CHAPTER XX 
Wild Animals — An Immense Chasm — Interesting Cloud Effects 
O N May thirty-first (thermometer: minimum 56°, 
maximum 74° Fahrenheit) I decided to abandon 
the missing horse and proceed on my journey. I 
suspected, with reason, that the animal had been stolen. 
It was no use wasting any more time searching for it. We 
thus bade good-bye for good to the Salesians, and left the 
great basin of the Sangrador River (elevation 2,050 feet). 
We travelled over sparsely wooded country to 2,350 
feet. Tobacco-coloured soil was still under our feet, 
yellow spattered lava, then again reddish soil, wonderfully 
rich and fertile, if only it could be cultivated. The 
country was here peculiar for its many undulations until 
we arrived on the rim of a large basin, extending from 
northwest to southeast, of great campos, with stunted 
vegetation at first, but later with a truly luxuriant growth 
of vigorous-looking Jtauba preta (Oreodaphne Ilookeri- 
ana Meissn.), with thick, deep green foliage. 
We crossed two streamlets flowing north. On going 
uphill we travelled on masses of volcanic pellets (elevation 
2,500 feet). To the south we could see a number of hills, 
the sides of which showed the great effects of erosion by 
wind and water. Nearly all those hill ranges extended 
from east to west. A long depression could be observed, 
cutting them from north to south. 
That was a fine day for cloud effects, especially along 
the horizon, where they displayed horizontal lines, while 
they had great, ball-like tops. Higher up, to the north- 
vol. i._is 273 
