5940 



Nainral'History Collectors. 



one or two of them opened their mouths, but I could not hear what 

 they said. 



Sr. Oreallana, my cicerone, says the captain of the chatter was 

 drunk, and went away without him, and that it cost him four dollars 

 for a canoe to overtake her. 



2nd. Planked it for the night, which was very cold. I have a bit 

 of a cough and a nasty cold. Much rain. 12 p.m. Started on horses. 

 The road was entirely through the bush, with the exception of one 

 chocolate plantation, in bad order. Arrived at the town of Naranjal 

 at 2.15 P.M. Naranjal is rather large; the houses are built separately 

 and on sticks, wnth split bamboos for walls. The people, for the most 

 part, appear dirty, and the place corresponds. All through this 

 country they tie pigs up by the neck, as we do dogs. 



3rd. 8 A.M. Having procured mules, we started in pouring rain, 

 and I had only white duck trousers on, as I was given to understand 

 that the box with my woollen things w^as gone on ahead. They used 

 one of my blankets for a mule-cloth and the other for a saddle-cloth. 

 Passed through bush, and arrived at a rancho, kept by a young white 

 couple, on the side of a torrent : being wet through, made an ineffectual 

 attempt to dry my external clothing. Half-past 11 a.m. Rain abated. 

 Started again. Crossed the torrent four or five times and over two or 

 three ridges ; arrived at an open shed called " The Mint," from a spe- 

 cies of wild mint that grows there. We have been travelling in the 

 mountains for about an hour after dark : I can only say it was 

 not pleasant, the road being bad enough by daylight. Felt as if 

 I had ague. 



4th. Took chocolate. Had some little difficulty to make the 

 mules take the right direction, and no wonder, for the road was even 

 worse than yesterday. Morning cold. Started at 7 a.m. I should 

 have stated that ''The Mint" was situated on a little plain amongst 

 the mountains, with a rivulet running through it. 10 a.m. Arrived at 

 Mollcturo Pueblo, a pretty valley, with a few Indian huts scattered 

 about. Church was going on. In the church the fiddle, drum and 

 triangle were playing gaily anything but psalm tunes. After crossing 

 two or three water-courses or torrents we arrived at a place called 

 Meeweiss at 5 p.m. : this is the best-looking farm or rancho which 

 I have seen, having stone walls and whicker fences all round about, 

 but the house, as usual, was very miserable. Here we stopped for the 

 night. Half-past 5 p.m. A mist or cloud, like a London i^fog, swept 

 quickly through the valley, making almost night of it ; with it came a 

 very cold wind. 



