PICTURESQUE COSTUMES 
and talkative commercial travellers. But all — whether 
fat or lean, rich or poor, Indian or Peruvian — were 
models of politeness and thoughtfulness. 
Being able to sleep in the luxurious car, where I had 
two good bedrooms, my own kitchen, and a sitting-room, 
I was indeed extremely comfortable. 
I left again on February tenth over a great flat 
grassy table-land, with hills terraced up for cultivation. 
We passed an old church with a wonderful dome, and 
behind it snow-capped blue mountains. 
The women wore peculiar hats with flapping edges 
in order to protect their faces from the wind. A black 
cloth was generally worn over the women’s heads under 
the hat, while over their shoulders hung dark green or 
purple 'ponchos. 
The Indians of that region showed remarkably strong 
Malay features. 
The train steamed through the wide grassy valley, 
once crossing a fairly large stream. High snowy peaks 
loomed against the sky on our right, while we were 
travelling all the time at elevations varying from 3,531 
metres (11,584 feet) at Sicuani to 4,313 metres (14,150 
feet) at La Raya. The cold seemed intense. 
Quantities of llamas and sheep grazing were now to 
be seen on the land, and foot-passengers and horsemen 
crossed the valley in all directions. At the stations large 
crowds of picturesque women squatted down, selling pot¬ 
tery and fruit. 
The farther we got into the interior the more pic¬ 
turesque the hats became. The women there wore hats 
with rectangular gold-braided brims, and with white, red, 
or blue curtains at the sides. The men had pointed wool¬ 
len caps with ear-flaps. The women were garbed in ample 
pleated skirts. Curiously enough, while the head and 
body were so well protected, most of them had bare legs 
and feet, the skirts reaching only just below the knee. 
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