6 CROSSING A "JULA. 



climb some heart-breaking hill, before reaching the top of 

 which the weary climber loses much of his admiration of the 

 scenery as well as a good deal of breath, and frequent stop- 

 pages are made, nominally on account of the former, but really 

 in behalf of the latter, vulgarly termed " bellows to mend." 

 Moreover, when the traveller least expects it, some of those 

 beautiful masses of white cloud he has admired so much as 

 they rested like huge piles of cotton-wool along the mountain- 

 tops, have gradually crept up unnoticed until warned of their 

 approach by distant rumblings and mutterings of thunder, 

 when suddenly the storm-cloud bursts over him, and discharg- 

 ing its humid contents, drenches him to the skin. But even 

 the storm has its wild charm should the wayfarer be fortu- 

 nate enough to find some friendly rock at hand, from under 

 shelter of which he can view its approach, and listen to the 

 thunder rolling and reverberating among the surrounding 

 crags and precipices for a tempest in such mountains is 

 truly a grand sight. 



The greater part of a day was spent in crossing a deep, 

 rapid river by a rope bridge, or "jula" as it is called. A 

 stout rope is stretched from side to side, generally between 

 two convenient rocks. Each man or bundle of baggage is 

 placed on a short plank of wood, like the seat of a swing, 

 which is attached to the main rope by a crooked bit of stick, 

 forming a kind of running-block. The load, animate or in- 

 animate, is sent sliding along down the rope as far as its 

 weight will take it, and then hauled up to the opposite side 

 by a guy-rope attached to the running-block. Although 

 there was little or no danger, I was glad to find myself on 

 terra jirma again after being swung over, the more so as 

 I had just seen the load of baggage that preceded me left 

 dangling in mid-air above the roaring torrent, until the guy- 

 rope, which had parted company with the block, was replaced 

 by an acrobatic individual who clambered out on the main 

 rope to repair damages. There is another kind of jula, made 



