THE GUADUA-TREE. 



409 



neck, and could carry me no farther : I was 

 consequently obliged to walk. At one o'clock 

 the peons told me that they would not proceed 

 that day. I informed them that if they did 

 not, I would not pay them a sixpence more 

 than they had already received. After much 

 quarrelling I got them on ; and about sunset 

 arrived at El Choro Grande, where I slept un- 

 der the same shed with the peons, they being 

 too tired to make me a tent. The rain fell in 

 torrents all night. 



During the day we had been in want of wa- 

 ter, and my sillero, who knew the woods well, 

 conducting me to a particular spot, made an 

 incision in the bark of a guadua-tree, from 

 which the water flowed in abundance. Ap- 

 plying my mouth to the orifice, I quenched 

 my thirst with the fluid, which was fine, clear, 

 and delicious. Each joint of this tree contains 

 about two gallons of water. 



Feb. 1st. Began our march at daylight. 

 Our route lay directly along a ridge of moun- 

 tains, leading down to Las Juntas, My sillero 

 being sufficiently recovered to carry me, I was 

 mounted in my chair, when suddenly, about 

 noon, he turned round, and began descending 



