252 



PEliU. 



country was a sandy desert, like that described at 

 Arica ; and as nothing can be conceived more irk- 

 some than travelling over such ground, the relief 

 was very great when we reached the hard road, 

 after riding eight or ten miles through deep sand. 

 As we approached the great valley of Lima, the 

 country gradually improved : at first we could dis- 

 cover at long intervals a few blades of grass ; then 

 a little tuft here and there ; then a shrub ; next a 

 tree ; and by and by a hedge of aloes ; but the 

 most pleasing object of all was a sparkling stream, 

 winding along the plain, and accompanied in its 

 course by a slender belt of bright green. When 

 we had fairly entered the valley of Lima, the 

 whole scene was changed : fields of sugar-cane, 

 maize, rice, and various grains, appeared on every 

 side ; and we rode through lanes of thickset trees, 

 over substantial roads, that eventually led us to 

 the sharp crest of a range of hills deeply indented 

 by the road. From this gorge we had a view of 

 the immense valley, with the river Rimac, which 

 divides Lima into two parts, running through it, 

 and lending its waters to fertilize the surrounding 

 plain. 



