374 



JOURNEY. 



goes from Cartago to Ibague in four days. 

 I amused myself, during the day, in walk- 

 ing about a few scattered houses and their 

 small domains ; and must say, that though 

 in the rudest state of cultivation, yet the 

 little appearance of industry there was cheer- 

 ed me much, after the days I had passed 

 without seeing any symptoms of the labour 

 of man. The houses that compose this small 

 village are built entirely of canes, called 

 guaduas, which grow to the height of from 

 seventy to one hundred feet. These canes 

 have joints at every two feet, and when tap- 

 ped, each division yields most excellent and 

 pure water. — All articles of linen are here 

 Very scarce, and particularly dear : the only 

 trade is making straw hats of a very poor 

 description, and flounces for dresses, of very 

 coarse workmanship, in imitation of lace, four 

 yards of which are sold for a dollar; and 

 it takes a boy one month to plait sufficient 

 straw to gain the same sum. About three, 

 p. M., my mules arrived, quite tired: my 

 servant told me, that in consequence of the 

 badness of the roads, the mules had fallen, 

 and the baggage come off so frequently, that 



