222 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



We had added to our equipments aguas de arma, be- 

 ing undressed goatskins embroidered with red leather, 

 which hang down from the saddlebow, to protect the 

 legs against rain, and were now fully accoutred in 

 Central American style. 



It was cold and wintry. We ascended and crossed 

 a high plain, and at the distance of a league descended 

 to a village, where we learned that Juan and Bobon 

 had passed on some time before. Beyond this we as- 

 cended a high and rugged mountain, and on the top 

 reached a magnificent plain. We rode at a brisk pace, 

 and it was one o'clock before our jailbirds overtook us. 

 By this time we were surprised at not overtaking our 

 men with the luggage. We could not have passed 

 them, for there was but one road. Since leaving the 

 village we had not seen a single person, and at two 

 o'clock we met a man with a loaded mule coming from 

 Aguas Calientes, the end of our day's journey, who 

 had not met them. Mr. Catherwood became alarmed, 

 fearing that they had robbed us and run away. I was 

 always careless with luggage, but never lost any, and 

 was slow in coming to this belief. In half an hour we 

 met another man, who told us that he had not seen 

 them, and that there was no other road than the one by 

 which he came. Since our apprehensions began, we 

 had not been able to discover any tracks, but went on 

 to within two leagues of our halting-place, when we 

 stopped, and held one of the most anxious consultations 

 that occurred in our whole journey. We knew but lit- 

 tle of the men. Juan cheated us every day in the lit- 

 tle purchases for the road, and we had detected him in 

 the atrocity of keeping back part of the money we gave 

 him to buy corn and sacate, and starving the mules. 

 After a most unhappy deliberation, we concluded that 



