tS A VOYAGE TO Boor VII. 



the traveller is obliped to dress his moat himself, if 

 he has not servants of his own to do it for him ; for 

 in tlie f^reatest parís of the towns he will not meet 

 with any one, inclinable to do him that piece of ser- 

 vice, except in thi^ larger cities where the masters of 

 inns furnish the table. In the little towns, the inns, or 

 rather lodp:iniv houses, aiford nothing- but shelter ; 

 so that travellers are not on\y put to the inconveni- 

 ence of carrying water, wood and provisions, froni 

 one town to anotlier, but also all kiiids of kitchen 

 utensils. Besides tame fowl, pigeons, peacocks and 

 geese, which are to be purchased in the meanest 

 towns, all cultivated ])arts of this country abound in 

 turtle doves, which live intirely on maize and the 

 seeds of trees, and midtiply exceedingly ; so that 

 shooting them is the usual diversion of travellers 

 while they continue in any town ; but except these, 

 and some species of small birds, no others are to 

 be had during the whole joiu'ney. On the other 

 hand, no ravenous beasts, or venomous reptiles, are 

 found here. 



The distribution of waters by means of canals, 

 which extend the beiU'Ht of the rivers to distant parts 

 of the country, owes its origin to the royal care and 

 attention oftheYncas; who among other marks of 

 their zeal for proiuotiug the happiness of their sub- 

 jects, taught them by this method, to procure from 

 tíie earth, whatever was necessarv either for their sub- 

 sistance, or pleasure. Among these rivers, many 

 are entirely dry or \ery low, when tin' waters cease 

 to flow from the mountains ; but others, as those of 

 Santa Baranca, Ciuaura, Passamayo, and others, con- 

 tinue to run with a full stream during the greatest 

 drought. 



The usual time when tlie water begiits to increase 

 in these ri\ers is the begiimiiig of January or Fe- 

 'hruary, and continues till June, which is the winter 

 among the mountains ; and, on the contrary, the 



sunnner 



