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. [Illustration: 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. [Illustration: THE START.]