and in order to obtain a better view of the country
beyond the defile, to judge whether we should proceed in that direction,
I climbed up to a higher part of the rock, supposing that all the
Spaniards had passed by; when, to my dismay, I saw some fifty men or so
drawn up across the road. They were posted there evidently to guard the
entrance of the defile, and to prevent their companions from being
attacked in the rear by any fresh body of Indians. Though I was only
exposed for a moment, they saw me; and as I jumped down several shots
rattled against the rock. Their voices shouting to us, and ordering us
to come to them, warned us that we could hope no longer to remain
concealed. We, however, were in a very secure position; and we judged,
from the difficulty we had in getting there, that they were not at all
likely to be able to climb up to us.

"What is to be done now, Pedro?" I asked. "Do you think we could
manage to scramble up among the trees, and so escape over the top of the
cliffs?"

"Perhaps we might," he answered, looking up to examine the trees above
us. "But what should we do when we got there? We should be without our
mules or provisions or arms, and a long way from any habitation where we
might obtain shelter. We should also very likely fall into the power of
some of the broken parties of Catari's army, dispersed by the Spaniards;
and they, enraged by the disaster which has befallen them, would, seeing
that we were whites, kill us without asking us any questions."

Pedro's arguments were very strong; but still I thought we should be
only falling from the frying-pan into the fire, if we put ourselves into
the power of the Spaniards. While we were still discussing what we
should do, we heard them again calling to us.

"Come down, you Indian thieves, come down and be shot, or we must climb
up after you," they shouted.

"More easily said than done," observed Pedro; "but do not let us show
ourselves, or they are very likely to shoot us without further
questioning. If we could make them hear us from where we are, we might
tell them that we are whites, who had been taken prisoners by the
Indians."

"Stay then," said I, going to the side of the rock nearest to where the
Spaniards stood, keeping my body carefully sheltered behind it, I put my
head among the leaves, so that they could not see me, and shouted out--

"We are friends! we are friends!--whites, escaped from the Indians. We
were afraid