MANUEL.
The lodgings of the travellers on their night at Huancané were an improvement upon their quarters at Vilquechico. They had a stone floor to sleep upon in place of the bare ground, and the room was large enough to accommodate all three of them without crowding. They rose early, and managed to get out of the place in good season, in spite of the desire of their drivers to linger in the town, and the evident willingness of Manuel to accommodate them.
It was deemed prudent to see the baggage-train on its way before venturing outside the limits of the town, and consequently our friends waited until the last of the burden-animals had received his load before they ordered the saddles placed on their mules. Under the eye of his employers Manuel worked vigorously, when he made up his mind that further delay was impossible.
Immediately on leaving town the road began to ascend, and in a little while they were winding among the mountains in a way that recalled the journey from Guayaquil to Quito. The western shore of Lake Titicaca is comparatively low, but on the east the mountains come pretty close to the water, and in places fall off into precipices. In the region of Huancané the snowy peaks rise in full view, and seem but a few miles distant; Sorata, the Crown of the Andes, fills the horizon in the south, and there are other peaks that continue the chain far as the eye can reach.
Up and down the hills wound the path, but, until the summit of the pass was reached, the ups were far more numerous than the downs. Four or five miles from Huancané the train halted at a hacienda where a train from the eastward had just arrived. The animals became a good deal mixed up, and as each of the trains was composed of mules and llamas in about equal proportions there was a prospect of trouble in sorting them out. The Doctor suggested to Manuel the possibility of a trade, whereby they could send back all the llamas, and have the train consist entirely of mules. Somewhat to his surprise it was quickly arranged, through the offer of a small premium to the owners on each side. The loss of time in the transaction, and the changing of the loads, was more than made up by the superior speed of the mules. The llama cannot travel as far in a day as a mule can; he carries less weight, and consequently a train of llamas is longer than a train of mules with the same amount of baggage, and more difficult to manage.
LOADING THE MULES.
Occasionally a load slipped or there was a kicking-match among the beasts of the train, but on the whole they got along very well. The mule of South America is much like his fellow in the North, but Frank was of the opinion that he is not so active with his heels. High altitudes may possibly render him more docile, and he may have the good sense to understand the folly of expending his energy against the air. The mules on these mountain paths follow their leaders with great fidelity; the foremost of the train wears a bell, and its tinkling is the magic sound which draws them on. If the bell is silenced the drivers have far more difficulty in managing their charges than when it is audible.