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Deposited by
Henry R. "Wagner
1907

TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU

city of lima, with cathedral front.

TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU

E. B. CLARK

ILL USTRA TED

LONDON
T. FISHER UNWIN
PATERNOSTER square
189 I

PKINTED AT THE EDINBURGH PRESS,
9 AND II YOUNG STREET.

TO
MRS. HOWARD JOHNSTON,
OF MIRAFLOKES,
WHOSE KINDNESS AND HOSPITALITY AFFORD
THE AUTHORESS SO MANY PLEASANT RECOLLECTIONS OF
HER VISIT TO PERU, THIS SKETCH IS LOVINGLY
DEDICATED

PREFACE.

In presenting this little work to the
public, one word of apology is due for
its autobiographical tendency.
Far was it from my original purpose
to thrust my own individuality so promi
nently into the foreground — as my
historical manuscripts will testify — and
the suggestions of those more qualified
to judge than my humble self must be
responsible for the seeming egotism,
Nevertheless I venture to hope that my
efforts to please may claim at least a
A

X PREFACE.
small portion of that leniency and gene
rosity that characterise the reading public,
wheresoever they may be and to whatso
ever nationality they may belong. E. B. C.

CONTENTS.

FEOM COLON TO LIMA.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Colon — Layirjgof tne Panama Railroad — Impor
tance of it and difficulties encountered —
Pestilential climate — Failure of the Canal —
Striking features- of the Isthmus — Popu
lation — Barbacoas Bridge — Basaltic Cliffs . 1
CHAPTER II.
City and Bay of Panama — Lines of Steamers —
On the South Pacific — Guayaquil — Inea
roads and emerald mine — Paita — Port of
Callao — Foundation of Lima — Origin of the
name Pebtj  22
CHAPTER III.
Review of the war with Chili— City of Lima —
Its plaza — Paintings in National Library —
Francisco Pizarro's life and character —
Milkwoman and waterman — Peruvian
newspapers — Churches in Lima — Santa

Xll CONTENTS.

Rosa de Santa Maria — National fite — Peru
vian characteristics and amusements —
Outskirts of Lima . . .36
CHAPTER IV.
Climate of Lima — Humboldt current — Earth
quakes — Battles of Chorrillos and Miraflores
— The English befriend Peru — Holy Week
— Hospitals — Franciscan friars — Carnival
— Agriculture, manufactures, and exports
- Guano and nitrates — Peruvian bark —
Fruits and vegetables — Native dishes —
Wines — Coinage — Government — Presiden
tial elections — Area and Population —
Remarkable men . . 60

IN THE SIERRA.
CHAPTER I.
Boundaries of Peru — Physical divisions — Pre
parations for ascending the Andes — Village
of Chosica, and flora — Verrugas Bridge —
Mountain climbing— Matucana — TheSacred
Rimac — Viso Bridge — Mountain Scenery —
Chicla— Sorroche . . 83

CONTENTS. Xlll
CHAPTER II. PAOE
Oroya railroad — Projected terminus — Hand
cars — Village of Casapalca and smelting
works — Summit crossin g — Huascacocha —
Life in the Sierra — Telephones erected —
Climate — Cause of the heavy rains . . 109
CHAPTER III.
Yule-tide festival — Chacta — Cholo-Indian cus
toms, dress, and appearance — Coca — Llamas
— Yauli, and Chanchamayo valley — Manu
factures and products of the Sierra — Animal
life — Mining interests — Waterfall of Puy-
Puy — Descent from the Cordillera . 127
CHAPTER IV.
Return to the coast — Noted watering-places
near Lima — Second journey to the moun
tains — Cuzco — Voyage to Panama — Pacific
Mail s.s. from Colon to New York — New
York city — Return to England . . . 146

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE
City of Lima, with Cathedral Front, Frontis
piece.
Youthful Cholo . . .49
Landscape showing Crest of South American
Continent, 24,000 Feet ... 85
Verrugas Bridge  95
Smelting Works of Casapalc a . . . .117
Christmas Festivities amongst the Cholo-
Indians ... ... 126
Group of Llamas  134
Mountain Scenery, showing the River Man
taro .  138

INTRODUCTION.

As Peruvian annals date no further back
than the eleventh century, our knowledge
of the aborigines of the country must
necessarily be scanty and conjectural to a
very great extent ; and the ancient Egyp
tians, Assyrians, Chinese, and Asiatic-
Indians have all been quoted by anti
quarians as probable progenitors of the
great Peruvian-Indian race. But whoever
the earliest inhabitants may have been,

XV111 INTRODUCTION.
certain it is that they left behind them
many valuable and substantial monuments,
which their successors, the Incas, who
governed the country for upwards of four
hundred years previous to the Spanish
Conquest in 1535, were not slow in
appreciating and imitating.
Like the warlike Aztecs, Peruvians
claimed descent from bearded white men,
and what Quetzalcoatl was to the former
Manco Capac was to the latter. Both
are represented as mysterious beings,
appearing without any indication of the
places of their birth, and acting as high-
priests and legislators, desirous of pro
moting peace, industry, and the arts; and
effecting a sudden change in the policy of

INTRODUCTION. XIX
both nations, by whom they were received
with joy and veneration. The word Inca
signified in Quichua a king or lord, and
the office was hereditary. Twelve or
thirteen of these Incas reigned in succes
sion from Ingasman or Manco Capac
to Atahualpa, whose contentions with
his half-brother Huascar for universal
empire rendered the country so easy a
prey to the Spaniards under Francisco
Pizarro, and gave rise to the saying that
" whereas the subjugation of the Mexicans
required the abilities of a Cortes, that of
the gentle and yielding Peruvians needed
only the unblushing perfidy and rude
daring of a Pizarro." At Cuzco, Huascar's
capital, stood that magnificent temple

XX introduction.
dedicated to the Sun, which has been
described as a "mine of burnished
gold." The first intimation the Spaniards had
of this southern El Dorado was probably
in the year 1511, when, according to the
historian Herrera, who derived his infor
mation from the sons of the Conquerors,
a young barbarian, observing some Spani
ards weighing and distributing gold and
silver with much avidity, told Vasco
Nunez de Balboa, the Spanish Governor
of Darien, that he knew of a land where
gold was as plentiful as iron to an
European, and where he could eat and
drink out of golden vessels. The natural
cupidity of the Spaniard was now aroused,

INTRODUCTION. XXI
and in 1513 he and a few bold men
crossed the narrow, and then almost
impenetrable, Isthmus which separates
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and
prepared for an exploring expedition
southward ; but it was reserved for
Francisco Pizarro, one of his followers, to
unite the vast Peruvian Empire to the
Spanish crown.
Desperate deeds are best wrought by
desperate men, and Pizarro's greatest
successes were undoubtedly due to his
coups-de-main in emergencies when most
other commanders would have hesitated
to risk an offensive measure. For example,
his capture of the Inca Atahualpa in the
very midst of his followers, and the

XX11 INTRODUCTION.
perfidious death of that unfortunate
monarch when De Soto, the future
discoverer of the Mississippi, and the
only Spaniard who would have dared to
raise the voice of justice against the
Conqueror's informal act, was absent
searching for proof of his imputed guilt
in fomenting a rebellion amongst the
Indians. But the exactions and oppressions of
the settlers and their descendants at
length aroused the latent ire of the
Peruvian race ; and when their champion
General San Martin arrived with his
3000 Argentines, aided by war-ships and
transports from Chili, commanded by
Earl Cochrane, they gladly rose en masse

INTRODUCTION. XX111
and proclaimed their independence on
July 28th, 1821.
Thus ended Spanish sovereignty in
" The Land of the Incas " after an occupa-
ton of about 286 years under forty -three
successive Viceroys.

I.
from Colon to Xima,

CHAPTER 1.
"Yodr countrymen seem to know but
little about our social condition," is a
remark that meets the English traveller
in South America oftener perhaps than he
could wish ; and however promptly and
unblushingly he may parry the attack by
boasting that the British possessions alone
would demand a long life's study, yet a
secret consciousness remains that the
taunt is not unfounded, and particularly
may this be said with regard to Peru, for
beyond knowing that it is a country on
the west coast of South America noted
for silver mines, guano, revolutions, and
earthquakes, this most interesting "Land

4 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
of the Incas " is to the average English
man a terra incognita.
For this reason, and after twelve
months' residence in the Republic, I pur
pose giving my countrymen and women
a brief outline of my own experience
and observations there, trusting that it
may not be uninteresting to them to tread
its tropical shores and climb its Andean
heights in imagination instead of adopting
the more arduous physical process.
Some years ago Fate, Chance, or what
ever that mysterious hidden power may
be, transplanted me to the Brazilian shores ;
and it was during a few months' sojourn
there that my first keen interest in the
Peruvian Indian race arose. Most gladly,
then, did I undertake a journey to Peru
in 1889, and personally acquaint myself
with this ancient historic land.

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 5
With gallant speed our vessel ploughed
the mighty deep, and seventeen days from
Liverpool approached the wharf of Aspin-
wall (although I cling to the name Colon,
and always mourn the fact of the great
Columbus dying in ignorance of his
achievement — the finding of a continent).
where in mist and rain, early one morning
in July, we strained our anxious gaze to
view that " deadly Isthmus," " the white
man's grave," and satisfy ourselves of its
pernicious clime.
Colon stands on the Manzanilla Island,
and does not commend itself to the
visitor as a desirable life-long residence,
unless indeed he hope to "shuffle off
this mortal coil" with greater haste than
Nature otherwise intended.
A motley population, many of them
descended from African slaves, some

6 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
foreign-looking shops where costly curios
ities abound, delicious fruits peculiar to the
tropics, and a few good residences facing
the sea, are its most striking features.
While on Monkey Hill close by an
imposing looking cemetery appears, where
the remains of the victims on both Rail
road and Canal are laid.
When I say that we did not personally
inspect this cemetery, I quote it as a
remarkable fact, because, as a rule,
visitors are taken to them in South
American towns immediately on landing,
either because they are the best-kept
public walks, or because they aid
reflection, and are conducive to a little
wholesome melancholia I suppose. Span
ish, or a dialect of it, is spoken generally
on the Isthmus, and strange enough the
jargon sounds to uninitiated ears. From

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 7
May to October is its winter or rainy
season, when malaria prevails to a greater
extent than usual, and the beautiful
flowers and fruits, which at other periods
of the year grow so luxuriantly, refuse
to show their hidden wealth and beauty.
Indeed the botanist, geologist, and natura
list have one and all an endless scope for
study in these vast primeval forest lands
and swamps.
But I anticipate, and in order to
obtain a glimpse of this prolific field of
nature the railroad must be traversed.
Imagining that there might possibly
be five or six stations between the
termini — Colon and Panama, forty-seven
and a half miles apart — I ventured to
suggest inquiry, and great indeed was my
surprise on hearing there were thirty
odd.

