CROSSING THE EASTERN ANDES 95 



The foreman of the work gang had cleared a few acres 

 of land and sowed wheat, but the chances of harvesting a 

 crop were very small, because it seemed as if all the rats 

 and mice for miles around had located the spot and promptly 

 migrated there to unearth the seed and cut down the ten- 

 der shoots. 



Water for drinking and cooking was secured from a deep 

 pit dug in the slope. One of our first cares always is to in- 

 vestigate the water-supply of the region in which we are 

 working; an inspection of the excavation near the tambo re- 

 vealed a most astounding state of affairs; three earthworms, 

 as large as good-sized snakes, make the reservoir their 

 home. They resembled the well-known "shiners" that ap- 

 pear on our lawns after a shower; but the size ! The larg- 

 est, by actual measurement, was thirty-seven inches long 

 and four inches in circumference. When I asked the cook for 

 an explanation as to why he did not remove them and keep 

 the water clean, he promptly informed me that they were 

 cojures (cohoories) that he had dug up in the woods and 

 placed there for safe-keeping until he had time to use them 

 on a fishing trip in the low country. Needless to say, per- 

 haps, his pets promptly disappeared; he always insinuated 

 that they had met with foul play at my hands ! 



One day a person of distinguished appearance rode up 

 the road and introduced himself as General Rafael Santos, 

 of Bogota". He had heard that we were in the locality and 

 wanted to get into the Caqueta. Could he be of any ser- 

 vice to us? As he was in control of the work being done 

 on the new trail, he certainly was in a position to be of 

 great help. He told us of conditions on the eastern slope 

 and also of the country we were so eager to see; before leav- 

 ing, one of his peons was despatched down the trail to in- 

 form his scouting-parties that we would follow within a 

 short time, and for them to have camping-places prepared 

 for us. 



We lost no time in starting on the trip. I had with me 

 several natives who had been with the expedition some 



