ASCENT OF THE PARAMILLO 123 



eight or nine thousand feet, which magnifies their tre- 

 mendous proportions. 



On the fifth day we reached an altitude of eight thousand 

 feet, and entered a fine strip of forest, the first we had seen 

 on this journey. This is the beginning of the forested zone, 

 and close scrutiny revealed the fact that it begins at pre- 

 cisely the same height on both the Central and Coast 

 Ranges, and continues to the very top of the mountains, 

 several thousands of feet higher up. We travelled along 

 the top of the ridge for some miles, and then again de- 

 scended abruptly to the barren valley where the little vil- 

 lage of Peque is situated, and where our journey by mules 

 ended. 



Peque contains about fifty dilapidated mud huts, and 

 its population is mostly of Indian descent, but includes 

 some pure-blooded Indians. We had a letter of introduc- 

 tion to one of the latter, Julian David, who is the chief 

 man in the town, and he rendered us every assistance. He 

 called together a number of sturdy young half-breeds and 

 requested them to join the expedition; in other words, told 

 them to carry our packs to the top of the Paramillo. The 

 men eagerly agreed to do this, for they had never before 

 been in the service of strangers, and the trip to the high 

 country and also the society of gringos promised interest- 

 ing possibilities. We spent a few days investigating the 

 neighboring country, while the men had their wives pre- 

 pare the provisions for their use during the trip. 



Some of the country surrounding Peque once doubtless 

 bore a light forest growth, with heavier forest in the ravines; 

 but by far the greater part is naturally barren or covered 

 with brush thickets. I was told that at the time of the 

 Spanish invasion forty thousand Indians inhabited the 

 region, and as the several mountain streams supply an 

 abundance of water, and the soil responds fairly well to 

 cultivation, there seems to be no reason why it should not 

 have supported an extensive population; at the present 

 time only a few hundred people are left, the others having 



