Ch. 1. SOUTH AMERICA. 2a% 



faid, that it would be much fafer to perform this pare 

 of the journey on foot : but how can any perfon be 

 fure always of placing his feet direftly on the emi- 

 nences between the holes ? and the leaft falfe ftep 

 tlirows him up to the wafte in a flimy mud, with 

 which all the holes are full ; and then he will find it 

 very difficult either to proceed or return back. 



These holes, or camelones, as they are called, rendeir 

 all this road very toilfome and dangerous, being, as it 

 were, fo many obilacles to the poor mules ; though 

 the danger is even greater in thofe parts where they 

 are wanting. For, as the tracks are extremely deep 

 and nipper}^, from the foil, which is chalky and con- 

 tinually wet; fo they would be quite impracticable, 

 did not the Indians go before, and dig little trenches 

 acrofs the road, with fmall fpades which they carry 

 with them for this purpofe and thus both the dif- 

 ficulty and danger of thefe craggy paths are greatly 

 lefTened. This work is continual, every drove re- 

 quiring a repetition of it for in lefs than a night the 

 rain utterly deftroys all the trenches cut by feveral 

 hands the preceding day. The trouble of having peo- 

 ple going before to mend the road ; the pains arifing 

 from the many falls and bruifes ; and the difagree- 

 ablenefs of feeing one's felf entirely covered with dirt, 

 and Vv^et to the ikin, noight be the more chearfully 

 fupported, were they not augmented by the fight of 

 fuch frightful precipices, and deep abyifes, as muft 

 fill the traveller's mind with terror. For, without 

 the lead exaggeration, it may be faid, that in travel- 

 ling this road, the moft refolute tremble. 



The m.anner of defcending from thefe heights is 

 not lefs difficult and dangerous. . In order to under- ^ 

 ftand this, it is neceffary to obferve, that in thofe parts 

 of the mountains, the exceflive fleepnefs will not ad- 

 mit of the cam.elones being lading for the waters, by 

 continually foftening the earth, Vv^alh them away. On 

 one fide are deep eminences, and on the other fright- 

 ful 



