Chuqijipoyo. 51 



Leaving the Arenal, we rapidly descended by the usual 

 style of road — stone stairs. But down we went, as all the 

 good^ for Quito, " the grand capital," have done since the 

 Spanish Conquest. The old road from Beirut to Damas- 

 cus is royal in comparison. The general aspect of the 

 eastern slope is that of a gray, barren waste, overgrown 

 with jpaja ; but now and then we crossed deep guUeys, 

 whose sides were lined with mosses and sprinkled with 

 calceolarias, lupines, etc. In our descent we had before us 

 the magnificent Yalley of Quito, and beyond it the east- 

 ern Cordillera. Below us was Biobamba, and far away to 

 the right the deep gorge of the Pastassa. IS^evertheless, 

 this is one of the loneliest rides earth can fm-nish." Not a 

 tree nor human habitation is in sight. Icy rivulets and 

 mule-trains are the only moving objects on this melan- 

 choly heath. Even " Drake's Plantation Bitters," painted 

 on the volcanic cliffs of Chimborazo, would be a relief. 



At last we reached our rude accommodations for the 

 night. It was a solitary mud tambo, glor^dng in the eu- 

 phonious name of Chuquipoyo. The court-yard was a sea 

 of mud and manure, for this is the halting-place for all 

 the caravans between Quito and the coast. Our room was 

 a horrid hole, dark, dirty, damp, and cold, without a win- 

 dow or a fire. There was one old rickety bedstead, but 

 as that belonged to the lady in our party, the rest betook 

 themselves to benches, table, and floor. We filled our 

 stomachs with an unpalatable potato soup containing 

 cheese and eggs, and laid down — to wait for the morning. 

 Grass is the only fuel here ; but this is not the chief reason 

 why it is so diflicult to make good tea or cook potatoes at 

 this wretched tambo. Water boils at 190°, or before it is 

 fairly hot : it is well the potatoes are small. The mule- 

 teers slept with their beasts outside, though the niglit was 

 fearfully cold, for Chuquipoyo lies on the frigid side of 



