RIO DE LAS VACAS. 



247 



there was a scene that truly astonished me. On 

 each side of the river were about two hundred 

 mules^ their cargoes lying scattered in all direc- 

 tions ; some of them had been detained on its banks 

 for three days^ and were likely to remain as many 

 more. The river was certainly awful ; many 

 mules and two men had already been lost. There 

 were people employed building a bridge across it, 

 and a temporary machine was erected for the pur- 

 pose of carrying over the men and cargoes, but 

 those who first got possession of it retained it 

 until they had worked over all their cargo. It was 

 constructed as follows : — ^two posts were firmly 

 erected on each side the river directly opposite 

 to each other, two ropes of hide were then car- 

 ried across and made fast by way of banisters ; 

 on these two ropes, which were fastened to the 

 posts, was a piece of wicker-work much resem- 

 bling the top of a basket; this was made to 

 traverse backwards and forwards by having a 

 ring at each corner, through which the ropes 

 were rove ; a leading line was then made fast 



