66 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



The creature that held me seemed startled relaxed 

 his grasp slightly. At that moment a dark arm 

 was passed before my face, there was a blinding 

 flash, a yell, and I fell to the ground released from 

 the clutch of my opponent. I remember nothing 

 more. Overcome by pain, fatigue, terror, and the 

 noxious vapours of that vile ravine, my senses aban- 

 doned me, and I swooned away. 



When consciousness returned, I found myself lying 

 upon some blankets, under a sort of arbour of foliage 

 and flowers. It was broad day ; the sun shone 

 brightly, the blossoms smelled sweet, the gay-plum- 

 aged humming-birds' were darting and shooting about 

 in the sunbeams like so many animated fragments of 

 a prism. A Mexican Indian, standing beside my 

 couch, and whose face was unknown to me, held out 

 a cocoanut - shell containing some liquid, which I 

 eagerly seized and drank off the contents. The 

 draught (it was a mixture of citron-juice and water) 

 revived me greatly ; and raising myself on my elbow, 

 although with much pain and difficulty, I looked 

 around, and beheld a scene of bustle and life which 

 to me was quite unintelligible. Upon the shelving 

 hillside on which I was lying a sort of encampment 

 was established. A number of mules and horses 

 were wandering about at liberty, or fastened to trees 

 and bushes, and eating the forage that had been 

 collected and laid before them. Some were provided 

 with handsome and commodious saddles, while others 



