The Spanish-American republics (1891) (14760971734)

THE INN AT PUNTA DE LAS VACAS, Argentinian Andes
Identifier: gri_spanishameri00chil (find matches)
Title: The Spanish-American republics
Year: 1891 (1890s)
Authors: Child, Theodore, 1846-1892
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Harper & brothers
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute



Text Appearing Before Image:
ce. After working an hour at the risk of theirlives, the two young engineers, who were as agile as goats—one wasa Swede and the other an Italian—succeeded in raising one of theplanks a foot, so that it could be crossed with comparative safety, thedash of the water over it remaining only about six inches. The hu-man element of the party then felt reassured; but how would themules get over? The arrieros were in a state of great agitation,and the paymaster was anxious about the thousands of dollars that hehad in his money-bags. However, every man lent a hand. The mules ACROSS THE ANDES. 41 were unloaded, and, with the aid of cries and whirling lassos, they weredriven into the turbulent torrent, and waded or swam across bravely,one only getting carried away for a few minutes, and losing a bigpiece of his flesh against a sharp bowlder. The next thing was tocarry over the baggage and saddles. A lasso was flung across thestream, and held on one side by the two engineers, and on the other
Text Appearing After Image:
THE INN AT PUNTA DE LAS VACAS. by the vigilante, or gendarme, who accompanied the paymaster, toprevent him running away with the companys money, as we usedlaughingly to tell him. This taut cord served as a hand-rail along thenarrow plank, and by means of repeated journeys, and with incessantrisk, the baggage was finally all carried over, the mules loaded andsaddled, and the journey resumed, Don Carlos and his party leaving 42 THE SPANISH-AMERICAN REPUBLICS. me behind, for they were well mounted on strong horses. My littlecaravan halted for lunch in an open flat valley, walled in on threesides with rugged black basaltic mountains, and on the other by thedeep gorge of the Mendoza River. This valley was a waste of bakedearth, crackled in every direction like a Chinese porcelain pot, anddivided into sections by the stony beds of dry rivulets. A patch ofjarilla scrub beside a little trickling streamlet of clear water, withtadpoles lurking in the pools and among the cryptogamous verdurealon