d being very slow about clearing the
way. Still, after an hour's hard work, we were on the point in
question, and from there I could see the real Santo Peak, separated
from us by only one deep valley, as far as I could judge in the tangle
of forest that covered everything. The guides again pretended that we
were standing on the highest mountain then, and that it would take
at least a fortnight to reach the real Peak. I assured them that I
meant to be on its top by noon, and when they showed no inclination
whatever to go on, I left them and went on with my boys. We had to
dive into a deep ravine, where we found a little water and refilled
our bottles. Then we had to ascend the other side, which was trying,
as we had lost the trail and had to climb over rocks and through the
thickest bush I ever met. The ground was covered with a dense network
of moss-grown trunks that were mouldering there, through which we
often fell up to our shoulders, while vines and ferns wound round
our bodies, so that we did our climbing more with our arms than with
our feet. After a while one of the guides joined us, but he did not
know the way; at last we found it, but there were many ups and downs
before we attained the summit. The weather now changed, and we were
suddenly surrounded by the thick fog that always covers the Peak before
noon. The great humidity and the altitude combine to create a peculiar
vegetation in this region; the tree-ferns are tremendously developed,
and the natives pretend that a peculiar species of pigeon lives here.

I was surprised to find any paths at all up here; but the natives come
here to shoot pigeons, and several valleys converge at Santo Peak,
so that there are important passes near its summits. One of my boys
gave out here, and we left him to repose. The rest of the way was not
difficult, but we were all very tired when we reached the top. There
was another summit, a trifle higher, separated from the first by
a long ridge, but we contented ourselves with the one we were on,
especially as we could see absolutely nothing. I was much disappointed,
as on a clear day the view of Santo and the whole archipelago must
be wonderful. I deposited a bottle with a paper of statistics,
which some native has probably found by this time. We were wet and
hungry, and as it was not likely that the fog would lift, we began the
descent. Without the natives I never could have found the way back in
the fog; but they followed the pa