THE ANDES SOUTHWEST OF POPAYAN 35 



him, and probably considered himself fortunate if he could 

 find his silk hat and cane in the place they had been left 

 when he was ready to leave. 



June 24 found us again upon the trail, heading south- 

 westward. Both the Central and Coast Ranges were visi- 

 ble for many miles, the snow-covered Purace and Sotara 

 dominating the former, with Munchique standing unequalled 

 in the latter. Barren, rolling hills stretched away in the 

 distance like the waves of a storm-tossed sea; this undulat- 

 ing country is the first indication of a connecting-link be- 

 tween the two ranges. 



For two days there was no perceptible change in the 

 country; but on the morning of the third day, shortly after 

 leaving the settlement of Monos, we entered virgin forest 

 at an altitude of seven thousand five hundred feet. A shel- 

 ter-house, known as San Jose, is just a thousand feet higher 

 up, and at ten o'clock we were up ten thousand one hun- 

 dred and forty feet. From here one has an unrivalled view 

 of thousands of square miles of country. The magnificent 

 valley, appearing greener and more level from our height 

 than was really the case, lay below, and stretched far to 

 the north. The paramos and volcanoes flanking the far 

 side were abreast of our station. Frequently, while in 

 similar positions, there recurred to me the sentiment so 

 aptly expressed by Hudson: "Viewed from the top of a 

 lofty mountain, the world assumes a vastness and varied 

 beauty that revive the flagging spirit and refresh the soul." 

 And quite as certainly there is forced upon our recognition 

 the infinitesimal smallness of man when compared to the 

 immensity of nature — a mere atom existing by virtue of a 

 benevolent force that has so ordained, but that reserves 

 the power to crush the whole fabric of life at a breath. 



The top of the ridge is ten thousand three hundred and 

 forty feet high, and the vegetation is typical of the tem- 

 perate zone; low, dense bushes, mingled with the gnarled 

 branches of stunted evergreen trees and shrubs, burdened 

 with clumps of red and lavender flowers. Numbers of low 



