THE RAPIDS AND CANYONS OF THE URUBAMBA 13 



Sama, and Dr. W. G-. Erving, surgeon of the expedition. Mr. P. 

 B. Lanius, Moscoso (the arriero), and two peons were to take the 

 pack train as far as possible toward the rubber station at Pongo 

 de Mainique where preparations were to be made for our arrival. 

 At the first rapid we learned the method of our Indian boatmen. 

 It was to run the heavy boat head on into shallow water at one 

 side of a rapid and in this way ' ' brake ' ' it down stream. Heavily 

 loaded with six men, 200 pounds of baggage, a dog, and supplies 

 of yuca and sugar cane our twenty-five foot dugout canoe was as 

 rigid as a steamer, and we dropped safely down rapid after rapid 

 until long after dark, and by the light of a glorious tropical moon 

 we beached our craft in front of La Sama's hut at the edge of 

 the cane swamp. 



Here for five days we endured a most exasperating delay. La 

 Sama had promised Indian boatmen and now said none had yet 

 been secured. Each day Indians were about to arrive, but by 

 nightfall the promise was broken only to be repeated the follow- 

 ing morning. To save our food supply — we had taken but six 

 days' provisions — we ate yuca soup and fish and some parched 

 corn, adding to this only a little from our limited stores. At last 

 we could wait no longer, even if the map had to be sacrificed to 

 the work of navigating the canoe. Our determination to leave 

 stirred La Sama to final action. He secured an assistant named 

 Wilson and embarked with us, planning to get Indians farther 

 down river or make the journey himself. 



On August 12, at 4.30 P. M., we entered upon the second stage 

 of the journey. As we shot down the first long rapid and rounded 

 a wooded bend the view down river opened up and gave us our 

 first clear notion of the region we had set out to explore. From 

 mountain summits in the clouds long trailing spurs descend to the 

 river bank. In general the slopes are smooth-contoured and for- 

 est-clad from summit to base ; only in a few places do high cliffs 

 diversify the scenery. The river vista everywhere includes a 

 rapid and small patches of playa or flood plain on the inside of 

 the river curves. Although a true canyon hems in the river at 

 two celebrated passes farther down, the upper part of the river 



