of an Orchid 1 1 cater. 79 



Abra. This soon showed us how much the difference 

 of elevation had to do with the social condition of the 

 people, compared with the natives of the valley of the 

 Ma^dalena. Instead of the strong Indian or negro 

 type, so marked in the natives of the low land, the 

 Colombians here are fair-skinned, good-looking, and 

 well dressed. Although the village is one of the 

 smallest in the vicinity of Bucaramanga, it boasts of a 

 ofood, large Roman Catholic church and several well- 

 built houses, but of course all of mud, or what is called 

 adobe. Here we breakfasted in true Colombian 

 style — a piece of salt beef and cakes made of 

 Indian corn ; besides, we had the inevitable cassava 

 root and coffee. The coffee, made here on a coffee 

 estate, as may be supposed, is an exquisite beverage, 

 possessing all the rich aroma which the berry loses by 

 a long sea voyage. After breakfast we started away 

 at a rattling pace, which did not slacken until we had 

 gained the summit of a hill from which were easily 

 discernible the strange half - Moorish, half- Spanish 

 towers of Bucaramanga. 



