ASCENT OF THE PARAMILLO 125 



A three hours' walk brought us to a point called El 

 Madero, because a few trees had once been cut down there 

 for their lumber, but the clearing was overgrown with black- 

 berry-briars, brush, and guavas. Then we plunged into the 

 unexplored forest. 



It was our plan to follow along the top of an undulating 

 ridge which one of the men said was the shortest and easiest 

 route to the Paramillo. He knew from experience, having 

 once visited the region some sixteen years before. It was 

 during the course of a revolution; his father was pursued 

 by the opposing forces and fled into the forest, taking his 

 son, who was then a small boy, with him, and eventually 

 reaching the Paramillo, they spent some time there in con- 

 cealment. 



At first the forest was fairly penetrable, but soon the 

 moss-draped, liana-garlanded walls closed about us in a 

 compact mass; ferns, palms, and arums sprang up from 

 the ground in a matted jungle to join the heavily laden 

 branches above. Then our trail-cutter was pressed into 

 service, and plied his machete with deadly effect on the 

 vegetation, with the result that a narrow tunnel was opened, 

 through which we walked or crawled as occasion might 

 demand. 



On account of the long climb, having ascended five thou- 

 sand feet during an eight hours' march, we made camp at 

 three o'clock at an elevation of ten thousand feet. This 

 gave us an opportunity of observing a few of the birds living 

 in this untouched wilderness. There were wood-hewers 

 and yellow-headed tanagers; parrots and blue-throated 

 jays. A large harpy-eagle sat majestically on a low branch, 

 surrounded by a flock of California woodpeckers, which 

 screamed and scolded and darted at his head; but he sat 

 perfectly motionless, utterly disdainful of such ignominious 

 prey. 



There was no water on the ridge, but a supply was secured 

 from a ravine a thousand feet lower down; it was the last 

 we had until we reached the Paramillo two days later. 



