are!--I hope I am not mistaken."

I could see several persons and animals winding round the side of the
hill, so I called to Manoel, and asked him if he thought they were our
friends.

"If they are Spaniards, senor, we shall be wise to move forward, for
they will treat you with but little ceremony, I suspect."

Manoel descended to a point from whence he could observe the approaching
party without being seen, and in a short time returned and relieved our
anxiety by assuring us that they were our friends. It was some time,
however, before they reached our camp.

They had been delayed by their efforts to rescue one of the mules which
had slipped over a precipice and got pitched in a tree; from which,
wonderful to relate, it was drawn up uninjured. The Spanish commandant,
we therefore concluded, had not thought fit to send in chase of us.

During the night we heard the roar of jaguars and other wild animals;
but as we kept up a blazing fire, we were not molested. In the morning,
just as we were about to start, I shot two wild turkeys; and had we had
time to spare, I might have killed several more. As we proceeded we saw
several tracks of bears and jaguars, perfectly fresh.

The next day we reached the Paramo, on the summit of the Cordilleras,
thirteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. We caught sight of
numbers of wild asses, which inhabit this mountainous region. The hoof
of the animal is divided like that of a pig. They are very shy, so that
even the Indians are seldom able to approach near enough to kill them;
and they are also very swift of foot.

We crossed the Paramo in safety, and continued our journey for several
days without any further adventure.

The views, as we descended the mountains, were magnificent. We could
see the Cordilleras on the opposite side of the plain of Bogota, seventy
or eighty miles off; while north and south rose prodigious heights, with
apparently perpendicular sides, their bases covered with thick, gloomy
forests, which appeared perfectly impenetrable. As we looked back, it
seemed impossible that we should have crossed the range. Frequently we
passed through dark gorges piercing the forests, two miles in length,
and not more than three or four feet wide, the vegetation on either side
being most luxuriant.

We had to be on our guard against bruising our legs by pieces of rock;
or getting our clothes torn by the long thorns of the bamboos; or being
knocked off our