46 The Aot)es akd the A:mazon. 



it received the homage of the world as the highest point in 

 America; but now the Aconcagua of Chile claims the 

 palm. Stillj what a panorama from the top of Chimbo- 

 razo, could one reach it, for the eje would command ten 

 thousand square miles ! 



Our road gently winds down the sierra, giving us at ev- 

 ery turn sublime ideas of what natm-e can do in tossing uj) 

 the thin crust of our glol)e. But sublimity is at a discount 

 here — there is too much of it. Suddenly we are looking 

 down into the enchanting valley of Chimbo. This ro- 

 mantic and secluded spot is one of those forgotten corners 

 of the earth which, barricaded against the march of civ- 

 ilization by almost impassable mountains, and inhabited 

 by a thriftless race, has been left far behind in the prog- 

 ress of mankind. Distance lends enchantment to the view. 

 We are reminded of the pastoral vales of New England. 

 Wheat takes the place of the sugar-cane, barley of cacao, 

 potatoes of plantains, and turnips of oranges. Bamboo 

 sheds have given way to neatly whitewashed \illages, and 

 the fields are fenced with rows of aloe. But, drawing 

 nearer, we find the habitations are in reality miserable mud 

 hovels, without windows, and tenanted by vermin and rag- 

 ged poverty. There are herds of cattle and fields of grain ; 

 yet we shall not find a quart of milk or a loaf of bread for 

 sale. The descent into the valley is very precipitous, and, 

 after a rain, alarmingly slippery. Mules, drawing their 

 legs together, slide down with startling velocity, and follow 

 the windings with marvelous dexterity. 



We arrived at Guaranda at 5 p.m. on the tliird day 

 after leaving Bodegas. This is a desolate town of two 

 thousand souls, dwelling in low dilapidated huts made of 

 the most common building material in the Andes — adohe^ 

 or sun-dried blocks of mud mingled with straw.* The 



* From adouh^ an Egyptian word still used by the Copts ; carried by the 



