untains. From what our old landlady said,
I guessed that she was a Liberal; but, of course, I thought it best not
to trust her. The silleros are chairmen, the peons carry the baggage.
It was not necessary, we found, to leave our horses behind, though it
might be dangerous to ride them. At the same time, if it had not been
important to keep up our character as travellers, I should not have
hesitated to push over the mountains with a single guide to show the
way.

While I was waiting for Mr Laffan's return, a Spanish officer entered
the posada, and in a dictatorial tone ordered supper, although it was an
early hour for that meal. He then eyed me narrowly, and inquired of the
old woman who I was. It struck me that he was the person I had seen
while I was talking to the natives.

"An English milord going over the Quindio mountains to Bogota," was the
answer--being the information Domingo had given her.

Turning towards me, he inquired if such were the case. I was very
nearly replying, when I remembered that I did not speak Spanish, and I
made signs to let him know that my companion would soon return and
inform him all about the matter. Finding that he could make nothing of
me, he paced up and down the room, his sword clanking on the hard mud
floor. Whenever he came near me, Lion gave a low growl, and appeared as
if about to spring on him. There was something in the tone of his
voice, or the appearance of the man, which evidently the sagacious
animal did not like. Soon after an orderly appeared, conducting a
sillero and two peons--the sillero was a fine strong-built man in a
loose dress.

The captain told them that he meant to start next morning at daybreak to
go across the mountains, and that they must reach Ibaque in five days.

"Impossible," was the answer. "Six is the least in which the journey
can be performed. Except with the greatest exertion, it requires
seven."

"I must start at daybreak to-morrow morning, and my orders must be
obeyed. Go! the sergeant will look after you."

The soldier retired with the men, who, I found, were his prisoners; and
in a short time Mr Laffan appeared, and said that he had arranged with
two silleros and five peons, three of whom were to lead the horses, and
the other two to carry our baggage.

"Domingo will have to walk, and so must we, if we wish to push on fast,"
he observed. "They can go on ahead, and we can overtake them at the
foot of the mountains," he added