JUAN FIN AS— THE REVENTAZON VALLEY 213 



There were also other trails, leading from the valley 

 bottom up to the railroad east of the laguna. One of these 

 began about two hundred yards west of the iron bridge 

 and led up into fine forest. Still higher it left the woods 

 and passed through low shrubs and tall herbs, at the same 

 time becoming very steep although well-marked, until it 

 suddenly brought me to the edge of a comparatively recent 

 landslide with precipitous walls. However, it was easy to 

 cut a way through the same sort of vegetation up to a point 

 where the forest began again. This forest was for the most 

 part not filled with dense undergrowth but there were 

 ferns and low palms. There was no definite trail here and 

 what looked like men's paths may have been natural open- 

 ings. However, I had simply to keep going upward and was 

 sure to reach the railroad. Finally after many steep climbs 

 through the woods I came to a bank of strong coarse grass 

 higher than my head, and pulling myself on top of the bank 

 found that I was on the top of a very deep cutting through 

 which the railroad passed. The high grass prevented my 

 seeing well, but soundings with my stick showed that on all 

 sides this bank was almost vertical. After making attempts 

 on three sides and consuming the greater part of an hour I 

 finally reached the tracks. Once I stopped for some purpose 

 and momentarily let go of my stick, which immediately 

 sank out of sight through the grass. I was unable to find 

 it again, and I concluded from what I could feel with my feet 

 and what I could see after I reached the track that the stick 

 must have dropped down the precipitous side of the bank 

 away from the tracks and that I had been on a narrow ridge 

 only a few inches wide at the top and with nearly vertical 

 sides thirty feet above the tracks and much more down to 

 the forest on the other side, but whose precipitous character 

 was concealed by the dense mat of grass. I reached Juan 

 Vinas station just in time to prevent Mrs. Ridgway's send- 



