ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE. 



155 



afnother. At midnight we were roused from sleep by 

 that movement which, once felt, can never be mistaken. 

 The building rocked, our men in the corridor cried out 

 " temblor," and Mr. C. and I at the same moment ex- 

 claimed " an earthquake !" Our cartarets stood trans- 

 versely. By the undulating movement of the earth he 

 was rolled from side to side, and I from head to foot. 

 The sinking of my head induced an awful faintness of 

 heart. I sprang upon my feet and rushed to the door. 

 In a moment the earth was still. We sat on the sides 

 of the bed, compared movements and sensations, lay 

 down again, and slept till morning. 



Early in the morning we resumed our journey. Un- 

 fortunately, the gray mule was no better. Perhaps she 

 would recover in a few days, but we had no time to wait. 

 My first mule, too, purchased as the price of seeing Don 

 Clementino's sister, which had been a most faithful an- 

 imal, was drooping. Don Saturnino offered me his 

 own, a strong, hardy animal, in exchange for the latter, 

 and the former I left behind, to be sent back and turned 

 out on the pasture-grounds of Padre Alcantra. There 

 were few trials greater in that country than that of 

 being obliged to leave on the road these tried and faith- 

 ful companions. 



To Patzum our road was the same as the day before. 

 Before reaching it we had difficulty with the luggage, 

 and left at a hut on the road our only cartaret. Leav- 

 ing Patzum on the left, our road lay on the high, level 

 table of land, and at ten o'clock we came to the brink 

 of a ravine three thousand feet deep, saw an immense 

 abyss at our feet, and opposite, the high, precipitous 

 wall of the ravine. Our road lay across it. At the 

 very commencement the descent was steep. As we ad- 

 vanced the path wound fearfully along the edge of the 



