Show FROM CHILI TO BUENOS AYRES ON a clear bright day in the month of december 1888 1 I left santiago in chill en route across the cordillera to the argentine republic I 1 reached los andes the terminus or of the railway below the mountains early in the afternoon and was met by appointment by an italian storekeeper to whom I 1 had been recommended who at once sent for the muleteer with whom I 1 was to bargain for the price of the passage over As it was very early in the season the snow being still lying on the route and as reports the dangerous condition of the r ro had bad been circulating for some ti tin I 1 decided on taking two guides a and spare mules and came to terms v w iw an old muleteer and his son for sum of about ten pounds sterling W which they bound themselves provide the necessary animals a at saddling when mustered our CS ca a van avan consisted of myself zacharia the muleteer and his son SOD s mounted a bell mare a pack mu mul for the baggage and four extra aa ao mals male in case of accident a it was the first trip zacharias h baa undertaken that season from M ma to november the winter months W south america no do crossing can w attempted as the deep snow completely blacks blo ks the way and durl during that period the muleteers mule employ their animals in carrying brewto firewood etc and make a very poor living 8 that before the more lucrative deaso commences they have genera generally been forced to resort to the paw shop for the means of living ao thus it came to pass that I 1 fout fofoa Zt charlas had all his saddles 1 pawn and was obliged to addad him the passage money that b might redeem them and also pia pr vide himself and son with victual for the trip the river Acono aua which ru run past los andes and which we W wei to follow up to its source on our w wai over the mountains bad to S formidable rushing stream owing the melting of the snow feeds it and had bad partly destroy the bridge the mules therefore were not able to come across to dal and I 1 had bad to follow my guides w abt took my luggage on their shoulder across a plank which replaced th taj broken bridge to their house on mhd tb other side where the animals wel waiting zacharias had made good use of the money received herb he baft paid off several old debt presed presented his wife and dirty little children with several odds and ends he had bad picked up in town and now affet taking a hurried meal with b bi I 1 family he was ready to start W accordi accordingly dagly set off at about 4 p 01 M the bellmare bell mare was a little weedy weed black animal with a bell suspend ro u nd its neck 11 is called i n apao a ish the endrina godmother of th tbt mules who follow it through thic and thin so that it is only necessary to lead this mare or tie her up aa the ease case may be and then there 8 no fear that any of the mules will wil refuse to go ga on or stray when ing my luggage consisted of a lea leachet thet portmanteau a traveling bag hamper of provisions and a roll wraps all packed on one de mul the men carried their own pro pr visions and extra clothing behl babio them while I 1 took the prec precaution aution ID 0 having a couple of saddle b baga strapped to my saddle in case DU pack mule should get lost or peri in one of the rivers my dress dregs w a flannel suit a comfortable ponca pond equally adapted for cold or b hew sun or rain long shooting gai gaiters rs 1 large panama hat blue s spectacles ec cles ward off the glare of the snow IS larig chilian spurs a revolver and a Is lafle knife or dagger for all manner of i the ve on entrance trance t to lo the mountain ii pass a narrow valley through which the n river dashes is qu quite i te close to the wn of los anti amies es rhe fhe roar of the muddy dy coffee colored water together with the thunder produced athe continual crashing to together getner itil etue or the big ig round stones it hurl hurte A along bed eu were enough to prevent all conversation at first for w several mil a the road is skirted attall farm farms the d welling dwelling houses of UI which are set close to the path S g u id e an annoyed it oy ed me co consider u si der ahi ably doiy by stopping stop plug to talk to every one 06 w keeping me waiting and men generally coming up tip with some pece of bad news about the pass all 8 we were aust leaving the last aln a boman told us that very Ol Orning a black portmanteau had down the river and she de feared its owner had met with a serious accident A it little later we overtook the postboy boy on oil his way back over the huun bains after arriving only that thai morning corning at los andes from the he ntine republic on his way had fount found the mountain streams ext ett to impassable and his journey from oni mendoza to los andes had taen ken beven days instead of the usual ave ve he rode a mule and led another another carrying the mails we t 8 iv vec ed to go S on oil with him as he h ad ju just 8 t crossed and could give us the e la latest t est tips as to the best way over er the dangerous places atter after riding in the hot sun for inore lore than two hourn along the river WO came to a small roadside inn alth with the promising signboard sign board botel bismarck proprietor herr VOU Q Rue knesebeck 51 that nobleman BS not at home but liis his wife gave 48 some me beer and told