398 



JOURNEY. 



breakfasted^ At one o'clock arrived at a con- 

 tadero, called Caraval, where I missed a peon. 



I sent my servant and silley^o in search of 

 him, w^ho returned in about an hour and a 

 half vs^ith my trunk, w^hich they had found 

 in the wood by tracing his footsteps. He had 

 pushed on ahead of the party, and, turning 

 into the wood, had concealed himself until 

 we passed ; then taking his provisions, left the 

 trunk without doing it any injury, and return- 

 ed home. He had received the greater part 

 of his hire, having been particularly well re- 

 commended to me. To this species of incon- 

 venience travellers are much exposed on the 

 mountains, being entirely at the mercy of their 

 peons. It has been known that every peon has 

 deserted a traveller, and left him alone, with 

 all his baggage, on these mountains. 



Having already lost so much time, and the 

 heavens assuming a threatening aspect, I deem- 

 ed it advisable to erect a rancha, which was 

 completed just in time to shelter me from a 

 tremendous storm of thunder, lightning, and 

 deluging rain. 



Jan. 26th. The quantity of rain which had 

 fallen during the night had made the roads 