8 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
American cars with cow-catching en
gines are in use, and for passengers and
baggage the charges are enormous, the
directors doubtless making an extra
charge for the malaria and dust collected
on the way. Hurrying through life is
not encouraged here, and Isthmian laws
forbid much speed, therefore the traveller
may expect to alight at Panama in two
and a half or three hours after leaving
Colon, with botanic specimens collected
near the different depdts whilst waiting
for the train to start. It has been said
that every sleeper on that railroad track
was laid at the cost of a workman's life,
and one certainly has ample time for
dwelling on the melancholy circumstance
during transit. I wonder what effect an
express train travelling at the rate of a
mile a minute would have upon these

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 9
sleepy Isthmian folk, who for the most
part lounge around their huts, and smoke
and chat throughout the live-long day
But the laying of a railroad through such
rugged mountain ranges and pestilential
morasses was a grand and mighty under
taking after all, and we are filled with
admiration when we contemplate the
skill of the engineers, and the endurance
of the workmen who accomplished it.
When North America acquired the
territories of Oregon and California, she
found that a more convenient means of
communication with her new possessions
was desirable, and Mr George Law and
Mr William Aspinwall secured a strip of
land, extending from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Ocean, across the narrow Isthmus.
Messrs Aspinwall, John Stephens, and
Henry Chauncey then contracted with the

10 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
government of New Granada for the
construction of a railroad, and Mr Bald
win, an experienced engineer, explored
the proposed route in company with Mr
Stephens. The line was not to exceed fifty miles
in length, two ports, one on the Atlantic
and the other on the Pacific, were to be
free of duties, and the contract was to
remain in force for forty-nine years,
unless New Granada should wish to
purchase after the lapse of at least
twenty years. Further, a deposit of
120,000 dollars was to be made at the
commencement, and paid back with
interest on the completion of the work
within eight years.
Now the advantages of this railroad
would be manifold ; for besides shortening
and facilitating the route to California,

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 1 1
where gold had lately been discovered,
it would also open up a quicker passage
to Australia, China, and the East.
The Legislature of New York next
became interested in the scheme, and in
1849 granted a charter for the formation
of a stock company, when 1,000,000
dollars' worth of stock were taken up,
and the contract was transferred to them.
Beginning at Navy Bay and cutting
through a deep morass and an almost
impenetrable jungle reeking with malaria
the first fourteen miles of the line were
laid, then by steep hillsides and over
yawning chasms to the summit ridge,
when it descended abruptly to the shores
of the Pacific. Nor were these the only
difficulties with which the engineers had
to contend ; for in consequence of the
incompetency of the natives — a mixed

12 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
race of Indians, Spaniards, and Negroes —
labourers had to be imported, the resources
of the country did not suffice for their
support, and the Isthmian timber was
not sufficiently durable for the work.
All these were therefore brought from
distant lands at great expense, while the
sufferings of the workmen from fever,
drenching rains, mosquitoes, sand-flies,
and other insects fill the mind with
horror when the details are described by
those who witnessed or experienced them.
In May 1850 Mr Trautwine, with Mr
Baldwin as assistant engineer, began the
work of clearing where Colon now stands.
But a residence on shore was soon de
clared impossible on account of the
pestilential vapours, insufferable heat,
reptiles of every description, and annoying
insects, from whose maddening attacks

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 13
the gauze veils worn afforded little real
defence. In this emergency a brig was
hired, and into it the men repaired at
night ; but even here their winged foes
appeared and soon compelled them to
vacate the cabin for the deck, where
drenching night rains caused the death
of many.
Later on the Telegraph, a condemned
steamship, wTas purchased for a residence,
and as the work progressed, shanties
on piles above the swamps were raised.
A surgeon next arrived, hospitals were
built, and the men received more care
and food. Yet, from various causes,
their numbers still decreased, financial
losses came, and for a few weeks the line
remained in statu quo. Then fresh
recruits were drafted in, and in October
1851 some working cars were drawn by

14 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
locomotive power to Gatun. This was
followed by the transportation of passen
gers, who journeyed up the Chagres river
by boat from the point where the railroad
ceased, and then floundered through
morasses and climbed the heights on
mule-back until Panama was reached — a,
mode of transit somewhat similar to
Balboa's in 1513, I should say. But
again financial difficulties and a scarcity
of workmen barred the way, and almost
a year elapsed before the company could
resume the line at Barbacoas with the
help of 7000 fresh hands. Many
hundreds of these soon failed them, it
is true, but the railroad was pushed on,
and in January 1854 the summit range
was reached. Only eleven miles now
intervened between them and Panama,
where a movement to open a line and

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 15
meet their friends was started ; and on
January 27, 1855, the grand object of
running a locomotive from the Atlantic
to the Pacific was attained, although
many improvements had still to be made ;
and it was not until January 1859 that
the railroad with sidings was complete ;
the cost up to that time having been
8,000,000 dollars, and the earnings
8,146,605 dollars.
Communication by land between the
two oceans being now established, the
next projected plan was to connect them
by water also. But here, again, innumer
able difficulties stopped its course ; and
the ill-fated Panama Canal, engineered
by the De Lesseps, begun in 1876, and
abandoned in 1889, is still too fresh in
public memory to need much comment.
Great depression prevailed on the Isthmus

16 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
during our first visit there on account
of its abandonment, which proved a
crushing blow to shareholders. For a
considerable distance it accompanies the
railroad, and at La Boca, the Panama
entrance, a number of vessels lie rotting,
while from different portions of the line
dredges and trucks are seen, all appar
ently useless, or regarded as such. Many
millions of francs are still required for
the completion of the work, and mean
while the Nicaragua Canal is being rapidly
pushed forward by the States.
On leaving Colon by railroad, the
swampiness of the surrounding land first
strikes the traveller's gaze I think, and
then the curiously constructed wood or
bamboo huts raised on stone or wooden
piles above the swamps, and roofed with
palm leaves. Luxuriant vegetation lies

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 17
around, and the low mangrove bush with
banyan-like propensities, the waving
bamboo, and the many kinds of palm
supplying sugar, sago, oil, flax, cocoa, and
an endless list of articles of food and
household vessels, excite his keenest won
der and delight. The giant cedro tree,
mahogany, the lignum vitce, and other
valuable woods are found near Ahorca
Lagarto too, and the sugar cane, maize,
rice, the plantain, and banana wherever
the ground is dry enough for cultivation.
Flowers during the dry season are
both profuse and beautiful, and near Lion
Hill the peristera elata orchid grows.
Like the tulip in form, and sweetly
scented, its blossoms are of snowy white
ness, and within the petals lies the image
of a dove, hence its name flor del
Espiritu Santo, flower of the Holy Ghost.

18 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Many other orchids, the sensitive plant
with pink, feathery blossoms and shrinking
foliage, a great variety of the convolvulus
creeper covering whole trees with clinging
tendrils, aquatic plants, and parasites thrive
well on the Isthmus too, whilst tropical
fruits are represented by the bread-fruit,
orange, lime, lemon, chirimoya or custard
apple, mamei, palta, or alligator pear, pine
apple, mango, and granadilla or passion
fruit. But less desirable and more alarming
things live also in these marshy lands, and
the boa-constrictor, alligator, scorpion,
tarantula, and centipede are often seen,
while the wild hog, ant-eater, tiger-cat,
sloth, opossum, and monkey haunt the
jungle close at hand.
The native population, including Span
iards, Indians, Negroes, and Half-castes,

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 19
equip themselves with long, aggressive
looking knives called machetas, and, I
doubt not, know how to make good use of
them when the occasion arises ; but
towards the stranger they display a kind
and friendly air, and on the arrival of the
trains appear to rouse themselves from a
normal lethargic condition and take the
keenest interest in the passers through.
In the matter of clothing they are not
extravagant, one or two thin garments
sufficing for a full-grown representative of
either sex, and the little children dispens
ing even with these, and running about
in a nude condition. The ubiquitous
Chinaman is here, of course, and at the
different railway stations may generally
be seen disposing of his wares and
enjoying a pipe of peace, filled with
opium.

20 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Of the feathered tribe I may mention
the gorgeous toucan, the oriole, or hang
ing bird, so called because it hangs its
nest from the branches of trees, the
parrot, parrakeet, wild turkey, pelican,
grouse, heron, snipe, and humming bird.
As elsewhere in the Tropics, songsters
are rare, and the birds, as though in
compensation, are dressed in brilliant
plumage. At Barbacoas a wrought-iron bridge,
625 feet in length, 18 in breadth, and
40 in height, spans the Chagres River,
and is said to be one of the longest
and finest bridges of its kind in the
world. Still nearer to the summit,
basaltic cliffs with an angle of forty
degrees bespeak another instance of the
natural perpendicular of these rocks
having been displaced by some volcanic

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 21
agency, and remind us of the Giant's
Causeway and Fingal's Cave.
But the Cathedral towers of Panama
are looming in the distance, and at the
terminus our minor packages are seized
upon by hordes of youthful blacks, all
striving to upset our equilibrium of mind
as well as body. At length the medicine
chests and all are saved, and borne away
in carts, whilst we ensconce ourselves
most gingerly in a dilapidated two-
wheeled coach called buggy, and hope
to reach the Grand Central Hotel ere
nightfall, despite all shocks occasioned
by the ruts and cobbled streets.

CHAPTER II.
The city of Panama has many historical
associations, and its time-worn fortifica
tions are full of interest for the antiquar
ian. Pizarro and his motley crew start
into life before us now, and in the old
Cathedral close at hand we almost see a
crowd invoking Heaven's blessing on the
Spanish arms about to seek a southern
El Dorado, or we witness that strange
contract for the disposition of an empire,
not yet found, between Pizarro, Luque,
and Almagro more than 360 years ago.
But modern Panama stands on a
peninsula six miles north-west of the
ancient town destroyed by Henry Mor-

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 23
gan in 1661, and the knowledge that
some other sacred building was the
conquerors' resort reclaims our wander
ing thoughts.
The Republic of Colombia now includes
New Granada, and with it Panama, and
Bogota far inland is the capital. Many
beautiful islands — notably those called
Pearl Islands — adorn the spacious bay,
and are much resorted to by invalids and
others needing change from Panamas
malarial clime, while one of the most
beautiful is known as Dead Man's Island,
and appears to have been used as a
sailors' burial ground in former days.
Three other crowded cemeteries may now
be seen when driving from the city to
La Boca, and sadly warn us of the
" great proprietor of all."
Like other South American towns,

2 4 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Panama boasts of an imposing-looking
square or plaza, bordered by some of the
principal buildings of the place, and
ornamented in the centre with an array
of shrubs and flowers. Facing the Grand
Central Hotel and the Pacific Steam
Navigation Company's Office, the Cath
edral rears its head, while the remaining
sides are occupied by the Archbishop's
Palace, the Office of the Compagnie
Universelle du Canal Inter oceanique,
and other public and private abodes. A
Chinese store, with curios many and
dear, is near the plaza too, and is well
supported by passers through the city.
Nevertheless, the Panama attractions
are not sufficient to compensate those
who are compelled to spend a week there,
and who require even a moderate amount
of sleep and rest ; for in the hotels mosqui-

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 25
toes and fleas dispute one's right to a
bed, and huge, brown cockroaches, and
strange-looking scorpions, monopolise the
boards free of rent during the — no, not
silent, for an incessant roll of coaches
over cobbled streets belies the adjective
— stirring watches of the night, while a
lighted candle, which scares the cock
roach, only attracts the stinging gnat
through windows innocent of glass, and
furnished with Venetian blinds alone.
Robert Bruce could not have been per
sonally acquainted with the mosquito, or
he would never have held up a spider as
the truest type of steady perseverance
I am sure : my own experience proves
that one mosquito would eclipse a whole
battalion of house spiders in tenacity of
purpose and design. One instance will
suffice. The wearied frame is sinking

26 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
into balmy sleep, and the brain at
last forgets life's thousand ills, when
forthwith comes a well-known ivhizz,
which rouses every sinful passion into
play, and then a fruitless chase takes
place, only to be renewed at intervals the
whole night through, until at dawn of
day a brief and unrefreshing doze is
snatched. If we only could persuade the good old
lady who looks after us that there are
mosquitoes in the house, all might be well ;
but she (like the mosquitoes) is perverse,
and feigning not to see the bites, still
gives us tattered nets, which all our
hairpins don't suffice to mend. The
natives like a noise, but, strictly speaking,
are not musical, if I may judge by the
strange sounds that nightly emanated
from their bands.

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 27
But the longest week must have an
end, and, alas ! for our ingratitude, the
many kindnesses received from English
and Colombian residents did not stop our
hailing with delight a steamer for the
south. Two lines of steamers, the Pacific
Steam Navigation and the Chilian, now
ply between this port and Valparaiso,
and two palatial boats have lately been
added to each line, although the rival
companies have recently amalgamated to
some extent. Both are for the most
part commanded by Englishmen and
Americans ; and here I would remark that
the captains on the South Pacific coast
consult the comfort and the welfare of
the passengers most thoroughly, and are
moreover courteous gentlemen to boot.
The steamers, too, are good, and greatly

28 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
we rejoiced in having deck cabins and
square windows after frizzling down
below in the West Indies with only
tiny port-holes to afford a breath of
air. Embarking, then, on one of the P.S.N.
Co's. vessels, we bade farewell to Panama,
and soon were sailing on a calm and
peaceful ocean towards Callao.
The passengers were few, at least the
loungers on the deck were so, for South
Americans prefer the cabin's stifling heat,
and are seldom seen from the time they
embark until they go ashore again, but
our cheery captain well supplied deficien
cies, and a merry time was passed. Much
more exciting, too, the voyage proved than
that on the Atlantic side. Now, two
days out of Panama we reach the coast
of Ecuador, pass San Lorenzo and the

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 29
line, and on the following day ran close
to Puna Island, where Pizarro in former
days defeated the natives and handed
them over to their enemies of Tumbez
on the mainland, while San Miguel, the
earliest Spanish settlement, lay in the
Tangarala valley not far off. The Gulf
of Guayaquil has many towns and
villages, behind which rise the dome-like
Chimborazo and volcanic Cotopaxi ; and as
we gently sail upon the river, broad and
picturesque, the feathery-looking trees,
which skirt the neighbouring banks and
overhang the water's edge, entrance our
wondering gaze, while little rafts or
balsas darting in and out remind us of
the Indian craft described by Prescott.
Here oysters literally grow on trees, for
the low growing trees and bushes steep
their branches in the stream, and clinging

30 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
to them oysters are sometimes found.
But Nature, as though afraid of granting
all her choicest gifts upon one favoured
spot, has stocked these swampy banks
with alligators too !
Guayaquil is one of the largest towns
on the coast, and in former days her
dockyards were important. Hammocks,
and the celebrated Panama hats made
from the leaves of the bombandje plaited
under water, are manufactured here, and
bananas and other fruits, quinine, sarsa
parilla, and some silver are among her
many exports. We did not go ashore
here now, but on my return journey I
was enabled, through the kindness of a
fellow-passenger, to obtain a fuller know
ledge of the place, and was introduced
to the ex-President, who in turn handed
us over to the captain of the port to be

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 31
conveyed back to the steamer in his
six-oared boat.
The Andes traverse Ecuador from
north to south, and Quito, the capital,
stands at an elevation of 9453 feet
above the sea, and is about 150 miles
from Guayaquil. Two Inca roads ran
formerly from Atahualpa's capital to
Cuzco, 1500 miles, one being cut through
a mountainous country, and the other
along the maritime plain for a consid
erable distance.
The famous Emerald mine from which
the Incas enriched their treasury was
in the neighbourhood of Quito too; and
when at Guayaquil we thought of Gallo,
where those thirteen heroes crossed the
line Pizarro drew upon the sand, and
dared to share with him the hardships
of his " trial trip."

