You who find
yourselves too well-acquainted with the Rockies and the Alps and
the Himalayas should try the Andes. There is a surprise waiting
for you.
But for the story.
We found Cerro de Pasco, interesting as its situation is, far
short of our expectations. It is a mining town, filled with
laborers and speculators, noisy, dirty, and coarse. We had been
there less than forty-eight hours when I declared to Harry and Le
Mire my intention of returning at once.
"But the Andes!" said Le Mire. "Shall we not see them?"
"Well--there they are."
I pointed through the window of the hotel.
"Bah! And you call yourself a traveler? Look! The snow! My
friend Paul, must I ask twice for a favor?"
Once again we tossed a coin.
Ah, if Le Mire had only seen the future! And yet--I often
wonder--would she have turned her back? For the woman craved
novelty and adventure, and the gameness of centuries was in her
blood--well, she had her experience, which was shared only in
part by Harry and myself.
Those snow-capped peaks! Little did we guess what they held for
us. We were laughing, I remember, as we left behind us the edge
of civilization represented by Cerro de Pasco.
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