THE ANDES SOUTHWEST OF POPAYAN 43 



In the early afternoon the Caldas struck a sand-bar with 

 full force. The greater number of the passengers had eaten 

 their luncheon — brought by themselves in small parcels 

 neatly done up in banana leaves — and were quietly dozing. 

 There was a harsh, grating sound, a shock, and the water 

 swirled around and past the boat, which moved not an 

 inch. The engines were reversed and the crew sprang into 

 the river and pushed, but it availed nothing, so after re- 

 peated efforts these attempts were abandoned. Luckily, 

 the craft carried a small dugout canoe, into which the pas- 

 sengers were unloaded, three or four at a time, and taken 

 ashore by two husky negroes who waded to the bank, one 

 pulling and the other pushing the canoe. There was no 

 break in the abrupt banks for perhaps a quarter of a mile, 

 so it was some time before all on board had been landed. 

 The crew then began to dig away the sand that held the 

 launch fast. 



The spot where the passengers had been landed was an 

 open, treeless plain with not a shelter in sight. At first 

 the heat of the sun was insufferable; then it began to rain 

 as we had never seen it rain before. No one had a poncho, 

 so there was nothing to do but stand quietly and endure 

 the drenching downpour. 



When the sand had been dug away the launch, suddenly 

 freed, shot down-stream a half mile before a landing could 

 be effected. This of course necessitated a long tramp 

 through deep mud and tall, wet grass, which added to the 

 cheerlessness of the luckless, half-drowned victims of back- 

 ward methods of transportation. The banks were as steep 

 as ever, but a capybara runway, resembling a giant musk- 

 rat slide, had been discovered, and down this we slid, one 

 at a time, into the arms of two negroes who acted as a 

 back-stop below. 



The delay prevented the launch from reaching Buga, so 

 as soon as darkness settled, she was tied up for the night. 

 A great tree-trunk, embedded in the sand with huge 

 branches swaying high above the water, lay near by. We 



