72 



REAL DEL MONTE. 



stances over the abyss, by bridges equally without par- 

 apet. 



We kept, as well as the ear and touch would permit, 

 one exactly behind the other, momentarily passing the 

 word to halt, or advance, rapidly from one to another. 

 Now and then we came to a full halt, from the utter 

 doubt whether the next step would not be over the pre- 

 cipice. The passage of each bridge in turn, was a mo- 

 ment of great interest, yet through God's mercy, we met 

 with no accident, but gradually ascended, till the fresh- 

 ening air and the expansion of the valley, as we might 

 see by an occasional flash, indicated our approach to the 

 town. In fine, there we arrived, and after some little 

 search, found our valets, and a room prepared for our 

 reception in a meson or inn. 



The mules and their cargoes had fortunately escaped 

 pillage ; some thought, from the fact that there w r ere no 

 robbers to attack them, and others, from the intimidation 

 produced by the formidable and suspicious appearance 

 of the leather case of my gun, which, in its empty state, 

 was always carried in advance upon the leading mule, 

 in the hands of little Raphael. Pointed forward between 

 the ears of the animal, it certainly might pass for a bow 

 gun of extraordinary construction. 



We made a halt of two days at Real del Monte, which 

 we found to be a singularly picturesque town, containing, 

 among others, one large decorated church, and many 

 substantial buildings. It is surrounded by forests of oak 

 and pine, and mountain slopes carpeted by white, red, 

 and yellow flowering shrubs. It is situated at the height 

 of upward of nine thousand feet above the sea. We 

 found our time fully taken up by the overground and un- 

 derground excursions which we were enabled to make 

 with much interest to ourselves, through the polite at- 

 tention of the gentlemen connected with the mining com- 

 pany. Among the former I distinguished a climb to the 

 summit of a singular rock rising, at the distance of some 

 miles, about one thousand feet higher than the town, and 

 commanding a view of extraordinary interest and extent 