32 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
The town of Piura, celebrated for its
fine breed of mules, lies in the interior,
and is connected with Guayaquil by rail
road. On leaving this port a change in
the character of the coast line appeared,
and henceforth sandy treeless strips
supplied the place of verdure.
At Paita we anchored and shipped some
cattle ; but the brutal way in which they
were hoisted, by means of ropes round
the horns, from barges into the steamer,
upon the deck of which they generally
fell struggling or stunned, aroused my
deepest indignation and disgust. Paita,
on account of its freedom from mists
and clouds, is said to be admirably
adapted for an astronomical observatory,
as the stars are nearly always visible at
night, and shine with greater brilliancy
than elsewhere. It may be so, but I

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 33
should greatly pity the astronomers
located there with nothing but a sandy
waste around. " As bright as the moon
at Paita," is an old and well-known simile.
Trujillo, founded by Pizarro, and named
in honour of his birthplace, joins this
port by rail, and is a thriving and impor
tant business place.
Pacasmayo was next passed, and at the
port of Salaverry the shipping and un
loading detained us for some hours.
Then all was bustle in our floating house,
excitement reigned supreme, and vain
attempts were made to stow away vast
purchases in spaces inelastic, as in the
deepening twilight we watched our friend's
approach in Callao Bay, and knew that
we had reached our present destination.
The ancient town of Callao was entirely
destroyed by earthquake in 1746, and
D

34 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Lima partially so : both suffered in the
Arica earthquake of 1828, and a tidal
wave in 1868 caused an incalculable
amount of damage and loss to life and
property. Two lines of railroad connect
the port with Lima, eight miles inland,
and soon we find ourselves borne off in
an American car to the Peruvian capital,
built by Pizarro, and called by him Ciudad
de los Reyes — City of the Kings — in
honor of the Feast of the Epiphany
(January 6, 1535), the day on which its
site was determined. Later on the city
was called Rimac from the oracle, and
finally became converted into Lima.
Peru was a name given to the country
by its Spanish conquerors, but the
origin of the word is buried in obscurity,
and many and curious are the derivations
given. Pascual de Andagoya traces it to

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 35
the province of Biru, Father Valera to the
Quichua word Pirua, a granary, and the
imaginative Garcillasso de la Vega to the
ancient Ophir, — ever open to location.
The Incas called their country Tavantin-
suyu — four quarters of the world — and
intersected it with four great roads
emanating from Cuzco.
Modern Peruvians think the country
was named from Viru, an Indian district
near Trujillo.

CHAPTER III.
Even in the abstract, war and desolation
are much to be deplored ; but when we
see a beautifully embellished city laid
low by the hand of wanton destruction,
our inmost nature groans. Such is Lima
of the present day ; and although eight
years have passed away since that dis
astrous Chilian war, she still bears traces
of the ravages committed then, and her
many roofless and dismantled houses
awaken sentiments of pity and regret.
Yet she has somewhat recovered from
that crushing blow, and the wonted
light-heartedness of the Peruvian returns
as he sees the nation's commerce improve,
and his own finances with it.

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 37
Strange as it may seem, guano and
nitrates — two sources of wealth — have
proved as fatal to the modern Peruvian
as gold and silver were of yore ; for were
not these deposits the true and direct
cause of the Chilian invasion and its
deplorable results ? Her ironclads were
taken or destroyed, the guano and salt
petre provinces of Tacna and " Tarapaca
possessed by the enemy, and a prosperous
country pillaged and left a ruin. What
the result of the plebiscitum in 1893 may
be, when a final settlement of the pro
vinces handed over to Chili by the peace
of Ancon in 1883 takes place, who can
tell? But to return to the present condition
of Lima. In the plaza mayor, about
500 feet square, stand some of the most
important buildings in the city. The

38 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
President's Palace and Government offices
are on its north side, and the imposing
looking Cathedral approached by a broad
expanse of steps, and containing solid
silver pillars and a quantity of silver
plate, is on the east, where also the
Archbishop's residence is found. The
remaining sides contain attractive looking
shops under portales, over which the
Municipalidad and gentlemen's clubs
are seen, all having spacious balconies,
densely crowded with spectators on the
occasion of a public rejoicing in the
square. In the Callejon de Petateros
(matmakers' alley), an outlet from the
square, Pizarro's house once stood, and
here it was that he was killed by young
Almagro's followers. His remains now
repose in the new Cathedral beside those
of the good Viceroy Mendoza, and visitors

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 39
still solicit portions of his cloak, which
has been renewed on several occasions
since the conqueror's death to meet
the general demand ! From the two
towers of the Cathedral the bodies of
two of the notorious Gutierrez brothers
were suspended after the murder of
President Balta in 1872 ; they were then
taken down and publicly burned in the
square. Flower beds and ornamental shrubs
adorn the middle of the plaza, where
also a fountain surmounted by a bronze
figure of Fame, erected by Count de
Salvatierra, Spanish Viceroy in 1653,
and many colossal statues are placed,
while the longitudinal streets debouching
therefrom are arranged in blocks and
traversed by tramcars. " Calle de la
Mercaderes" (the merchants' street), to

40 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
the south of the plaza, is the best for
shops. Here jewellers, modistes, drapers,
and silversmiths display their precious
goods, and here the beauty and youth of
Lima resort from four to six o'clock. In
various parts of the city some handsome
bridges span the river Rimac, notably
that of Desamparados, where fruit and
other vendors ensconce themselves in
niches and sell their wares to passers-by.
Earthquakes are frequent here, but
many of the houses are two and even
three stories high, and the flat Oriental
roofs are used for drying grounds and
other purposes. An entrance gateway
forms the approach to many of the
private residences, which is carefully
locked during revolutionary tumults.
In these houses the dwelling rooms are
round a square, with the centre space,

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 41
or patio, open to the sky, and all the
lower windows are closely barred with
iron rods. Balconies or miradores form
a pleasant outlook from most of the
houses, and wood-carving often relieves
them. The mansion of the Marquis of
Torre Tagle, built of stone, and richly
ornamented with wood-carving, is espe
cially worthy of note.
Imported fruits abound, and residents
frequent the market at an early hour to
purchase fruit and flowers. The large
Chinese quarter lies in the same neighbour
hood too, and not far off the National
Library is found, and well deserves a
look, although the Chilians have robbed
it of many valuable collections of paint
ings and of books. Montero's grand
picture of "The Funeral Obsequies of
Atahualpa, the Last of the Incas," is

42 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
there, and graphically depicts the
touching ceremony. His body lies in
state enveloped in a scarlet robe, and as
the friar Valverde gabbles through the
service for the dead, Pizarro and his
cavaliers stand grouped around. But
presently loud cries are heard without,
and suddenly some Indians, the wives
and near relatives of the murdered man,
rush wildly up the aisle and press around
the corpse, exclaiming, " This is not the
way to perform an Inca's funeral rites."
They then propose to sacrifice themselves
upon his tomb and go with him to the
region of the Sun. Such conduct horrifies
the Spaniards, and after explaining
that Atahualpa had died in the faith
of a Christian, they thrust the intruders
from the sacred edifice. Silenced, but not
convinced, the unhappy women retire to

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 43
their abodes, where many lay violent
hands upon themselves in the hope of
following their beloved lord to the sunny
land whither he was gone.
Pizarro's portrait too is seen with those
of the other viceroys in the National
Library of Lima ; and, as this remarkable
man has played so conspicuous a part in
Peruvian history, I purpose giving a
brief outline of his career.
The illegitimate child of Gonzalo
Pizarro, a colonel of infantry, and Fran-
cisca Gonzales, a woman of humble origin,
and born probably about the year 1471,
Francisco's chief occupation in early life
seems to have been that of a swineherd,
which so little suited his adventurous
spirit that he escaped from his native
place Truxillo, in Estremadura, to Seville,
and there joined his enterprising country-

44 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
men in seeking a fortune in the New
World. His education had been entirely
neglected, and to the time of his death
his signature was attested by a rtibrica
or flourish. After serving in Hispaniola,
and accompanying Balboa in his terrible
march across the Isthmus of Panama,
he was appointed to succeed Andagoj^a
in commanding an expedition having for
its object the discovery and conquest of a
southern El Dorado.
Innumerable perils and hardships
tracked his course, but the great Peruvian
empire was at length added to the Spanish
crown ; and Charles V., in recognition of
his services, and after much delay, enriched
him with absolute authority in the con
quered land and the title of Marques de
la Conquista. The foul murder of the
last great Inca did not, however, entail a

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 45
peaceable possession ; and, as might have
been expected from the lawless and
avaricious nature of the conquerors, they
soon disputed amongst themselves, until
at length the Marquis himself was
murdered by his countrymen in his own
house. In reviewing the character of Pizarro,
our judgment must necessarily be guided,
to a very great extent, by his early life
and the lawless nature of those amongst
whom his lot was cast. That avarice and
ambition ruled his actions we can have no
doubt, and treachery and cruelty most
sadly marked his course. Nevertheless,
we distinguish in him a courageous and
inflexible constancy that constituted the
secret of his great success, and his fol
lowers saw in him a leader who felt for
them as one soldier for another, and

46 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
never hesitated to share their greatest
toils. Almost irreligious himself, he yet pro
claimed the message of the Cross — for the
early conquerors were deeply imbued with
the theory of religion, however much their
own conduct may have belied the practice!
— and by his hardships and endurance
enriched the crown of Spain with one of
her richest j ewels. Tall, well-proportioned,
and not unpleasing in appearance, he was
unostentatious in dress, and wore on public
occasions a black cloak and white hat,
while his portrait now on view depicts
him in a citizen's dress and black hat.
Southey's lines on the Conqueror do
not flatter him, but they may not be
considered an inapt summary of his
career. They were designed for a column
at Truxillo —

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 47
" Pizarro here was born; a greater name
The list of Glory boasts not. Toil and Pain,
Famine, and hostile Elements, and Hosts embattled
Failed to check him in his course.
Not to be wearied, not to be deterred,
Not to be overcome. A mighty realm
He overran, and 'with relentless arm
Slew or enslaved its unoffending sons,
And wealth and power and fame were his rewards.
There is another world, beyond the grave,
According to their deeds where men are judged.
0 Reader, if thy daily bread be earned
By daily labour ; yea, however low.
However wretched, be thy lot assigned,
Thank thou, with deepest gratitude, the God
Who made thee, that thou art not such as he.''
Lima boasts of many hotels, but for fami
lies the most desirable are the " Maury "
and the " Hotel de Francia y Inglaterra."
Should your Spanish be deficient,
French is perfectly understood in both.

48 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
The milkwoman, a Chola or negress
seated on a mule between her cans, and
wearing a Panama straw hat, and the
waterman on mule or donkey with his
jars, are common sights in all the streets,
where also on two or three days of the
week men selling lottery tickets are
frequently seen.
El Comercio, El Constitutional, El
National, and El Pais are the leading
newspapers of Peru, and represent in
some form or other the politics of the
nation. Roman Catholicism prevails, and Lima
is essentially a city of churches, monas
teries, and convents. Of churches there
are said to be more than sixty, many of
them having finely carved facades.
Santo Domingo is the oldest, and
San Francisco near the Rimac, and San

YOUTHFUL CHOLO.

