134 



PASSAGE ACROSS 



consists of a solitary hut without a window, with a 

 bullock's hide for a door, and with very little roof. 

 As the night was cold, I preferred sleeping in the 

 kitchen by the fire, leaving the mules to do as 

 they chose, and to go wherever their fancies might 

 incline them. I took for my pillow one of the 

 horses' skulls, which in South America are used as 

 chairs, and wrapping myself up in my poncho, I 

 dropped off to sleep. When I awoke, which was 

 before daybreak, I found two peons and one of my 

 party asleep round the fire, and a great dog snoring 

 at my back. 



I called out for the capataz, who came to me 

 rubbing his eyes, and looking dirty and sleepy, 

 and I told him to go after his mules ; but one of 

 the men said that the peon was already gone. Our 

 men were also up, preparing some soup, and as the 

 day began to dawn, and as the mules did not 

 appear, I resolved to find out the baths, v/hich are 

 about a mile off. I followed a path until I came 

 to a spot where I was surrounded by hills, which it 

 seemed quite impossible to climb even on hands 

 and knees; however, on proceeding, I found a sin- 

 gular passage cut in the rock, and climbing up to 



