The forests and jungle on the margins of the river are resonant with the songs of tropical birds of the most gorgeous plumage, and the boughs of the tall mangrove trees seem alive with troops of red monkeys. Sometimes between sundown and dark, when the vessel is tied up to the bank for the night, you will see the sloth (Bradypus-Tridactylus) and the armadillo (DasypusNovemcinctus) as they venture out in search of food. The wild boar is more common, and I am told there are plenty of panthers and lions, but I have never seen either in this locality.

The popular opinion is that these forests and jungles, and indeed those of tropical America generally, are full of poisonous snakes and reptiles; but although I have passed up and down this river more times than I can remember, and have spent whole weeks at a time in the wilds of the Andes, I never saw but one or two insignificant-looking snakes, and these were not of a venomous species. I never once encountered a rattlesnake, nor anything more formidable than the negue and the scorpion.

The geographies and atlases of the country tell us that Honda is the head of steam navigation on the Magdalena. This is not quite correct. The steamers never at any time attempted to go farther up than Carocali, a boat-landing at the foot of the falls, some two and a half miles below Honda; and for some years

of small gnat flies into the reptile's mouth in such numbers as to cover the entire surface of the palate, and often excites it to madness by their stings. A species of bird, peculiar to the tropics, comes to the monster's rescue by flying into its mouth and devouring the gnats. And although the rapacious reptile lives on flesh, and might thus have a delicate morsel, it shows its recognition of the service by never once harming the bird.

1 A microscopic insect which bores into the flesh, often producing serious lameness.

past they have never gone beyond Las Yeguas, a comparatively new station, fifteen miles lower down, now connected with Honda by a narrow gauge railway.

Above the rapids the river is again navigable by light draught steamers as far up as Ambalema, the great tobacco-growing region. The railroad from Las Yeguas to Honda has been recently extended thence up the left margin of the river to Jirado,' and thence across the country to Tocaime, in the lower valley of the River Bogotá, or Funza as it is sometimes called. More recently this road has been extended up the Funza valley as far as Anapoime, and the project is to extend it by way of the town of La Mesa, zigzag up the mountain side, to the western edge of the great alta-plain of Bogotá. The road from the edge of the plain across the great savannah, some thirty miles to the national capital, on the opposite side, is already completed, thus shortening the mule ride to about eight hours, provided this new route should be chosen in preference to the old one.

Next to Bogotá, Honda is perhaps the oldest and best known place in the interior of Colombia; but it is not much of a town after all. Its central location, at the convergence of several fertile little valleys, gives it a commercial and military importance; but the town itself is anything but attractive as a place of residence. The temperature is rarely below 85° any day in the year; and although there is no apparent cause for it, malarial fevers are not unusual. The climate is peculiarly enervating, and resident foreigners (to adopt their provincial mode of expression), soon become "limp and fagged out." The houses are generally larger and better constructed than hitherto seen on the river. The streets are very narrow and crooked, generally well paved with

1 Pronounced He-rah-doe.

rough cobble-stone, but seldom very clean. Little or no attention is paid to sanitation. The total population of the town is variously estimated from ten to fifteen thousand, perhaps fully two thirds of which are the usual mixtures of Indian and Spanish creole. Occasionally one sees the mixed descendants of the African negro, but not very often. The foreign residents are English, German, and American, with a few French and Italians. The principal commission house or " Factory," established by an American early in the fifties, is still conducted by American merchants.

If any one who reads these pages should think of undertaking this river journey, let him be advised to make up his mind to “rough it." Leave all notions of luxury behind. Provide your own mosquito bars before leaving Barranquilla; and see to it that they are close and strong, for after passing the habitat of the big "gullinippers," you will enter the domain of the pestiferous little sand fly, which is even more annoying. And when you reach Honda, you will have the fleas, for which I know of no remedy. Do not be offended at the odor of garlic on your steamer or at your hotel; it is quite harmless, and you will soon get used to it. Never ask for or even think of ice-water. Cultivate a liking for tile floors (never overly clean), and for cross-legged cots which. were once white. Let brandy severely alone, and put a little quinine into your glass of tepid river water before drinking it. Never bathe before ten in the morning nor after four in the afternoon, and avoid night draughts and dews as you would a pestilence.

CHAPTER V

A MULE RIDE IN THE ANDES

HERE are now three available routes from Honda, the head of steam navigation on the Magdalena, to the great savannah of Bogotá on which is situated the capital of Colombia; whereas, only a few years ago, there was but the one, the old mountain trail of the sixteenth century, often too narrow for two mules to walk abreast, and generally so crooked and precipitous as to be a terror to inexperienced and nervous people. We may, if we choose, go around by way of Jirado, Tocaime, and La Mesa, making part of the journey by modern railway, part of it by coach, and part on mule back, — and reach the southwestern edge of the plain a few miles from the head of the great Tequendama Falls. Or, if preferable, we may proceed from Jirado by the still more modern. and direct route, most of the way in coach or ox cart if the road happens to be in good order, which however is seldom the case, and reach the western edge of the plain near the town of Agualarge on the crest of the great sierra. But the surest, as well as the most frequented route is the old one directly across the mountains from Honda to Agualarge; and this will have to be made all the way on mule back, just as it was three centuries ago.

Deciding to take this last named route, the first thing to do is to get ready for the journey; and this will require time, patience, and forethought. Good mules,

well trained to the road, can be had through local contractors who make it a regular business. The mules will cost from eight to ten dollars per head for the trip; and this will include the services of an experienced guide or muleteer, but not the feed of the mules on the way, which will be an additional charge of about forty cents per head daily. We shall have to buy or hire also our own saddles, bridles, blankets, and other articles necessary to the outfit, for the contractor furnishes nothing but the mules and pack saddles.

After perfecting all arrangements the day before, we rise at six in the morning, take a light breakfast of chocolate and bread, and hope to be well on the way by seven, while the air is yet fresh and cool. Vain hope! If we get under way by nine or ten we shall be fortunate. The mules, although usually brought in from the portraros, or pastures, the evening before, are never quite ready on time. There is always a delay of an hour or so in adjusting our luggage on the pack saddles. A bridle or a girth or a saddle blanket or something is almost sure to be missing. The muleteer invariably forgets something, and quite as invariably takes his own time in hunting it up. It is worse than useless to try to hurry him. In this country, people take life leisurely, and never think of doing to-day what may be by any possibility put off till to-morrow. Mañana (" to-morrow") is the one stock word in the native dialect the meaning of which every one must learn to understand and appreciate if he would get along without useless worry and waste of nervous force.

Even after all things are ready, and we are fairly mounted, the delays are not over. Both mule and muleteer seem loath to " get down to business." They will stop and loiter at every little way-side chicheria,

1 A wayside shop in which native drinks are sold at 2 cents each.