THE PAETY DETERMINES TO DIVIDE. 169 



Grande del N6rte in the San Luis valley, follow it down to 

 the military post there, get as much provisions as the three 

 animals could carry, and return as soon as possible. The 

 contemplated undertaking was a hazardous one. None of us 

 had any knowledge of the route, all we knew being that the 

 fort in question lay about thirty or forty miles south-west of 

 the place where we were, and that the Mosca Pass was, to 

 its summit, somewhere between twenty and forty miles to 

 the north, that it was a very high pass, and reputed difficult 

 to find at the best of times. However, the Sangre de 

 Cristo Pass was manifestly impracticable and out of the 

 question. 



Prudence demanded that a delay of at least three days 

 should be incurred, so as to have some assurance that the 

 weather had definitely settled, and to allow the newly-fallen 

 snow to become solid enough to permit travelling. Four 

 days half-rations of our mules' corn was put to one side for 

 the animals to eat on the journey a most inadequate 

 supply for such a trip, as they would have no chance to 

 forage; arid the remainder, some twenty pounds weight, 

 was appropriated by us for our own immediate subsistence, 

 as we wished to save as much of our flour as possible for the 

 two who were to go over the range to take with them in the 

 shape of bread. To make the corn go as far as possible, it 

 was boiled in water, with a little salt, to a coarse porridge, 

 thus making a food that might be described as an indifferent 

 substitute for starvation ; assuredly that is the highest praise 

 I can give it. 



There was not much choice between going and staying 

 both parties would be in pretty equal danger, for the safety 



