122 Audubon s Western Journal 



which we had to pay twelve dollars per day. It 

 is only about seventy yards long and perhaps thirty 

 broad, so that we are very crowded. We find here 

 three Americans, two Swiss and one Italian, who 

 have for many years resided in this country as 

 traders. There were a number of Englishmen, 

 owners and superintendents of mines, who all 

 treated us most kindly. I think the view of Jesus 

 Maria which I give, supersedes the necessity of 

 a verbal description of its situation, but not of the 

 town itself, which is the place of all others that 

 would be selected by a man who had left behind 

 him enemies sworn to vengeance, for two minutes' 

 start up any of the mountains would insure a safe 

 retreat. 



Yet the place has its charms; superb rocks, wild 

 passes, and withal a vegetation so luxuriant that 

 with the dozens of birds I could have spent weeks 

 of enjoyment, but we leave tomorrow as we have 

 been here two days. 



July 22d. Leaving the public square yesterday 

 we took a winding alley up the precipitous moun- 

 tain: two of our mules fell off the trail; one rolled 

 over ten or twelve times, pack and all, and then 

 to our utter amazement got up, having come by 

 a series of falls to a small level space, and began 

 to eat. 



We spent four hours going six miles to where 

 the rear of the company encamped; thirty mules 



