Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-01
Travelling in the United States
Of Colombia.
FROM HONDA TO BOGOTA.
A Four.Day Ride Over Mouusain Path.
ways-Thc Proper Rid,mg Skirss-Hew
Goods Are Transported - The First
Glimpse Of The Capital.
From The srAR's Travelling Commissioners

the "hesd" Of that rivers navigable
waters. The growing town, which has acquired
consequence only on account of the river trade,
is beautifully situated, surrounded by rugged
mountains and at the junction Of two great
streams, for here the Rio Gaui comes rushing
down to Join the Magdalena on its long journey
to the sea.
Otherwise there is nothing about Honda to
distinguish il from a hundred other cities Of
Spanish America. II has the usual tall-towered
church, rows of white-wsshed casas rooted with
red tiles and suburban cottages matched with
straw, all shaded by cocoa trees and groups Of
graceful palms. There are q few very old
buildings OF early Spanish origin, whose
enormously thick walls were built with especial
view to Withstand the earthquakes that are
frequent in this locality; but in spite of their
solidity most Of the old houses were long ago
shaken into ruins. To my mind the most
interesting thing about the place is the remains
Of an antique bridge, built by the conquerors
in the year 1901. Its quaint arches are yet
entire. and the stone walls show inches, now
dismantled, where saints and crosses used to
stand commanding the worship of all way
farers, telling mutely how those stern crusaders
built for all time and never forgot the outward
tokens of religion in the midst Of their greed
for gold.
FROM HONDA TO BoaoTA
Bogota de Santa Fe, the capital of Colom-
bia, is only 70 miles from Honda; but the
journey thereto, being straight over the main
cordillera Of the Andes is very tedious and diff
fcult and can only be accomplished on horse
or mule back. From time to time during the
last quarter of a century American companies
have attempted the construction of a railroad
between these two points. About thirty miles
of track have actually been laid; but those in
charge of the work have again and again been
compelled to abandon it because of frequent
revolutions and the impossibility Of securing
laborers. The natives will not work and the
company cannot afford to pay wages enough to
induce immigration. But notwithstanding all
these disadvantages the enterprise has not
been abandoned, and having received substan-
tial encouragement from the Colombian gov
eminent in the shape of land grants and
concession" it will doubtless be finished some
time. Meanwhile, on its own account, the gov
eminent has projected a railway from Bogota
to Honda, and has also given liberal conces-
sion for the construction Of another line lead
ing into the Cauca valley, where are supposed
to exist the richest gold mines in all the world,
the same from whence came those hundreds of
millions that were sent to Spain in the days of
the viceroys.
A stage line has recently been established
between Honda and Agriabarga, thus shorten
ing the saddle journey by 80 miles; but it is a
mooted question, which is hardest, to be rat
tied across the mountains shut up in spring
less coach like dice in a box, or to go sailing
over them on the deck of a mule. In either
case the trip necessitates four of the
longest and hardest days that are likely to fall
to the lot OF an ordinary human being in the
course of his life.
Because OF the certainty of obtaining good
mules for the through trip at Honda and the
uncertainty of all things at Agriabarga we
decided whether wisely or not remains to be
SEEM to go the entire distance in the saddle.
The ladies OF our party secured riding habits Of
dust-colored alpaca, buckskn gloves reaching
nearly to the elbow, and wide-brimmed hats of
Panama grass, tied tightly under the chin la
poke" Right here permit me to whisper a
secret
TO LADIES ONLY.
When making saddle journeys in any of these
regions it is well to be guided in the
matter of dress by the advice Of the natives,
who, travelling always in this fashion, certainly
ought to know what they are talking about
lady "to the manner born" never burdens
herself with too much riding skirt, but makes
II oCdlt dS pOSSlDlt anu Ouly IOur
longer than ordinary walking dress, and
never, by any possibility, does the direst acct
dent expose an inch OF hose or a glimpse Of
those under garments which are uncomfortable
to ears polite, for she dons pair of very wide
full trousers of the same material as her habit
gathered Turkish fashion close around the tops
of her shoes However the wind may blow
when horse and rider are in full sail over
breezy heights breeches and all pass for riding
skirt and none can tell where one begins and
the other ends even should a catastrophe tum-
Bile her upside down.
AN EARLY START.
Gathering out of still sleeping Honda about
8 o'clock one balmy morning (for the seasons
are reversed down here, you know, and mid
summer comes in january, our road wound
for some distance under a complete arch of
papaws, mangoes and fig trees. whose interlac-
ing branches obscured the sky and rendered
yet darker the silent hour between night and
dawn. Not even dog was stirring to bark US
out of town and the mules huddled closer to-
gether with an instructive need of companion
ship. In the uncertain light We could not dis
Germ one anothers faces and our figures looked
ghostly and unreal, as might procession Of
disembodied spooks on some uncanny expedi.
ton.
But when the stars were lost in the sea of
crimson and gold that presages the rising of
the tropic sun Dame Nature suddenly shook
of her comatose condition, the flowers lifted
their dewy heads, birds began to twitter
smoke to curl from housetops and the hum Of
human activity was heard. Presently the road
became alive with Indians trudging to market
under heavy loads, barefooted women in short
calico skirts and wide straw hats sitting astride
of mules, each beast generally CARRYING two
persons and dOnkeys and black and white bull
locks, 30 heavily laden as to be literally
COVERED FROM STEM TO STERN
with piles of chincona bark, bags of gold or sill
yer ore from the mines or loads Of merchan-
disc of various sorts. The principal towns of
Colombia, scattered along the fertile valleys
lying between the spurs Of the Andes, are dis
tant from the Magdalena from 60 to 100 miles;
and to them all goods must be forwarded over
the rugged mountain pathways. Merchandise
Is distributed into bales of 125 pounds each,
allowing two bales or $50 pounds to q donkey
load. Parcels exceeding this weight must be
opened and repacked, or they will not be carried
at all. The majority Of interior cargadores are
women and their charge for each load is from
"A to 80 reales Ga Colombian real being about
III cents American money!, or between 50 and
"a Their system Of transit applies only to ar
ticles of comparatively light weight, making it
utterly impossible to forward across country to
those places where they are most needed such
heavy objects as agricultural implements, min
ing machinery. fire engines, wagons or, indeed,
anything else weighing more than half ton.
Yet we are told that in Bogota every well-to-
do family has its piano, which had to be
brought piecemeal over the Sierras at the cost
OF $1,000 per piano for its transportation alone!
They have street cars, too, in Colombiss CAPT.
tai, which were also toted in sections over the