Let me recommend their case to the attention
of the Scottish gentleman who recently distributed
to his countrymen two tons of tracts.

Finally, I get on board the lona: a floating
village, with lower decks, and middle decks,
and upper decks, and still an attic deck above
those the finest, most commodious, and
best-appointed smooth-water passenger-boat I have
ever seen. A splendid dining-room, a splendid
drawing-room, a library and writing-room, a
fruit-stall, a book and newspaper-stall, and a
post-office! And so, up the broad bosom of
the Clyde to Glasgow, where on the quay
thousands of working men, with their hands in
their pockets, are loitering to see us arrive.
Why? Because they have nothing better to
do on their Saturday half-holiday, there being
no trains on the morrow to bring them back to
their toil, if they should choose on this Saturday
evening to make a restorative visit to the green
fields.

              TO PUERTO CABELLO.

HAVING made up my mind to see Valencia, I
resolved to go from Carácas by the hot sea-route,
recruit in the moderate climate of Valencia, and
return by Aráguas, along the shores of the
celebrated Lake of Tacarigua. When I had
selected my route, and persuaded my friend
C. to be my companion, at least as far as
Puerto Cabello, the next thing was to fix the
day of our departure. We had just heard of a
European dying of yellow fever at La Guaira,
having caught the disease at Puerto Cabello, and
as to the intensity of the heat, we had the
evidence of our own senses, it being, in fact, the
hottest and most unhealthy time of the year.
However, as I was very anxious to meet the
president, General Falcon, whose arrival at
Valencia was expected, we determined to start
immediately. In the hope of getting the ride to
La Guaira over before the sun grew fierce, I rose
on the 8th of August at four A.M., and walked
over to C.'s house. I and he were to go by the
short cut over the mountains called the Indian
Path, and my servant was to follow with the
impedimenta by the coach road. But the course
of travel never did run smooth, and the first
annoyance was, that the mules we were to ride
did not come at the appointed time, and when
they made their appearance, the sun had already
cleared off the mists that descend at night upon
Carácas from the Avila. Two very diminutive
animals they were, these mules, a brown and a
white one, and were both equipped with that
invention of the Evil One, the South American
saddle, which has a huge sharp peak rising up in
front, and another in rear, so that to lift the leg
over them requires the lissomness of youth, or
the natural suppleness of Creole joints. My
temper had been somewhat ruffled by the delay
of the muleteer, and I cast rather a sour look at
his mules as I asked him which I was to ride.
"Señor," said the man very civilly, " this
white one is little, but he knows the road well;
he is for you."

"Little but old, like the pig in the story," I
muttered, as, putting my left toe into one stirrup,
I carelessly threw up my right leg with the intention
of seating myself on the white mule's back.
But it was not for nothing that the snows of age
had descended on that subtle animal, who, with
all his outward solemnity, had learned more tricks
than a monkey. The instant my right leg went
up, he jumped back with a sudden violence that
transferred my foot to his ears instead of the
place intended for it, and I was sent toppling
over into the arms of my tall servant, whose
expansive mouth opened with a grin of
exquisite enjoyment. Seeing how much he and
the other servants, as also the rascal of a
muleteer, relished my discomfiture, I ordered
a man to stand on each side of the mule and
keep his head fast, and, laying firm hold of the
high pommel, made a second careful and most
resolute attempt to seat myself. But the aged
animal was too skilful a strategist, and the
instant I threw up my leg he also threw up
his hinder quarters, and that too with such
agility, that so far from bestriding him I only
kicked him in the stomach, and was again sent
back into the arms of my servant, who this
time fairly broke out into a loud laugh, in
which even C. joined. I held my peace, and
made several other efforts to mount the brute,
but all in vain. So at last I had the Spanish
saddle taken off and replaced by an English one,
and then, in spite of the venerable creature's
tricks, succeeded in mounting him. Once on
his back, I gave him the taste of a very sharp
pair of spurs, to which he responded with a
series of kicks, but went on at a quick pace.
We passed rapidly through the streets to the
north-eastern angle of the city, and skirting the
Toma, or city reservoir, we began to ascend the
ancient military road over the mountains. " C.,"
said I, after riding for some time rather sulkily,
"I shan't forgive you for letting them bring me
such a troublesome brute as this." "Don't be
angry, amigo mio!" replied C., who had hardly
yet done laughing; "that mule is called El
Bailarin, ' the dancer,' on account of his capers,
and many a fellow has been spilt in trying to
mount him; but when once you are on him, you
are sure to like him, for he has the best paces of
any animal on the road. Let me tell you, too,
we shall come to places presently where you will
not be sorry to have a sure-footed beast under
you."

By this time the ascent was becoming very
steep, and turned incessantly in a sharp zig-zag,
and at every turn beautiful views broke upon us.
In front, on the right hand and on the left, were
the mountains, with deep precipitous ravines, in
which the trees grew so thickly that no eye
could spy a single glitter of the waters that
brawled along beneath their branches. Behind us
were the city of Carácas and the rich valley of
Chacao, at the furthest end of which a mass of