b scenery--the mountain-tops concealed in the clouds. We also saw
numerous birds perched on the trees, or flitting among their branches--
many of the most brilliant plumage, such as I had never before seen in
the neighbourhood of Popayan.

I generally kept ahead with my sillero, who led the way. One of the
peons following carried the chief load; then came Mr Laffan; Domingo
and the rest of the people with the animals bringing up the rear. My
sillero, though an Indian, was called Manoel; being, as he said, a
baptised Christian. As I was anxious to gain information, which he
seemed willing to impart, I was tempted to break through the plan which
had been agreed on, and to speak a few words of Spanish, so that I might
ask questions. I began in a broken, hesitating sort of way, until at
length I forgot myself altogether, though Manoel did not appear at all
astonished.

"El senor speaks Spanish better than I should have supposed possible
from the short time he has been in the country," he observed.

"I can understand what you say, and that is all I want," I answered. "I
have heard other Indians speak as you do, and so I am more ready to
converse with you than I should be with a Spaniard."

I felt sure that I could trust Manoel, as, from one or two remarks he
had let drop, I was convinced that he was a Liberal, and had no love for
the Spaniards. While we were encamped at night, sitting round our fire,
we all talked away until it was time to go to sleep; but while
travelling, as we were compelled to move in single file, it was
difficult to carry on a conversation, except with the person immediately
in front or behind.

After we had proceeded some distance, we began to hope that I had been
mistaken in what I had heard the captain say to the sergeant, and that
we should escape any risk of being captured and prevented from
continuing our journey. Still Mr Laffan continued anxious on the
subject.

We had been travelling for some time, and I was beginning to feel more
tired than I had hitherto done. I had not as yet, indeed, quite
recovered my full strength, and was scarcely fitted to walk as I was
doing.

Manoel at length persuaded me to get on the silla. "It makes no
difference to me," he observed; "you are as light as a feather. You
English are very different from the Spaniards. They get on our backs as
if they were riding mules, and will often use a stick if we do not go
fast enough to please them."

I co