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 51
Pedro with its grand oak altars may be
mentioned as the finest. The two high
towers of San Francisco have stood
some sharp attacks, and bear more bullet
holes than the cathedral front. To the
Madonna within the niche in the Capella
del Milagro legend ascribes the safety
of the city during the great earthquake
of November 1630. Her effigy, it is
said, was placed over the porch facing
the street ; but .whilst earnestly praying
for the city's preservation during the
shock, she changed her position, and
was afterwards discovered facing; the high
altar ! La, Merced in the Mercaderes is
much frequented by worshippers too, and
has an exquisitely carved facade. But
all the churches, even the cathedral, are
poorly built, and consist for the most
part of cane, timber, and sun-dried bricks

52 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
faced with stucco ; the same may be said
of most of the houses. Saint days are
general holidays, and after Mass is over
the city is enfite.
Santa Rosa de Santa Maria is the
patron saint of Lima, and on August
30th her effigy is borne about the streets
and into various churches. Unlike the
rest of humanity, this good woman was
not afflicted with sufficient bodily pain
to suit her pious nature, and with a
determination worthy of a better cause,
encircled her waist with an iron belt in
penance for her sins. Fearing that phy
sical torture would induce her to free
herself from its unwelcome grasp, she
boldly locked the belt, and nipped a sore
temptation in the bud by dropping the
key into an apparently bottomless well,
which is still pointed out as the recep-

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 53
tacle of the voluntary gift ! I looked
down into it, but saw nothing of the key !
It never seems to have occurred to the
girl or her friends that a locksmith might
solve the difficulty, and she lived and
died a saint ! Religious practices are
strictly observed by the Limenas, who
throng the streets at an early hour on
their way to and from the different
churches. The devotion of the men is
not so noticeable.
In honour of Peruvian emancipation
from Spain on July 28th, 1821, after an
occupation of nearly 300 years, the 28th,
29th, and 30th of July are national
holidays, and a general rejoicing takes
place. Business houses and shops are
closed for these three days, flags of all
nationalities adorn the streets, services
are held in the cathedral and other

54 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
churches, bands of music and processions,
both military and religious, parade the
city, and as night advances balls are held
and fireworks let off. To us it seemed
quite natural to come in for Republican
rejoicings again, as we had swelled the
strains of Yankee Doodle on the American
clay at St Thomas, and had been in time
for the Marseillaise and illuminations at
Panama. Peruvian ladies, and females of all
classes, wear manias of a crape-like
material, which conceal almost the whole
person, and answer the double purpose of
bonnet and shawl, for church and morning
shopping, but the European style of
dress for visiting and promenades. In
summer weather a lace mantilla is often
substituted for the heavier manta, and
the graceful arrangement of both affords

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 55
much scope for the taste of the w~earer.
It is considered highly improper for a
Limeha, either married or single, to walk
the streets alone, and the husband, a
lady friend, or a female servant, even
though she may be only fourteen or
fifteen years of age, is always discovered
in her train. How terribly imprudent,
then, must the independent foreigner
appear to their punctilious eyes! And
how they must have censured my lonely
reconnoitring strolls ! But foreigners
lack that world- famed reputation for
beauty and grace that characterizes
Limenas, and are moreover less accus
tomed to surveillance. About the middle
height, Limenas have pale, dark, clear
complexions, greatly aided by cosme
tics, bright black eyes and glossy hair,
tiny feet, exquisite teeth, a vivacious,

56 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
pleasing style, and are most graceful dan
cers. Young ladies are, as a rule, slight
in figure, but the married and elderly
are decidedly inclined to fleshiness, which
is not to be wondered a.t, seeing they take
so little walking exercise, and often
engage a coach to convey them from
one street into the next.
Now the Lima coach is a special study,
for it takes two horses to draw it in its
(generally) dilapidated condition over the
cobbles, and they are so poor that I have
known them stop altogether, and the
driver transfer his passengers into another
vehicle. The enervating climate has
doubtless a great deal to do with their
enfeebled condition, and the coachman
lends a helping hand, for his whip is
seldom at rest.
Love of gaiety is a national feature,

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 57
and the theatres are densely crowded
when anything really good is on ; for the
Peruvians are a musical people, and the
light Italian operatic style is more pleasing
to their ears than solid German strains,
although the best German composers are
greatly appreciated too. Ladies dress
superbly for the play ; and their bright
costumes, diamonds, and glittering gems
make the opera house a striking picture.
This is a favourite time for visiting too,
and between the acts it is customary for
gentlemen to call upon their lady friends
in the boxes.
Ceremonious visits are usually made
in the afternoon, as with us, but gentle
men who have little leisure during
these hours call in the evening after
dinner. I may be wrong, but, taken as a whole,

58 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
it struck me that the Peruanas are
superior to the men, both morally and
in intellectual attainments, although
individually it was my privilege to know
some noble members of the sterner sex.
They are usually about the middle
height, and remind one of an European
Spaniard. Bull-baiting formerly attracted crowds
of Limenas to the Plaza de Accho, but
this barbarous sport is now encouraged
by the men alone. Gambling is still a
favourite pastime, and reminded me of
an incident connected with one of
the early conquerors who received, as his
share of the spoil, an image of the sun
raised on a plate of burnished gold, and
torn from the walls of the temple of
Cuzco. This plate he gambled away one
night, and thus gave rise to the Spanish

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 59
proverb, " Juego el Sol antes que aman-
ezca" — He plays away the sun before
sunrise. A large cemetery on the outskirts of
Lima is well kept, and contains some
handsome monuments ; while the Exhibi
tion and Botanic Gardens, and the
Alameda de Descalzos, form delightful
promenades, gay with exquisite roses
and flowers of every shade and hue.
But here, as elsewhere, the total absence
of grass detracts considerably from the
beauty of the flowers, and the dry
parched look on every side is very trying
to an English eye.

CHAPTER IV.
No heavy rain falls on this portion of
the Pacific coast, and clouds of sand and
dust are ever in the air. December and
January are generally the warmest months
in the year, and the maximum summer
heat is 78° Fahrenheit, and the winter
60° or thereabout. The Humboldt
current from the Antarctic causes the
temperature to be lower here than in the
same latitude on the Brazilian coast, and
for this reason the Peruvian climate is
healthier, although at times a great
amount of malarial fever (terceanus)
prevails, and particularly during the
winter months, when a thick mist arises
60

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 61
with the approach of night and penetrates
the airy houses. Fireplaces in sitting
rooms and bedrooms are unknown, al
though a little artificial heat at these
times would be most acceptable.
Of late years no great damage has been
done by earthquakes, and the first we
felt, soon after our arrival, was the worst
that has been known in Lima for a long
time. Indeed, I was not anxious for a
severer shock, as this one drove me from
my bedroom on the third floor to the
corridor of the hotel at six a.m. The
house seemed wrapped in sleep ; and
remembering that I was but slightly clad,
I hastily withdrew again to wait in terror
for another shock, which fortunately never
came, and soon the great Cathedral bell
proclaimed the city's thankfulness for
dangers past. Later in the clay we

62 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
learned that on account of the shock
being so prolonged and strong it was
greatly feared many high and ancient
buildings would have given way, but
happily no harm was done.
The English church is a good-sized,
comfortable building, and the services
attractive and well conducted, but
Church-going Protestants are in a sad
minority. Holy Week is observed with great
solemnity by Peruvians generally, and at
mid-day on the Thursday all trains and
coaches cease running, and no whistling
of engines nor ringing of bells is per
mitted at the railway stations. Private
pianos and other musical instruments
remain untouched, and the inhabitants of
Lima clothe themselves in black for the
occasion. On this clay good Romanists

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 63
are expected to attend seven of the
church's services, where and when they
please, and the sacred buildings with
draperies and flowers present a gorgeous
look, particularly during the evening
illuminations. In some of them nuns,
who are seen by the outside world on
this night only during the year, chant
services behind the wooden bars ; and
until recently the Last Supper and the
" rending of the vail " took place in Santo
Domingo or some other church. The abuse
of the former by the priests led to its
abolition. At nine a.m. on Saturday all
mourning ceases, for Peruvians forestall
events, and the return to activity and
bustle is begun by the pealing of church
bells. Hats and bonnets are strictly pro
hibited in all the churches at all times ;

64 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
and however careful the stranger may be
in conforming to established rules, he or
she is soon detected by some watchful
eye. I remember visiting the Cathedral
one morning soon after our arrival and
finding a priest attended by two acolytes
standing at the altar, and murmuring
some prayers. Anxious not to disturb
the worshippers, we quietly crept down
the side aisle, and were engaged in
examining the pillars, when one of the
acolytes, whom we imagined too devoutly
praying to notice our entrance, touched
us on the arms and begged for alms.
Lima supports many hospitals, chiefly
by the sale of lottery tickets ; and at the
Franciscan Monastery of Descalzos much
charitable work is done by the friars,
who wear a long, coarse, greyish coat with
hood, and sandals. Daily, at a certain

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 65
hour, food is dispensed to the needy at a
postern gate, and the charities and good
offices of the friars extend far into the
interior of Peru as well. They usually
travel in couples, an old and a young one
together, and rarely leave the monastery
except on missions of mercy.
On the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday
before Lent a Carnival is observed in
Lima, when all who are bold enough to
walk the streets must expect to be deluged
with water from the balconies above.
Chisgetes, or scent-squirts, too, are freely
used by those who play ; and when the
wretched victim has been soaked with
these, tiny coloured squares of paper
mixed with powTder are thrown upon the
hair, and cause an infinite amount of
pains to extricate.
The watering-places of Miraflores, Bar-

66 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
ranco, and Chorrillos are all connected
with the capital by rail, and possess some
good and picturesque-looking ranehos.
Here many of the business people of Lima
have private residences, and previous
to the war they were doubtless gay and
thickly populated suburbs, but now, more
or less, show signs of the enemy's
desolating course.
Around these three villages the chief
incidents of the war with Chili took place.
At 5 A.M., on that memorable 13 th of Jan
uary 1881, firing commenced around the
Morro Solar defence, and at 2 p.m.
Chorrillos was in flames, foreign and
neutral flags torn down, the British
Minister's house, the church and other
public buildings, levelled with the ground,
and the Military College converted into
a hospital for the wounded conquerors.

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 67
Barranco suffered almost as much, and at
2.45 p.m. on the 16th, fighting com
menced near Miraflores, and was continued
with unabated fury until 6.45 p.m., when
this village also was in flames, and an
overwhelming number of soldiers, mer
chants, students, and mechanics lay dead
around the defence, and amidst the
ruined houses. In the two engagements
6000 Peruvians are said to have been
killed, and 3000 wounded, while the
Chilian loss is estimated at 1300 killed
and 4144 wounded.
Lima would have suffered the same sad
fate as Chorrillos and Miraflores had it
not been for the stout resistance made by
the English Minister, Sir Spencer St.
John, and the material aid afforded by the
English and French Admirals ; while it
was due to the united efforts of the foreign

68 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
volunteers that the city was not sacked
on the night of that disastrous 16th.
On the following day it was formally
surrendered by the municipal Alcalde,
and General Baquedano established him
self in the Palace, but a Provisional
Government was afterwards formed under
Francisco Garcia Calderon, a lawyer of
Arequipa. It surely is a matter of congratulation
to us, as a nation, that some of our own
countrymen have been instrumental in
freeing Peru from her oppressors. Her
freedom from Spain was to a great extent
due to the exertions of Admiral Cochrane
(Lord Dundonald) and his gallant English
officers ; and during the late war with
Chili, the English, American, and other
foreign residents were eminently distin
guished for their ready help in fighting

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 69
the invaders. Some of the most impor
tant business houses, too, are in the hands
of Englishmen and Americans, and the
export trade, which is extensive, is prin
cipally with England.
Owing to the lack of moisture, few
things grow well near the coast, but in
the occasional fertile valleys the sugar
cane and cotton plant abound. Agricul
ture is, however, in a backward state, and
oxen are still used to draw the plough ;
but the manufacture of ponchos (rugs
having a hole in the centre for the head
to go through, and much worn by
dwellers in the mountains and others),
blankets, mats, and bufandas (vicuna
shawls), as well as exquisite filigree work,
employs large numbers in the interior.
The mining resources are extensive, and
Peru exports bar silver, copper, tin, lead,

