348 



TOPOGKAPHY. 



red and the yellow, before the adventurous spirit of Bezares 

 led him to penetrate its intricate forests ? 



The terrible obstacle on the side of the frontier having been 

 surmounted, contrary to the expe6lations of those who were 

 pradlically skilled in these undertakings, Bezares made the ne- 

 cessary advances to overcome another equally great. On the 

 route between Chavin and Xican, which already held out the 

 prospe6l of a considerable traffic by carriages and mules, two 

 small islands, and several steep and rugged descents, inter- 

 vened in a space of eight leagues, which were the terror of 

 the passengers. The necessity of opening a new road by the 

 bank of the Maranon, which there feebly diredts its course 

 towards Chachapoyas, was thus pointed out ; and this having 

 been successfully accomplished, the passage across the islands 

 and precipices was avoided, and the eight leagues above 

 mentioned reduced to four commodious ones. To oppose an 

 cfFedlual barrier to the inundations of the river, a solid cause- 

 way was constru6ted with a kind of quadrilateral stones, se- 

 veral of them more than two yards in length, which Nature 

 seemed to have formed with infinite care, and which were dug 

 up in levelling the mountain. Bezares was now recalled to 

 give an account of his useful and interesting operations to the 

 viceroy, under whose auspices they will without doubt be 

 .prosperously continued. 



A civilized Indian, but one accustomed to an erratic life, 

 of the description of those adverted to above, is represented in 

 Plate XVII. clad in the poncho^ the dress of the Indians of 

 Peru before their subjugation by the Spaniards. This garment 

 is made of wool, cotton, or flattened straw interwoven in a 

 web of thread. On horseback, it is a defence for all ranks of 



Peruvians, 



