200 GOLDEN DREAMS. 



pleasant valley of Yucay, a favourite residence of the 

 monarch's family. Where the golden gardens were Dot 

 below ground, living plants grew by the side of the arti- 

 ficial ones; among the latter, tall plants and ears of 

 maize were mentioned as particularly well executed. 



The morbid confidence with which the young Astor- 

 pilco assured Humboldt that below their feet, a little to 

 the right of the spot on which Humboldt stood at the 

 moment, there was an artificial large-flowered Datura 

 tree, formed of gold wire and gold plates, which spread 

 its branches over the Inca's chair, impressed him pain- 

 fully, for it seemed as if those illusive and baseless visions 

 were cherished as consolations in present sufferings. He 

 asked the lad: " Since you and your parents believe so 

 firmly in the existence of this garden, are not you some- 

 times tempted in your necessities to dig in search of trea- 

 sures so close at hand ?" The boy's answer was so sim- 

 ple, and expressed so fully the quiet resignation charac- 

 teristic of the aborginal inhabitants of the country, that 

 Humboldt noted it down in his journal. " Such a 

 < It sire does not come to us ; father says it would be sin- 

 ful. If we had the golden branches with all their golden 

 fruits, our white neighbours would hate and injure us. 

 We have a small field and good wheat." 



Quitting Caxamarea, the travellers descended into the 

 valley of the Magdalena, the outlet to which lav over the 

 mountain pass of Guanganiarca. A longing desire now 

 seized them to behold tin- sea, which they had not seen 

 for eighteen mouths. In Looking from the summits of 

 the volcanos near Quito, no sea horizon could be clearly 

 distinguished, by reason of the too great distance of the 

 coast and the height of the station : it was like looking 



