46 



THE ROAD. 



He gave us a supper of a thin soup (caldo) and chupe ;* and whilst we 

 were eating it, he was engaged in teaching the children of a neighbor 

 the multiplication table and the catechism. 



From the appearance of things, I judge this estate paid little enough 

 to its owner ; for I saw small signs of cultivation about it, though I 

 should think that the valley of the Rimac, which is a full mile in width 

 in front of the house, would produce good and (considering the short 

 distance to Lima) valuable crops of grass and vegetables. The land 

 is ploughed with a rude, heavy, wooden plough of one handle, which is 

 shod with iron. It is generally worked by a yoke of oxen. 



The house was built of adobe, or sun-dried bricks, and roofed with 

 tiles. It had but one room, which was the general receptacle for all 

 comers. A mud projection, of two feet high and three wide, stood out 

 from the walls of the room all round, and served as a standing bed 

 place for numbers. Others laid their blankets and pouchos, and 

 stretched themselves, upon the floor ; so that, with whites, Indians, ne- 

 groes, trunks, packages, horse furniture, game cocks, and Guinea pigs, 

 we had quite a caravansera appearance. The supper and bed that the 

 steward had given us were gratuitous ; he would accept no remunera- 

 tion ; and we got our breakfast of chupe and eggs at a tambo or road- 

 side inn nearly opposite. 



Though we commenced loading up soon after daylight, we did not 

 get off until half-past nine. Such delays were invariable ; and this was 

 owing to the want of a peon and another servant. 



The height of Pacayar above the level of the sea is one thousand 

 three hundred and forty-six feet. 



May 22. — Roads still good; valley gradually narrowing, and hills 

 becoming higher and more barren and rocky. We passed several 

 squads of asses and llamas carrying potatoes and eggs, some of them as 

 far as from Jauja to Lima. Six miles from Pacayar is the village (pue- 

 blo) of Chaclacayo, consisting of four or five houses, constructed of cane 

 and mud. A mile further is the Juzgado of Sta. Ines, quite a large, 

 good-looking house, with a small chapel near it. This was the resi- 

 dence, in the Spanish times, of a justice of the peace, who administered 

 law and judgment to his neighbors ; hence called Juzgado. Soon after 

 leaving this the stream approached the hills so close that there was no 

 longer room between them for the road ; and this had to be cut out of 



* Chupe is a universal article of diet in the Sierra. It is a broth, or soup, 

 made generally of potatoes, cheese, and lard ; sometimes meat is boiled in it. 

 It is the last dish served at dinner at a gentleman's table before the dessert. 



