arful that he would be overtaken, asserting that
the cowboys had said that he must keep on, as they could not pass him
with their animals. When he came up to where we were, we put a quick
end to his folly, driving our three oxen to the outer edge of the road,
where Louis and he stood guard over them, while I crept up on the cliff
to avoid scaring the animals that were coming. It took much driving,
urging, and coaxing on the part of the cowboys to get the first two or
three to pass us, but after they had led the way, the others followed
with a rush.

[Illustration: AGUA BENDITA]

[Illustration: MOVING THE GREAT STONE; AGUA BENDITA]

Presently our passenger-cart came along, with both teams of oxen hitched
to it; the new animals had proved too light to drag their proper loads,
so the freight-cart had been left behind, and the full force employed in
dragging the first cart up the hill. Just beyond this spot, we found a
gang of indians, under a superintendent, prying off an immense rock mass
that had fallen from the cliff above onto the road, with the intention
of dumping it over the wall into the abyss. It would have been a sight
to have seen it plunge, but we had no time to wait, so simply stopped
a few minutes to see the method of moving the immense mass with pole
pries. Our cart had gone ahead, so we finished the ascent on foot, and
having gained the summit, walked a short distance on the high plateau to
Petapa, where the cart and _carretero_, Manuel and Ramon, were waiting.
Before we arrived, we met our men going back with the four oxen for
the freight-cart. We had supper at the ranch, and waited, until at six
o'clock everything was ready. Here we sent back the two yokes of animals
which we had brought from Jiquipilas, and secured a fine, strong beast
to make up our number, and started. We did not stop to grease the
wheels, for lack of time. It was dark, and the first part of the journey
was uncertain and difficult; coming out on to the Llano Grande, we found
things easy, though here and there were stony places, where we jolted
fearfully. At 10:30, we had passed La Cienega, and our ungreased wheels
were not only an annoyance, but, Eustasio suggested, a source of danger,
as they might take fire. So, at 11:30, we stopped to grease them. As the
axles and wheels were then too hot for grease to be safely applied, we
lay down while they should cool. Probably in less than five minutes, we
were all asleep, and no one moved un