INCIDENTS OF A RIDE OVER THE ANDES.--CONTRACT WITH THE ARRIERO.--PASSES
BETWEEN CHILI AND THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.--NIGHT SCENES.--DANGERS OF THE
ROAD.--A PERILOUS POSITION.--USPALLATA.--AT THE CREST OF THE ANDES.
It had been arranged that in consideration of eighty dollars, half in
advance, and the balance on completion of the journey, Il Senhor Don
Francisco Bassetti (which is South American Spanish for Mr. Frank
Bassett) and his servant were to be transported from Mendoza to Santa
Rosa, with their baggage, the latter not exceeding two hundred pounds in
weight, exclusive of blankets and clothing. The contract was taken by
one Don Federico, an _arriero_ who presented the most laudatory
testimonials as to his efficiency and honesty. It was stipulated that
Federico should provide an extra saddle-mule for Frank and another for
Manuel, to be used in case of accident, and that he and the peon who
accompanied him would attend to the saddling and all the care of the
beasts. Federico was to provide food for the travellers similar to his
own; any extra provisions they chose to carry would form part of the
baggage, and be included in the allowance of two hundred pounds. The
peon was to do the cooking for the party, but no objection should be
made if Senhor Don Francisco Bassetti chose to employ his servant Manuel
in the preparation of his dinners.
Don Federico, the arriero, proved something less than fancy and his
testimonials painted him, but, considered as a whole, he was not
altogether utterly depraved. His first move was to reduce the number of
extra saddle-mules to one, by suggesting that it was not probable the
regular mules of Frank and Manuel would both be disabled at once.
Therefore he thought one would suffice. He would have gone into a
lengthy argument on the subject had he not been cut short by Frank, who
insisted upon the terms of the contract. Next, he proposed to load the
baggage on one of the extra saddle-mules, and when prevented from doing
so, he suggested that it could be divided and carried behind the saddles
of the travellers. Evidently he was bent on reserving one mule from the
stipulated number. Frank and Manuel met him at every point; when he
found it impossible to cheat them he submitted gracefully, and
afterwards conducted himself very fairly. Later in the day Frank learned
that the arriero came from Mendoza with the proper number of mules. One
had become lame, and Federico was obliged to hire another to replace it.
Instead of frankly stating his trouble, he had endeavored to "dodge" the
difficulty by departing from his agreement.
[Illustration: A START UNDER DISADVANTAGES.]
Frank obtained lodgings at the house of a German, the only European
resident of the place. His bed was a pile of hides in a corner of a room
full of merchandise, and the youth spent a considerable part of the
night in deliberating as to whether the hides were harder or softer than
the floor. Don Federico was anxious to start early in the morning, and
Frank accommodated him; he was up before daybreak, and the whole party
had breakfasted and were in the saddle by sunrise.
Provisions for crossing the Andes are limited in variety, but that they
are adapted to the wants of travellers there can be no dispute. They
consist of _charqui_, or jerked beef, reduced to a powder by pounding in
a mortar or between two stones. It is baked or roasted before
pulverization, and is therefore ready cooked. For preparing a repast of
charqui, heat some water till it boils; throw in a few spoonfuls of
the beef powder, one or two slices of onion, break in some bread or
crackers, and let the whole simmer for ten minutes. Serve hot, and you
have a dish that a king might envy.
"It would hardly answer for Delmonico's or other fashionable
restaurants," wrote Frank in his note-book, "but with the appetite
created by exercise and the air of the mountains I have never tasted
anything more welcome than this simple preparation. It can be easily
carried, is not readily spoiled, and, on the whole, is the very best
thing one could have. I brought along some tins of preserved meats and
vegetables; they proved acceptable, but were not at all necessary for
our existence. In a bag slung at my saddle-bow I carried some crackers,
and whenever hungry I proceeded to nibble one of them. Charqui soup,
crackers, raisins, figs, and maté comprised my bill of fare on the
journey after the first day out, with the addition of the flesh of a few
birds and rabbits we killed on the way."
For the rest of the account of this trip over the Andes we will copy
from Frank's journal.
