"He is safe on the roof," he replied. "I have just seen him; he tells
me that he heard the alguazils arrive, and that at first he thought he
was betrayed, especially when the dog began to snuff under the door. He
soon, however, learned from their conversation that his presence was not
suspected; but still, to make sure, he descended the stairs in the hopes
of discovering a means of escape,--finding none, he ascended the ladder,
and forcing open the trap-door, he got through to the roof. He then
returned, when hearing the key asked for, he knew that his bedding would
betray his having been there, so he carried everything up to the roof,
lifting the ladder up after him. His doing so puzzled the dog, and
saved him his life probably, and us from very considerable annoyance."
We afterwards met at breakfast, when Jose gave my father and mother a
full account of all that occurred. My father having given the Indian
notice to retire to the roof, the body of the hound was removed and
buried, and the family resumed their usual routine of life. Either I or
Lilly twice a day, when no one was observing us, carried food to the
Indian. Upwards of a week had passed since his arrival, when he
expressed a strong desire to resume his journey, saying that he thought
by this time the search for him must be over. My father was very
unwilling to let him go; but he assured us, that now his health and
strength were completely restored, he had not the slightest fear of
again falling into the hands of the Spaniards. All the provision he
would accept was a little maize, and sufficient cacao to replenish his
pouch. The cacao has been in use among the Peruvians from the earliest
times. Its peculiar qualities enable those who take it to undergo great
and continuous exertion, without any other food. It is a plant somewhat
like the vine, and grows to about seven or eight feet in height. The
leaves have a bitter flavour, and are aromatic. Among other qualities,
they act as a sudorific, preserve the teeth, and prevent sleep. On
first awaking in the morning, an Indian will put a quid of his favourite
leaf into his mouth, and he performs the same operation three or four
times in the day. To give it a relish he mixes a little pulverised
unslacked lime, which he carries in a gourd for that purpose. He takes
the lime out the gourd with a thin slip of damped wood, and conveys what
adheres to it to his mouth. The operation of chewing is called
_chakchar_. Many even of the whites indulge in it in secret, though it
would be considered derogatory to chew in public, because the despised
Indian does so.
The Peruvians, in their love and admiration for this plant, used to pay
it a religious respect, and considered it the most grateful offering to
the spirits they might wish to propitiate. It has certainly a most
wonderful effect in sustaining nature; and I have known people
undergoing great fatigue, exist four or five days, without tasting any
other food, or suffering the slightest inconvenience. The ignorant
conquerors, from observing the reverence paid by the Indians to cacao,
fancied that it must possess some demoniacal properties, and not only
refused to use it themselves, but endeavoured to prevent it being used
by the natives; and a royal decree was actually issued, declaring that
the idea entertained by the Indians that cacao gave them strength, is an
"illusion of the devil." The mine-owners, however, perceived its
importance in enabling the slaves to undergo fatigue; and its use,
therefore, rather increased than diminished. It, however, excites the
brain, somewhat as does opium, and thus its intemperate use for any
length of time would probably wear out mental vigour and activity.
Having procured a supply of this valuable leaf for the Indian, he filled
his pouch with it, while the maize he fastened up in a corner of his
poncho.
"I am ready to depart," he said, "though my heart yet lingers with you;
and believe, O children of a Northern land, that, though fallen and
despised his race, Manco Tupac Amaru is truly grateful for your generous
hospitality, and more for preserving his life. The time may come, and
shortly too, when he may have the opportunity of proving his gratitude--
till then, farewell!"
Taking my father's hand and mine, he pressed his lips to them, and burst
into tears. His words made an impression on me, though at the time I
did not comprehend their meaning. I afterwards had good reason to do
so. It was again evening, the hour at which he had arrived; and when it
was perfectly dark, I went out to see that none of the servants were
near. He then let himself drop from the window, and crossing the
court-yard, scaled the wall, and took his way up the mountain. I had
reason to believe that none of the servants suspected that he had been
with us. This was the first of the many adventures in which, at that
period of my life, I was engaged. We often talked of the Indian Manco,
and were anxious to know his fate; but for long heard no more of him.
