CiiAP. XII. GOLD REGION. 203 



work, which enraged the Indians in Backhouse's service, and 

 a quarrel ensued, ending in the massacre of Backhouse and 

 all his party. Those who were out collecting bark, on disco^ 

 vering what had happened, fled to Colonel Bologenesi ; but 

 in their retreat, while forchng a river, the Chunchos poured 

 in a volley of arrows amongst them, and kiUed forty of their 

 number. Bologenesi then collected a military force and ad- 

 vanced into the forests, where he suffered great hardships 

 fighting -with the Chunchos all day, and harassed by alarms 

 during the night. He, however, collected a thousand quin- 

 tals of bark, at a cost of fifty lives and three hundred thousand 

 dollars. Dm-ing this expedition indications were met with of 

 the ancient gold- washings. 



It will thus be seen that fevers and perilous roads are not 

 the only dangers to be apprehended in a search for chin- 

 chona-plants. 



Lastly, and extending for a distance of one hundred and 

 eighty miles, fi-om Marcapata to the frontier of Bolivia, is the 

 watershed along that part of the eastern Andes known as the 

 Snowy Range of Caravaya, where the numerous streams take 

 their rise which unite to form the Ynambari. The Madre de 

 Dios, Marcapata, and Ynambari are thus the three great 

 sources of the Purus. The tributaries of the latter drain the 

 province of Caravaya. 



The first mention of this region is to be found in the pages 

 of the old Inca historian, Garcilasso de la Vega, who says 

 that " the richest gold-mines in Peru are those of CoUa- 

 huaya, which the Spaniards call Caravaya, whence they 

 obtain much very fine gold of twenty-four carats, and they 

 still get some, but not in such abundance."*' The Jesuit 

 Acosta also mentions " the famous gold of Cai-avaya in 

 Peru."" After the final overthrow of the younger Almagro 

 in the battle of Cbui)as in 1542, some of his followers crossed 



* Coiniii. Eeul, ii. lib. iii. wp. xix. p. 174. ' Lib. iV. cap. iv. 



