SAN FEENANDO. 69 



suspended from the branches of the lowest t/ees, and 

 attesting^ the . wonderful industry of the orioles, that 

 mingled their warbling with the hoarse cries of the par- 

 rots and the macaws. They left the forests, and taking 

 a narrow path with many windings, came into an open, 

 but humid country. Here the evaporation caused by the 

 action of the sun was so great that they were wet as 

 with a vapour bath. The road was bordered with a kind 

 of bamboo, more than fortv feet in heio^ht. JSTothinot 

 could exceed its elegance. Its smooth and glossy trunk 

 generally bent towards the banks of rivulets, and it 

 waved with the lis'litest breath of air. 



The road led them to the small village of San Fer- 

 nando, which was situated in a narrow plain, and sur- 

 rounded by steep rocks. This was the first mission they 

 saw in America. The huts of the Chayma Indians, 

 though separated from each other, were not surrounded 

 by gardens. The streets, which were wide and very 

 straight, crossed each other at right angles. The walls of 

 the huts were made of clay, strengthened by lianas. 

 The uniformity of these huts, the grave and taciturn air 

 of their inhabitants, and the extreme neatness of the 

 dwellings reminded Humboldt of the establishments of 

 the Moravian Brethren. Besides their own gardens, 

 every Indian family helped to cultivate the garden of 

 the community, which was situated at some distance 

 from the village. In this garden the adults of each sex 

 worked one hour in the morning, and one in the evening. 

 The great square of San Fernando, in the centre of the 

 village, contained the church, the dwelling of the mis- 

 sionary, and a very humble-looking edifice pompously 

 called the king's house. This was a caravanserai, des- 