70 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
some gold, guano, nitrates of soda and
borax, wool, sugar, alpaca, cotton, hides,
Peruvian bark, coca, etc.
Statistics are tedious, and shall be
avoided, but the value of the guano and
saltpetre deposits may be gathered from
the fact that in 1875 Peru exported to
foreign countries 378,687 tons of guano,
and in 1878 269,327 tons of nitrate of
soda left the ports of Tarapaca, What
wonder that the Chilians coveted the
provinces possessing both ! They are
found where no rain falls ; and as every
drop of moisture is extracted from the
Atlantic winds when they reach the
snowy summit of the Andes, the dry
Pacific coast is well suited for both
deposits. The word " guano " takes its name
from the huana, immense flocks of

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 71
which frequent the Chincha and Guanapa
Islands and the coast of Tarapaca, and
produce the valuable manure. They are
sea-birds with black plumage, and about
the size of gulls. Each nest contains a
fledged bird, an unfledged one, and an
egg, and they breed throughout the year.
The discovery by the Spaniards of the
invaluable cinchona or Peruvian bark
was accidental and remarkable. Tradition
says that when one of the early con
querors fell sick with fever (terceanus),
an Indian girl in love with him was
discovered mixing a powder with his
medicine. As she persistently refused
to reveal its virtues, the Spaniards
thought that she sought to poison their
countryman, and threatened her with
torture, whereupon she confessed to the
bark's curative properties, and inadvert-

72 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
ently conferred a lasting boon upon
humanity at large in this new febrifuge.
Both Peru and Bolivia export large
quantities of "the bark of barks," and
plantations of it are found as high as
6000 feet above the sea. The tree,
which belongs to the same order as the
coffee plant, resembles the beech in
general appearance, and its white wood
is capable of being highly polished. Over
3,000,000 pounds of bark are shipped
annually to England alone, and each tree
at six years of age yields from five to
six pounds.
An abundance of tropical fruit stocks
the Lima market and the stalls of
itinerant vendors, such as the delicious
chirimoya, the granadilla or passion fruit,
pine apple, banana, fig, quince, pome
granate, guava, palta, tuna, or cactus

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 73
fruit, orange, lime, lemon, peach, etc.,
but most of it comes from the interior
or from Guayaquil. The yellow, sweet,
and a variety of other potatoes, the
yucca, Indian corn, and beans grow near
the coast, and are largely consumed.
Most of the native dishes are tasty and
picante ; and amongst them I may name
a soup called chupe, made- by boiling fish,
cheese, eggs, and potatoes together, and
seviche, fish cooked in lemon or sour
orange juice, and strongly flavoured with
aji (pepper). Cancha, or Indian corn
roasted, is generally eaten with this dish,
and chicha accompanies it. This bever
age, usually made with maize, somewhat
resembles cider in taste, and seems to
have been a royal luxury in the days of
Atahualpa ; for we read that when
Hernando Pizarro and De Soto visited

74 TWELVE MONTHS IN PEKU.
the monarch, they gratefully quaffed the
chicha presented to them by the bewitch
ing beauties of the harem. Olla podrida,
or puchero, is another favourite dish, and
consists of meat mixed with sweet potato,
almost any vegetables, rice and cassava
root boiled together. Of dulces - those
under the generic name of masamorra,
a sweet farinaceous mixture, compotes,
and small pastries are most in favour.
Smoking is much indulged in by Peru
vian men, and at the hotel dinner tables
during coffee, in the trains, and almost
everywhere they may be seen twirling
their cigarettes ; so that, in order to live
with any degree of comfort in this land
of smokers, one's strongest objections
must be overcome.
The valley of Pisco and many other
districts are noted for vineyards, and

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 75
the spirit called Italia, and the wines
of Moquegua and Ilo are much es
teemed. Neither gold coinage nor paper money
has currency at the present day, and
the clumsy silver sol possesses the highest
value. It varies with the price of silver,
from 2s. 9d. to 3s. 6d. of our money, and
is rather larger than a half-crown piece.
The peseta is a fifth of a sol, and a cent
is the lowest coin. The depreciation of
paper money, occasioned by the Chilian
war, reduced many previously wealthy
families to poverty, and notes that for
merly represented large fortunes now
became waste paper.
Lima with its population of 130,000
embraces Peruvians, Spaniards, Indians,
Negroes, Half-castes, including Sambos,
or one parent black and the other mulatto ;

76 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Chinos, one parent black and the other
Indian ; Mestisos, one parent white and
the other Indian ; and Mulattos, one
parent white and the other negro,
Italians, Frenchmen, Germans, English
men, Americans, and Chinamen ; but all
live in apparent unity, and the political
riots at Presidential elections now form
the greatest drawback to the country's
peace and progress.
On the retirement of Don Andres
Avelina Caceres in 1890, Dr Rosas, Don
Nicholas de Pierola, and Colonel Remjio
Morales Bermudez came forward as
candidates for the office of President, a
contest that resulted in the election of
Colonel Bermudez in April and his
installation a few months later.
Pierola had been proclaimed Supreme
Chief of the Republic during the Chilian

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 77
war, and greatly distinguished himself
in the battles of Chorrillos and Miraflores ;
but some old charges were brought up
against him when he appeared as a
candidate for power in April 1890, and
he was moreover accused of introducing
insurrectionary troops into the city, which
led to his arrest by command of Presi
dent Caceres and confinement in the
Intendencia until the election was over.
Great was my surprise on reaching Lima
from Barranco on Easter morning to
hear of Pierola's imprisonment. He
married a grand-daughter of Agustin
Iturbide, the unfortunate Emperor of
Mexico, and is described as pleasing in
appearance, and possessed of a clear
intellect, a vivacious manner, and great
tenacity of purpose.
Four years is the President's term of

78 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
office, and he cannot be re-elected until
the same number of years have elapsed.
In the Executive he is assisted by
a Vice-President and responsible min
isters, and the Constitution itself is com
posed of three independent bodies — the
executive, legislative, and judicial corps.
All Peruvians have a vote, and nominally
the nation at large elects the President ;
but actually the provincial deputies
name the electors, and these the President.
The nineteen departments are ruled by
prefects, and the provinces within them
by sub-prefects, all of whom are chosen
by the President. Complaints against the
Government are settled by the Supreme
Court of Justice, and an Alcalde or
Mayor elected by the public from in
fluential classes controls all local affairs.
The total area of the country covers

FROM COLON TO LIMA. 79
500,000 square miles, and at the last
census in 1876 the population was
estimated at 2,970,000. The regular
army now consists of 5000 men, and the
navy exists in name alone. British
interests in Peru are represented by
Colonel Sir Charles Mansfield, K.C.M.G.
(1890), and those of the United States
by Mr Hicks.
The Lima policemen struck me as a
class worthy of special notice. They are
clothed somewhat like the soldiers, are
seldom seen to interfere when a breach of
the law takes place, and at every half
hour during the night are obliged to blow
a whistle to convince the public that they
are awake, and may be found if wanted.
Amongst the scientific and remarkable
men who have shed a lustre on the
Peruvian nation, I would name Paz Soldan

80 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
and Antonia Raimondi, geographers ;
Sebastian Lorente, historian ; Ricardo
Palma, historian and novelist ; Laso and
Montero, painters; Luis Medina, sculptor;
Melgar, Althaus, and Marquez, poets ; and
Mariano Eduardo Rivero, mineralogist
and director-general of mines. Universi
ties, state colleges for boys and girls,
military and naval institutions, and
schools of mines now exist in Peru,
and bespeak the nation's educational
desires.

II.
3n tbe Sierra,

CHAPTER I.
Since the Chilian war, for all recent
mundane Peruvian affairs seem to date
from that catastrophe, the boundaries of
the country may be said to extend from
1° to 19° S., and from 68° to 81° W.,
the river Camerones forming her south
ern boundary in accordance with the
terms of the treaty of Ancon in 1883.
Lima lies in the 12th parallel. The
Republic is bounded on the north by
Ecuador, on the south by Chili, on the
east by the Brazils and Bolivia, and on
the west by the Pacific Ocean ; while the
Andes, a continuation of the Rocky
Mountains of North America, traverse it
83 G

84 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
from N.E. to S.W., and divide the country
into three distinct regions — the Coast, the
Puna or Sierra, and the Montana.
The arid coast line I have already
noticed, and the montafia, or forest land,
which includes that almost limitless, and
to a great extent, undeveloped country
watered by the Amazon and Ucayali
rivers east of the Cordillera, where the
cinchona and caucho or india rubber trees
abound, and where cocoa, coffee, cotton,
vanilla, coca, and tobacco more especially
flourish, is somewhat too vast for my
present purpose.
It is then of a portion of the Sierra or
Central region, where fertile valleys occur,
where precious metals are found, and
where the gentle llama finds its home,
that I will now particularly treat.
To quote the different ideaswe entertained

LANDSCAPE, SHOWING CREST OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN CONTINENT, 24,000 FEET.

IN THE SIERRA. 87
of this region before our ascent would
require a three-volumed work at least,
and the packing of our clothes, etc., in
sacks to be conveyed on mule-back was
as exciting as the many other preparations
for the trip. In this matter our chief
difficulty generally lay in finding out what
we should not require. At one time we
imagined ourselves arriving at the summit,
17,000 feet, tied on our mules, and in a
bruised and battered condition, occasioned
by numerous headlong journeys down the
precipices, only to die of " sorroche " and
cold ; at another, the spirit of adventure
filled up the vacuum, and a sharp encoun
ter with the Indians obliged us to flee
for our lives ; or again, the delightful
sensation of being borne on the wings of
the wind, or the legs of the mules,
through sunshine and snow into Nature's

88 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
sanctorum itself, composed our restless
minds, and we revelled in the thought.
One thing seemed certain, and that
was that in the region whither we were
bound fleas could not live, which after
our late experience would be much
appreciated. But our reception in the metropolis
had been as cordial as the most fastidious
could desire, and its many attractions
were hard to leave for so indefinite and
vague a trip ; yet even these must be
forsaken for a while, as we wing our
upward flight.
Leaving the Desamparados station by
the great Oroya railroad early one morn
ing in September, and having a mining
hacienda in the department of Junin,
and not far from the town of Yauli as
our destination, we threaded the valley

IN THE SIERRA. 89
of the once sacred Rimac, and in a couple
of hours arrived at the health-giving
village of Chosica, 2832 feet above the
waters of the Pacific. Here a halt was
made, and for several weeks we scoured
the country on horseback and on foot at
will, often climbing such rocky staircases
that no animals but chuscos and mules
born and bred to the work would have
attempted. The bright, sunshiny weather,
more bracing climate, and glorious sun
sets rejoice us greatly after Lima's
wintry gloom ; but the bare and rocky
heights around where only cacti flourish
look dreary and forbidding, and the many
gallinasos or turkey buzzards depress us
with their melancholy look. These huge
black birds are general scavengers, and
in former days he who dared shoot one
was subjected thereby to five soles' pen-

90 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
alty. They are still treated with respect
as inexpensive workmen, and are rarely
destroyed. Chosica is a favourite resort for those
afflicted with pulmonary complaints, and
our healthy appearance, good appetite, and
general energy are quite abnormal here.
Indeed, when the question arose as to
which was the invalid of the party, our
consciences sorely smote us for enjoying
such perfect health when all around were
sick. The principal hotel is at the station,
and great is the excitement of its inmates
when the bi-weekly trains arrive to and
from the interior and Lima. A general
rush is made from every part of the build
ing, invalids revive, sleepers awake, and
many and wonderful are the greetings
and embraces exchanged, for in this
friendly district everybody is the partic-

IN THE SIERRA. 91
ular friend of everybody else. Embracing
and patting first one shoulder and then
the other is a great feature in Peruvian
greetings, both amongst men and women,
and it always surprised me that there
was no confusion of arms on these occa
sions. I tried it once or twice, but got
hopelessly entangled, and appeared to be
fighting through using the wrong arm
first! On Sundays, too, a pleasure train leaves
Lima for Chosica, laden with passengers
eager to breathe the invigorating mountain
air, if only for a few short hours, and
returns the same evening.
During the enervating winter season
on the coast the hotel is generally well
patronised, and with walking, riding,
dancing, and cards, some pleasant days
may be spent here.

