144 Travels and Adventures 



I discovered that the boy who carried the provisions 

 was nowhere to be seen. I had expected him to follow 

 in the track; it was now after mid-day, and I had only 

 passed one miserable hut, where, with difficulty, I had 

 been able to procure a little refreshment. Anxiously 

 looking for the boy at every turn, I kept on up the 

 mountain until towards evening, beinor then about 

 8,000 feet above the level of the sea, when a thick 

 mist came over the top of the mountain and rendered 

 it almost impossible to keep the track. I had heard 

 that on the wide plain which forms the top. of the 

 mountain there was only one solitary hut, so to reach 

 this with a tired mule was my determined aim. The 

 conflicting tracks which intersect each other across 

 the vast plain made progress doubly difficult. The 

 first and most important thing in crossing this Paramo 

 is to have an experienced guide ; no European could 

 possibly find his way alone, and even the best guides 

 are often at a loss. Finally we arrived at the hut, 

 which had been dismantled by a recent hurricane, the 

 fierce storm having taken away more than half the 

 roof. The cold was intense — nearly freezing. The 

 inhabitants of the hut were a family of the poorest 

 Indians, and, although the only resources I could 

 see were a few potatoes, their hospitality and good- 

 nature were scarcely credible. Having only brought 

 the clothing with me which I used in the lowlands, I 



