CnAi'. XI. CRUCERO. 197 



high dark inountains, with abrupt cliffs croj)ping out. A flock 

 of vicunas dashed across our path, disappearing again in the 

 driving sleet. After wading through snow and mud for 

 several leagues the weather cleared up, and w^e began t(j 

 descend a splendid gorge, exactly like some of the finest 

 coombs on the north coast of Devon, on a gigantic scale. 

 This led us down into a valley, where I parted with my young 

 vicuna-hmiter, who had been a very pleasant companion. 

 Eiding down the grassy valley, and passing many flocks of 

 sheep, I rode through the village of Potoni, a dozen huts on 

 the side of a hill ; forded the river A2;angaro, which is here 

 but a small stream even in the rainy season ; and riduig up 

 the opposite bank, got a magnificent view of the snowy 

 mountains of Caravaya, with their sharp needle-like peaks. 

 Two leagues brought me to Crucero, the capital of the pro- 

 vince of Caravaya, so called from the cross-roads which here 

 branch off to the various villages in the forests on the other 

 side of the snowy barrier which rises up close to the town, 

 to the eastward. 



Crucero is a collection of comfortless mud-houses, with a 

 small dilapidated church in the plaza, on a very elevated 

 swampy plain. It was intensely cold, with heavy snow- 

 storms during the nights, and the people sat wrapped up in 

 cloaks without fires, shivering in a dreary helpless way, and 

 going to bed soon after sunset, as the only comfortable place. 

 I was most kindly received by the sub-prefect, Don Pablo 

 Pimentel, a veteran soldier, and an official who had served 

 many years at the head of the Government in Caravaya, and 

 in Lampa. Dr. Weddell had named a new genus of chin- 

 chonaceous plants Pimentelia, in honom' of the worthy old 

 sub-prefect, which had pleased hira veiy much. I remained 

 a few days in Crucero, before setting out for the chinchoua- 

 forests in the valleys of Sandia and Tambopata ; and during 

 that time I obtained a good deal of information from Don 