92 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Many varieties of the cactus shrub
bristle amongst the surrounding rocks,
and in the valleys the banana, palta, and
granadilla fruits, the castor-oil plant,
acacia, wild pepper, datura, called fiori-
pondio, with large, white, bell-shaped
blossoms and powerful scent especially
at dusk, the cheerful looking broom,
hibiscus, and blue-green eucalyptus flour
ish. But our three weeks' sojourn is drawing
to a close, and once more we seat our
selves in an American car on the Oroya
line, and journey on to San Bartolome,
fifty miles from Lima, and 4949 feet
above the ocean level. Here, funny
little cane huts, llamas, and an abund
ance of tropical fruits dispensed by
Indian men and women invite our
curiosity, and here, too, our railroad

IN THE SIERRA. 93
journey ends, owing to many parts of
the line further on having been washed
away by mountain floods in February
1889. But the foresight of our kind
and worthy escort has furnished us with
surefooted mountain mules — animals
similar to those described by Prescott
as having been created for the Cordillera
¦ — for further transit, and on these we
scale the mountain paths to Verrugas
Bridge, wdiere the heat is almost stifling.
But the steep ascent in one place obliged
us to dismount and crawd on hands and
feet, for which we were rewarded by
being able to pluck some exquisite
blossoms from the heliotrope trees
around. A disease called "verrugas,"
which appears in the form of immense
warts on the face and body, and occasions
much internal pain, prevails in this

94 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
locality, and is attributed by some
authorities to the turning over of fresh
soil, and by others to injurious properties
in the water of the neighbourhood. Be
that as it may, the disease is difficult to
cure ; and if not brought out of the
system on to the surface of the body by
perspiration, generally proves fatal. It
may frequently be seen disfiguring the
faces of the workmen here, and during
the erection of the bridge as many
as eighteen daily are said to have
succumbed to it. Most passers through
are careful in the matter of drinking
water, and take only that which has been
boiled. Verrugas Bridge, composed of wrought-
iron columns, is considered one of the
greatest feats of engineering skill. It
spans a chasm of 580 feet, and formerly

VERRUGAS BRIDGE.

IN THE SIERRA. 97
rested upon three piers at a height of
252 feet above the abyss. The centre
pier was, however, completely destroyed
by the February floods ; and now (1890)
when the line is re-opened as fax as
Chicla, passengers are conveyed from one
side of the bridge to the other in a
little open car, suspended by chains
over the yawning chasm. Phcenixville,
U.S.A., had the honour of "engineering
the stupendous work, and its cost was
estimated at 63,000 dollars. But this
has recently been superseded by a new
bridge, which we met on our return
journey through Panama, and which
doubtless makes a pleasanter and more
convenient mode of transit than the
temporary car, which occasioned so much
delay while waiting for trains on either
side, to say nothing of the shock to one's

98 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
nerves during those thirty-seven seconds
of suspension !
Still pursuing our novel expedition on
mule-back, sometimes by the railroad
track and through tunnels in the solid
rock, past deserted Indian villages, mag
nificent canons and waterfalls, the
lonely peasant's hut clinging to the sides
of the mountains, and remains of Inca
terraced gardens ; up steep and narrow
paths beside the restless river, through
the village of Surco, where we paused
for tea, and on to Matucana as the
fast approaching twilight sinks into
blackest night. Most gladty did we
here alight and take our evening meal
ere balmy sleep refreshed our weary
frames. The hotel accommodation is
open to improvement, it is true, but the
kindness and attention of mine host and

IN THE SIERRA. 99
hostess at the hotel " Matucana" were most
grateful, and the warm yet bracing air,
and ferns and flowers of the neighbour
hood, make the village well worthy of a
few days' rest.
Besides, when about to ascend still
higher into the Cordillera for the first
time, it is well to pause here for a space
and accustom oneself to the rarefied air
of the altitude. Matucana stands at
7788 feet above the level of the sea, and
the inevitable plaza, fountain, church,
and schools are to be found there. A
few shops, containing the absolute neces
sities of life, an acequia, or running-
stream, coursing its way through the
principal street, and an adjacent cemetery
are other objects of interest ; while the
golden, silver, maiden-hair, and other
rare and exquisite ferns, heliotrope

100 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
bushes, and a variety of bright-coloured
flowers enhance the beauty of the neigh-.
hood. On account of its bracing climate
Matucana is much frequented by invalids,
although at the time of our first visit there
it was a difficult matter for them to
accomplish the journey from San Barto-
lome otherwise than in a litter.
In the fertile valleys of the Rimac
lucerne or alfalfa is extensively grown
as food for cattle, and the primitive mode
of turning the soil by the aid of oxen
yoked to a plough reminded me most
forcibly of those highly coloured Biblical
pictures of nursery notoriety.
Once more setting out on our faithful
beasts and following the course of the
rapid stream, which receives its name
Rimac from the idol of oracular fame,
the next obstruction was at Viso Bridge,

IN THE SIERRA. 101
then under repair, and presenting serious
difficulties to mules and riders. Finally,
the animals were induced to descend the
almost perpendicular bank alone, and
flounder through the river, when we
quickly followed, and remounting, pur
sued our way up rugged zigzag paths,
along the railroad track, or across the
boiling river on slender osier bridges to
San Mateo, where we breakfasted at the
most unsavoury looking Chinese restaur
ant it has ever been my lot to enter.
These hanging osier bridges are frequent
in the Cordillera, and are constructed of
osier withes twisted into strong cables
and attached to blocks of masonry, or to the
natural rock, on either side of the stream ;
while across the cables planks are laid,
and a passage thus afforded on a swinging
bridge, sometimes hundreds of feet above

102 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
the abyss, although happily we were not
called upon to attempt such lofty ones.
The animals, as a rule, dislike them
extremely, and can scarcely be induced to
lead the way.
We were now at a height of 10,527
feet, and on quitting San Mateo our
ascent became even more precipitous.
At several hundred feet below the
surging Rimac rolled with deafening
roar over the giant boulders ; and from
our giddy heights where riding habits
literally overhung the edges of the
chasms, and where one false step would
hurl us into the terrible abyss, we gazed
with awe upon the grandeur of the scene.
The magnitude of our surroundings, the
mountain torrent dashing from above,
and surmounting every obstacle in its
anxiety to join the mighty ocean, the

IN THE SIERRA. 103
height, the depth, were awe-inspiring
indeed, and they are scenes that time
can ne'er efface.
The Rimac, the one who speaks, is
surely a fitting name for this impatient,
headstrong river ; and were its language
but intelligible to mortal ears, what tales
of buried ages should we hear ! But
Puente del Infiernillo, rightly called
the "Gate of Hell," lies just ahead, and
here another stony staircase must be
climbed, where projecting rocks on one
side of our narrow pathway and a boiling
river on the other demand our care as
well as admiration ; while overhead an
airy-looking iron bridge passes from
tunnel to tunnel on the Oroya line,
and seems as though suspended from the
clouds. Still ruminating on the grandeur of
H

104 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
the scene, we jog along the track a while,
and then ascend the mountain path to
Chicla ere the daylight dies ; and pre
sently as dinner is discussed, with merry
laugh and jest, we note the joys and
perils of the day, and then retire to court
our well-earned rest, accompanied by
sorroche, for Chicla at 12,220 feet has
many drawbacks too, and generally the
altitude is first felt here. A headache
with a weighty feeling on the brow,
vomiting, and breathlessness are the
usual symptoms of sorroche, although in
its severer forms it causes fainting fits
and bleeding at the nose and ears. Stout
people, as a rule, succumb most readily
to its attacks, and garlic and patience
are the best known remedies for all. At a
height of say 14,000 feet the air contains
sixty per cent, less oxygen than on the

IN THE SIERRA. 105
coast, and consequently the lungs expand
and have to perform forty per cent, more
work in order to obtain the same result.
During the expanding process sorroche,
or the difficulty of breathing at high
altitudes, occurs ; but after the lapse of
a few days the general health is, as a
rule, better in the mountains than on
the coast, although it is never possible
to undertake much physical exertion
there, unless one chances to be Sierra
born and bred.
A rigid clime envelopes Chicla, and
during my four visits there heavy rain
fell daily from about 2 p.m. upon the
snow-clad heights around. From our
Transandean hostel we look down on the
present terminus of the Oroya railroad,
and in the valley on the right the town
of Chicla, with its long street and

106 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
church, is seen. Our one-storied dwell
ing has its bedrooms in a long, low
building close at hand, and only slightly
guarded from the outside cold by a
narrow balcony. Under this slender
shelter Cholo Indians often creep at
night time for repose, and on one occa
sion it was my misfortune to stumble
over one when groping for the handle
of my door. He did not grumble at
the mishap, it is true, but at that time
I was unacquainted with the gentle
nature of the race, and hastened on
without apology.
Between San Bartolome and Chicla
many brilliantly plumaged birds, lovely
ferns, and bright coloured flowers, such
as the scarlet anemone, calceolaria, nas
turtium, heliotrope, lupin, etc., are notice
able, to say nothing of the numerous

IN THE SIERRA. 107
and gigantic cacti with blooms of yellow,
white, and red.
At various awkward turns in zigzag
paths our free passage was many a time and
oft obstructed by llamas bearing ore and
having leaders dressed in blue or scarlet
caps and bells, or by mules and donkeys
laden with eggs, vermicelli, minerals, or
other cargoes from the interior, and then
it was a matter of some moment to seize
upon the surest foothold, regardless of
all ceremony. Projecting rocks present
a difficulty too, and an unnoticed one
would quickly hurl the rider into an
abyss. But the most perilous, if not the most
tedious, part of the journey was now
accomplished, and dangers quickly faded
from the mind as we dwelt upon the true
magnificence and grandeur of the scene.

108 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Thus is it in our life-long journey, time
smoothes and oft obliterates our woes,
but sheds a loving halo round our greatest
j°ys- On descending the. Cordillera some
months later by rail, we noticed that
many little paths along which we threaded
the river's bank had been completely
washed away by recent floods.

CHAPTER II.
Having now attained the present termina
tion of the railroad, I should like to dwell
for a few brief moments on that
stupendous undertaking. It was the
creation of American genius, and was
superintended by Mr Meiggs, assisted by
Mr Cilley, whose death occurred, and was
much regretted, during our stay in the
Peruvian capital. The railroad was
begun in 1870 and finished as far as
Chicla in 1876, at a cost of £625,887 ; and
in contemplating the work the beholder
cannot fail to be struck with some at least
of the difficulties incurred in boring
through such solid rocks.
109

110 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
More than sixty tunnels have already
been cut, and the American, French, and
English bridges, which sometimes look as
though suspended in the air, are made of
stone and iron. From the coast to
Chicla is one continued ascent, and so
labyrinthine is it that occasionally three
distinct railroad tracks can be seen at
once. Along the precipices, through the
flinty tunnels, over the bridges, the
locomotive switchbacks up to Chicla, and
if it has not already done so, will ere long
pass through the Galera tunnel and reach
the summit range at a height of 15,732
feet. The projected terminus is through
Oroya, 136 miles from Callao, to Cerro de
Pasco, the capital of Junin, and if not the
Grace Donoughmore, then surely some
other contract will, after cancelling

IN THE SIERRA. Ill
external debt according to the terms of
the contract of October 1889, connect it
with Amazonian commerce, and facilitate
the development of this vast region's
wealth through the medium of Pacific
waters. But progression travels slowly in
the country, and paciencia and manana
(to-morrow) are as potent with Peruvians
as they were in former days at the court
of Spain, when Columbus, Cortes, and
even Pizarro all lingered there for a
recognition of their services.
Apart from the almost insuperable
difficulties already alluded to in connection
with the laying of the Oroya railroad,
there were others of a lamentable nature,
and resulting in the deaths of many
thousands of the workmen. Fevers,
verrugas, and falling boulders sadly deci
mated their numbers, and it is estimated

112 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
that in the erection of Verrugas Bridge
alone 7000 lives were lost.
A low hand-car, drawn by gravity,
is now despatched from Chicla about
fifteen minutes in advance of the bi
weekly trains to clear the line of fallen
pieces of rock, that threaten to impede
its downward course. These hand- cars
travel at the rate of about forty-five miles an
hour down steep inclines, and round such
frequent curves, that cause the uninitiated
many tightenings of the heart-strings as
they dwell upon the fact that a tiny
piece of rock, a skirt entangled in the
wheels, a dog, a cow, or any other animal
may at a moment's notice upset the toy
vehicle, and usher all its inmates down a
precipice and into eternity at one stroke ;
or at any rate involve the loss of a
cherished limb, for it is a difficult matter

IN THE SIERRA. 1 1 3
to effect an instantaneous stoppage where
the gradient is so steep. Those who are
accustomed to this mode of travelling
describe it as delightful in spite of
constant breathlessness, and when de
scending from Chosica to Lima I confess
that I found the journey extremely
pleasant ; but here the gradient is not so
steep, and the speed proportionately less.
The great essentials to safety and comfort
are a cautious and skilful driver, plenty
of warm clothing tightly tucked in, a hat
almost glued to the head, and a thick
veil if one prefers not being skinned by
the wind whilst moving with such rapid
ity through it.
On our second journey from the Cor
dillera we quite expected to occupy this
flying car from Chicla, but recent acci
dents frustrated the intention and obliged

