SPIDER WEB. 



151 



except the bare necessaries of life. Some attempt, however, had been 

 made at improvements, for there were two small horses, in tolerable 

 condition, wandering about among the deserted houses of the village. 

 They eat the tops of the sugar-cane, the skin of the plantain, or almost 

 any vegetable. They were brought from somewhere below to turn 

 a trapiche ; but everything seems abandoned now, and, there being no 

 one to take care of the horses, I fancy the bats will soon bleed them to 

 death. 



August 16. — Lovely morning. On stepping out of the house my 

 attention was attracted by a spider's web covering the whole of a large 

 lemon-tree nearly. The tree was oval and well shaped ; and the web 

 was thrown over it in the most artistic manner, and with the finest 

 effect. Broad flat cords were stretched out, like the cords of a tent, 

 from its circumference to the neighboring bushes ; and it looked as if 

 some genius of the lamp, at the command of its master, had exhausted 

 taste and skill to cover with this delicate drapery the rich-looking fruit 

 beneath. I think the web would have measured full ten yards in 

 diameter. 



The river opposite Challuayacu is one hundred yards broad, shallow 

 and rapid. A few miles below, it spreads out to one hundred and fifty 

 yards ; and in what seemed mid-channel, there was but six feet water, 

 with a bottom of fine sand, and a current of four miles the hour. Hills 

 on the right, but retiring from the shores ; a perfect plain, covered with 

 trees, bushes, and wild cane, on the left. 



At noon we arrived at the mouth of the Huayabamba, which is one 

 hundred yards wide, has six feet water, and a beautiful pebbly bottom. 

 A quarter of an hour's drag of the canoe along the right bank brought 

 us to the village of Lupuna, the port of Pachiza. It contains fifteen 

 houses and about seventy-five inhabitants. A little rice is grown ; but 

 the staple production is cotton, which seemed to be abundant. This 

 may be called a manufacturing place ; for almost every woman was 

 engaged in spinning, and many balls of cotton-thread were hanging 

 from the rafters of each house, A woman, spinning with diligence all 

 day, will make four of these balls. These weigh a pound, and are worth 

 twenty-five cents. They are very generally used as currency, there 

 being little money in the country. I saw some English prints, which 

 were worth thirty-seven and a half cents the yard ; (cost in Lima twelve 

 and a half;) they come either by the way of Huanuco, or across the 

 country, by Truxillo, Chachapoyas, and Moyobamba ; and are paid foT 

 in hats, wax, or these balls of cotton. 



