PASSAGE OF THE CORDILLERA. 361 



places. I believe the fact was, that the two 

 peons shammed sick, in order to avoid the 

 compulsory service of the government, — that 

 in reality the state loses more by this ill- 

 judged parsimony, in not giving these men 

 proper pay, than if they rewarded them in 

 the same proportion as individuals do. 



In company with Lieutenant Ortegas was a 

 young lad, about fifteen years of age, named 

 Malarino, who had lately lost his father, and 

 become heir to considerable property. He 

 was on his way from Bogota, where he had 

 been studying in the college, to visit his mo- 

 ther, who lived at Caly, one of the chief towns 

 in the valley of the Cauca, I found him a 

 shrewd boy, but very forward, — considered 

 himself quite the man, and his education 

 completed. The loss of his father at so early 

 an age was very much to be regretted, as 

 he would have kept him in proper subjec- 

 tion, and, as the lad had good abilities, might 

 possibly have made a shining character of 

 him ; which, I now fear, will not be the case, 

 as he appeared to have a great inclination 

 for cock-fighting and gambling, instead of 



