"Almost immediately after leaving the village we struck into the valley of a river flowing from the mountains, and from this point our road was almost a continuous ascent. Up and up we climbed, passing two or three mining establishments, apparently abandoned, and an occasional hut whose occupant sold food and forage to the mule trains, and took advantage of the little patches of grass near his residence. After several hours of this kind of work along zigzag paths we reached the highest point of the Uspallata range, and halted to give our animals a breathing-spell, and to observe the scenery. "This spot is called 'El Paramillo,' and the view it affords is magnificent. To the eastward the plain and the intervening hills were spread like a map before us, and we could trace the course of the rivers and ravines for many and many a mile. North and south and west were the Andes; their great peaks seemed to pierce the sky, and their caps of purest snow reflected in almost blinding clearness the rays of the sun. Though we had gained an elevation of thousands of feet, the mountains towered far above us, and I realized more than ever before the awful grandeur of the Andes. Below and around us were yawning chasms, and as Federico pointed out the route by which we were to continue it seemed as though an eternal barrier stood between us and the opposite side of the great chain of the Andes. [Illustration: A DANGEROUS ROAD IN THE MOUNTAINS.] "From the crest of this ridge we proceeded over a table-land and along a gentle descent for about fifteen miles, till we reached the rancheria of Uspallata, where we passed the night. It consists of a series of adobe houses built around a court-yard; several of these houses are divided into rooms for the accommodation of travellers, and as soon as Manuel could secure one of them it was delivered into our custody. It was the Eastern khan or caravansary over again, and I fancy that the idea must have been brought from Spain by the early settlers, and originally obtained from the Moors during their residence in the Peninsula. "My room contained a chair and a table, but no other furniture. On one side there was a shelf of adobes four feet wide and two feet above the floor, which was intended for a bed, but there was not even a rawhide upon it. I was expected to supply my own bedding, and with the aid of my overcoat, blankets, saddle, and saddle-gear, I had a very comfortable couch under the circumstances. I was too weary to be particular, and, five minutes after lying down, was oblivious to all outward things. [Illustration: PEONS AT REST.]