432 A V O Y A G E T O Boofc Vf. 



brought to fufFer the girts to be put round their bo- 

 dies, and when they find themfelves fufpended, kick 

 and fling, during their fhort pafTage, in a moft terrible 

 manner. The river of Alchipichi may well excite 

 terror in a young traveller, being between thirty and 

 forty fathoms from fhore to fhore ; and its perpendi- 

 cular height, above the furface of the water, twenty- 

 five fathoms. A reprefentation of thefe bridges, and 

 the manner of conveying over the mules, was given 

 in the lad plate, V. 



The roads of this country are fuitable to the bridges ; 

 for though there are large plains between Qiiito and 

 the river Bambar, and the greateft part of the road be- 

 tween the river Bamba and Alaufi, and even to the 

 north of that city, lies along the mountains, yet thefe 

 are interrupted by fruitful breaches, the acclivities and 

 declivities of which are not only of a great length and 

 very troublefome, but alfo dangerous. In fome places 

 there is a neceffity for travelling along tracts on the 

 declivities of mountains, which are fometimes fo nar- 

 row as hardly to allow room for the feet of the beatl ^ 

 part of its body, and that of the rider, being perpen- 

 dicular over a torrent fifty or fixty fathoms beneath 

 the road. So that certainly nothing but abfolute ne- 

 ceffity, there being no other road, and long cuftom, 

 can get the better of that horror which mufl affedt 

 the perfon at the fight of fuch imminent danger ; and 

 there are too many inflances of travellers lofing their 

 effects, if not lives, their whole dependence being ori 

 the fure foot of the mule. This danger is indeed, in 

 fome meafure, compenfated by the fecurity of the 

 roads ; fo that we iee here what none of the civi- 

 lized nations can boaft of, namely, fingle perfons tra- 

 velling, unarmed, with a great charge of gold and 

 filver, but equally fafe as if flrongly guarded. If 

 the traveller happens to be fatigued in a defert, he 

 lays him down, and fleeps without the leaft appre- 

 henfion of danger. Or if he takes up his lodgings 



