THE MOUNTAIN OF THE CAYES.
171
My
temper was not improved when tlie confounded fellow made his eternal repl}^, " tal vez," '' perhaps." cavern?"
we were
I have no doubt the delectable place
in
was
full of
snakes, but I caught a glimpse of only one, and that a very
small one
small as
;
was, however, I
it
the bite of which proves mortal sight of this creatm'e
my
of
m
knew
it
seemed to lend
me
The
wuigs, and in spite
gTeat ridmg-boots, I emerged on the other side of the
We now
ra^dne almost as quicldy as I had descended. steej) bit,
^Dieces of rock,
a way that
ver}^
got
covered with grass, in which lurked
upon a very innumerable
had
to be a coral,
an hour or two.
and over these we stumbled in
soon reheved us of the
little
breath we
Thinldng, however, that the caves were straight
left.
above us, we struggled frantically on until we got to the height of about a thousand feet, that
I was
"Well," said he, "don't
you
I called out to Colon
and
At
whole place was
with ants
lay the skeleton of a large
bii'd,
sit
do^vn.
are, unless
bones we saw
m the
me, and saw that the
this I looked about
swarmmg
must
down where you
sit
Avant to be picked as clean as those
cemetery."
me
when
completely exhausted
;
and, mdeed, close to
which looked as
if it
had
been prepared for an anatomical museum, so well was cleared.
the
it
I had to cree^) some distance under the scarp of
mountam
weary limbs.
before I fomid a place where I could rest
The view was enchantmg, but
was somewhat marred
would send
me
b}^
iiij
my
satisfaction
the uncomfortable idea that a slip
headlong down the side of the
hill,
which,
where I was sittmg, was almost i)erpendicular.
Meantune
Pedi'o the guide
had been trying
at various
points to clamber up the scarped crest of the mountain, to find the cave
he had undertaken to show us.
" Are you cer-