138 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 



fowl was boiled and plantains roasted for supper. 

 Then, wrapped in my blanket and stretched on my 

 mattress, with my feet near to a good fire, I pre- 

 pared to pass the night, and I may say that how- 

 ever much I might have suffered through the day, 



1 generally slept tolerably well and rarely suffered 

 from cold. 



June 15. We had heavy thunder-showers from 



2 to 4 A.M., and wet dripped from the roof on to the 

 foot of my bed. The day was cold and drizzling 

 throughout. Our course was still mostly along the 

 top of the ridge, gradually ascending, rarely descend- 

 ing a little to pass slight rivulets. About noon we 

 reached the highest part at a place called the 

 " Ventanas " (windows), where the track ran along 

 the edge of a steep barranco to the right, down 

 which we looked into a tremendously deep valley, 

 whose bottom was obscured by rolling mist, though 

 we distinctly heard the murmuring of the nascent 

 Bombonasa along it. Travellers and cargoes arrived 

 pretty well soaked at the end of this day's journey, 

 and the same was the case through nearly all the 

 rest of the way. The ground to-day was mostly 

 gravelly. 



June 1 6. Again heavy showers before daylight 

 which left the forest soaking wet for our journey. 

 There was a little sun till 9 o'clock, then came on 

 showers, which, with very short intervals, lasted 

 till 4 P.M. Our cargueros were accustomed to 

 breakfast at daybreak, I and my muchacho at the 

 same hour made our coffee and cooked a fowl to 

 be eaten on the way by some stream of cool water, 

 whenever hunger should invite us. On reaching 

 the first stream from our sleeping-place, the women 



