266 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



often impossible. Steamships dare not approach close to 

 the jutting rocks. All freight is unloaded into lighters; 

 passengers are lowered in a chair operated by a steam-winch 

 and dumped into the huge, flat-bottomed freight-carriers, 

 together with their belongings. This always causes a good 

 deal of excitement and not infrequently slight injuries are 

 inflicted, as the boats are low one instant and come racing 

 up the next on the top of a mountainous swell. 



At noon on the eighth day out from Panama we reached 

 Paita. The town lies on the beach and just below the edge 

 of a high sandy plateau. This is the centre of Peru's oil- 

 fields. Tanks were visible in the country near the town, 

 and a thin film covered the water for several miles off-shore. 



Salavery is a small town with flat, square board houses. 

 In back of it rise high escarpments of rock and sand. It 

 never rains, so water is brought from a little valley far dis- 

 tant in the foot-hills. A narrow-gauge railroad connects 

 the valley with the port, and sugar is brought out for 

 export. 



It seems as if most of the coastal towns are merely ports 

 or outlets for products from the interior. There are many 

 fertile little spots between the ridges branching off from 

 the main range; they are well watered by melting snow on 

 the lofty summits, and a great variety of fruit, vegetables, 

 cotton, and cane are grown. 



After ten days the ship anchored off Callao; it is but a 

 thirty minutes' train ride from this port to Lima. The 

 route is flat and runs through corn, banana, and yucca 

 fields and truck-gardens. We visited the creditable zoo 

 and then accepted an invitation to inspect the medical col- 

 lege. The latter is surprisingly well equipped and had an 

 attendance of over eight hundred students. The great 

 cathedral next occupied our attention; the massive temple 

 was in itself most interesting, but curiosity led me to spend 

 the most of our limited time viewing the remains of Pizarro, 

 which are exhibited in a glass-panelled marble casket. 

 An inscription informs the viewers that the conquistador 