"According to the geographers," wrote our young friend, "there are ten
passes across the Andes between the Argentine Republic and Chili; they
vary from six to fifteen thousand feet above the sea-level at their
highest point, and each pass has its peculiarities. The pass of Los
Patos (The Ducks) has the advantage of good pasturage all the way, and
is much frequented by cattle-drivers, to whom time is no object, but the
great length of the route renders it undesirable for travellers and
merchandise trains. The Planchon Pass lies along the Claro and Teno
rivers; it is only six thousand feet high, and has been selected as the
route for the railway between the two countries.
[Illustration: PASS OF USPALLATA.]
"The passes most used by travellers are Portillo and La Cumbre; the
former is much travelled from the beginning of February to the end of
April, and the latter from November to May. We are crossing by La
Cumbre, which is also known as Uspallata Pass; it was one of the
earliest routes known to the Spanish conquerors of Chili and the
Argentine Republic, and is said to have been in use for centuries before
their arrival.
"This pass has two roads, which are traversable at different periods,
according to the state of the snow; the one generally used is 12,488
feet above the sea, while the other is 12,656 feet. At irregular
intervals along the route there are _casuchas_, or refuges, which were
built by the old Spaniards for the protection of couriers and travellers
who might be caught in snow-storms. Under the Spanish rule the casuchas
were provided with benches or shelves on which one could sleep; there
were doors that could be closed, and a supply of food and fuel was kept
in each building. But since the countries became independent of the Old
World the doors and shelves of these houses of refuge have been burned,
and the supply of provisions is not maintained. The casuchas are dirty,
and so open to the wind that unless the weather is absolutely terrible
it is preferable to stay outside. The traveller must rely upon himself
for provisions, and if he has not a sufficient supply, in case of a long
detention in the mountains, he must either starve or eat his mules.
"It had been stipulated with Federico that a supply of charcoal should
be carried, as no fuel is obtainable on the highest parts of the
mountains. Lower down there are trees and shrubs sufficient for cooking
purposes, and there are patches of vegetation where the animals can
graze, but in the upper elevations the beasts must go hungry, unless a
few rations of grain are carried for them. Federico was thoughtful
regarding his mules, and provided for them more liberally than do many
of the arrieros. We had a good supply of blankets and other coverings
for sleeping purposes; the weather was fine, and there was a good
prospect that we should be in Santa Rosa on the fifth day from setting
out on our mountain ride.
"Among the people that gathered to witness our departure there were
several afflicted with goitre, or swelling of the glands of the neck. I
saw many cases of this disease in Mendoza, and at different points along
the road; to all appearances it is identical with the goitre one sees in
Switzerland, and its origin is as mysterious here as in the Old World.
Federico said that nine tenths of the victims were women; he added that
few of them objected to it, as it was 'excellent for displaying
jewelry.'
[Illustration: NEAR THE BASE OF THE ANDES.]
"We rode out from the little village in as much 'style' as we could
command, in spite of the restiveness of the mules, and their tendency to
use their heels whenever an opportunity was afforded. Federico said they
would get over it in a little while, but for the present we must put up
with their eccentricities. Before starting we witnessed the performance
of a young colt which had been taken in tow by the arriero of a party
bound for Mendoza; it surpassed any of our mules in its kicking
propensities, and I was satisfied that our beasts were by no means the
worst behaved in the country.
"Almost immediately after leaving the village we struck into the valley
of a river flowing from the mountains, and from this point our road was
almost a continuous ascent. Up and up we climbed, passing two or three
mining establishments, apparently abandoned, and an occasional hut whose
occupant sold food and forage to the mule trains, and took advantage of
the little patches of grass near his residence. After several hours of
this kind of work along zigzag paths we reached the highest point of the
Uspallata range, and halted to give our animals a breathing-spell, and
to observe the scenery.
"This spot is called 'El Paramillo,' and the view it affords is
magnificent. To the eastward the plain and the intervening hills were
spread like a map before us, and we could trace the course of the rivers
and ravines for many and many a mile. North and south and west were the
Andes; their great peaks seemed to pierce the sky, and their caps of
purest snow reflected in almost blinding clearness the rays of the sun.
Though we had gained an elevation of thousands of feet, the mountains
towered far above us, and I realized more than ever before the awful
grandeur of the Andes. Below and around us were yawning chasms, and as
Federico pointed out the route by which we were to continue it seemed as
though an eternal barrier stood between us and the opposite side of the
great chain of the Andes.
