THE GEOGRAPHIC BASIS OF HUMAN CHARACTER 99 



I drew my revolver he quickly obeyed the order to sit down to 

 breakfast, which consisted of soup, meat, and army biscuits. I 

 also gave them coca and cigarettes, the two most desirable gifts 

 one can make to a plateau Indian, and thereupon I thought I had 

 gained their friendship, for they at last talked with me in broken 

 Spanish. The older one now explained that he must at all hazards 

 reach Matara by nightfall, but he would be glad to leave his son 

 to help us. I agreed, and he set out forthwith. The arriero 

 (muleteer) had now returned with the lost mules and with the as- 

 sistance of the Indian we soon struck camp and loaded our mules. 

 I cautioned the arriero to keep close watch of the Indian, for at 

 one time I had caught on his face an expression of hatred more in- 

 tense than I had ever seen before. The plateau Indian of South 

 America is usually so stupid and docile that the unexpectedly 

 venomous look of the man after our friendly conversation and my 

 good treatment alarmed me. At the last moment, and when our 

 backs were turned, our Indian, under the screen of the packs, 

 slipped away from us. The arriero called out to know where he 

 had gone. It took us but a few moments to gain the top of a hill 

 that commanded the valley. Fully a half-mile away and almost 

 indistinguishable against the brown of the valley floor was our 

 late assistant, running like a deer. No mule could follow over that 

 broken ground at an elevation of 16,000 feet, and so he escaped. 



Fortunately that afternoon we passed a half -grown boy riding 

 back toward Antabamba and he promised to hand the Governor 

 a note in Spanish, penciled on a leaf of my traverse book. I 

 dropped all the polite phrases that are usually employed and wrote 

 as follows : 



" Sefior Gobernador : 



" Your Indians have escaped, likewise the Lieutenant Governor. They have 

 taken two beasts. In the name of the Prefect of Abancay, I ask you immediately 

 to bring a fresh supply of men and animals. We shall encamp near the first pass, 

 three days west of Antabamba, until you come." 



We were now without Indians to carry the instruments, which 

 had therefore to be strapped to the mules. Without guides we 

 started westward along the trail. At the next pass the topog- 



