AGUA CALIENTE. 



87 



difficulty persuaded to sell us some barley straw, which Jose found in 

 one corner of a ruin. Dark cumulus clouds being about us, as the 

 rain, hail, and snow came down from southeast, the mules stood shivering 

 at the door. The scene is wild outside, and miserably dirty and damp 

 within. Five slim, hungry post-dogs came impudently into our house 

 at supper time. One of them went so far as to put his nose into Jose's 

 saddle-wallets. He at once engaged an Indian to go back to the small 

 town, and look for Paititi during the night. 



A short distance from the house a mist was observed rising from a 

 spring amidst the hail-stones. The air was 40°, and spring water 122°. 

 This hot water bubbles up from the earth like boiling water in a pot, 

 and is the head of the river we have been travelling along. The hot 

 water flows northward. This spring appears like a small steam-engine, 

 working with all its might, manufacturing water for one of the branches 

 of the mighty Amazon. The water on the other side of the house flows 

 southward, declining to become Amazonian. 



The Cordillera and Ande ranges here cross or come together. The 

 Andes range to the north of this high place is generally lower than the 

 Cordilleras. From here south the order of things is changed. The 

 eastern ridge in Bolivia and Chili is more characteristic of the western 

 chain of Peru and Ecuador. To the south we are told the western 

 range is lower than the eastern. 



Our compass dances about so much that it is of no use here ; at one , 

 time it stands still with the south point down, and then again flies round 

 as though it had lost the north point. The soil is very wet and swampy. 

 The small snow-water lakes are filled with wild ducks, geese, and black 

 divers. We shot a pair of white geese, with tail and ends of wings 

 black, small bills and large heads ; the male and female both of the 

 same color. 



The town of Santa Rosa has a population of five hundred Indians ; 

 it is difficult to tell whence they draw provisions, for not an inch of this 

 part of the country is cultivated, nor do we observe anything particu- 

 larly agreeable in the climate. 



Our hour for starting in the morning is six o'clock; but here the 

 postman and arriero went to prayers ; so we waited till 9, when we 

 entered a puna, level as a floor. The mountains dwindled away to hills ; 

 sheep are grazing on the plains; as we breakfasted on our roasted goose 

 by the side of the path, a tired Indian came up and told Jose he was 

 very hungry ; with a wing and a biscuit, he followed his drove of eighty 

 llamas more comfortably. I once asked an Indian what he did 

 when he was out of provision? He replied patiently, "Don't eat." 



