182 TRAVELS AMONGST THE GREAT ANDES, chap. ix. 



amount ; but, inasmuch as it was not counted before being taken 

 away, it was useless to make reclamations. 



When proceeding into the interior, these coins Avere often 

 declined ; for it appeared that the natives have a child - like 

 desire to see the image and superscription, and absolutely refuse 

 to take joayment in coin that has got into the condition of an 

 elderly British sixpence. It curiously happened that in about 

 one half of the cash I received at Guayaquil one could not 

 distinguish obverse from reverse. Xo one would accept it, and 

 at Quito I sold it off as old metal, at less than half its nominal 

 value, preferring to put up with the loss rather than be incom- 

 moded any longer by a bag of coin Avhich would not pass. This 

 is all I have to say at present concerning the Bank of Ecuador. 



At Quito mone}^ was drawn Avhen it was required, and before 

 my departure I proposed to close accounts and to take the 

 balance. The Bank Manager deducted about four pounds sterling 

 for what he was pleased to term his •advances." I was unable 

 to regard as ' advances ' monies which were paid on account of 

 a sum which had been deposited several months before, though 

 he assured me that " it was their usual custom." Said I, "your 

 custom is novel and interesting, and it shall be mentioned in a 

 book that I intend to write upon my journey, as it is a thing 

 that ought to be known," and supposed that this would be the 

 end of the matter. 



Shortly afterwards, however, the Bank Manager expressed a 

 desire to see me, and tendered the money he had stopped, not, 

 he said with some emphasis, because I Avas going to write a 

 book, but because he thought " it would be more regular " to 

 charge the amount to the Bank of Ecuador. I mentally con- 

 trasted "it is our usual custom" with "it would be more 

 regular," and only remarked that perhaps the Bank of Ecuador 

 Avould not take the same view : and upon return to Guayaquil 

 my surmise proved to be correct, and I found that the Bank of 

 Ecuador had snapped its fingers at its brother in the Capital. 