Some time after this, my father invited me to attend him on a journey,
which business required him to perform, to Cuzco, Lima, and other parts
of the country; and, as may be supposed, with no little alacrity I set
to work to make the necessary preparations. We are fond of boasting of
the civilisation of Europeans of the present day; but, however
humiliating to our pride, it must be owned that in many important
respects Peru has retrograded since the time that the Christian Spaniard
took possession of the country, and superseded the mild though despotic
sway of the glorious Incas. Under her ancient sovereigns, magnificent
roads traversed the kingdom from north to south, and from the sea-coast
into the distant interior, across the mighty Andes. Inns for the
accommodation of travellers were built at convenient distances on the
roads, and stored abundantly with provisions, while at each relays of
couriers were stationed, who with wonderful celerity could carry
messages or small parcels through the country. It is said that the
tables of the Incas, when at Cuzco, or still farther in the interior,
were supplied regularly with fish fresh caught from the sea, and other
quickly perishable luxuries, in a mode which has only been accomplished
in England since the introduction of railroads, or perhaps in the latter
days of quick coach travelling. I mention this to show the contrast to
the means we possessed for performing our journey.
At last the day arrived for our departure. My father rode a steady
mule, but I preferred a horse, though not so safe an animal for the
narrow tracks, up and down steep mountains, on the summit of terrific
precipices, and across rickety bridges which we were about to traverse.
They were caparisoned much in the same way. Our saddles were huge and
deep, covered with red woolly rugs; our stirrups were of Moorish shape,
large wooden boxes strapped with iron; the girths were broad; and belts
fastened to the saddle, passed round the breast and haunches of the
animals, prevented it from slipping off when going up or down the almost
precipitous declivities in our way. Our luggage was carried in huge
trunks, made of untanned bullocks' hides, fastened with thongs of the
same material, each mule carrying two slung on either side of his back.
In some our clothes were packed, in others our mattresses and bedding,
and in others our mess utensils and provisions; for as there were no
inns, it was necessary to take everything which would be required. We
rode ahead, our peons or muleteers following the beasts of burden.
Before the introduction of horses and mules, the Indians employed the
delicate llama to carry goods through the country. We had heavy spurs,
and sharp bits to our bridles, and wore broad-brimmed hats and ponchos.
The last named garment may be described as a large piece of cloth of
wool or cotton, of a round form, with a hole in the centre. Through
this hole the head is put, while the cloth falls over the shoulders, and
forms a very effectual protection from the weather. It was used by the
Indians before the conquest.
My mother and Lilly assisted in preparing and packing our provisions and
clothes; and with prayers for our safety, at an early hour one morning
they saw us mount and commence our journey. "Good-bye, mother;
good-bye, Lilly," I exclaimed, as I seated myself in my saddle. "I will
bring you back, like the princes in the Arabian Nights, all the most
wonderful things I can collect." Their hearts were too full to answer,
and their eyes were moist with tears; for they could not conceal from
themselves that there were many very considerable dangers which we must
encounter on the road. They stood watching us while we wound our way
down the steep path, and crossed the bridge which spanned the river at
the bottom of the ravine. I propose giving a very brief sketch of our
journey, and shall dwell only on the more interesting incidents; or I
might otherwise fill my book with an account of what we saw in the
course of a few weeks.
We arrived one evening at a _tambo_, or post-house, which, from its
appearance and position on a portion of the great high road of the
Incas, we judged had been erected before the conquest. The walls were
very thick, and composed of large blocks of stone. It was divided into
two compartments; one had formerly been the storehouse and granary, the
other the common hall and kitchen. The roof was thatched, as it had
been originally.
