194 



STORM. 



of this storm that I had to re-ascend the 

 mountain, seated upon the packsaddle of 

 one of the mules. It may be easily ima- 

 gined that my situation was any thing 

 but comfortable ; notwithstanding, however, 

 its extreme unpleasantness, I was in 

 some degree compensated by the occasional 

 glimpses I obtained of the very striking 

 scenery around me. On advancing up the 

 mountains, 1 found that the difficulties of 

 the way had been much increased by the 

 rain; the road, if it can be called such, 

 was a kind of ravine, made in some parts 

 to take a zig-zag direction = In the finest 

 weather it is not very safe for a tra- 

 veller, and the heavy rain rendered it 

 dangerous in the extreme, — the mules fre- 

 quently losing their footing from the slip- 

 periness of the ground. Still there was 

 considerable gratification, at intervals, be- 

 tween the heavy showers of rain ; the open- 

 ing of the clouds sometimes affording the 



