502 THE VEGETABLE WORLD. 
forest favourable to their purpose, the party proceed to make 
roads to the point which is to be the centre of their operations. 
From this time, every part of the forest—a view of which is com- 
manded by the new pathway—becomes provisionally the property 
of the party, and no other cascarilleros dare work it. 
“The overseer, having established his camp, proceeds to build 
a hangar, or wooden hut, in which he can shelter himself and store 
his provisions; and if their stay is likely to be prolonged, he does 
not hesitate to sow maize and vegetables for the use of the party ; 
the cascarilleros, in the meantime, wandering over the forest one 
by one, or in small bands, each enveloped in his poncho, with pro- 
visions for several days, and the blankets which constitute their 
beds. They range the forest, axe or knife in hand, to clear away 
the innumerable obstacles which arrest their progress at every 
step; for the cascarillero is exposed to dangers which often 
endanger his life. The forests are rarely composed entirely of 
Cinchonia ; but these shrubs form groups more or less numerous, 
scattered here and there in the depths of the forest ; sometimes— 
and this is commonly the case—they are completely isolated. If 
the position be favourable, a glance at the branches: a slight dis- 
play of colour, peculiar to the leaves—a particular colouring of these 
same organs—the aspect produced by a large mass of inflorescence, 
reveals the branch of the manchas, as the Peruvians term the tree, 
at a great distance. In other circumstances, he must content him- 
self with an inspection of the trunk, in which the outer layer of 
bark—the fallen leayes, even—are sufficient to make known the 
neighbourhood of the object of their search. Having marked the 
group, they begin operations by felling the tree with the axe, 4 
little above the root, taking care, in order to lose none of the bark, 
to bare it at the place where the axe is to be laid; and as the 
thickest part is surrounded by the largest quantity of bark, and is 
consequently the most profitable, it is usual to dig out the earth 
at the foot of the trunk, so that the barking should be complete. 
“The Cinchona is sometimes completely surrounded, as in a pit, 
with dianes, which shoot from tree to tree. 
‘‘T remember having cut down a large tree, hoping to get the 
flowers, but after having knocked down three neighbouring trees, 
it still remained standing, supported in that position by the, “anes, 
