DESCRIPTION OF THE PASSES. 



99 



which rendered them much more difficult and 

 dangerous. 



Our road lay by the side of the Rio de Men- 

 doza ; following it up the valley^ which was formed 

 as I have before mentioned by immense mountains 

 on each side, reaching to the enormous height of 

 fifteen hundred and two thousand feet. Now, in 

 many places they ran so steeply down into the 

 river^ as to leave no pass below ; hence it was cut 

 in the sides of the mountain itself^ at the different 

 heights of two^ three, and four hundred feet from 

 the torrent beneath ; but from the continual fall- 

 ing of large masses of rock and loose stones from 

 the immense heights above, they generally formed 

 a bay, which may in some measure account for 

 my so suddenly losing sight of the guide and 

 peons ; and these are called the laderas, or cuts 

 in the mountains, so much spoken of, and I may 

 say so much exaggerated by almost all travel- 

 lers. Here was a general halt ; and the peons 

 set to work making a new path, which on ac- 

 count of the substance being composed of loose 



h2 



