CUARTO DE HABIOS. 



123 



of. He seemed to be at bitter feud with all my friends ; and they rep- 

 resented him as a high-handed personage. We met at Quicacan a 

 colonel who was going to Lima, escorted by a number of his friends, to 

 complain to the government of his having been illegally imprisoned by 

 the sub-prefect. I believe the cause was an alleged libel, or libellous 

 publication against the sub-prefect ; and if it was of the nature of some 

 of the publications daily seen in the Lima papers, he deserved impris- 

 onment, or worse punishment, for they are generally the foulest and 

 most scurrilous things, which no decent paper in the United States would 

 publish, and which would certainly bring upon the writer a fine or the 

 horse- whip. 



People in Huanuco are fully alive to the importance of opening the 

 navigation of the Huallaga to their city. They speak of it as a thing 

 that would be of incalculable advantage to them ; and their leaders and 

 influential men have often urged them to be up and doing. But, 

 although they cannot be stirred up to the undertaking themselves, 

 they are jealous of the attempt by any other route. I had a visit this 

 evening from my Cerro Pasco acquaintance, the Intendente of Pozuzu. 

 The old gentleman discoursed long and earnestly about his route from 

 the Cerro to Pozuzu, and thence to Mayro. When he went away, 

 Colonel Lucar asked me what I called that science in my country that 

 put people to sleep ; and when I told him that it was animal magnetism, 

 he said that that old man was a capital magnetizer, for he had been 

 to sleep an hour. I think there was some jealousy in this. 



Rice, tobacco, and straw hats, in small qantities, are now brought on 

 *the backs of Indians from the towns on the Huallaga to Huanuco. 



Colonel Lucar showed me his "cuarto de habios" or room where he 

 keeps all his horse furniture. He has at least a dozen saddles of various 

 patterns, with bridles, pillons, horse-cloths, holsters, and everything 

 complete. Most of the briddles and stirrups are heavily plated with 

 silver. People take great care of their horses in this country, and are 

 generally good horsemen. There are one or two carriages and gigs in 

 Huanuco, made in England. 



I sold my mules to the Colonel for half that I had given for them, 

 with the condition that we should ride them as far as practicable, and 

 send them back by the arriero. The old gentleman agreed to it, though 

 rather reluctantly. He said that some fifteen years ago, a countryman 

 of mine, and calling himself an officer of the navy also, had sold him his 

 mules for pistols and fowling-pieces, on the same terms; but when he 

 arrived at the end of his journey, he sold the mules again, and went off 

 with the proceeds. The Colonel could not give me the name of this 



