betagh's ACCO 



As the westher in this part of the world is much too hot to permit people to labouf 



in the midft ot tne day, the cuitom is to travel from fix in the evening till eight in 



the mcrning. My Indian guide fet me on the beft mule he had, which not caring to 



follow company, I led my fellow-travellers the way till ten o'clock, while day-light 



lafted. I obferved the country one open plain, with Indian plantations, regularly 



enough laid out on each fide of us. This champagne country is from thirty to one 



hundred miles broad, and extends three hundred miles along fhore ; for I was moving 



to the faithward, having the Cordelier mountains on the left hand, and the great ocean 



on the ri^ht. If this land was well watered, as the foil is pleafant and fertile, it might 



be as fir? a country as any in the world ; but travellers are here obliged to carry 



water fo* their mules, as well as themfelves. At the approach of night we were 



puzzledn the way ; I often found myfelf ftopped by great hills of fand, and my mule 



as ofte. ndeavouredto pull the reins out of my hand ; which proving troublefome, 



tUe^ '^?.d me to throw the reins on the mule's neck ; and, as foon as that 



N' "'-. eafily hit the way. Thefe fands are often {hiked from place 



; . 3 be occafioned by the flrong eddies of wind reverberated from 



: night w : refted a little at an old empty houfe in a coppice, about 



built by the inhabitants of Piura, for the accom- 



>j or Peru, when they met him at his entrance 



t*nt, and regaled him. At feven in the morning we arrived at Piura, 



1 on the banks of the river CoUan. The 



loneft Spanifh gentleman, and his wife, who 



^ "harge, the grsi^i returned to Payta. In a quarter of an hour's 



. ' ' ^ luiQ fee the raree-lhew ; and, inftead of being ufed 



v/cre entertained with refped and civility, which we 



Our landlord, I fhould fay, keeper's name, was Don 



^ ric luci live daughters ; upon the fight of whom, and their bene* 



ng us, we hrped our time would Aide eafily away, and our captivity 



,:;reeable. I began now to be fenfible of the admiral's favour, in 



li . p!;' :e y for he had fuch intereft in all the kingdom of Peru, that for his 



>iaci ,c;/good vrjatment. After we had refreflied ourfelves, according to 



om of the place, v.ith chocolate, bifcuit, and water, we were diverted with the 



•- Welch harp ui fome inner apartment : the artift had good command of it j 



' parts ov - eral famous Italian as well as Englifh compofitions ; and, upon 



dU the honeft Spaniard's daughters had learned mufic, and fung 



k ; I.: inflrument or other. Though, at firft, this feemed a little unac- 



. vot I afterwards found, that mufic was common in Peru; for the 



■- ;!: ig a few years before prevailed at the court of Madrid, the laft 



c. Bueno, who was an Italian, had brought a great many muficians of 



>ng with him, which has now fpread mufic everywhere ; and it is as good 



Peru, as Old Spain. I the rather take notice of this, becaufe by our being lovers 



• ■ - rd behaving peaceably and civilly to the inhabitants, we pafled our time very 



cheerfully, being expofed only to one inconvenience, which lafted fo long 



ained here : this was the daily aifembling of the people to ftare at us, which 



iid my Serjeant Cobbs, bore pretty well ; for, being ufed to exercife in public. 



Id turn to the right and left without being much incommoded : but our com- 



v.i Mr. Preflick, being a graver man, at firft hung down his head, and was very 



' ancholyj but, by degrees he grew better acquainted with the people, and found 



B 2 . reafon 



