THE GREAT CORDILLERA. 



343 



We had scarcely passed the mines when the sun 

 set, and although we saw the post-hut of Uspal- 

 lata, yet we had great difficulty in reaching it. The 

 rest of the party were lost, and did not arrive till 

 midnight. My first object was to get something 

 for our poor mules ; there was very little in the 

 plain except hot stones and resinous shrubs, but I 

 learnt from the man that he had a potrero (or en- 

 closed field) full of grass : he began a long story 

 about how much I was to pay — however, I cut him 

 very short, and sent him off with the mules, who, 

 poor things, were no doubt delighted with their 

 unexpected supper. 



We then earnestly inquired of the man what he 

 had for us to eat? And as we all three stood 

 round him, our earnest and greedy looks were an 

 amusing contrast to the calm tranquillity Avith 

 which he replied No hai," to everything we 

 asked for ; at last we found out that he had got 

 dry peaches and live goats. We put some of the 

 former into a pot to boil, and in process of time 

 the boy, who was sent out on horseback with a 

 lasso to catch a goat, arrived. The little fellow 

 could not kill it, and the man was gone for wood ; 