114 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
the superintendent to deny us one : the
ordinary train, however, proved equally
convenient then, and I cannot say that I
regretted the loss of this claim to honour
and distinction. Compulsory perils must
be met, but the credit of having accom
plished an unnecessary hazardous feat I
willingly resign to those who have some
lives to spare.
Leaving Chicla at an early hour
nearly a week after our arrival there, wTe
once more thread a stony path beside the
river, and then the heights above, with the
loathsome-looking condor hovering over-
o o
head. Flowers and ferns are desert
ing us now, and lichens and Alpine
growths supply their place. But the
magnificence of the Cordillera, unsur
passed in the grandeur of its scenery,
entrances us afresh, and the mountains

IN THE SIERRA. 115
show more verdure the higher we ascend,
although the last real tree we shall
behold for man}r months is snugly nest
ling close to Chicla.
Suddenly, the village of Casapalca
bursts upon our view — an oasis indeed —
for in a well-known mining hacienda
there a hearty welcome greets our advent.
With what amazement, too, we gaze upon
the vast machinery at work, and all
transported there by mules ! Upon the
distant hill-top an almost upright railroad
is discerned, from which a covered car
emerges laden with silver ore. Intent
on business, down the line it rushes, past
its empty upward bound companion, until
the terminus is reached, when with
wonderful precision it drops its precious
freight into a vast receptacle beneath,
and hastily resumes its upward track to

116 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
hurry down again. Machinery and
furnaces of wondrous size and heat soon
separate the metal from the ore, and
solid silver bars are the result. Within
the house hot-water pipes and heated
stoves soon thaw our frozen limbs, and
breakfast satisfies keen hunger's claim.
How pleasant is this rest ! But Time,
man's enemy and friend, is on the wane,
and every hour delayed but makes the
summit crossing more inclement.
Again we wing our flight, and soon
the snow-capped heights, emerging from
their verdant base, seem closing in upon
us. The beasts, now conscious of their
homeward track, step boldly forth, and
stem the rapid streams with willing tread.
But they, too, have their troubles here,
and if not thoroughly accustomed to the
mountain air, or made to scale the

SMELTING WORKS OF CASAPALCA.

IN THE SIERRA. 1 1 9
heights too rapidly, are liable to fall
down suddenly with sorroche, after which
they are seldom of much use for lengthy
rides. None could have performed the
journey with greater satisfaction to their
riders than our own, although I some
what distrusted the gentle appearance of
the negra when she bolted up a solid
rock with me on the approach of a work
man's car, and still more when she
caracoled so gracefully near the summit
on having to pass dead llamas and mules
(which so often strew the ground around)
and left me with a broken tail-strap for
the eastern descent!
Now, far ahead Mount Meiggs appears,
and then the summit range is crossed
amidst severest snow and sleet that stop
the flow of mirth. Enveloped in our
rugs, we peep around, and marvel whether

120 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
it is ever thus at 17,000 feet, when
suddenly a hut appears, and into it we
creep. The smoke is stifling here, and in
a dim and distant corner lies a fever-
stricken Indian man. Sorroche troubles
most of us, and the tiny doorway is soon
blocked in vain endeavours to get air.
An hour thus is passed, the storm mean
while increasing, and nothing now remains
but to remount our saturated mules if we
would reach our mountain home ere
nightfall. Again the ponchos and
bufandas are produced, and then the
eastern slope is crossed in sadder, if not
wiser, mood. Even a cemetery fails to
arouse us now, and Huascacocha at
16,000 feet, one of the sources of the
Amazon, and all the other mountain
lakes are passed quite silently. Llamas
bearing merchandise from the interior

IN THE SIERRA. 121
are seen, the former extensive copper
works of Morococha, the silver works
of Tuctu, and the mines of Yanamina
skirted ere a friendly tambo offers us a
moment's shelter under its tiny porch.
The river Mantaro, or a tributary of it,
next is crossed, and from a neighbouring
height our lonely little home is seen,
most snugly buried in the vale beneath.
Its English farmhouse look and pleasant
thatch were cheering to our gaze, and
soon a heated stove and hearty meal
revive our drooping frames.
At Chicla we had been obliged to do
without any luggage for a day and night
on account of the inability of the Cholo
in attendance to get his pack mules
through the water at Viso, and now, alas !
we find that the sacks despatched from
Lima more than a month ago, and con-

122 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
taining the bulk of our winter clothing
and house linen, have been stolen ! At
length some Indians are imprisoned for
the theft, and in five weeks' time the
sacks are returned almost intact, and
their contents need only disinfecting.
New boots and shoes, fur cloaks, and
gowns presented few attractions to the
thieves ; but art muslin curtains, some
doilies, a cushion, and a tennis racquet
(which had been packed by mistake, and
which I always thought the Indians
looked upon as an improved clothes'
washer), evidently took their fancy.
How strange it is to dwell in this
Andean nest with snowy Puy-Puy gazing
so benignly on our solitude, and hundreds
of graceful llamas browsing on the slopes
around. The Cholo-Indian dwellers in
the few surrounding huts look kindly

IN THE SIERRA. 123
on us as they murmur Quichua blessings,
and the children soon become our little
friends, and run and join us in our walks.
The mornings, as a rule, are sunshiny
and bright, and then these stately walks
occur, for Nature does not give us oxygen
enough at 14,300 feet to make much
haste in anything. At one o'clock, or
later, hail, snow, or rain falls daily, and
then the turf-filled stoves invite our
presence and our mental growth, until
approaching night brings forth the cosy
chat and social hour at wanderers' return
from distant mines ; and thus our days
are passed, varied sometimes with rides,
photography, or watching the process of
assaying metals. Telephones, too, were
erected during our visit to the mountains,
and connect the hacienda with its chief
mines. I mention this fact because I do

124 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
not imagine that any other telephones in
good working order can be found at
16,000 feet above the ocean level.
A sudden change of climate next occurs,
and at the close of the November month
a fortnight's Indian summer cheers our
hearts, and motions us to spend a dreamy
hour upon the river's bank.
The frequent heavy rains in the Cordil
lera have already been alluded to. They
are caused by evaporation from the
Pacific, and the mountain streams fed by
them supply the rivers flowing into the
Atlantic, hence this ocean is supplied
with water from the Pacific.

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES AMONGST THE .CHOLO INDIANS.

CHAPTER III.
At Christmastide a half-religious, half-
secular festival was observed by the
Cholo-Indians, who formerly spoke pure
Quichua, the court language of the
eleventh century, and quite distinct from
the ancient Chimu of the coast, but have
now mixed up Spanish with their own
vocabulary. The Tarma band of drums
and cornets was then in great request,
and night as well as day the native
dances flowed, while yarabis, Indian love
songs, sounded weird and sad with strains
from the guitar. In clowns' patched
127

128 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
clothes and hideous masks some dozen
Cholos took the lead, and entertained
beholders with a merry dance or speech,
allowing little pause for rest. A cura
next arrived, and masses, marriages, and
baptisms were held at a considerable
expense, while festoons of real flowers
from Tarma and varie-coloured papers
adorned the church, and all the saints
were washed and renovated for the feast.
Curious indeed were many of the customs
observed at the Yule-tide feast by this
usually melancholy race, whose chief
characteristics are an apathetic demeanour
and absence of expression, and the comi
cal way in which the cura was escorted
to and from church by maskers as he
quietly lit and smoked a cigarette was
not the least interesting feature of the
week. Chicha, already noticed, and

IN THE SIERRA. 129
chacta, an intoxicant made from molasses,
are freely — too freely — partaken of by
the Cholos now and at all times ; and as
the women were engaged in boiling the
former in earthen pots called hoyas
outside the huts, a merry dance took
place around the fires.
Bull fights were a prominent feature in
the festivities too, when great dexterit}^
was exercised by Serranos in throwing the
poncho and screening themselves from
attack, to say nothing of the pluck of the
women, who fearlessly rushed into the
patio and dragged their husbands from the
scene of action. Fireworks and Chinese
lanterns were displayed there also,
although the former were usually dis
charged in broad daylight. In fact, a
general "goodwill" pervaded the race,
and often were we the objects of their

130 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
friendty embrace, a ceremony most
unwelcome to our cleanly natures on
account of their ignorance of, or anti
pathy to, the use of soap !
It was no unusual thing, even in the
church, for women to rise from their
knees, kiss our hands, and then return
to prayer. This Christmas was said to
be the gayest held there for many years,
and likely to be handed down to Indian
posterity as worthy of remembrance.
The Indians have the character of
pilfering ; but after once stealing our
clothes, it never seems to have occurred
to them to rob us further, and although
the front door was generally left unlocked
during the night, and the sitting room
easy of access, we never missed anything
but a door-mat from the house.
The style of dress is picturesque in

IN THE SIERRA. 131
many parts of the Sierra, and here the
women wear a country-woven skirt, a
gaily-coloured woollen square, sometimes
fastened across the chest with a large-
headed silver pin, a broad felt hat, and
ordinary leather boots or bullock hide
shoes fastened with plaited woollen
thongs. Their skin is very dark, and
their long, straight glossy hair is parted
down the back, and hangs in two long
plaits or braids.
The chief anxiety of the men seems
centred in their hose, and frequently
may they be seen wearing two or even
three knitted pairs at the same time. A
kind of knickerbocker costume meets the
hose, and shoes of bullock hide protect
the feet, while nearly every Cholo sports
a llama poncho, often brightly striped,
and broad felt hat. Their eyes and skin

132 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
are dark, and unkempt hair and curious
little tufts arranged about the ears in
crease the usual mournfulness of counten
ance. Chewing his coca leaves, he saunters
along, and with a small supply of it
mixed with lime can do without a meal
sometimes for clays together. A beverage
similar to tea is made from coca too, and
proves most stimulating and sustaining
to the mountain traveller, as we often
found. Under the name of cocaine this
plant is known in Europe as a valuable
anaesthetic, and in the time of the Incas
so highly was it prized that the coca
trees were reserved for their special use.
It is obtained from the Erythroxylon,
which resembles the tea- shrub, and grows
in sheltered places about six thousand
feet above the sea. The tree often
attains six feet in height, and has bright,

GROUP OF LLAMAS.

IN THE SIERRA. 135
green leaves and white blossoms, which
afterwards develop into red berries.
Hundreds of stately llamas dot the
valleys and the mountain slopes, while
frequently their outline may be seen on
some high, airy cliff apparently quite
near the sky. And a pretty sight it is
to see them gazing shyly round as they
march along in droves laden with sacks
containing precious ore. About 100 lbs.
each carries ; and should the chaconia
who lades them attempt to put much
greater weight, they doggedly refuse to
move until relieved of part.
Before visiting the country I had read
a great deal about the affection of the
arriero for his llamas, and understood
that he frequently knelt down beside
them and with endearing terms coaxed
them to arise. This must have been in

136 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
bygone ages, for prods are used now,
and the Cholo of the present day treats
his llamas somewhat after the same style
as his ancestors were treated by their
Spanish conquerors. Llamas vary both
in shade and colour, but dark brown ones
with black head and feet are generally
the most admired. The coarse ychu
grass, growing in tufts upon the mountain
slopes, is all the food they need, and for
the transportation of ore and merchandise
they are invaluable, males only being
worked. A curious fact connected with
them is that after nightfall, even though
they may just have arrived from a whole
day's journey, they will take no food
until the dawn.
Time passes quickly here, and many
pleasant rides on horses and on mules
we take, where red auriferous heights

MOUNTAIN SCENERY, SHOWING THE RIVER MANTARO.

