234 



INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL. 



"We collected a quantity of wood, made a fire in the 

 centre, had supper, and passed a social evening. The 

 muleteers had a large fire outside, and with their pack- 

 saddles and cargoes built a breastwork to shelter them- 

 selves against the wind. Fancy called up a picture of 

 far-distant scenes : a small circle of friends, perhaps at 

 that moment thinking of us. Perhaps, to tell the truth, 

 we wished to be with them ; and, above all, as we look- 

 ed to our sleeping-places, thought of the comforts of 

 home. Nevertheless, we soon fell asleep. Toward 

 morning, however, we were reminded of our elevated 

 region. The ground was covered with a hoar-frost, 

 and water was frozen a quarter of an inch thick. Our 

 guide said that this happened regularly every night 

 in the year when the atmosphere was clear. It was 

 the first ice we had seen in the country. The men 

 were shivering around a large fire, and, as soon as they 

 could see, went out to look for the mules. One of 

 them had strayed ; and while the men were looking for 

 her, we had breakfast, and did not get off till a quarter 

 before eight. Our road traversed the ridge of the sier- 

 ra, which for two leagues was a level table, a great part 

 composed of immense beds of red slate and blue lime- 

 stone or chalk rock, lying in vertical strata. At ten 

 o'clock we began to descend, the cold being still severe. 

 The descent surpassed in grandeur and magnificence 

 all that we had yet encountered. It was by a broad 

 passage with perpendicular mountain- walls, rising in 

 rugged and terrific peaks, higher and higher as we de- 

 scended, out of which gigantic cypress-trees were grow- 

 ing, their trunks and all their branches dead. Before 

 us, between these immense walls, was a vista reaching 

 beyond the village of San Andres, twenty-four miles 

 distant. A stream of water was dashing down over 



