280 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



all too rarely in South America, and who are really doing 

 a great and noble work in furthering the educational and 

 moral progress of the country. Several hundred students 

 of both sexes, from many and remote parts of Bolivia, 

 attend the Hterary and business classes of the college, live 

 under the care and refining influence of its instructors, 

 and, as I subsequently discovered, introduce into their 

 homes the desirable and elevating qualities which they 

 have acquired. 



To the northwest towers the Cerro Tunari, a mountain 

 over fifteen thousand feet high and of imposing appear- 

 ance. It rises in majestic proportions above the uneven 

 sunmiits of the cordillera, in a manner befitting a snow- 

 crowned monarch of the range. 



We spent several days in the city, adding to our outfit 

 and purchasing mules, and then started eastward en route 

 to the Beni district; it was our intention to go slowly and 

 stop at places which offered a suitable field for our opera- 

 tions. 



Leaving Cochabamba on the afternoon of May 9, 1915, 

 we rode the fifteen miles to the town of Sacaba, arriving 

 there at dusk. The intervening coimtry is thickly settled, 

 and large areas are irrigated and planted in alfalfa, maize, 

 wheat, grapes, and vegetables. Nearly all the inhabitants 

 are Indians of the Quechua race. 



Beyond Sacaba the trail adheres closely to the bed of a 

 small stream, and ascends at a steep angle. Numerous lit- 

 tle canals carry the water along the mountainside, and the 

 country is dotted with small stone huts surrounded by 

 carefully cultivated fields; this is made possible by the fact 

 that the rivulet never dries, but, on the contrary, supplies 

 a constant stream of water of sufficient volume to irrigate 

 a large area. The canals have been dug with great pre- 

 cision; each family uses only as much as required, and at 

 stated intervals, so there is enough for all. 



The trail goes up steadily until an elevation of twelve 

 thousand feet is reached. As we neared the top a strong 