IN THE SIERRA. 139
with snowy peaks beneath a glaring sun
demand our warmest admiration ; or
again, where giant icicles bespeak the
frigid atmosphere.
Yauli, the postal town, is about two
leagues away, and has warm mineral
springs that contain the same curative
properties as the European ones of Carls
bad. On our first visit to this town we
formed a curious company I own, one
lady being mounted on a horse that
pirouetted gaily for half an hour in his
amazement at seeing a riding habit for
the first time, our Peruvian escort
bestriding a mule that never ceased
kicking for twTo minutes together, and I
myself exerting all my strength to check
a powerful and frisky mule that had not
been exercised for nearly a week !
But Yauli, and the neighbouring

140 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
Pachachaca, show signs of war's destructive
power in roofless, ruined houses, for the
Chilians penetrated even here, and a force
of five thousand men reached Tarma and
even Jauja beyond. As elsewhere in the
mountains, adobe, sun-dried bricks, are
used for walls, and thatch, or corrugated
iron, kept in place by weighty stones,
supplies a roof.
The famous Chanchamayo valley, with
its fruitful crops and genial clime, Tarma,
Huancayo, and Jauja, the haven of
consumptives, all lie within a few days'
ride on mule-back from us, and welcome
foreign residents. Much beautiful silver
filigree work, too, is done at Huancayo,
Cerro de Pasco, and other places in the
interior ; and from the wool of the llama,
vicuna, huanaco, and alpaca ponchos,
bufandas, blankets, and rugs are made,

IN THE SIERRA. 141
while the rabbit-like chinchilla supplies
the fur so greatly prized in Europe.
The Mantaro, or Oroya, is the only river
of importance in the district, and its
affluents wind serpent-like throughout the
Yauli valley.
Biscaches, animal's resembling rab
bits in appearance and taste, wild
geese, ducks, teal, and other water-fowl
abound, and smaller birds are often seen
as well. The gloomy-looking condor flies
far o'erhead, eager for his prey, and
presently swoops down to feast upon the
carrion near, so quickly sighted by his
piercing glance.
Cattle, sheep, the native horse and
mule, can live here well, but donkeys,
goats, domestic fowl, soon suffer from
the altitude and die.
On the mining statistics of Peru it is

142 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
not my purpose to enlarge ; that has
already been done, and will again be
attempted, by an abler pen than mine, as
the flow of European emigration to this
Western storehouse increases.
All native and foreign residents in the
Sierra are engaged in some way or other
with mining interests, and even casual
visitors become enthusiastic over ores
displayed. No trees nor vegetables take root in
this ungenial clime, and yet a restful
verdure clothes the country round, and
tiny little flowers with stalks not half an
inch in height, the low-growing cactus
with its yellow flowers, and a few hardy
ferns proclaim that Flora deigns to visit
even this lone, lofty spot. Indeed, it
was while prowling round alone in
quest of ferns one day that my head

IN THE SIERRA. 143
became wedged between two rocks. The
coveted specimen lay far back, and in
order to reach it I was obliged to stretch
myself on the ground and insert my head
and hand.
The entrance was easy enough, and the
fern grasped, but how to withdraw myself
again was quite another matter. Wriggle
as I would, my head would not come out,
and I was beginning to think seriously
and fearfully of my horrible fate,
and wondering whether it could pos
sibly have increased in size since it
entered there, when a lucky twist released
me. This was my last experience of fern-
gathering amongst the rocks, and hence
forth I gladly left them for other hands
to pluck !
The waterfall of Puy-Puy is one of the
grandest sights within a day's ride of us,
K

144 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
and it fairly dazzles the beholder with its
wondrous grace and beauty as it glistens
in the morning sun. At the base of an
ever snowclad point (19,000 feet) this
waterfall, of seven parts, at 16,800 feet
above the sea, forms one of the sources of
the mighty Amazon, and is approached by
narrow, rocky pathways, where in one
place the mules' heads are seen round one
side of a projecting rock, while their tails
remain on the other, so narrow and wind
ing is the path. At the waterfall we
held a birthday picnic, and so scorching
wTas the sun that we gladly retired to the
rocks for shelter. Potted meats, sardines,
eggs, wine, beer, and every Sierra luxury
were displayed — the bread alone was
missing ! — and a very pleasant day was
passed ; but on returning to our home
at four o'clock, we found deep snow

IN THE SIERRA. 145
around, thus quickty does our climate
change. A few months' bracing mountain air,
and then a journey to the coast once
more, o'er snow and ice that make the
beasts walk warily, and tax our utmost
strength and watchfulness in keeping up
at all. Such weather has not been for
many years, and our progression is but-
slow across the bleak and pathless
summit to the town of Chicla. Coloured
glasses somewhat shield our eyesight;
from the glare, but nothing saves our
faces from the cold. For nine long
hours we ride, and then with faces
skinned and limbs benumbed, despite the
welcome halt at Casapalca, seek shelter
for the night, and quit familiar Chicla by
the morning train bound for the coast.

CHAPTER IV.
To say that we enjoyed a return to
warmth would but slightly convey the
joy experienced ; and even the five long
hours at Verrugas Bridge, under a
scorching sun, were not unbearable,
although so sudden a change of climate
sorely tried our constitutions ; and on
seeing the tiny car pitch like a vessel at
sea, or a swinging boat at a fair, I
decided upon leaving my friends to cross
the bridge alone, and performed my transit
by the steep and lengthy valley path
instead. But the alternative was an
arduous and risky exploit ; and had it not
been for the ready help afforded by the
146

IN THE SIERRA. 147
Chilian and Peruvian who attended me,
and carried me over the widest jumps,
my mangled remains would certainly
have been left below for the condors'
investigation. Weary, sick, and faint, and with the
lament of old Gobbo's son, " When I shun
Scylla your father, I fall into Charybdis
your mother," ringing in mine ears, the
next few hours are passed, until the
locomotive takes us to Chosica, where
old acquaintances look strangely on our
much discoloured faces, and disconcert
us by their askant looks, as though they
greeted visitants from other worlds.
Evidently when they said adios so affec
tionately some months ago they meant
it, and our reappearance quite takes
them by surprise. The idea is gruesome,
but we weather it, and the next day

148 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
journey on a hand-car down to Lima.
Undoubtedly it was wise to enter the
capital in an unpretentious hand-car
instead of in the ordinary train, as our
main object now was to escape the public
gaze, and hide mahogany physiognomies
for a while until the skinning process
should be over. But wan and ghastly
all our former friends appear, and their
pallor wakes a vein of pity in our bosoms
as they call to greet us back. They,
surely, must be greatly changed, or we.
The heat is now intense, and Guaya
quil hammocks but enhance a dolce far
niente life, until the Carnival comes round
and renders every spot unsafe, and even
trusty friends' vicinity suspicious ; while
an opera season and the city's gaieties
are truly grateful after some months'
seclusion in the lofty Cordillera; for man

IN THE SIERRA. 149
is of a gregarious nature, after all, despite
dyspeptic utterances of poets and phil
osophers. A sojourn at the sea is next proposed,
and soon we are established at Barranco,
not half an hour by train from Lima,
and walk on to the flat roof of the
curiously built hotel on emerging from
our rooms. A charming public avenue,
beneath a trellis-work of vines, conducts
us to the bathing-place, and rocky banks
and caves are, as at Miraflores, covered
and lined with maiden-hair fern, through
which a constant stream is seen to gently
percolate. But strictly primitive the
bathing is, and whites and blacks all
take their dip together, and battle with
the waves in unison.
Mindful of many warnings from
residents, and of the unpleasant cir-

150 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
cumstance of being followed by a ruffian
when exploring Lima's outskirts, 1 now
endeavoured to restrict my walks to
parts inhabited ; but one day wandered
on until the battlefield of Miraflores lay
before me, and sorrowfully I dwelt on
scenes enacted there in 1881 between
two nations who but yesterday boasted
of one common brotherhood, and, in a
practically cival war, so rudely trampled
on the sacred ties of ancestry and kindred.
At Ancon, La Punta, Chorrillos, Bar
ranco, or Miraflores, the well-to-do inhabi
tants of Lima may generally be found
during the capital's most enervating
seasons. Again we journey to our mountain
home, travelling by the train this time
as far as Chicla, and crossing dread
Verrugas in the car suspended from a

IN THE SIERRA. 151
chain — a better mode by far than that
employed by workmen, who are slung
over on a board without sides, and often
have not space for both feet on the plank,
as with iron grip their hands close on the
chains above. No unknown terrors now
to mar our upward flight ; and the very
elements, as though to compensate for
former wrongs, suspend their fury for
a while, and disclose fresh beauties in the
distant canons, or in snowy peaks that
seem to pierce the sky.
Amongst the Indian race a curious
custom still prevails of wearing mourning
for the Inca, killed in 1533; though
whether they don it to commemorate any
circumstance connected with that monarch,
or only when their immediate surround
ings are distasteful, I was unable to
ascertain. The women wear a black

152 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
gown with broad, brightly - flowered
border ; and on the only occasion when a
mourner came beneath my notice, it
seemed to have been put on with special
reference to a departing priest, who,
judging by the frantic efforts made by
his followers to drag him through the
carriage window, must have been taking
with him all their hopes of future bliss
as well as present solace.
A few weeks later still, and Lima
welcomes us again, but only for adieux.
The year, with all its strange experiences,
has quickly flown, and as farewells are
said, two strangely different sorrows fill
my heart. The one, that some of our
number remain behind ; the other, that
that ancient capital of Cuzco has not
been seen. Ruins are, it is true, its chief
characteristics now, but all our memories

IN THE SIERRA. 153
of ancient Incas cling to the spot ; and, if
we may credit the writings of Sarmiento
who visited it in 1550, and gleaned his
information from the natives, "neither in
Jerusalem, Rome, nor Persia, nor in any
other part of the world, was there ever
collected in one place such a profuse
magnificence of treasure in gold, silver,
and jewels, as at this place Cuzco." We
know, moreover, that its large stone
temple of the Sun, and many other build
ings, excited the keenest admiration of
the Spanish conquerors, and that the
bulk of Atahualpa's ransom was collected
here — a ransom, alas ! that failed to free
him from the terrible garrote at the
hands of his faithless enemies on August
29, 1533. But Cuzco was too far off,
and would have entailed a voyage to
Mollendo, and then a tedious inland

154 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
journey towards the shores of famous
Titicaca, so perforce remained unvisited.
"Adieu, thou hospitable and sunny
land ! May peace at home protect thee,
and success abroad attend thee, until
thine ancient splendor greet thee."
With a goodly company on board, and
the usual complement of cosmopolitan
adventurers and priests, the stately vessel
skims the ocean fair, beneath a scorching
sun, onward to Panama. A veritable
Lethe this, where the business man
forgets his sordid cares, the sorrowful his
woes, and only Muses and the merry god
are welcomed in our midst. "Enchant
ing Nature ! thy beauty is not only in
heaven and earth, but in the waters
under our feet."
Again the arid Paita coast-line looms
ahead ; but on hearing that the interior

IN THE SIERRA. 155
is green and fertile, and that a corpse
had to be decoyed from Panama to quiet
the superstition respecting an untenanted
cemetery, we are somewhat comforted
concerning the welfare of the compulsory
residents there.
No Isthmian reptiles to molest us
now. Our temporary home is on the Bay
of Panama, and varied by stray shots at
sharks, a picnic to an island near, and
struggles after orchids, until the train
oo ;
transports us to Colon to join that ancient
s.s. of the same cognomen bound for
New York. No calm Pacific waters these,
and the rough Carribbean grants no
knowledge of the many passengers,
amongst whom curious Californian speci
mens are ranged, until King Neptune's
wrath is spent, and Heaven's artillery is
heard no more.

156 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
The island of Navassa next appears,
whose rigorous laws permit no woman to
approach its shores, and Cuba and other
West Indian Islands soon are sighted,
before Cape Hatteras is passed, and the
lights of Barnegat denote our nearness to
the port. On the following morn we
ride at anchor off Staten Island, and get
a near view of the colossal statue of
Liberty, so full of meaning to the sons
and daughters of the free. But harmony
is here invaded by the Custom House
Inquisitor, whose chief business seems
to consist in finding out how many
travellers speak the truth, inasmuch as
they are first of all requested to swear
on oath that they possess no contrabands,
and are then subjected to a searching
test on the New York wharf.
How widely different is this city's

IN THE SIERRA. 157
bustle to the manana and "at your
disposition " of Peruvians, who place, by
word of mouth, their house and all its
contents at the " disposition " of their
casual acquaintances ! The phrase is
neatly turned, though meaningless, and
what might happen if an unsuspicious
foreigner should take them at their word
o
is a problem difficult to solve.
Amongst Peruvians, too, it is infra
dignitatem for a woman to support her
self by exercising brain or hand, and
many a man is sorely pinched through
housing his spinster sisters, and his
cousins and his aunts ; but here, in this
vast city, even more than in England
itself, the women take their stand beside
the men in the battle-field of life, and
hasten to their daily avocations.
How stirring is the giant capital, and

158 TWELVE MONTHS IN PERU.
with what eager eyes I gaze upon its
" lions " in my too brief stay ! Although
with the thermometer at 103° Fahren
heit, sight-seeing is somewhat arduous,
despite the frequent "lifts." Broadway,
Fifth Avenue, the Elevated Railroad,
Central Park, and Brooklyn Bridge seem
visited in dreams, before the city's name
sake of the Inman Line quits Sandy
Hook, and with herculean respiration
bears its international freight of pleasure-
seekers and hard workers towards that
"precious stone set in the silver sea."

THE END.

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