IN THE CINCHONA FORESTS 295 



surest-footed beast goes on continually stumbling. 

 So we made our frames of palm-fronds, our buckets 

 of bamboos, and invented similar contrivances for 

 other needful articles. The closed communication 

 with Guayaquil was felt to be a sore obstacle, as 

 we might have sent thither for canvas and other 

 things required for the plants, and also for a little 

 wine and porter for the invalids. 



The mornings were always cool and sometimes 



dull, but at 7 o'clock or so the sun would often 



come out blazing hot. In the afternoons, when the 



fog seemed to have set in for the day, it would 



sometimes clear away for a brief space, and admit 



the scorching rays of the sun. On these occasions, 



and on the days of sustained heat, the only means 



of keeping the plants from withering was to give 



them abundance of water ; and then there was the 



risk, on the other hand, of their damping off. 



Water was supplied to the trapiche, for the service 



of the still and for culinary purposes, by a' small 



acequia (canal) carried along the hill-side from the 



head of a rivulet about a mile off. We had by this 



means generally sufficient water for our plantation, 



but as the acequia was ill made and protected by 



no fence, the cattle, roaming about, generally trod 



and dammed it up at least once every day, when 



the Indians had to seek out and repair the damaged 



spots. But when the supply of water failed just at 



the moment of one of those outbursts of sun, there 



was no alternative but for all hands to run with 



buckets clown to the deep glen, where there was a 



considerable stream, although the steep ascent In mi 



it was very toilsome. In a few weeks the cuttings 



began to root, and then they were attacked by 



