270 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



Immediately from the village the road, which was a 

 mere opening through the trees, commenced descend- 

 ing, and very soon we came to a road of palos or sticks, 

 like a staircase, so steep that it was dangerous to ride 

 down them. But for these sticks, in the rainy season 

 the road would be utterly impassable. Descending con- 

 stantly, at a little after twelve we reached a small stream, 

 where the Indians washed their sweating bodies. 



From the banks of this river we commenced ascend- 

 ing the steepest mountain I ever knew. Riding was out 

 of the question ; and encumbered with sword and spurs, 

 and leading our mules, which sometimes held back, and 

 sometimes sprang upon us, the toil was excessive. Ev- 

 ery few minutes we were obliged to stop*and lean 

 against a tree or sit down. The Indians did not speak 

 a word of any language but their own. "We could hold 

 no communication whatever with them, and could not 

 understand how far it was to the top. At length we 

 saw up a steep pitch before us a rude cross, which we 

 hailed as being the top of the mountain. We climbed 

 up to it, and, after resting a moment, mounted our 

 mules, but, before riding a hundred yards, the descent 

 began, and immediately we were obliged to dismount. 

 The descent was steeper than the ascent. In a certain 

 college in our country a Chair was transmitted as an 

 heirloom to the laziest man in the senior class. One 

 held it by unanimous consent ; but he was seen run- 

 ning down hill, was tried and found guilty, but avoid- 

 ed sentence by the frank avowal that a man pushed 

 him, and he was too lazy to stop himself. So it was 

 with us. It was harder work to resist than to give way. 

 Our mules came tumbling after us ; and after a most 

 rapid, hot, and fatiguing descent, we reached a stream 

 covered with leaves and insects. Here two of our In- 



