Something Had 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
And 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 a better line than the deeply-trodden mud in
the central road. Fortunately the surface was now hard, and we cantered
on, fully expecting some disaster to at least one of our vehicles. Upon
our arrival we found a crowd of people yelling and shouting their
utmost, while they were engaged in company with four oxen harnessed in
dragging and pushing the blue van up a new road which they had scarped
out of the precipitous bank of a river about forty feet deep; this
accounted for only one van being in sight, as the other was in the dry
bed of the river. These good people had been working for several hours
in making a road where none existed; and assured me that the large
bridge over the Pedias was unsafe for so great a weight, and therefore
it was advisable to cross at the present spot. The banks consisted of
the alluvium of ages free from stones, therefore it was easy to cut an
incline; but as many tons of earth had been removed, the operation had
required much labour, and many hands had collected from the adjacent
villages upon seeing the dilemma.
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