SALT HILLS. 



155 



a distance ; but seen nearer the heavy rains seem to have washed away 

 the loose earth and left nearly the pure salt standing in innumerable 

 cone-shaped pinnacles, so that the broken sides of the hills look like 

 what drawings represent of the crater of a volcano, or the bottom of a 

 geyser. Where the hills have been excavated, beautiful stalactites of 

 perfectly pure salt hang from the roof in many varieties of shapes. 

 There are much higher hills back of these, that appear also to contain 

 salt ; so that there seems a supply here for all people and for all time. 



We passed the mouth of the river Mayo, that comes in on the left 

 between moderately high hills, and five minutes after arrived at Shapaja, 

 one of the ports of Tarapoto. The river, just above the junction of the 

 Mayo, narrows to forty yards, has thirty and thirty-six feet of depth, 

 and increases much in velocity. This is preparatory to its rush over 

 the " Pongo" a strait of forty -five miles in length, where the river is 

 confined between high hills, is much broken with malos pasos, and has 

 its last considerable declivity. 



Shapaja has twenty houses, mostly concealed in the high groves of 

 plantains which surround them. Nearly all the men were away fishing, 

 but the women (as always) received us kindly, and cooked our supper 

 for us. 



