VENEZUELA -

VENEZUELA.

rum

a drink of aguardiente, or fire-water, as while their wretched animals take rest that can be called

swarms of (it

which

here called,

few minutes'

robbed of

its

rest, if

solace

At one place our coachman, an

flies.

by the Italian

curious that the pmicipal Jehus on this road are

hold

Italians), requested us to

same time

noses, at the

oui'

As we

applying the lash vigorously to his ponies.

galloj)ed

or small vultures, rose from the

by, a flock of zamuros,

body of a horse, wliich might very

easily

over the precipice by

but no South American

its

OTVTier

;

would ever think of giving himself a

the public.

They

and dogs, were smoking there. out

all

day,

and

killed four quail,

had now ascended about

was comparatively quite

less steep,

speed.

and had

tridges.

trouble to oblige

little

stoj^ped at a venta half way,

Three or four rough-looking

horses.

have been pitched

cold.

and changed

fellows,

with guns

said they

had been

and seen a few parfive

The

thousand

and we started with our fresh horses

This rate of travelUng

a road to those

who

cross

were so abrupt as to

at great

not so pleasant on such

for the first time.

quite

feet,

road, too, was

invisible

The

turns

one was

while

approaching the precipice, from which they diverged almost at right angles.

the abyss,

seemed to be

and we did reach

its

galloj)ing straight into

very brink, and then swept

round by a turn in the road, which only

showed but

itself.

feel a little

at that

moment

Until habit deadens sensation, one cannot

nervous at such charioteering, and the more

so as dreadful accidents have actually occm'red.

There are

similar roads over the mountains in Peru, and

said

that a late President of that comitry got so alarmed on one occasion, that he shouted out to the youth

who was

driving,