us that she ats heard board of two germans or E eng ng being drowned drowne ii while to cross the river the day before she also gave us a clue to w the he floating portmanteau for or a I 1 raule in bearing g two had made a rush the de river nver close to her house 1 t a i had ac deen been speedily capsized and carried off by the current all efforts to w save it bel being ng in vat vain n ich auch discouraging rel re orts made usa 1 ittle tie nervous but I 1 was determined cikot ra to and I 1 I 1 delay my journey I 1 hurried arted rt ed on my little caravan for it aa growing dark and we to put tip P for the night at a small inn laehr ea the chilian customhouse custom house a w F nilea tile the we higher up valley p e july duly reached the place unload ed u our animals and sent them into quill field I 1 was provided with 4 room oom and a bed which looked i gathing gy ed anything Iny thing but inviting I 1 disinfect for it and changed the dirty blankets t th tuond 13 own rugs sa my mon slept kioa on i ne verandah the night was very Is it lun t ar i an after cooking myself a hi 0 dinner ner on my spirit lamp I 1 r arned rn in but could not sleep for ju 81 spite of abiog leaving the two doors on opel windows there were none the we air was stifling i tn at break CB of day we were all in on the mules were caught and packed i I 1 made a cup of cocoa and 4 t 11 6 a m we were again under way la tit shortly portly afterwards ls we were dett at the custom house till one of B officials could be induced to barab oie out to receive a small sum for bridge money for at that point we had to cross the river we passe I 1 t through a lovely valley bau bail eded by bold high mountains 0 ou either side with a rushing etreal brawling below we climbed up and up sometimes on a good broad path but more often creeping up the hillside on a rough sheep sheel path full of loose stones the vegetation was very luxuriant flowers that would have graced any highly cultivated garden bloomed on ob all sides towards 10 a m we reached a place where the mountains closed in leaving only a chasm about thirty f et wide for the river to pass through and we were obliged to creep creel along high above it this chasm goes by the name of the soldiers leap and the legend runs i that during the war of independence j a soldier being pursued leaped across the river at that spot a feat which seems highly improbable each turn of the valley brought to view a lovely scene a new picture the surrounding mountains bare and rocky ner ne r their summits clothed with grass and shrubs lower down presenting the greatest variety of fantastic forms towards noon I 1 called a halt and we cooked our breakfast near a clear mountain brook on the opposite side of the river the engineers of the new trans andian railway which is to cross the cordillera at this and join the atlantic with the pacific had erected a camp of tents and were were occupied in taking measurements the postboy behind and we left him to his bis fate not mot wishing to lose time by waiting for him we continued our route along the river and presently the surrounding mountains became tipped with snow each ravine adding its little stream to feed the river towards afternoon we reached the old guardhouse guard house where re many travelers halt for the night but as it is wise to get as near as possible to the summit of the cordillera so as to cross it early in the morning before the sunshine softens the snow or the wind begins to blow we pushed steadily forward the vegetation now dow became more scanty thes reams increased in volume issuing from glaciers on either side of the valley and we saw some beautiful waterfalls several hundred feet high at about 3 pm p m we reached the first snowfield snow field from under which xan ran a stream of muddy wacer the path grew more and more rugged and stony greatly fatiguing our animals at aburn lu the path we fell in with two rather ragged young men who told us they were crossing the cordillera on foot but could not pass ahm next dext amit being both broad and rapid 0 one ne of them was a an n italian sailor the other a chilian so as we had bad so many spare animals we offered them a lift across the stream at which we presently arrived it was our first serious obstacle a broad glacier stream rushing over big bis boulders alfi athirst sight it seemed impassable but ismael ventured in anti and with some come difficulty got his mule across then zacharias insisted on putting a lasso around my waist aud and another adoth r around my mules neck so as to pull us out should my animal be carried away the lasso attached to the mule as was pulled by ismael atthe at the opp opposite side of the stream whilst his father kept hold of the one around my waist and I 1 ans w is soon safely across ac rosiS rhe fhe pame fame operation was gone through with the pack mule the guide and our friends the two tramps who lent a helping hand very soon after another stream made its appearance but we crossed it without assistance then we came to tile the largest and most glacier stream we had yet met with across it was a kind ot of bridge consisting ot of two poles laid side by side we fastened a lasso to a tree making it serve as a railing and crossed on foot over the wild torrent the men carried the saddles and baggage over and when