eir cargo followed our example, and it was wonderful to see how they
kept their feet; as one false step might have sent them to the bottom,
carrying everything behind them too, and on more than one occasion this
has happened, the animals falling, generally being killed outright in
the fall. Pushing on as fast as possible, it was not till 4 o'clock p.m.
that our residence for the night loomed in view, and it did not inspire
one that it could supply much in the way of home comforts. Sure, the old
hovel had walls and a roof, but beyond that there were no windows, and
where the door ought to have been there was only a hole in the wall, but
nothing to close it with to keep out the intense cold.

We, of course, knew when we started that we would have to rough it, so
there was no use grumbling now, and therefore set about at once to get
something to make a fire with. With great good fortune we, after a great
deal of searching and gathering, obtained some old rubbish that burned.
I say with good luck, because this is a treeless region yet, at an
elevation of 10,000 feet, and fuel is naturally always at a premium. For
cooking it did not matter so much, as we had a spirit lamp, but it was
to warm our bodies and keep up our spirits that made the fire so
desirable. Darkness was on us before we finished our evening meal, and
we looked forward to the night with no very pleasant forebodings--and it
did turn out a tiresome night--it rained all the time and the cold was
extreme--so much so, that we eventually sat up most of the time, hoping
by daylight to move on to a more charitable atmosphere.

I think I should not miss this opportunity of relating an experience of
mine when I journeyed over the same route on another occasion. Then I
was only accompanied by two Indians--no white people--and was travelling
towards Sorata. I remember very well we reached Tolapampa, already
described, in the afternoon, it having rained constantly all day. I was
suffering from malaria very acutely, and the high levels at which we had
been travelling also affected me grievously. I arrived at Tolapampa
soaked to the skin, shivering cold, and really more dead than alive. To
aggravate matters we could not light a fire--everything was wet--and I
can assure you it was anything but a bright outlook for us. Another gang
of about ten Indians also turned up, and we did look a sorry lot.
However, these natives, seeing that I was so weak (I had had malaria
almost con