[Illustration: A DANGEROUS ROAD IN THE MOUNTAINS.]
"From the crest of this ridge we proceeded over a table-land and along
a gentle descent for about fifteen miles, till we reached the rancheria
of Uspallata, where we passed the night. It consists of a series of
adobe houses built around a court-yard; several of these houses are
divided into rooms for the accommodation of travellers, and as soon as
Manuel could secure one of them it was delivered into our custody. It
was the Eastern khan or caravansary over again, and I fancy that the
idea must have been brought from Spain by the early settlers, and
originally obtained from the Moors during their residence in the
Peninsula.
"My room contained a chair and a table, but no other furniture. On one
side there was a shelf of adobes four feet wide and two feet above the
floor, which was intended for a bed, but there was not even a rawhide
upon it. I was expected to supply my own bedding, and with the aid of
my overcoat, blankets, saddle, and saddle-gear, I had a very comfortable
couch under the circumstances. I was too weary to be particular, and,
five minutes after lying down, was oblivious to all outward things.
[Illustration: PEONS AT REST.]
"Manuel piled our personal belongings in one corner of the room, and
slept on the floor near them. Our mules were turned into the
clover-fields which surround the buildings, and afford good pasturage
for cattle and mule trains. Federico told me he was obliged to pay a sum
equal to about twenty cents of our currency for each animal; he and his
men had all the work of collecting and managing their beasts, and the
proprietors had nothing to do except to collect the money. They must
make a fine revenue from the place, as each room yields a dollar a night
when occupied, and everybody is or has his own servant. But perhaps they
are so heavily taxed by the government that their profits are materially
reduced. The governments in this part of the world do not permit a
private citizen to make money rapidly except in rare instances.
"We obtained beef and eggs and a loaf of bread for supper, so that we
were not obliged to draw upon our mountain provisions. Manuel made an
excellent omelette from the eggs; he cut the beef into small pieces,
through which a long stick was thrust, and then held the meat over a
fire until thoroughly cooked. I opened a can of oysters that I brought
from Buenos Ayres, and prepared a savory stew in a kettle borrowed from
the kitchen of the rancheria. Oysters, fresh beef, bread, maté, and the
hunger of a famished wolf! what more could be required for an excellent
meal?
"In the morning we had breakfast (identical with the supper, but without
the oysters), and were ready for the road at an early hour. When I went
into the court-yard of the rancheria there were at least a hundred
mules, all mixed up in the wildest confusion. There were half a dozen
trains, some bound east, and the others west; the arrieros and their
peons were busy saddling their animals, and as soon as one had received
his cargo he was allowed to wander among the herd at will. There was a
chorus of braying which surpassed a Chinese band of music or the noise
of a boiler factory, and the lack of accord was emphasized by vigorous
kicks on the part of the animals. How I wished to photograph the scene,
and phonograph it too, at the same time!
"I wondered how it would be possible to separate the animals of the
different trains, but soon found out.
"As each arriero completed his saddling he led out his _madrina_, or
bell-mare, and tinkled her bell. Instantly his mules followed her,
separating themselves from the rest of the herd without the least
difficulty. Federico told me it is the bell rather than the mare which
forms the attraction, as the mules will follow the bell on a strange
mare but will not follow their madrina with another bell. When the mules
are turned out to graze they always keep near the madrina, and their
manifestations of devotion to her are constant. When she is in danger
they have been known to form a circle about her and, with heels outward,
make a vigorous defence.
"My saddle-mule was a perfect 'amadrinado,' in the language of the
arrieros, or thoroughly trained to follow the madrina's bell. If I fell
behind the train at any time, and especially if the bell could not be
heard, the beast became restive, and was evidently much alarmed. If I
dismounted, for even a minute, it was necessary to keep a strong hold of
the bridle, and there would generally be so much kicking and plunging
that I needed the aid of the arriero or a peon to mount again.
"The table-land of Uspallata continues for eight or ten miles, till the
valley of the Pichiuta River is reached. We ascended this valley, for
several miles and then turned across an intervening ridge to the Mendoza
River; the Pichiuta is a clear, sparkling stream of excellent water, and
there is plenty of pasturage and fuel along its banks, while the water
of the Mendoza is muddy and has a brackish taste.