At a little distance off was a village of Indian huts, mostly small; but
some were of larger size, in which the cacique and some of the chief men
resided. The _tambo_ stood in a beautiful valley, through which ran a
clear and rapid stream among meadows of ever verdant tints. The
mountains which rose on either side were to their very summit cut into
terraces. These terraces, or hanging gardens, as they are sometimes
called, were of no great width, but the walls which faced them were
built of large blocks of stone; and though in some places they were
crumbling into decay, in general they were in a perfect state, bearing
witness to the industry and intelligence of the ancient inhabitants of
the soil. These terraces are called _Andenes_, and from thence the
conquerors derived the name Andes, which they bestowed on the whole vast
range of mountains.
Our peons having taken charge of our mules and horses, and led them to a
shed adjoining the grey and moss-grown _tambo_, we entered the building.
The interior was sombre in the extreme; everybody and everything wore a
subdued look; and even the dogs slunk about as if their spirits were
depressed. The smoke of ages was on the walls and roof, and the tables
and benches at one side had a sadly dilapidated appearance. The master
was an Indian of lightish hue, his long, lank hair already turning grey
with age, and perhaps with care. Several Indian women were moving about
round a fire at the farther end of the room, preparing a meal for a
somewhat numerous company assembled there. The women about the house
were all dressed in loose garments of dark coarse woollen cloth, which
extended from the neck to the ankles, and were secured round the waist
by a broad belt of some gay colour. They wore, folded up on the crown
of the head, a small cloth mantle, a part of which drooped down to the
shoulders behind. Each woman wore over her right shoulder a black
scarf, which I understood was a sign of mourning, not for any relation
lately dead, but for their Inca, long ago murdered by their conquerors.
The dress of most of the men was a dark woollen jacket, with breeches
open at the knees, a gaily embroidered woollen cap, a broad cotton belt,
woollen stockings without feet, and sandals of goatskin. A
broad-brimmed hat, and a small poncho thrown over the shoulders,
completed their attire. Our host soon placed before us a large deep
silver dish, containing some delicious mountain mutton, and a fat fowl,
cooked in the ashes, and garnished with small but very good potatoes.
There were neither knives nor forks in the dish, but one large wooden
spoon, with which it was intended all guests should help themselves. We
had _chicha_, the beverage of the country, offered us in silver goblets;
but for a good reason neither my father nor I felt inclined to partake
of it, though our servants did most willingly. To the taste of
Englishmen nothing can be more disagreeable than the mode in which
_chicha_ is prepared. A quantity of Indian corn is pounded into a fine
powder, round which a number of old men and women sit and masticate it
into a paste. They then roll it into balls, which are dried; and
afterwards water being thrown on them, they are allowed to ferment.
A number of Indians were sitting apart in a corner of the room. One of
them was a tall, thin, emaciated man, of a yellowish copper hue. His
only garment was a pair of dark trousers; and his long, lank, black hair
hung down over his bare shoulders, giving him a very wild and haggard
appearance. I saw him swallow a large cupful of a mixture which I
thought was _chicha_; but soon afterwards he seemed to fall into a deep
stupor, and I fancied he was going into a fit. His eyes were fixed on
the ground, his mouth closed convulsively, and his nostrils dilated. As
I watched him, his eyes began to roll most horribly, foam issued from
his half-opened lips, and every limb and his whole body became distorted
in the most frightful manner.
"The man will die!" I exclaimed, springing forward to assist him, and
disgusted with the apathy of his companions.
"No fear, my son," answered an old Indian, making a sign which checked
me; "our brother has but drunk the tonga; his spirit has departed for a
season to hold communication with the spirits of our ancestors, and when
it returns he will be able to tell us things of wonder, and perchance
they may show him the treasures which lie hid in their _huacas_--their
graves."
I afterwards found that the Indian had been drinking a powerful
narcotic, prepared from the thorn-apple, and which is called
_huacacachu_, or grave-plant, from the power it is supposed to possess
of enabling those who drink it to see the inhabitants of the graves.
After the Indian had been some time convulsed he fell into a profound
slumber, when his friends covered him up carefully with their mantles
and left him.
