22 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



of one of those hidden forces of nature that forever and in- 

 alterably control our destiny. 



From out of the gray and penetrating mist that seemed 

 to envelop all the world there rose a low, ominous rumbling, 

 distant, yet of thunderous volume; and the mud- walled, 

 grass-thatched inn shuddered violently in unison with the 

 trembling earth. 



Through the open door of the adjoining room I heard 

 the scratching of matches and saw the flicker of yellow 

 light reflected on the whitewashed wall. A moment later 

 the pious senora, surrounded by her little ones, was kneel- 

 ing before the shrine of the Virgin, chanting a litany in 

 low, monotonous tones. Two tapers flickered hazily. The 

 gaudy tinsel flowers that decked the image gleamed in the 

 uncertain light, but the pitiful squalor, ignorance, and gen- 

 eral misery of the surroundings were mercifully left in dark- 

 ness. 



Without, all was silent, save for the barking of a pack 

 of stray mongrels which had been asleep on the door-steps of 

 Morales. The village again slumbered, and the chill, damp 

 fog clung to the earth. 



Alone I made my way up the only street, through the 

 mud, to the eminence on which the adobe church stands, 

 overlooking the valley and affording a view of the tremen- 

 dous range on each side; for it was nearly the hour of day- 

 break and the sun rising above the lofty peaks of the Andes 

 presents a scene of matchless beauty. 



With the first faint glow of light in the east the banks of 

 vapor became dissipated and gradually disappeared. Peak 

 after peak reared its head above the ocean of snowy white- 

 ness. First of all was Purace, the hoary monarch that 

 dominates the southern part of the Cordillera Central and 

 spreads terror through the land with threats and warnings 

 similar to those we had just experienced. This great vol- 

 cano has been active for untold ages. A huge column of 

 smoke and vapor ascends continually straight into the 

 clouds, and this, reflecting the light of the rising sun, makes 