[Illustration: A MOUNTAIN CAÑON.]
"Here let me remark that there is a wonderful difference between the
rivers of the eastern and western slopes of this part of the chain of
the Andes. On the Chilian side the streams are nearly all clear and
pure, while on the Argentine side they are mostly muddy, and so
impregnated with salt and lime as to be unfit for drinking or cooking
purposes. The banks of the small streams are nearly always covered with
an incrustation of impure saltpetre, and sometimes the water is so bad
that cattle are poisoned by it.
"On the ridge between the two rivers we had our first real dangers of
mountain travelling. There are several _laderas_, or places where the
road is cut into the side of a mountain, and so narrow that two loaded
mules cannot pass. There are spaces where the path is widened a little,
and it is customary for trains, moving in opposite directions, to watch
for each other and avoid meeting in the narrow and most dangerous spots.
"One of our baggage-mules was ahead, and right in one of the laderas he
met a train coming the other way. I feared he would be thrown from the
path into the great chasm, a thousand feet below, and you may be sure my
face was full of anxiety.
"To my surprise and delight the mule planted his four feet close
together, and turned around in a space not more than a yard wide! Then
he trotted back to join us, and I wanted to get down and hug him for his
display of intelligence.
"Federico told me to allow everything to my mule, and under no
circumstances attempt to guide it in a dangerous spot. 'The mule knows
every ladera on the mountains,' said he, 'and exactly where to place its
feet. Never hurry it in the least, and never touch the reins no matter
how much you are tempted to do so.'
"This was good advice, and I remembered it, at any rate, most of the
time. Once I forgot myself when the mule stumbled on a ladera, and for a
few seconds was balanced on one foot on the edge of a fearful abyss. The
side of the mountain was almost perpendicular for five or six hundred
feet below me, and there was a wild torrent dashing along its base.
Instinctively I threw out my hands to grasp the reins. Federico was just
behind, and shouted for me to sit still; his voice recalled what he had
told me, and my hands dropped to my side as though I had lost all
strength. One foot of the mule actually went over the edge of the rock,
but the other held its position, and I was safe!
[Illustration: SNOW-SLIDE ON THE TRAIL.]
"One of the perils of the road are the snow-slides. Masses of snow
accumulate on the slopes of the mountains, and suddenly, without a
moment's warning, sweep downward into the valley below. Men and animals
on any part of the trail crossed by the avalanche are carried along with
it; sometimes they are crushed to death and buried far out of sight, and
sometimes they escape without serious injury. Generally, however, the
snow-slides are fatal to those who happen to be caught in them, and the
arrieros naturally hold them in great dread.
"I think I hear some one asking why I did not get off and walk in the
perilous places. The arrieros say it is more dangerous to walk than to
ride, and certainly they ought to know. In the first place, I was
ignorant of the road, and that is a very important consideration; and,
secondly, the mule is accustomed to this kind of travel and I am not. He
never takes a step without determining beforehand exactly where his feet
are to be planted, and not until one foot is firmly in position does he
venture to lift another. Besides, he has twice as many feet as I have,
and, therefore, should be doubly sure-footed.
[Illustration: HANGING BRIDGE IN THE ANDES.]
"Some of the torrents have been spanned with rope-bridges, which are
secure enough, but very shaky. The mules hesitate to cross these
structures, but they generally do so after a great deal of persuasion,
which is mostly physical.
"The second night of our mountain journey was spent at the 'Casucha de
las Puquios,' at the edge of a marsh where there was fairly good
pasturage for our weary animals. We had a supper of charqui soup, made
in the manner I have described, together with a partridge and a rabbit
broiled over the coals. The rabbit was shot within a hundred yards of
our camp, and the partridge about a couple of hours before we reached
it. Game is not abundant in this region; rabbits, partridges, guanaco,
and foxes are the principal products of the chase around Uspallata, and
Federico says he has frequently made the journey without seeing a single
wild bird or beast.