Our meal was scarcely over when the clattering of horses' feet was heard
on the road, and by the sound I judged that a band of horsemen had
ridden up to the _tambo_. Our Indian host rushed out with dismay on his
countenance. I followed him to learn what was the matter; and by the
light of the moon, just then risen over the mountains, I saw about as
ugly a set of fellows as I ever encountered. Their countenances were of
every hue--black, yellow, and olive, disfigured by scars and savage
passions. Their garments, I cannot call them uniforms, of many a shape
and colour, were in rags and tatters. The horses were weary,
ill-conditioned and ill-groomed, and as miserably accoutred as their
riders, with a look in the eye full of vicious meaning. They were armed
with short carbines and long swords, and some had pistols and daggers in
their belts.
"Los Montoneros, los Montoneros!" exclaimed several of the people behind
me, and rushed back into the _tambo_, the women trying to hide
themselves from the new-comers.
The horsemen threw themselves from their jaded hacks, and calling to the
Indians to take charge of them, with scant ceremony entered the
building. They regarded, as they did so, my father and me, and our
servants, with no favourable eye; but after a moment's hesitation, they
threw themselves on the benches before the table at which we were
seated, crying loudly for food and liquor. It was speedily placed
before them by the trembling hands of the host; and in silence they
addressed themselves to the tearing the meat with their fingers, as if
they had not eaten anything for a week. After imbibing quantities of
_chicha_, they lighted their cigars; and then their tongues broke loose
in a style which made us anxious to escape their neighbourhood. Some
were Spaniards, or Spanish Creoles, and others were negroes; but most of
them were of a variety of mixed races. The Montoneros are notoriously
robbers in time of peace, and soldiers in war; but from the expressions
they let fall, we judged that these fellows were employed exclusively in
plundering all they met not likely to offer resistance. My father told
the servant to keep a sharp look-out on our horses and mules, which the
gentlemen would with little ceremony have appropriated.
To avoid them we walked over to where the group of Indians were
collected round the tonga-drinker, who was now awaking from his sleep,
and sitting up, though apparently very much exhausted. His companions
were listening attentively to the mysterious revelations which fell from
his mouth, the result of his spiritual communications with his
ancestors. He spoke of a day of regeneration for the Indians; of
liberty and happiness not far distant, when the yoke of the Spaniard
would be thrown off their necks, and the race of their Inca should again
wear the crimson _borla_ of their monarchy. There was an air of
earnestness and sincerity in his manner which convinced me that he at
all events was deceiving himself as well as his hearers. In his dreams
he had truly seen what he hoped would come to pass. I afterwards had
good reason to know that he had strong foundation for his prophecies.
He was still uttering his awful communications to his wondering and
credulous hearers; the Montoneros were still drinking, smoking, and
feasting; and some other travellers (Spanish, negro, and native, among
whom was a Spanish priest, a landowner near Cuzco, and a shopkeeper)
were either taking their suppers or seeking repose, when we retired to
the deserted granary.
We were actually provided with bedsteads of a rude construction, on
which we spread our bedding. The noise made by the Montoneros prevented
me from sleeping for some time; till they themselves sought for rest, on
and under the table and benches where they had been sitting. I was
awakened in the middle of the night by a scratching and hissing and
struggling noise under my bed, as if two animals were fighting. I
sprung to my feet, and by the light of the full moon, which streamed in
through a hole in the wall, I saw a large tabby cat engaged in a fierce
combat with a glittering snake. At first I thought it would prove a
hopeless one for poor pussy; but I soon saw by her manoeuvres, that she
had at all events an equal chance of victory. Now the venomous monster
would dart out its forked tongue and try to spring at her; when she,
with equal agility, would leap aside and would sit watching her
antagonist with careful eye, endeavouring to find an opportunity of
catching it by the neck, while she avoided its deadly fangs. The snake
seemed aware of its danger, and was not the less cautious. Indeed puss
had already given it an ugly bite on the neck, which had somewhat
crippled its movements--probably catching it asleep. The snake kept
turning round and round its baneful head, the cat always keeping beyond
the distance she knew it could spring. At last she saw her opportunity,
and rushing in upon it, she seized it by the neck, so that it could not
bite her. The snake wriggled violently, but all in vain; after a few
convulsive struggles even the tail ceased to move, and I left the eat
crunching the bones of her defeated antagonist.
