4^6 A Voyage TO BdokVl 



from tfie fpring5 of the weftern Cordillera, form one 

 ftreartij and after being increafed by another brook 

 from the heights of Oezillo, give rife to the river 

 which wafties the town of St. Miguel de Ibarra; after 

 which it takes the name of Mira, and difcharges it-^ 

 felf into the South-fea, a little to the north of the river 

 of Emeralds. 



When the rivers arc too deep to be forded, bridges 

 are made at the moft frequented places. Of thefe 

 there are two kinds befides thofe of ftone, which are 

 very few : the former of wood, which are the moft 

 common; and the latter of bujucos. With regard 

 to the firft, they chufe a place where the river is very 

 narrow, and has on each fide high rocks. They con- 

 fift of only four long beams laid clofe together over 

 the precipice, and form a path about a yard and a 

 half in breadth, being juft fuflicient for a man to pafs 

 over on horfeback ; and cuftom has rendered thefe 

 bridges fo natural to them, that they pafs them with^ 

 out any apprehenfion. The fecond, or thofe formed 

 of bujucos, are only ufed where the breadth of the 

 river will not admit of any beams to be laid acrcfs*. 

 In the conftrudion of thefe, feveral bujucos are twifted 

 together, fo as to form a kind of large cable of the 

 length required. Six of thefe are carried from one 

 Xide of the river to the other, two of which are con- 

 fiderably higher than the other four. On the latter 

 are laid iticks in a tranfverfe diredlion, and, over thefe, 

 branches of trees, as a flooring ; the former are faft* 

 ened to the four which form the bridge, and by that 

 means ferve as rails for the fecurity of the paiTenger, 

 who would otherwife be in no fmall danger from the 

 continual ofcillation. The bejuco bridges in this 

 country are only for men, the mules fwim over the 

 rivers ; in order to which, when their loading is taken 

 off, they are drove into the water near half a league 

 above the bridge, that they may reach the oppofite 

 Ihore near it, the rapidity of the ftream carrying thera 



fo 



