JOURNEY. 



373 



March, when the roads would be passable ; 

 and that the Spaniards had retreated on Alta- 

 Peru. 



He complained of having already lost a 

 peon, although only on his second day's jour- 

 ney ; and giving us his name, requested us 

 to complain to the proper authorities. — Ar- 

 rived at La Balsa, a small village,, and slept 

 in a cottage very uncomfortably, as the mules 

 and peons did not arrive with our bedding, 

 being' delayed by the badness of the roads. 



Jan. 7th. I was here attacked by the same 

 illness as in the mountains : a species of dy- 

 sentery, with nauseous sickness ; and suffered 

 much from having an excellent appetite, but 

 no power to digest what I ate. Being obliged 

 to be my own doctor, I prescribed calomel and 

 salts, which relieved me a little. 



About eight the post arrived, with a light 

 load on his back, of about fifty pounds weight ; 

 another peon in company with him : he said 

 he had letters, and a good deal of gold and 

 platina. I asked him if he were not afraid 

 of being robbed? he said, such a thing had 

 never been heard of;— a strong proof of the 

 natural honesty of the natives, who only need 

 to be well directed and governed. The post 