"Not long after our arrival a train of twenty mules came in from the
westward and camped close to us. The drivers fraternized with our men
and joined them at supper, and there was a general exchange of
information concerning the condition of the roads. There is universal
hospitality among the arrieros, and when one party meets another there
is an immediate proffer of food, cigarettes, or anything else that may
possibly be wanted. Every time we met a train the arrieros would stop to
chat a few moments, and then, with an '_Adios!_' and a graceful wave of
the hand, hurried on to overtake their charges.
"Soon after starting the next morning we passed 'The Inca's Bridge,' a
natural causeway over a stream which flows about forty feet below it.
The bridge is sixty feet long and averages about the same in width; and
Mr. Darwin thinks it was formed by the river breaking through
underneath. Lieutenant Macrae, of the United States Navy, made a careful
examination, and thinks it was formed by the concretion of the water
from several calcareous springs in the hillside, which went on forming
shelf after shelf till they reached across. On a shelf under the bridge
there are two warm springs which have been hollowed out into baths. I
tried the temperature, and found it 97° Fahrenheit; I wanted to take a
bath in one of the springs, but was fearful of catching cold after
immersion in the warm water.
[Illustration: DEEP CHASM IN THE MOUNTAINS.]
"The arrieros do not wash their hands or faces from the beginning to the
end of a journey; I had been strongly advised to follow their example,
and was warned that I would suffer if I did otherwise. I dipped my hands
in the warm water, and then yielded to the temptation to wash them; I
was paid for my rashness by one of the worst cases of chapped hands I
ever experienced. I retained the impurity of my face, and on reaching
Santa Rosa my complexion was darker than that of any of my peons, and
soiled enough for a street gamin of New York.
"From the Inca's Bridge we ascended the valley of the Cuevos River for
some distance, and then began a steep ascent. It was a steady struggle,
and as we rose higher and higher I could see it was very trying to the
strength of our mules. They panted for breath, and after a few minutes'
exertion it was necessary for them to take a rest of nearly equal
length. At Mendoza, and also in the lower country and on the table-land,
I had observed that the arrieros and peons were very cruel to their
animals, belaboring them severely for their insubordination, and calling
them a great many hard names. But in the dangerous parts of the journey
the whole state of affairs was changed. The mules were docile, and quite
the reverse of obstinate, while the drivers were models of gentleness.
They used neither whip nor spur, but spoke softly, and permitted the
animals to suit themselves in going on or resting. For a good deal of
the way our advance was very slow.
"We stopped frequently, for five or ten minutes at a time; at noon we
halted for an hour where there were a few shrubs on which the mules
could nibble, but nothing which would make a satisfactory meal. We
passed the night--the third of the journey--in a casucha, which Federico
said was two thousand feet below the summit of the pass. The wind blew
fiercely, and made the casucha, doorless though it was, preferable to
the open air. I ordered the peons to clear it of dust and rubbish, and
we spread our beds on the floor; we got along fairly well, and were up
early enough to be off as soon as daylight permitted us to see the road.
It wasn't a place for late sleeping, and a snow-squall that came on
during the night added to our discomfort. It was only a squall though,
not a storm, and did no real harm.
[Illustration: A VICTIM OF THE STORM.]
"Near our camping-place there were many skulls and skeletons of cattle;
Federico said they were the remains of a large drove which were caught
in a storm and perished here on their way to Chili. The great perils of
the mountain passage are in the snow-storms, which sometimes detain the
traveller for weeks in one spot. They rise suddenly, and the experienced
mountaineers cannot be tempted to venture out when such storms are
liable to come.
"From here to the summit the road was like a series of zigzags directly
up the side of the mountain. It was trying to the nerves to look down,
and I soon found the best thing was to fix my gaze on the top of the
mountain, or to the first visible angle of the path above me, and keep
it there. At times we ascended at an angle of forty degrees, and I am
not sure but that it was sometimes forty-five or fifty degrees.
Certainly I have never climbed a steeper road, and never want to do so.
"Hurrah! here we are at the top. We can toss a stone into Chili with one
hand and into the Argentine Republic with the other. We are more than
two miles in the air, and as we look away to the westward we can see the
dark mass of the Pacific Ocean forming the curving rim of the horizon.
"We are at the crest of the Andes, and the South American continent is
at our feet."
[Illustration: A CHILIAN OX-CART.]