TWELVE PEONS BLOCKED UP IN A STORM. 87 



freezings but the middle of the day almost op- 

 pressively warm. Here one of our peons 

 informed us^ that " only a few days ago, himself 

 with eleven others were blocked up in a casucha 

 twelve days, during a snow storm; that their 

 provisions failed them, and they had nothing to 

 eat but the carcase of a mule which they had 

 picked up in the snovv^ : had it not been for this 

 providential discovery, they must have perished ; 

 one of his companions died, and it was probable 

 we might see his body in the snow." This was 

 the last and latest account we had heard of any 

 one having so recently been in the Cordillera. 



August \bth. Rose at daylight, and sent the 

 cargo-mules on before ; two having strayed high 

 up in the mountains, the peons had some trou- 

 ble and difficulty in clambering after them, which 

 detained us till seven o'clock, when we followed 

 after and commenced ascending very fast. After 

 passing several patches of snow, laying in some 

 places two or three feet deep, and leaving a misera- 

 ble hut on our left, we came to a very steep ascent. 



