ADVENTURE ON THE HIGHWAY 225 



across and my mule made to leap back ; the Indian 

 mounted it, leaped safely over the abyss, and his own 

 beast, seized with that inevitable panic of being left 

 alone in danger which ever attacks animals as it does 

 men of weaker spirit, followed, missed, plunged into 

 the mire, and was only saved from death by the most 

 strenuous efforts on our part. 



Meanwhile the weight on our new refuge had caused 

 it to begin to settle down considerably. But Nature 

 had disposed a series of smaller islands between us 

 and the rocky promontory, and in trembling and appre- 

 hension we leaped our beasts from one to the other, 

 landing on the quartzite strata of terra fir ma. 



I know of no situation so trying as the foregoing 

 of passing these swamps. With tight hand on the 

 bridle, spur ready against the flanks of the beast, 

 momentarily expecting to be plunged into unknown 

 depths of ooze, the animal trembling and snorting with 

 apprehension, essaying and not finding footing, and 

 then the leap and safety ! The mental strain is very 

 severe, to say nothing of the physical effort. 



As for the other mule, it endeavoured to struggle 

 towards us, sinking deeper and deeper. Notwithstand- 

 ing the pity I felt for the poor beast, nothing we could 

 do would save it, and we should only have uselessly 

 risked our own lives. The guide suggested shooting 

 it with a carbine from the bank ; but this I forbade, 

 desirous to give it a last chance of floundering out. 

 We were obliged to push on to water and fodder. 



It might have been supposed that the day's dangers 

 were now past, but Fortune seemed determined to frown 

 upon us still. Having left the swamps behind, the 

 trail wound along a steep hillside, and entered upon 



15 



