GLIMPSE OF QUITO. 225 



cipal building-material. This rock is also obtained from 

 a quarry tAVO leagues distant from the town. The quar- 

 ried stone is of a more fibrous, silky nature than the frag- 

 ments ejected by the volcano, and its color is of a bluish 

 gray. Leaving this city, our road gradually ascends, 

 untA we find ourselves upon the bleak ridge of Chisinchi, 

 a transverse range which lies across the plateau, separating 

 the waters of the Pastassa and Esmeraldas. The latter 

 flows northward about fifty miles, and then, breaking 

 through the Western Cordillera, leaps down to the Pa- 

 cific ; the former runs an equal distance south down the 

 valley, then bursts the Eastern Cordillera and hurries 

 down the slope of the Andes to the Amazons. Descend- 

 ing from Chisinchi, the aspect of the country suddenly 

 changes, and the beautiful vale which we enter the fourth 

 day from Ambato, gradually spreads out into magnificent 

 plains, where the yellow glow of ripening fields, contrasted 

 with the deep green of growing grain, gives evidence of 

 a perpetual spring. These are the plains of Turubamba ; 

 and our arrieros, pointing up the plateau, tell us that a 

 few leagues more will bring us in sight of the city of 

 Quito. 



Late in the afternoon of the 29th of August we gained a 

 gentle rise, which allowed the eye an extensive sweep up 

 the valley. Upon the left of the plain before ixs rose Pane- 

 cillo, a dome-shaped hill, symmetrical as though formed 

 by art, and joined to the Western Cordillera. From be- 

 hind this hill stretched out toward the east a long, broken 

 line of white walls — the outskirts of Quito. Already 

 Pichincha was throwing its deep shadows over the plain, 

 and hastening forward we were soon passing rapidly 

 through the streets of the capital, and shortly entered the 

 court-yard of the Casa Frances, where, in the warm wel- 

 come from the members of our party who had preceded 

 us, we forgot all the weariness of our journey over the 

 Andes. 



