AMBATO. 221 



escaped the chilling influences of Chimborazo, cultivation 

 gradually ajDpcared. Unexpectedly the beautiful city of 

 Ambato burst into view, lying in a deep, canon-like valley : 

 an abrupt descent, and we were within the town. It was 

 inspiring to hear the clatter of our animals' hoofs upon a 

 well-paved street. The houses are substantially built, 

 with mud-walls four to five feet in thickness, and but one 

 story in height, in order to better withstand the terremotos, 

 or earthquakes. Its climate is a little milder than that 

 of Quito, and it is a place of frequent resort during the 

 season of fruits, for which the Ambato valley is justly 

 celebrated. Its population is eight thousand. The even- 

 ing of our arrival being unusually clear, just as the sun 

 was disappearing, we clambered up out of the ravine, an- 

 ticipating a view of Cotapaxi, which we were now ap- 

 proaching. Our anticipations were more than realized. 

 Around us stood three of the grandest peaks of the Andes, 

 divested of the heavy clouds which for several days had 

 hung darkly about the summit of the Cordilleras. To the 

 south Chimborazo towered heavenward ; the light clouds, 

 which lay in white bars across its breast, sullying its 

 winter robe of snow, which fell far down its sides ; east- 

 wardly the beautiful volcanic peak of Tunguragua broke 

 the uniformity of the eastern wall of the plateau ; while, 

 farther to the north, Cotopaxi raised the most perfect 

 cone in the world, its summit mantled with snow. The 

 light smoke-wreaths curling innocently about its crater 

 was all that told of the deeply-hidden forces which so 

 often shake the Andes from base to summit. We sat long, 

 watching the changing hues of the mountains, as the sun, 

 that had just hidden itself behind the Western Cordillera, 

 colored them with a rich crimson, which slowly faded to 

 a ghostly white. The whole scene was one of that ma- 

 jestic repose so characteristic of the landscaj^e of these 

 mountain-hemmed plains. Grandly those mountains lifted 



