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everything ready for our reception. Something hadl happened, as the other van was not in sight. It was impossible to dignify the route by the name of a " road, " as it presented an uneven surface ancË occasionally branched into several independent tracks,; which re-united after an eccentric course of a few> hundred yards ; these were caused by droves of mules which in wet weather had endeavoured to select I better line than the deeply-trodden mud in the centra^ road. Fortunately the surface was now hard, and w^ cantered on, fully expecting some disaster to at lea one of our vehicles. Upon our arrival we found crowd of people yelling and shouting their utmost while they were engaged in company with four oxe harnessed in dragging and pushing the blue van up a! new road which they had scarped out of the prec pitous bank of a river about forty feet deep ; thi1 accounted for only one van being in sight, as thej other was in the dry bed of the river. These good people had been working for several hours in makir a road where none existed ; and assured me that the large bridge over the Pedias was unsafe for so grea a weight, and therefore it was advisable to cross the present spot. The banks consisted of the alluviur of ages free from stones, therefore it was easy to ci an incline; but as many tons of earth had been removed the operation had required much labour, and man) hands had collected from the adjacent villages upc seeing the dilemma. The blue van was in the middle of the crowd ; th oxen answered to the inspiriting shouts, and more especially to the ceaseless pricks of the driving sticks, and presently it was dragged safely to the level of tht opposite bank. A few alterations in the new roac

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