PAN DE GUAJAIBON 263 



attendance upon Pancho who, finely mounted, led 

 the way, with a Winchester across the saddle and 

 three deerhounds in leash following eagerly by 

 his side. 



Owing to high water in the San Marcos River, 

 the more direct route to the Pan was impracticable, 

 and a longer one to the westward had to be taken 

 — one that followed along the steep sides of a very 

 high pine loma and finally crossed the river much 

 farther up where the flood would likely be less. 

 The route we were obliged to choose imposed upon 

 us a ride long to be remembered. The high loma 

 of quite fifteen hundred feet altitude presents a 

 deeply furrowed eastern face and is two or three 

 miles to the west of the direct route between 

 Mulata and the Pan. It seemed almost wicked to 

 have to follow a path that not only took us miles 

 out of our way, but compelled us. also to accept 

 added difficulties of travel. All went well enough 

 as we passed through the lowland country, but the 

 loma once reached our troubles began. This loma 

 is of sandstone and shales, upon a serpentine 

 foundation. It supports the usual scant conifer- 

 ous forest, but it differs from other lomas thereto- 

 fore seen in its exceedingly abundant vegetation, 