I was glad to find that I had so good a guardian as puss had proved. I
turned into bed again and went to sleep. In the morning I discovered
that the snake was a very venomous adder, but that the cat was not a bit
the worse for eating it. I afterwards learned that there are certain
sorts of poison which may be swallowed without danger, yet if it should
touch the slightest scratch or excoriation of the skin, would prove
fatal.
At daybreak the Montoneros were on foot; and to the satisfaction of all
the occupants of the _tambo_, they took their departure up the valley.
It was the direction in which we were going, but we hoped not again to
fall in with them. As we were mounting to proceed on our journey, the
Indian soothsayer (for so I may call him) approached my father, and
whispered earnestly in his ear for some minutes. My father looked
surprised and somewhat anxious, and told him he thanked him for his
advice. The Indian retired into the _tambo_ apparently satisfied. We
had begun to move on, when we were called back; and, turning our heads,
we saw the padre and the other Spaniards mounting their mules.
"Stay, Senors, for the love of charity," cried the padre; "we are going
your way, and if we go alone and meet with those villains, the
Montoneros, we shall all be robbed and murdered to a certainty. Now you
Englishmen are known to fight bravely, so the rogues may not think it
worth while to attack us."
"We shall be happy to have your company, Senor Padre," said my father,
smiling; "but I hope our valour may not be put to the proof."
"I am sure I hope not either," ejaculated the padre, crossing himself.
"May the holy saints protect us; for those fellows care not for the
anathemas of the church, the laws of the realm, or the bullets of the
soldiers."
The other Spaniards seemed to partake of the alarm of the padre; and as
we rode along, I saw them casting anxious glances around, as if they
expected every moment to see the robbers start out from behind the rocks
which skirted the road. After we had proceeded some distance, my father
called a halt, and summoning the guides, he inquired whether they were
acquainted with a road to the right, which he described. They replied
that they were, but that it was longer and more difficult.
"Never mind," he replied; "it is the road I intend to pursue. I shall
be glad of the company of those who wish to journey with me."
Though he did not give his reasons, the Spaniards saw that he had good
cause for his change of route, and agreed to accompany us. They
probably, however, attributed it to the Montoneros; as I observed that
the expression of apprehension on their countenances gradually wore off,
and they no longer cast the same furtive glances at every bush and rock
as before.
We travelled along the valley for many miles, sometimes passing over a
high ridge, and then again descending to follow up the course of some
stream which had its birth among the snowy ranges above us. My father
had formed the party into military order. Four armed men took the lead,
then came the baggage mules, while the main body of those on horseback
brought up the rear.
For three or four days we travelled on, each night sleeping at one of
the wretched _tambos_ kept by Indians, similar to that I have before
described. Every day we mounted higher and higher, the scenery becoming
more wild, barren, and desolate. We were now traversing that part of
the Cordilleras called the Puna, a region of level heights, some
fourteen thousand feet above the sea; nearly the only vegetation being a
short, dark yellow grass, scarcely a tree or a shrub to be seen, except
cacti, gentiana, and a few other flowering plants. There were animals,
however, in abundance--vicunas, huanacus, stags, and rock-rabbits; while
condors and other birds of prey hovered aloft, ready to pounce down on
any carcase they might scent from afar. We next entered the region of
the Sierra, the name given to the extensive valleys which either
intersect the Puna, or lie between the Cordilleras and the Andes. These
valleys are generally some thousand feet below the Puna, and the climate
is very pure and healthy. The soil is also very fertile, so that they
were in the days of the Incas, and still are, more densely inhabited by
Indians than any other portion of Peru. These valleys contain many
towns, villages, and hamlets; but as they are surrounded on all sides by
mountains, only to be crossed by dangerous and circuitous routes, their
trade is but limited, and they are seldom visited by the inhabitants of
other parts of Peru. Among them are a few white people, but a
considerable number of mestizos live in the towns. There is very little
money in circulation among them, and in some parts hens' eggs are used
instead of small coin, about fifty being counted for a dollar. The
Indians are the sole cultivators of the soil, which produces wheat,
maize, and barley in abundance, as well as potatoes and other tuberous
plants, and most of the vegetables and fruits of Europe.
