"Not leave him ever," he said in Spanish, laying his hand on the
cord which was fastened to the beast's head; and not for one moment
did he leave his charge, though the labour of sticking close to him
was very great.

They had four attendants or guides, all of whom made the journey on
foot. That they were all men of mixed race was probable; but three
of them would have been called Spaniards, Spaniards, that is, of
Costa Rica, and the other would be called an Indian. One of the
Spaniards was the leader, or chief man of the party, but the others
seemed to stand on an equal footing with each other; and indeed the
place of greatest care had been given to the Indian.

For the first four or five miles their route lay along the high road
which leads from San Jose to Punt' Arenas, and so far a group of
acquaintances followed them, all mounted on mules. Here, where the
ways forked, their road leading through the great forests to the
Atlantic, they separated, and many tears were shed on each side.
What might be the future life of the Arkwrights had not been
absolutely fixed, but there was a strong hope on their part that
they might never be forced to return to Costa Rica. Those from whom
they now parted had not seemed to be dear to them in any especial
degree while they all lived together in the same small town, seeing
each other day by day; but now,--now that they might never meet
again, a certain love sprang up for the old familiar faces, and
women kissed each other who hitherto had hardly cared to enter each
other's houses.

And then the party of the Arkwrights again started, and its steady