Very difficult it was to scale the steep slope, but at last they reached the top and descended to the other side.
“The mules are all right,” observed Bob. “Suppose we get going without delay. I’d like to get to Pasaje as soon as possible. I’m getting anxious to see Dad and the others of the expedition.”
“It will still take time,” Dr. Rander told him. “There are many miles of difficult travel before us.”
And difficult it was. Although the adventurers had previously found it hard to make progress through the rugged mountains, they now experienced even more hindrances.
Unfortunately, Dr. Rander was not overly familiar with this section and often made mistakes in pointing out the best course of travel.
It was not uncommon for the adventurers to come upon heavy forests at elevations of fifteen thousand feet. This surprised Bob and Joe, who did not expect to see trees growing at such high altitudes.
“There really is no such thing as the ‘tree line’ in the Andes,” explained the old explorer. “In fact, it is possible to find forests at unusually high altitudes.”
As they trudged on they came to more wild-cherry plants, the fruit of which they ate hungrily. It was refreshing to have fresh fruit after eating nothing but dried goods.
As much as possible they followed the banks of the Apurimac River, for Pasaje, their destination, is situated just above the point where the stream branches.
As they went farther, the mountains became more lofty, and snow on the summits was more common. They never climbed high enough, however, to come in contact with it.