JOURNEY. 



369 



on my mule, I found it necessary to have my 

 hat in my hand, as otherwise the branches 

 took it off my head ; and, indeed, without 

 keeping a good look out, one stood a chance 

 of hanging suspended from a tree, like Absa- 

 lom of old. 



Passed through many Contaderos, open 

 spaces cleared for the purpose, and so called 

 from the custom of the head muleteer s stand- 

 ing there to count his mules as they travel 

 along, lest any should be left in the wood, 

 in which case they halt the troop, and re- 

 turn to search for the missing. At three we 

 arrived at a contadero called Calejo, where we 

 made our ranchas for the night. This spot 

 is surrounded by palm-trees, to which parrots 

 flock to roost in great abundance. Malarino 

 shot several, which proved tolerably good 

 eating'. These palm-trees, by a certain pro- 

 cess, yield a wine which the natives find very 

 beneficial for dropsy. We made a large bon- 

 fire for the night, to keep off the tigers, which 

 are said to infest the neighbourhood. The 

 2:)eo7is amused us by relating many stories of 

 tigers carrying ofi* dogs, &c. One of them 

 asserted, that in going through a certain pass, 

 VOL. ir. 2 B 



