264 CRUISE OF THE BARRERA 



particularly in the arroyos (ravines) where the 

 floral condition almost approximates that of the 

 sierra in richness. The path is mercilessly rough 

 and steep. Our sudden and precipitous descents 

 down the rocky sides of arroyos^ our flounderings 

 through the boulder-strewn beds of mountain 

 torrents, and our equally steep scrambles up the 

 opposite sides, repeated again and again through 

 countless arroyos, got on our nerves. Saddles 

 turned, girths parted, bridles snapped, and stirrups 

 fell off, necessitating many stops for repairs, all 

 to the satisfaction of the horses, however, that 

 seemed thankful for every accident. 



Between the arroyos, the path winds along the 

 steep sides of the loma tending always to work up- 

 wards, and the recent rains had made the trail 

 very slippery. To make matters worse, our course 

 appeared to take us no nearer the Pan, but threat- 

 ened, on the contrary, to convey us quite around 

 and beyond our goal and then, after traversing all 

 the mountain ranges of Cuba, to drop us finally 

 into the Caribbean. Pancho was slyly amused at 

 our annoyance, but he kept up our courage by 

 occasional mention of the fact that the path would 

 soon turn in the right direction and we should 



