rx IN THE ECUADOREAN ANDES 219 
Canelos, and which consisted of a few trunks of 
trees covered with bushes and earth. 
In the following " note" of a visit to Penipe — 
a hill-village near Riobamba — a much more perilous 
kind of bridge, common in the Andes, is described.] 
The distance from Riobamba is about 4 
leagues. The road leads a little to the south of 
Guano ; at near half-way it passes some low flats in- 
undated in winter, or interspersed with small lagoons, 
now (February) mostly left dry, and covered with a 
whitish saline deposit. In places where moisture 
is preserved there are beds of tall Cyperacea 
(Sczrpus validus), of which mats are plaited. After 
passing this the road ascends gradually to a consider- 
able elevation (about 1500 feet above Riobamba), 
whence there is a splendid view of the western side 
of Tunguragua, which is its most striking aspect. 
The top of the ridge reached, there is a long descent 
to the river Pastasa, with a narrow plateau about 
midway, along which the road runs for some distance 
parallel to the river. At last there is a steep wind- 
ing descent to the hanging bridge of Penipe, which 
is formed by cables made of roots of Agave, 4 inches 
thick, stretched as in an ordinary suspension bridge ; 
and the roadway consists of sticks tied across the 
cables. These sticks should be flattened and touch- 
ing each other, but many of them are left in their 
original rotundity, and they are sometimes wide 
enough apart for a foot to slip between. The bridge 
sways to and fro when the wind is high, and 
oscillates fearfully as one passes over it. It has 
also become lower on one side, and several sticks 
are slipping away on that side. A rope is stretched 
on each side at some height above the bridge ; its 
