THE GREAT CORDILLEllA. ISS 



the path seems literally to lengthen as one goes. 

 We found it particularly so, as we had to travel in 

 a night which was unusually dark. The plain be- 

 fore us was not visible, while the black outline of 

 the mountains against the sky appeared close to us, 

 or rather immediately above us. However, we at 

 last got to the first ravine of the Cordillera ; and 

 then, with the noble mountains towering over our 

 heads, sometimes lost in darkness, and sometimes 

 marked out by the few stars which were visible, we 

 followed the sound of the water, until the distant 

 light at the post-hut, and the barking of the dogs 

 as they came rushing towards us, told us that we 

 should now cross the stream, which we did, and 

 then rode up to the post. The dogs continued 

 barking, and occasionally biting at our mules' tails, 

 until the postmaster and another man came to us. 

 They were sleeping by the embers of a fire, in the 

 kitchen or shed which was before us. One side 

 was completely open, the other three were of 

 boughs wattled, but so open that the smoke easily 

 escaped. 



The post of Villa Vicencia, which in all the 

 maps of South America looks so respectable, now 



