long moment
since you put anything on. Now, help me to make it up."

We soon had the fire blazing brightly again, and Antonio promised to
keep awake until daylight. Had it not been for Lion, I should not have
trusted him. He probably was not aware that the dog had aroused me.

Again I heard Lion bark loudly. The fire, as before, had burned down,
and Antonio was again asleep; but on looking out of the door I found
that day had broken. I was convinced that Lion had been observing the
fire rather than Antonio--considering it his duty to watch it--and that
he had called me simply because he saw that it ought to be made up.

I now awakened the whole party, and by the time we had eaten a hearty
breakfast the light had increased sufficiently to enable us to continue
our journey.

We encountered the same sad sights as on the previous day. There were
fewer animals, but many more dead bodies,--some evidently, from their
dress, being those of women and children.

"They are those of unfortunate people who were attempting to escape from
the Godos," observed Padillo. "The mountains hereabouts are full of the
skeletons of those who have thus perished. But Heaven will punish our
oppressors."

All we saw must have died on their first day's journey across the
Paramo. Those only who had strong mules, or who had found shelter in
the tambo, could have escaped. But it would not do to allow our
thoughts to dwell upon the subject. Our business was to push on as fast
as our legs would carry us. Directly we felt any of the sensations we
had experienced on the previous day, we drank at the nearest stream we
could reach, but we did not stop to take food.

At length the fearful Paramo was passed; and yet this was only half the
size of many which exist in the country. Before dark we reached a tambo
situated at a lower level and exposed to the free air, but even there we
felt it very cold. In a few days we were rapidly descending, and at
last found ourselves almost on a level with the valley of the Cauca,
enjoying a tropical temperature, and on the borders of a dense forest.
By keeping more to our left we should have continued along the road to
Antioquia, but we were uncertain which party then possessed that town.
Padillo, however, volunteered to ascertain this while we remained in the
forest. We had already paid him his well-deserved reward, with which he
seemed highly satisfied.

He had been absent some time, and we were an