Never mind, we were hungry and partook of
whatever was brought along, until the "inner man" cried content! The
meal, I may add, was washed down with a cheap "wine" distilled from
cheaper raisins, but it was something wet, and for the time sufficed.
Our pack animals arrived at Guarina about 7 p.m., and we very soon had
our things unpacked and occupied our beds, knowing that a pretty early
start would be made in the morning. The night passed uneventfully, and
at daybreak we got under way, bound for Achicachi, about five leagues
off. There is still a road for vehicles to this town, and keeping along
the shores of Lake Titicaca, we reached this larger Indian town about 9
a.m. The population was about 5,000 Indians, but it is a very
uninteresting, bleak spot, and we only remained long enough to have a
square meal, which we were again fortunate enough to have provided for
us by the reigning magistrate. That over, we then dispatched our coach
on its return journey to La Paz, and thought of our other means of
transport for the forward journey. Good mules we had sent ahead, and
were now awaiting us saddled and ready, and we at last got started on
this the more arduous part of our journey inland. Our destination for
the night was Gualata, a small holding belonging to my fellow-traveller,
and we reached it at about 1 o'clock, having climbed probably 2,000 feet
higher up the mountains.
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