It must be understood that many of the scenes I have to describe took
place in this favoured region; while others, again, were among the
mountains and valleys to the east of the vast range of the Andes.
People when reading of mountains are so apt to picture to themselves the
molehills of Europe, which can mostly be crossed on foot in a day or so,
that I must remind them that the Cordilleras and Andes which I am
describing are an extensive region, the passage over which requires not
only days, but in some places even weeks to accomplish. We had
traversed several of these valleys, and were now about to cross over the
highest ridge of the Andes. Having travelled so far without
encountering the Montoneros, even the most timid of our party had lost
all apprehension on that score.
One afternoon we found ourselves ascending through a narrow and wild
gorge in the mountains. For three hours we had been mounting higher and
higher, till our beasts began to show great signs of weariness. At last
we saw before us a huge rock which, projecting from the side of the
mountain, completely overhung the road, and looked as if it would
overwhelm all who attempted to pass under it; while on the other side
was a precipice three or four hundred feet in perpendicular height, at
the bottom of which appeared a dark chasm with a wild roaring torrent
running through it. The road, if so the mountain track could be called,
was barely wide enough to allow a loaded mule to proceed along it; and
it was next to impossible for two animals to pass one another, or for a
person to dismount without great risk of falling over the precipice. We
had been scrambling up for a long way over places which it appeared
scarcely possible even goats would surmount, when one of the baggage
mules stopped short and refused to proceed. Several others followed his
example, and the whole cavalcade in the rear was brought to a
stand-still. Blows could not be administered, for the muleteers could
not get up to the beasts; and entreaties, coaxings, and persuasions were
all in vain. I could not help laughing at the variety of expressions
the men made use of to induce the animals to move. First they addressed
them by every endearing epithet they could think of, then they appealed
to their courage, their magnanimity, their perseverance--the deeds of
their ancestors.
"Have not I always treated you well?" exclaimed our muleteer Juan to his
beast. "Have not I always seen you housed and fed before I thought of
caring for myself? Have not I slept by your side and watched over you
as a father his son? Ungrateful as you are thus to behave at this
pinch! If we meet another party, we shall be all hurled headlong over
the rocks, or we shall have to fight desperately and have to hurl them
over, and all for your obstinacy, sons of donkeys that you are!"--and he
broke forth in a torrent of vituperation and abuse which it is not
necessary for me here to repeat.
"If the Montoneros should meet us now, what will become of us?" cried
the padre.
"It is the last place they would think of attacking us in," observed my
father. "Their object is to get possession of our purses and our
beasts; now if they attacked us here, the greater number of us would be
tumbled over into the torrent below, so they would lose their booty."
"That's a satisfaction truly," observed the padre; "but I wish the
beasts would move."
The beasts, however, seemed not a bit inclined to stir, and we had no
remedy for it but to wait patiently, or throw them and our luggage over
the precipice. As I looked up and saw the huge boulders of rock which
hung above our heads, appearing as if the touch of a vicuna's hoof would
send them rushing down to overwhelm us in their fall, I certainly did
feel anxious to get out of their way. At last the leading mule,
somewhat rested, began to move, the others followed him for a few
minutes, and they all stopped again. The same process of entreating,
coaxing, and abusing was gone over again; when the refractory cavalcade
moved on once more for a few paces, but only in like manner to try our
patience and our nerves by stopping at a worse spot than before. After
resting a few minutes, the leading mule, which kept the others back,
appeared to gain strength, and his stoppages each time being of shorter
duration, he at length began to climb up the steep ascent before him,
the rest readily following.
