OVER THE ANDES TO BOGOTA 



303 



...... . . .,., 



Photograph by Frank M. Chapman 

 CROSSING THE RIO VIEJA 



After leaving Cartago, and just before reaching Piedra Moller, travelers and their bag- 

 gage are ferried across the Rio Vieja in a dug-out. The pack and riding animals swim. The 

 charge for this service, pasture for the three animals, a night's lodging, dinner, and coffee in 

 the morning, for three men, was $1.30! 



of the Cauca Valley. It was raining when 

 we mounted the divide and, to our intense 

 disappointment, the half-flooded trail 

 down the eastern slope of the range soon 

 disappeared in the clouds — fog we should 

 have called it at a lower altitude. 



There is a primitive posada (inn) here 

 where Richardson had but recently made 

 his headquarters while collecting birds in 

 the adjoining forests, and attractive 

 Senora Apollonia in charge accorded her 

 "Meester" friends a shy but cordial greet- 

 ing and an emergency breakfast of sar- 

 dines and plantains. 



MULE-DRIVERS COMPRISE HALE THE MALE 

 POPULATION 



The small level place in front of the 

 posada, whence the ground dropped 

 abruptly both to the east and west, was 

 constantly occupied by steaming pack 

 mules with dripping arrieros (muleteers) 

 adjusting packs to meet the requirements 

 of a down instead of up grade. Over 

 half of the male population of Colombia 

 are said to be mule-drivers. This life is 

 one of exposure and hardships calling for 

 great endurance and ability to meet the 

 disasters which sooner or later befall one 

 on the trail, and it develops a set of pic- 



turesque vagabonds who play a leading 

 part in any highway scene in Colombian 

 life. 



The Colombian mule is not large ; he is 

 rarely overfed, but is expected to carry a 

 weight of 300 pounds without regard to 

 grade or the condition of the trail. Fre- 

 quently only the combined exertions of 

 mule and arriero keep him on the road. 

 The whip is not spared, but the arriero 

 appears to depend chiefly on his vocabu- 

 lary as a stimulant. With incredible elo- 

 quence he encourages, pleads, curses, and 

 rages as circumstances require, and his 

 voice is the most characteristic sound on 

 Colombian roads and trails. 



Not one of the arrieros who had reached 

 the heights of San Antonio failed to sam- 

 ple a capita of Apollonia's resicado, a 

 fiery white rum, the boy of twelve toss- 

 ing his drink off with the matter-of-fact 

 gravity of his seniors. 



hostess' four-year-old daughter 

 smokes a big cigar 



So far as we observed, Apollonia's four- 

 year-old daughter had not acquired a taste 

 for rum, but she had already laid the 

 foundation of a habit which Colombian 

 women, at least of the rank and file, have 



