ULLOa's voyage to south AMERICA. 42^1 



cult, was offering his prayers for us ; for he, and all the Spaniards of the town, from 

 the blacknefs of the clouds, gave us over for lojft ; fo that, after finifhing our obfervr 

 ations, we palTed through the town, they viewed us with aftonifhment, and received us 

 with the moft cordial figns of delight, adding their congratulations, as if we had, amidil 

 the mofl threatening dangers, obtained a glorious victory : and, doubtlefs, our opera- 

 tions muit appear to them a very extraordinary performance, if we confider the inex- 

 preffible horror with which they view thofe places where we had palfed fo many 

 days. 



It was at firft: determined to ered fignals of wood in the form of a pyramid ; but to 

 render our flay in the piercing colds of thefe regions as fhort as poflible, we abandoned 

 that intention, of which there would *have been no end ; becaufe, after remaining feveral 

 days in the denfeft parts of the clouds, when a clear interval happened, the fignals could 

 not be diflinguifhed : fome the winds had blown down, and others had been carried 

 away by the Indians who tended their cattle on the fides of the mountains, for the fake 

 of the timber and ropes. To remedy which, the only expedient was to make the very 

 tents in which we lodged ferve for fignals ; for the orders of the magiflrates, and threat- 

 enings of the priefts, were of little confequence in fuch a defert country, where it was 

 almoll impoffible to difcover the delinquents. 



. The deferts of the mountains of Pambamarca and Pichincha were the noviciates, in 

 which we were inured to the fevere life we led from the beginning of Augufl 1 737 to the 

 end of July 1739. During which time, our company occupied thirty-five deferts, and V 

 that of Don George Juan, thirty-two, the particulars of which fhall be enumerated, to- 

 gether with the names of all thofe on which we erefted fignals for forming the triangles ; ^ 

 in all which the inconveniences were the fame, except that they became lefs fenfible, in 

 proportion as our bodies became inured to fatigue, and naturalized to the inclemencies 

 of thofe regions, fo that in time we were reconciled to a continual folitude, coarfe pro- 

 vifions, and often a fcarcity of thefe. The diverfity of temperatures did not in the leaft 

 affeiSt us, when we defcended from the intenfe cold of one of thofe deferts into the plains 

 and valleys, where the heat, though but moderate, feemed excefTive to thofe coming 

 from fuch frozen regions. Laftly, without any concern, we encountered the dangers 

 unavoidable among thofe fleep precipices, and a great variety of others to which we 

 were continually expofed. The little cabins of the Indians, and the flails for cattle fcat- 

 tered up and down on the fkirts of the mountains, and where we ufed to lodge in our 

 paffage from one defert to another, were to us fpacious palaces ; mean villages appeared 

 like fplendid cities, and the converfation of a priefl, and two or three of his companions, 

 charmed us like the banquet of Xenophon : the little markets held in thofe towns, when 

 we happened to pafs through them on a Sunday, feemed to us as if filled with all the 

 variety of Seville fair. Thus the leafl objedl became magnified, when we defcended 

 for two or three days from our exile, which in fome places lafled fifty days fucceffively ; 

 and it mull be owned, that there were particular occafions when our fufferings were fuch nr 



that nothing could have fupported us under them, and animated us to perfevere, but 

 that honour and fidelity which jointly confpired to induce both companies, whatever 

 fhould be the confequence, not to leave imperfe6l a work fo long defired by all civilized 

 nations, and fo particularly countenanced by the two powerful monarchs our fovereigns. 



It may not be amifs here to inform the reader of the different opinions conceived by 



the neighbouring inhabitants, with regard to our enterprife. Some admired our refo- 



- lution, others could not tell what conflruftion to put upon our perfeverance ; and even 



thofe of the befl parts and education among them were utterly at a lofs what to think. 



I'hey made it their bufinefs to examine the Indians concerning the life we led, but the 



2 12 aiifwcrs 



