120 Mr Cruckshanks's Excursion from Lima to Pasco. 



insulated hill, called La Viuda, several hundred feet above the 

 road at the highest part of the pass to which it gives its name, 

 consists of the latter rock, enclosing large rolled masses of 

 porphyry. 



" On gaining the summit, a league from the bottom of the 

 mountain, we came upon a more open country than we had seen 

 since the commencement of our journey, though the prospect was 

 still somewhat limited, the lowest situation being, of course, 

 chosen, for the road, from which we only had a partial view of 

 the higher mountains in the distance, covered with perpetual 

 snow. We descended very gradually among low ranges of black 

 limestone, with impressions of shells ; a very extensive forma- 

 tion in this part of the Andes. The skirts of the hills, and the 

 little vallies and tracts of level ground between them, were 

 covered with verdure, and the deeper hollows were occupied by 

 lakes, the water of which was of a dark blue colour, more intense 

 than that of the waters of the ocean ; in some of them, the 

 deeper tint was varied by patches of bright turquoise, from the 

 bottom being of a whitish colour, and the water less deep. 



" The snow that had lately fallen had already disappeared 

 from the open ground, but much of it still remained in sheltered 

 places. 



" Before leaving Culluay in the morning, we had been ad- 

 vised not to take any breakfast except a little broth, to lessen the 

 risk of suffering from the puna or veta, the sickness that fre- 

 quently attacks those who are unaccustomed to breathe the rari- 

 fied atmosphere of these elevated regions. None of the party, 

 however, had experienced any inconvenience in the ascent ; and 

 after proceeding about half a league, where the elevation was 

 considerably less than at the pass, we halted at one of the lakes, 

 and breakfasted on some cold meat. But we soon found that we 

 had calculated rather hastily on our exemption from the puna ; 

 and that, like sea-sickness, which it resembles so much in otber 

 respects, it does not always immediately attack those who are 

 liable to be affected by it. Before we had advanced half a mile 

 from the lake, several of the party began to suffer from head- 



ach ; and Mr M and myself were so ill that we found 



some difficulty in reaching the end of the stage, a place called 



Casa-cancha, to which we descended about four o'clock. We 



i 



