"
"And then the Andes?" I suggested.
"Why not?"
"But, my dear Desiree, what shall we do with the yacht?"
"Pooh! There is the captain. Come--shall I say please?"
So we went to Cerro de Pasco. I wrote to Captain Harris, telling
him not to expect us for another month or so, and sending him
sufficient funds to last till our return.
I verily believe that every one of note in Lima came to the
railroad station to see us off.
Our compartment was a mass of flowers, which caused me to smile,
for Le Mire, curiously enough, did not like them. When we had
passed out of the city she threw them out of the window, laughing
and making jokes at the expense of the donors. She was in the
best of humor.
We arrived at Oroya late in the afternoon, and departed for Cerro
de Pasco by rail on the following morning.
This ride of sixty-eight miles is unsurpassed in all the world.
Snow-capped peaks, bottomless precipices, huge masses of boulders
that seem ready to crush the train surround you on every side,
and now and then are directly above or beneath you.
Le Mire was profoundly impressed; indeed, I had not supposed her
to possess the sensibility she displayed; and as for me, I was
most grateful to her for having suggested the trip.
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