42 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



scattered among the mules : one was chasing a stray 

 beast ; a second darting at one whose load was slip- 

 ping off; a third lifting up one that had fallen ; an- 

 other, with his foot braced against a mule's side, 

 straining at the girth ; all shouting, cursing, and lash- 

 ing : the whole a mass of inextricable confusion, and 

 presenting a scene almost terrific. 



We held up to let them pass ; and, crossing the 

 stream, rode a short distance on a level road, but over 

 fetlock deep in mud ; and, cutting off a bend, fell into 

 the stream ourselves in the middle of the caravan. 

 The branches of the trees met over our heads, and the 

 bed of the stream was so broken and stony that the 

 mules constantly stumbled and fell. Leaving this, and 

 continuing on a road the same as before, in an hour 

 we reached the foot of the mountain. The ascent 

 began precipitously, and by an extraordinary passage. 

 It was a narrow gulley, worn by the tracks of mules 

 and the washing of mountain torrents so deep that the 

 sides were higher than our heads, and so narrow that 

 we could barely pass through without touching. Our 

 whole caravan moved singly through these muddy de- 

 files, the muleteers scattered among them and on the 

 bank above, extricating the mules as they stuck fast, 

 raising them- as they fell, arranging their cargoes, curs- 

 ing, shouting, and lashing them on. If one stopped, 

 all behind were blocked up, unable to turn. Any sud- 

 den start pressed us against the sides of the gulley, and 

 there was no small danger of getting a leg crushed. 

 Emerging from this defile, we came again among deep 

 mudholes and projecting roots of trees, with the addi- 

 tional difficulty of a steep ascent. The trees, too, were 

 larger, and their roots higher and extending farther ; 

 and, above all, the mahogany-tree threw out its giant 



