12 



HUANCAVELICA. 



good to eat, but like the others the meat is not very palatable. The 

 alpaca wool is well known in the markets ; the Indians make clothing 

 of it, and trade it off on the coast. In this department, and further 

 south, great numbers of these new world camels are raised. It has been 

 remarked that they seek the south side of the mountains; probably 

 there is less evaporation than on the north side, and the pasture is more 

 fresh and inviting. Barley is generally raised on the north side of the 

 mountain. 



After a long and .tiresome descent we halted in the main plaza of the 

 town of Huancavelica, in front of a small shop on the corner. Draw- 

 ing out a letter of introduction to the owner of the house, given to me 

 by his friend, my Copenhagen " countryman," I handed it to a very 

 pretty young woman, seated in the doorway, sewing. She invited me in, 

 and I followed to the bed-room of her husband, who was napping. 

 There were so many female dresses hanging around I was obliged to be 

 seated on the bed. The husband shook hands, rubbed his eyes, gaped, 

 and then laughed. He said he was very glad to see me, that everything 

 in the house was mine. Our baggage was put into a room, and prepa- 

 rations at once made for dinner. While I was resting, an officer, with a 

 gold-laced cap, gray trowsers, and a half-buttoned military jacket, came 

 in, and inquired from whence I came, and as he was a lieutenant of 

 police, he would thank me to show him my passport. In return I in- 

 quired, whether, in his opinion, the world was not sufficiently civilized 

 to permit people to pass without such documents. It is very certain 

 the lieutenant never had such a question put to him before. I told him 

 to call when my baggage was unpacked, but I never saw him again, 



though I heard that Don had said, " North Americans required 



different treatment from those of some other parts of the world ; they 

 did not know what passports meant, notwithstanding they were a very 

 intelligent people !" « 



Don keeps a gambling house, where hot coffee and ice cream 



may be had by applying at the shop, attended by his pretty little wife. 

 All the ladies in town visit in the evening to refresh themselves after 

 promenade, while the Spanish Creoles spend their time at a game called 

 " Monte," until day-light in the morning. This is a hotel, so far as 

 eating and drinking goes, and the only house of the kind in the town 

 kept by a Spaniard. The house was established after the marriage of 

 the young couple, and is thought a good business, though the bride may 

 be disgusted with her laborious life, even amidst so much ice cream, 

 during the honey-moon. 



The town of Huancavelica has a population of about 8,000, and is 



