THE ISLAND OF CURACAO. 29 



A portion extends througli Venezuela, whilst another portion con- 

 tinues as far as the Caribbean, where, near Santa Marta, it rises in 

 snoAvy peaks 16,500 feet above the sea. From the eastern slope of 

 this range countless rivers flow into the Amazon, the Negro, and the 

 Orinoco. The Magdalena, which is practically the onl}^ highway in 

 Colombia, has a dangerous bar at its mouth, but above this is navi- 

 gable by steamers of light draught to Yeguas, a distance of some 

 630 miles. Here there is an interruption due to rapids, but above 

 Honda small steamers continue the navigation to Neiva, and canoes 

 are used even farther, making the total navigable length nearly 

 1,000 miles. From Honda to the sea the river falls between 800 

 and 1,000 feet, so is very swift, and were it not for its crookedness, 

 the current would prevent navigation. Climates of all tempera- 

 tures, from torrid heat to perpetual snow, are found in Colombia, 

 and due to its broken surface it has two rainy and two dry seasons. 

 For the Magdalena Valley, March, April, May, and September, 

 October, and November are the rainy months, but the line between 

 the seasons is not suddenly or sharply drawn. 



Though there are a number of little fragments of railroads 

 throughout Colombia, there is no railroad system proper, and where 

 transportation cannot be had by water, dependence must be placed 

 upon mules. Thus the capital of the Republic, a city of over 

 100,000 inhabitants is inaccessible by wheeled conveyance. There 

 is said to be a poor wagon road from the rivei' to the south of 

 Honda, but it is seldom used. 



