482 



THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



refined alcohol from my photographic stores to supply its place." At the pass of 

 Guaylillos, 14,750 feet above the level of the sea, "one of our companions fell from 

 his saddle under the effects of the soroche. On lifting him from the ground we found 

 him nearly senseless, with blood trickling from his mouth, ears, nostrils, and the 

 corners of his eyes. Copious vomitings followed, and we administered the usual 

 restoratives with good effect. In doing this I drew off my gloves, and was surprised 

 to find my hands swollen and covered with blood, which appeared as if it had oozed 

 from a thousand minute punctures." 



Other travelers give similar accounts of the climate of the Puna. Cold winds 

 from the icy Cordilleras, whose summits often rise 8,000 feet above the plateau, sweep 

 over their surface, and during eight months of the year they are daily visited by fear- 

 ful storms. In a few hours the change of the temperature often amounts to forty or 

 fifty degrees, and the sudden fall is rendered still more disagreeable to the traveler by 

 the biting winds which irritate the hands and face. The lips suffer especially, break- 

 ing out into deep rents which heal with difl5culty. The eyes also suffer intensely. 

 The rapid changes from a cloudy sky to the brilliancy of a snow-field, glistening in 

 the sun, produces an affection which the natives call the sarumpe. So intolerable is 

 the burning and stinging that even the stoical Indian, when attacked, will fling him- 

 self on the ground uttering cries of anguish and despair. Chronic ophthalmia, sup- 

 puration of the eyelids, and total blindness, are frequent consequences of the sarumpe, 

 against which the traveler over the highlands endeavors to guard himself by wearing 

 green spectacles or a dark veil. 



The first symptoms of the veta oi» soroche usually appear at an elevation of some 

 12,000 feet above the level of the sea. They frequently manifest themselves in those 

 who ride, but are greatly aggravated when the traveler ascends on foot. The giddiness 

 and nausea are accompanied with an insupportable sense of lassitude, difiiculty of 

 breathing, and violent palpitation of the heart, followed by spitting of blood and a 

 bloody diarrhoea. This last affliction is, however, to a considerable extent occasioned 

 by the noxious character of the water. " All the water of the Despoblado,'^ says 

 Squier, •* even that which does not display any evidence of foreign or mineral sub- 

 stances in solution, is more or less purgative, and often productive of very bad effects. 

 In many parts the thirsty traveler discovers springs as bright and limpid as those of 

 our New England hills ; yet when he dismounts to drink, his muleteer will rush for- 

 ward in affright, with the warning cry, * Beware, es agua de VerugaP The Veruga 

 water is said to produce a terrible disease called by the same name, which manifests 

 itself outwardly in both men and animals in great bleeding boils and carbuncles, 

 which occasion much distress, and often result in death." 



The veta shows itself jkIso in animals unaccustomed to mountain traveling. They 

 proceed more and more slowly, frequently stop, trembling all over, and fall to the 

 ground. If not allowed to rest they inevitably die. The natives are accustomed to 

 slit the nostrils of their mules and horses in order to allow a greater influx of air. 

 Mules and asses are less affected by the v§ta than horses ; but it is fatal to cats, who 

 are unable to live at the hight of more than 13,000 feet. 



Another consequence of the diminished pressure of the air is that water boils at so 

 low a temperature that meat, vegetables and eggs can not be boiled sufficiently to be 

 edible, and whoever wishes a warm meal in the Puna must have it baked or roasted. 