all were safely landed the mules were fastened one by one to a long lisso and entering the stream managed to maintain their footing by our keeping a steady pull on the rope from the other side two were nearly drifted away and it needed our combi combined tied to get them through shortly before we had bad reached it when the melting snow enow had not dot yet increased the bulk of this stream a young man had fallen in but luckily he had bad a rope around him and was saved though his mule was carried away and drowned our mules were re saddled and all hands received a good stiff glass of brandy i reward for their exertions and to leep out the cold fur for the wind was now blowing keenly we then proceeded and presently arrived at the last turn of the valley and behold beheld the entrance to the highest pass in the cordillera and the glacier from which spouted forth the principal river which we had been following up all jay day on its opposite eside side we perceived a flat roofed hut but and an enclosure for the animals well grown with grass here we were to spend the night we safely en eissed ased the river which so near its birth is not net very broad and turned our animals loose I 1 ther then engaged a room and cooked my dinner near by were encamped some people who had crossed from the argentine aide a hodg them a poor woman halt hall dead with fatigue and fright having endured great hardships in crossing the summit later on a carload of about ten pass passengers eDgers arrived including a spanish lady and a sickly boy to whom I 1 yielded my room the only one I 1 had for they needed rest and shelter far more than I 1 did it ws wits bitterly cold and I 1 took possession possess i on of a wooden bench with nothing but a roof of branches overhead the men encamped around log fires but the smoke was so hurtful to my eye that I 1 could not avail myself of the warmth still I 1 managed to get a few snatches of alet slet p at midnight the moon just rose over the peak of the mountain end at 1 a m I 1 left my hard bard aou couch ch and called my men to prepare for starting all was ready by 1 drank a up of yerba mats mate a kind tf of tea which one sucks through a metal tube quite hot and which has a very invigorating vig orating effect on the nerves then we began our march in the bright moonlight obscured now and then by a dark cloud which obliged us to stop for some moments the path being difficult to find bud it led upward among sharp loose stones our two tramps started with us and I 1 alloa ed ono of them to hang on to the tail of my m luule ule which was some help to him in scaling the steep mountain sides by the time we reached the level of the snowfield snow field belo s daylight day light appeared which was lucky for the path was scarcely marked very little traffic having yet taken place anti and in many parts it lad had been entirely effaced by land slips or snow drifts we had now got well on to the snow which was often six or eight feet deep but so hard that thai the hoofs of our mules scarcely left any impression press iun we overtook two companies of travelers going one way and as they also bad extra mules we formed quite a large caravan caravan the mountains closed in forming a series of regular galleys gul leys through which we journeyed constantly expecting that each would be the last but it took four hours to cruss cross all these fields of snow SHOW at last we came to the foot of a steep mountain rising about two thousand feet above the already elevated point we had attained nearly dearly covered with wide and deep snow drifts this was the last barrier on OD the chilian side the very summit of tile the cordillera of the andes the morning was cool but still and the deep blue sky overhead the wild and sterile mountains covered with snow formed such a perfectly grand and lovely scene that even my chillian companions who bail bad often crossed cro sied aud and as a rule are little susceptible to the beauties beautie of nature were roused to admiration As ari we now began to ascend the mountains our mules and horses had hard work to wind their zigzag way over the steep drifts of snow and I 1 often contier ed they did not lose their footing and precipitate riders and baggage into the depths beneath we had arrived about halfway half way up when we found it too steep on that side to proceed and were obliged to cross a ridge to the trow of the opposite mountain the ravine between the two mountain spurs was oue one sheet of dazzling white anti and we dismount jis mount ed to enable the mules to cross for their hoofs were hardly able to get firm hold and any false step would have sent them and us into the valley far below on seeing my two chillani Chi Chil lians lans in front of me crawling on hands and knees along the side of the ravine their mules reluctant to move on oil and after slipping with one foot I 1 felt very nervous and took good care to place myself higher up the slope than my mule holding hia rein loosely and getting firm hold of the snow with my large chilian spurs for my boots could not grip it I 1 had one hand on my large hunting knife ready to thrust it into the snow as a support in case of need and I 1 almost required to do so for at that bight twelve t we ve thousand feet above the level of tb the t sea the least exertion |