leaning as far backward as possible. Many a rod did Chiquita 

 slide down clayey steeps, but not a misstep did she make 

 through it all. We lunched by a brook in a deep valley where 

 the dense shade made twilight of high noon, then went on and 

 the climbing was worse than ever. The first signs of rebellion 

 on the part of the beasts of burden came from the tnula grande 

 who bore the Commodore. He thought it was time his rider 

 walked a little and while the Commodore paused to reason with 

 him the rest rode on. Very soon the way became so steep that 

 all dismounted and walked. While catching breath at the top 

 of a particularly stiff bit, we heard the Commodore coming, 

 puffing, panting, profaning. 



" Where is your mule ? " I asked. 



" Blank the blankity blank beast he won't even allow me to 

 lead him, let alone ride ! " he exclaimed. " Refuses to associate 

 with me, blank him I " 



And so it was. Mula grande appeared a few moments later, 

 halted a rod away, and when approached simply stood stock 

 still. If the Commodore swore he put his ears forward so as to 

 miss none of it, and if he fell to belaboring him with a cudgel, 



simply began to eat of the herbage with an air of unconcern 

 that would have tempted many to shoot. 



About 5 o'clock Chapo, the pig ranch where we must spend 

 the night, was reached. We were tired out but happy, for in 

 the memory of the oldest inhabitant never had that journey 

 been made without encountering a heavy rain storm on the 

 top of Montoso (over which we came) and we had come 

 through dry. Hammocks were swung in a big, half ruined 

 pigshed, a chicken cooked and eaten, and we turned in. The 

 aneroid said 2950 feet for altitude. It was quite cool, but de- 

 liciously dry as compared with Rio Negro. 



Up at 5 the next morning, after a hasty breakfast of Pioneer's 

 bread and coffee, the climbing was continued. Here there was 

 less forest and the trail was centuries old. In places it was 

 worn down in the red porphory until the sides rose above the 

 rider's head, while at the bottom it was barely wide enough for 

 the mule to walk. It was also often cut into by a series of 

 three to five foot steps, with a pool of water in the hollow of each, 

 so the difficulty in getting along may be imagined. Finally the 

 top of Cerro Nuncio was reached, 3500 feet in the air, and laid 

 out before us like a map, were the plains of the other side of 

 the peninsular. This mountain, so said the Miner, was a mass 

 of gold bearing quartz, and a part of the property we were ex- 

 amining, but we left it where it was. After a rest we started 

 down toward the town of Las Minas, which was to be our re- 

 cuperating and repairing station. The descent was far too 

 steep to ride, so we climbed down, finally reaching the plains, 

 and a little after noon rode into the old Indian town. Here, 

 installed in a house owned by the Pioneer, we were soon sit- 

 ting at a table, using knives, forks, and napkins as if we had 

 always been accustomed to them. 



This narrative relates primarily to rubber, and it is hard to 

 forecast just how much extraneous matter the reader will 

 stand. But it is only fair to the writer to allow him a word 

 concerning a part of the world which Christopher Columbus, 

 Duke of Veragua, chose for his own, as it was his province, 

 Veragua, that we then were in. Not only that, but all the 

 Indians of his time were Spanish slaves, and the amount of 

 work that they did in digging down mountain sides for gold, is 

 marvelous. Las Minas, founded by the descendents of Colum- 

 bus, has its plaza, church, tiled houses, dogs, children, and buz- 



FOURTH OF JULY FIESTA AT LAS MINAS- 



