136 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
by the side of which our course lay for above an 
hour, sometimes crossing it, sometimes plodding 
among stones and mud on its margin. At length 
we turned away to the right and began to ascend 
to a ridge, which gradually runs higher and sharper, 
like many such in the Andes, whence they are 
called cuchillas (knives). It separates the valley 
of the Tinguisa from that of the Bombonasa. As 
we ascended it, we had often on our left a steep 
bare barranco of sand -rock and pebbly alluvium, 
quite like what I had remarked along the Bom- 
bonasa. At 2 r.M. we had come out on high ground, 
nearly level, but still with steep declivities left 
and right — where a cool wind was blowing. Though 
so early, our men declared that there we must pass 
the night, because it was the accustomed stopping- 
place on the first day from Canelos, and they set 
to work to clear the ground and to collect materials 
for ranchos. Here, as in most other places on the 
way, we occupied four ranchos, one for myself and 
my servant, and the other three for the cargueros, 
who generally chose a site a little retired — say, 
thirty paces or more from our rancho. The ranchos 
were merely a fall-to roof, resting on the ground, 
and were erected in this way. Two stout sticks 
about 9 feet long were stuck sloping into the 
ground, about 4 to 6 feet apart; across these were 
tied palm -fronds, after the fashion of large tiles, 
till the roof had reached the required width, and it 
was then secured at an angle of about 45° by 
a forked stick stuck in front of each of the two 
whereon the roof was framed. The palm-fronds 
used were those of two species of Iriartea and of 
Wettinia Maynensis. Of the Iriartea, the fronds 
