URABAMBA RIVER. 85 



are bathing. Beyond its green shores, we see lucerne, cornfields, and 

 haciendas surrounded with willow trees, near the base of barren hills. 

 This is the eastern end of the valley of Cuzco, which is about five 

 leagues long, and two miles wide in some places. It is thickly inhab- 

 ited and well cultivated. Our course lay along the western bank of 

 the Urubamba river, a tributary of the Santa Ana. The waters glide 

 swiftly on northward. The river is straight, thirty yards wide, with 

 little fall ; rocky bottom, and muddy water. The stream passes between 

 two ranges of hills. In places the valley is half a mile wide; then 

 again there is just room enough for the river and our road. Here the 

 shores are of black rock, then of gravel, then clay breaking down per- 

 pendicularly, or with a long sandy beach. While the wild ducks feed 

 upon the water, the snipe seeks his food along the shore. Small fish and 

 tadpoles are plenty; but we saw no large .fish in or out of the water. 



The town of Qui quij ana has a population of two thousand Indians. 

 They cultivate the soil as high up the mountain-sides as. the producing 

 line ; raise sheep and cattle. Mules are very fine-looking here. Where 

 the lucerne is not in blossom, we feed our mules with corn-fodder, and 

 they travel the better for it* Unripe lucerne weakens the animals. 

 There is an elevation above the sea at which barley grows, but never 

 produces grain. The stalk is very much liked by the mules, either 

 green or dry. On the flats it is raised .and stored away for the dry 

 summer season, when the parching sun destroys the pastures. 



We crossed the river on a freestone bridge. There was no toll to 

 pay. The road keeps the east bank of the river. The clouds stand 

 still over head, while we have a draft of wind through the valley, and 

 every few moments a wind comes in at right angles through the deep 

 cuts in the ridges. The mountains on both sides of the river are as 

 regular in shape and size as though they had been planted by hand. 

 The small, coarse grass parches yellowish. 



Leaving the small Indian town of Checcacappa, the river runs from 

 the east through the mountains. At the turn there is a brushwood sus- 

 pension bridge in such a ruinous condition that we waded the stream 

 above, and continued our course south, through the valley, by a branch 

 of the Urubamba, called by the arrieros Sicuani. Beans and jackasses 

 seem to be the principal productions. After travelling some time 

 between high ridges of mountains, to come suddenly out upon level 

 land and small hills, reminds one of the break of day. Changed 

 baggage-mules at Cacha, a small town, where at midday the thermo- 

 meter stood at *71°. 



October 31. — Found boiled eggs plenty, and a pleasant postwoman. 