The cold, at this great height we had now attained, was excessive to our
feelings, accustomed to the warmth of the lower country. Great,
however, as was the elevation, the peaks which rose above us on every
side appeared not to have lessened in the least in height. Snow of
brilliant whiteness was around us, some of which in the more lofty spots
had perhaps not melted since the days of the flood. Mists were floating
about, and below our feet was collected a dense mass, which obscured the
view beyond. A few flakes of snow began to fall, which every instant
increased in number.
"Forward, forward, Senores!" shouted our chief peon, who acted as guide.
"If a Cordillera storm catches us before we get under shelter, the days
of some of us may be numbered."
We did not neglect the warning. The animals even seemed to perceive the
necessity of pushing on; and away we all went, tumbling, sliding, and
leaping over the rough track which led down the mountain. The snow
increased in density, so that we could scarcely see the person
immediately preceding us; and the chilling wind blew stronger and
stronger from off the icy peaks above. Not a moment was to be lost--the
guides shouted, "On, on, on!" and we whipped and spurred, and urged on
our weary beasts by word and bridle. Still the ground was far too rough
to enable us to get them into a trot, far less to gallop; and besides, a
tumble would in many places have proved fatal both to horse and rider.
The descent was very rapid, for we were scarcely ever on a level.
"I'll will it fare with any unfortunate fellow in the rear who falls,"
said my father. "Remain close to me, David; I am afraid of your horse
stumbling."
"No fear," I answered, "I keep a tight rein on him, and he knows well
that he must not be careless."
There was little time to contemplate the scene as we rode along, but
still I could not help being struck by the solemn stillness, and the
wildness of the desolation around. The voices of the men, as they
shouted out, appeared strange and unnatural from their very
distinctness, as did the tramp of the animals; while not another sound
was heard from any direction.
"On, on, Senores!" were the only words we could hear. The snow had
ceased; but dark clouds seemed gathering around us, when, without
warning, a flash of forked lightning darted across our path, ploughing
up the ground before us, and followed by a peal of thunder which seemed
to rend the mountain tops. Flash succeeded flash in every direction,
the very atmosphere quivering with the uninterrupted peals repeated a
thousand-fold by the mountain echoes; while cataracts of fire appeared
to be rushing down the rocks on either side. Our trembling animals
refused to move; the Spaniards crossed themselves, and shrieking, as
they slid off the backs of the animals they rode, they called on their
saints for protection.
We dismounted and endeavoured to lead our horses under an overhanging
rock. At last we succeeded in obtaining some shelter; and there we
stood, every instant expecting to be struck by the electric fluid, which
rushed zigzagging before us. Feelings such I had never before
experienced came over me. I was at the same time inspired rather with
awe than with terror. It was as if the heavens were pouring out their
full wrath on man--as if the foundations of the world were about to be
uprooted, and the mighty mountains hurled over on the plains below.
Rocks and earth came hurtling down from the lofty peaks above us; crash
succeeded crash, and flashes of the most intensely vivid lightning
dashed before us without intermission, till the air itself seemed on
fire, and the faculties of sight and hearing both failed from
over-exhaustion of their energies. It appeared as if the dreadful
strife of the elements would never end; but as we were despairing of
reaching a resting-place before night should set in, the thunder rolled
away, the lightning ceased, and our party emerging from the caves and
crevices where they had taken shelter, we found that providentially all
had escaped injury. We mounted once more. As we proceeded, the rays of
the setting sun came streaming along a beautiful valley which opened on
our right. Descending rapidly, in little more than an hour we found
ourselves before a _tambo_. It was wretched enough in appearance, and
neither food nor beds did it afford. As, however, we had with us a
supply of provisions, and our cloaks and saddle-cloths spread on the
floor, with our saddles for pillows, served us for couches, we were not
worse off than we frequently had been; and I know that I slept soundly
till morning.