200 JOURNEY TO THE GOLD MINE OF 



and turning his heels towards every person who 

 approached him. As soon as the mules were sad- 

 dled, which was always a troublesome and dan- 

 gerous operation, we mounted, and rode out of the 

 yard followed by the loose mules, who trotted after 

 the madrina, or bell-mare, which was driven on by 

 one of the peons. 



As we passed through the streets the watchmen 

 were singing the hour, with the usual hymn of 

 " Ave Maria purissima and it was quite singular 

 to hear their different ways of chanting it. 



Our road passed across the plain of Santiago, 

 and although we cantered, it was nearly three hours 

 before we got to the mountains, and then for the 

 whole day we had either to climb up one side of a 

 barren mountain, or to scramble down the other. 

 These mountains, from want of rain, afford scarcely 

 any pasture: the soil upon them is cracked in a 

 most singular manner, and the fissures are so deep 

 and frequent, that it is apparently dangerous to 

 ride over them. 



After travelling until our mules were quite tired, 

 we arrived, after the sun had set, at a small hamlet 

 of mud huts. There had been a church, but the 



