414 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



Paita — Bay — Town — Piura — Whalers — A fish story. 



At six o'clock P. M., on the 10th of January 1833, we an- 

 chored in the bay of Paita, which is situated in 5° 2' south 

 latitude. Its configuration resembles that of Valparaiso, but is 

 of greater extent. For several leagues to the north and south, 

 the land is a flat waste, composed of rocks and clay, filled with 

 marine shells. It bears the appearance of having been sub- 

 merged at some remote period ; not a green spot or even a 

 blade of grass meets the eye in any direction. A hard sand 

 beach stretches round the harbor, which is completely sheltered 

 from all prevailing winds. The atmosphere is remarkably 

 clear at all seasons, and the moon is said to be more beautifully 

 pale than in any other part of the world. The climate is dry 

 and equal in temperature. A sea breeze usually sets in about 

 ten or eleven o'clock A. M., and blows till sun down; in the 

 summer season, before that hour, it is somewhat sultry. 



A very short time enables you to survey the whole town. 

 It is built under a precipice of clay and stone, upon a lap of 

 land of irregular superficies. It consists of two or three parallel 

 streets, connected by narrow alleys or lanes. The houses are 

 constructed of split canes, brought from Guayaquil, where they 

 grow to a large size ; they are lashed to the wooden frame 

 with cords, and are plastered with mud ; they present, in the 

 early stage of construction, the appearance of large cages. 1 

 inferred from the great peakedness of the roofs, that heavy 

 rains were frequent, but learned on inquiry, that it is only 

 once in two or three years that there is a shower from a stray 

 cloud. The dews, however, compensate for the absence of 

 rain, though they are thrown away upon the ungrateful soil in 

 the immediate vicinity. The number of inhabitants, according 

 to the captain of the port, amounts to three thousand, ^' mal 

 contado"— badly counted, and consist chiefly of Indians and 



