EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF QUITO. 
the area of the mountain basin, while a 
little further to the North, the village of 
Pomasqui is so dry as to have obtained 
the appellation of “ Little Pieiro.” Pass- 
ing near the village of Pintac, we crossed 
a deep ravine, on the opposite brink of 
which stands the farm of Pinantura, which 
is the principal mansion of the estate 
of Antisana. Of the house it is suffi- 
cient to say it has all the characteristic 
defects already noted. Its elevation, by M. 
Boussingault’s barometrical measurement, 
is 10,377 feet. Its medium temperature 
may be reckoned at about 52°. The next 
morning, accompanied by the owner of 
the estate, Don Jose Valdivieso, we set off 
for Antisana, Like Sicsipamba, Pinan- 
tura is situated at the foot of the Para- 
mos; the Peak of Antisana is included 
within its boundaries, which descend to the 
woods of the Napo, so that it is a good 
day's journey across the property, the 
limits of which may, in fact, be considered 
indefinite, as, on the eastern slope of the 
Cordillera, they fall on a boundless unin- 
habited territory. The weather was fa- 
vourable, by which must be understood 
still less the absence of rain than of wind, 
which, on these elevations is the most for- 
midable obstacle to the traveller. On a 
former occasion, Professor Jameson and 
myself encountered such a blast, that our 
horses refused to proceed, and we had to 
- dismount, not without some difficulty, to 
prevent being rolled down the turf into 
the ravines below. It is remarkable, that 
on the Cordillera, it is not at the greatest 
elevations the wind is most prevalent, but 
rather on the intermediate slopes. Con- 
tinuing to ascend along the edge of a 
deep glen, we reached the farm-house, call- 
ed Licso, the elevation of which is 11,440 
feet; barley and potatoes are cultivated 
round it, a warm spring issues from the 
banks of the adjacent stream, the tempera- 
ture of which is 81°. On the rocks, 
near the house, there is a stalactitic for- 
mation of carbonate of lime, but scarcely 
abundant pen to iy eo a kiln, though 
is 
27 
ing from Lieso, we entered on the Para- 
mos, and towards the evening arrived at 
the farm-house of Antisana, a desolate- 
looking building, in a region still more 
desolate. Its elevation is 13,430 feet. M. 
Humboldt speaks of this house as one of 
the highest inhabited spots on the globe; 
yet if Mr. Pentland’s measurements in 
Upper Peru and Bolivia be correct, not 
merely solitary houses, but towns and vil- 
lages are there found at equal or greater 
elevations: as Tucora, an Indian village, 
14,252 feet; hamlet and post-house of Chul- 
lunguani, 13,869; post-house of Anco- 
marca, 15,772; principal square of the city 
of Potosi, 13,314 feet. . The inhabitants of 
Antisana consist merely of an Indian herds- 
man, who resides in a hut of straw and mud, 
apart from the principal edifice, which is 
reserved for the occasional visits of the pro- 
prietor or bailiffs ; at the time of the rodeo, 
or gathering of the cattle, which usually 
takes place once a month. On these occa- 
sions, the whole cavalry of the estate is 
mounted, and with the posse comitatus of 
the Indians, form a circle, embracing the 
extent of the pasture grounds, driving the 
cattle before them:to a central point, where 
pens are prepared, (in ease the court or 
patio of the farm is not employed for this 
purpose,) in which they are counted and 
branded with the peculiar mark of the pro- 
prietor. This service is not devoid of dan- 
ger; the bulls, in particular, frequently be- 
come irritated, and charge through the line, 
bearing all before them; the dexterity, 
however, of the herdsmen in entangling 
them with a long rope of hide, called a /azo, 
aided by the intelligence of their horses, 
accustomed to this exercise, is generally 
more than a match for the animal’s ferocity. 
The horses, whan the lazo i is thrown, plant 
require, and thus affording their riders a 
point d'appui sufficient to check the bull's 
career, who seldom fails to be thrown to 
depend on the greater or less extent of the 
ee € being thus 
more or less accustomed to the sight and 
