514 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP. 



take the proper course, and found the " deep dry 

 ravine " (marked on the map as " Quebrada honda "), 

 and after it the mountain of Margasitas ; but here 

 they were all puzzled by the. " Guide " directing 

 them to leave the mountain on their left while the 

 hieroglyph seems to leave it on the right, and fol- 

 lowing this latter instruction they have failed after- 

 wards to find any of the other marks given by 

 Valverde in his " Guide." Spruce himself suggests 

 that the upper part of the Rivera de los Llanganatis 

 (which is outside the portion of the map here given) 

 is the " way of the Inca " referred to in the " Guide." 

 But this is going quite beyond the area of the three 

 mountains, so clearly stated as the objective of the 

 " Guide." 



It seems to me, however, that there is really no 

 contradiction between the " Guide " and the map, 

 and that the route so clearly pointed out in the 

 former has not yet been thoroughly explored to its 

 termination, as I will now endeavour to show. 

 After crossing the deep dry ravine (" Quebrada 

 honda " of the map), we are directed to "go forward 

 and look for the signs of another sleeping-place." 

 Then, the next day " Go on thy way, and thou 

 shalt see a mountain which is all of margasitas, the 

 which leave on thy left hand." But looking at the 

 map we shall see that the mountain will now be on 

 the right hand, supposing we have gone on in the 

 same direction as before, crossing the deep ravine. 

 The next words, however, explain this apparent 

 contradiction : they are " and I warn thee that 

 thou must go round it in this fashion," with the ex- 

 planatory hieroglyph, which, if we take the circle to 

 be the mountain and the right-hand termination of 



