304 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



from the rock against which it leaned and approached 

 the Indian huts. ' Buenas tardeIC (' Good after- 

 noon '), I said to the Chola woman, mistress of that 

 unlovely abode and her brood of Indian children. 

 4 Have you seen my mule? ' They had not. ' Where 

 is your man? ' I continued, for there was the possi- 

 bility that the presiding male genius of the place had 

 stolen the animal. She explained in such a way as 

 showed me that these fears were unfounded, looking 

 fearfully the while at the stranger and his shouldered 

 carbine. But I reassured her, gave her a small silver 

 coin, and told her (she understood Spanish) what had 

 occurred, munched a piece of cheese made of goat's 

 milk which she offered, and, finding there was no guide 

 who could conduct me across the mountain spur which 

 would greatly shorten the distance to camp I * girded 

 up my loins ' and set forth alone to cross it, confident 

 of finding my way. 



The quebrada, as in Peruvian Spanish are termed the 

 V-shaped valleys which descend from or bisect the 

 hills, and which in Mexico are termed arroyos, had for 

 its floor a broad stream of dry sand, deposited by the 

 torrent which came down in times of rain and which 

 had filled up the interstices in the rocks, forming an 

 easy path upwards, along which a motor-car might 

 almost have ascended. But I was far away from these 

 somewhat oppressive engines of modern locomotion ! 



I had expected to reach the summit before it became 

 dark and to be able to observe the valley where my 

 camp was pitched, but amphitheatre was succeeded by 

 amphitheatre, labyrinth by labyrinth, summit by sum- 

 mit, and I had to confess myself lost. The cold became 

 intense, the darkness closed in around, and the moon 



