The sun., 1905-09-17

Tho adventure whrh Ia hefelrHf'rt ~
srtitnd nd hu, hepper ~ fnysrN ard MI
,hInss curai,Iefed am rN,h"f flad that "
d,dtt N hsppened Ia a friend ~ mine, n
"a ,ij ~ sibnot vim wHs mrs ~ i't- t:.nnsHfs
IN tho work ~ opening ~ Tho p"tenN d''
,tIr, which cunaia,s ~ triangle ~ hhd
stelnard Nv ,htrr Hvrrs, all Nowlng mo
the Marnnon witch n good many hind'ed
miles To the nof,hca 'wHrd hcnfnea tho
Madrjra and thcn the Amsyor.
rho chm rehn mn w IL q torrent which
trpinA IN the glaciers ~ the eaa'nfn cha'n
of tho Cofdiiicraa, about ninriy miles from
t,,oys ~hlrh IL the terminus W tho noet
wonderf,h railway In the world. Thss
railway, I may say. In tssren,heaes starts
from Callao, tho port ~ Lama. eight feet
above sea level. and after piercing Monte
Mcissa AZ an elevation of is,s7s feet de-
scenda 10 Oroya, which In 1880 feet sbove
ara level
n IL out Of the question IN give tho ur,-
ira veled reader an ything like definite idea
~ the appa Hing diffioult country that one
has to ira vel through fsUm the rail end at
Oroya down to the glorious garden lands
of the Montana yet II In inthis stretch Of
country that yo, can die what is pefhaps the
most terrible death that even the ina gina
tion Of Edgar Allan Poe could have con-
Ceived.
Crawling over the high mountain passes
II OOG or 5000 feet above the sea level
have often passed skeletons Of animals and
men whose death stories must have been
fra pedies Of unspeak akable horror. Up there
~ yo,ir animal gives out the beat thing you
can do for yourself Ia to put your revolver
muzzle under your ca and pull the trigger
II ia impossible TO walk any distance in
the dly cold in that rarefed atmosphere,
where the barometer stands at under twenty
inches and your heart In trying to knock
it's way out through your ribs. To sleep
one night without shelter is almost certain
death, and the chance OF any one coming
along to help you Ia a matter OF days.
For sixty miles OF 80 the gorge OF the
Chanchamaya is possible for man and
beast only by narrow pathway cut out
OF the mountain side on the right hand as
YOU 20 down toward the Amazonas region.
II rises and falls with the mountains, dipping
sometimes to the river level by series Of
staircases in which all the steps are loose
and then rising again, but on the average
the road runs about thousand feet above
the bottom of the gorge to the left hand,
and above that again to the right hand is
the mountain wall, which towers up to
another one or twoo three thousand feet
according to the height Of the hills that
you are passing.
Il was on a comparatively broad part
OF this path that was riding somewhat
restive horse when couple OF donkeys.
loaded with thornbush for fuel and driven
by Indians who were possibly stupid with
the combination Of coca leaf and chaota
(sugar cane brandy, came round corner
and planted their burdens under my horses
breast.
He was over and on top OF me in moment,
and when I came round I found myself
within a few feet Of a 800 foot preoipioe.
but happily had friend with me who
was accustomed to that kind Of travelling.
He got the horse on to his feet again and.
as no bones were broken he got on to my
horse and on to his mule.
II was q somewhat painful business
getting to the next township, and the next
day had to lay up with my bruised leg
covered with congresses made Of coca
leaves soaked in ohacta. and from the
rapidity Of the cure I came to the con-
clusion that this il combination which
is much better to take externally than in
ternally.
About three weeks later I was riding
back over the same road with an acquaint-
ance whom had got to know down in the
Perene, and as we rounded one particularly
ugly corner l told him about my little ad-
venture, and said:
1T was lucky thing for me that 1t was
not half mile further on in place like
this, for should have gone over to q GER
tainty."
yes" he said, with that sudden serious
ness which you 80 often find in men who
have had pretty close acquaintance with
death. Il suppose you know that il you
had gone over and broken.a limb you would
have died in about the most disgusting
way that man can die l very nearly
did it myself once about couple of hundred
yards or so from here"
remembered the clean picked skeletons
that had seen up in the passes, and said;
'Yes, think l know what you mean.
But how did this business Of yours happen?"