ROUGH TRAVELLING. 



341 



did not encourage us, for they seemed unable to 

 carry themselves on their feet, much less us on 

 their shoulders. However, we got them out of the 

 room, and told them to get the coches ready. At 

 three o'clock we crawled into the vehicles, and in 

 the mean time our carriers had taken another drink. 

 It seemed foolhardy to trust ourselves to such men, 

 particularly as we had to cross the sierra, the most 

 dangerous road in the country ; but the alcaldes said 

 they were hombres de bien, men of good character 

 and conduct ; that they would be sober before the 

 first league was passed ; and with this encourage- 

 ment we started. The sun was still scorching hot, 

 and came in directly upon the back of my head. 

 My carriers set off on a full run, which they continued 

 for perhaps a mile, when they moderated their pace, 

 and, talking and laughing all the time, toward even- 

 ing they set me down on the ground. I scrambled 

 out of the coche ; the freshness of the evening air 

 was reviving, and we waited till Doctor Cabot came 

 up. He had had a much worse time than I, his 

 carriers happening to be more intoxicated. 



It was nearly dark when we reached the foot of 

 the sierra, and, as we ascended, the clouds threaten- 

 ed rain. Before, it had been an object to leave the 

 coche as open and airy as possible, on account of 

 the heat, but now it was a greater object to avoid 

 getting wet, and I had everything fastened down on 

 the sides. On the top of the sierra the rain came 

 on, and the Indians hurried down as fast as the 



