At one time on the way to the Paramillo, camp was made at an altitude of 10,000 feet after a climb 
of 5000 feet in eight hours. 
journey by mule, was reached at noon on the 
nineteenth. After leaving La Meseta the trail 
goes down abruptly; the town has an altitude 
of only five thousand feet. Peque boasts of 
about fifty decaying mud huts, and its popu- 
lation is mostly of Indian descent, including 
some pure-blooded Indians. One of the lat- 
ter, Julian David, received us most cordially 
and rendered us every possible assistance in 
securing the porters for the ascent of the 
Paramillo. 
Some of the country surrounding Peque 
once doubtless bore a light forest growth, 
with heavier forest in the ravines; but by far 
the greater part is naturally bare or covered 
with a dense growth of brush. I was told 
that at the time of the Spanish Invasion, 
forty thousand Indians inhabited this region; 
and as the several mountain streams supply 
an abundance of fresh water and its soil 
responds fairly well to cultivation, there seems 
to be no reason why it should not have sup- 
ported an extensive population. 
The forest zone, beginning at La Meseta 
at eight thousand feet, gradually extends its 
limits downward as we go farther north, until 
at Peque it reached as low as five thousand 
feet in the deeper and well-watered ravines; 
and as previously reported, at Puerto Val- 
divia, it reaches the very edge of the Cauca. 
We secured four half-breed porters to carry 
the equipment and as there was no trail to the 
Paramillo, a fifth man was engaged to go in 
advance and clear an opening with his machete. 
On the twenty-first we started at six in the 
morning, following a short trail that led to a 
368 
After leaving this camp the expedition was without water for two days 
lonely hut known as El Madeiro. This three 
hours’ walk took us through country covered 
with large areas of tall brush, blackberry 
briars and guavas, with occasional patches 
of forest, some of which had recently been 
burnt. 
Arriving at El Madeiro (eight thousand 
feet), we plunged into the magnificent forest, 
going in a due westerly direction. It was our 
plan to follow along the top of an undulating 
ridge, which one of the men said was the short- 
est and easiest route. He knew from experi- 
ence, having once visited that region some 
sixteen years before. It was during the course 
of arevolution; his father was pursued by the 
opposing forces and fled into the forest, taking 
his son, then a small boy with him, and even- 
tually reaching the Paramillo where they 
spent some time. 
At first the forest was fairly penetrable, 
but soon it assumed the character of the well- 
known San Antonio (above Cali) jungle, 
being composed of a solid wall of moss, ferns, 
creepers and epiphytes which burdened every 
tree-trunk and branch. Many birds, such as 
wood-hewers, yellow-headed tanagers, par- 
rots and blue-throated jays were observed, 
among them a number of species common at 
Santa Elena. 
On account of the long climb, we made 
camp at three o’clock, at an altitude of ten 
thousand feet, having ascended five thousand 
feet in eight hours’ marching. Water was 
obtained in a ravine over one thousand feet 
lower down on one side of the ridge, and I may 
here add that this was the only water we had 
