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CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
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CORNELL _
UNIVERSITY | |.
LIBRARY
LIBRARY.ANNEX
A SEARCH FOR
THE APEX OF AMERICA
Copyright, 1909, Mishkin Studio
pe Fe,
A SEARCH FOR
THE APEX OF AMERICA
Hicu Mountain Curmpine in Perv anv Botivia
INCLUDING
THE CONQUEST OF HUASCARAN
WITH SOME OBSERVATIONS ON
THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE BELOW
BY
ANNIE S. PECK, M.A.
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
1911
Copyright, 1911
By Dopp, Mean & Co.
Published, October, 1911
TO
MRS. ANNA WOERISHOFFER,
who, by her generous aid at the ultimate hour, enabled
me to carry to triumphant issue my ten years’
effort for the conquest of what I hoped
would prove the highest mountain
on this hemisphere,
THIS BOOK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED.
A PERSONAL TRIBUTE
Tuovcn the list be long, I desire here to record with a
tribute of cordial thanks, the names of those whose substantial
assistance made feasible my various expeditions to South
America; at the same time expressing to the few others who,
by smaller gifts or still more by sympathetic encouragement,
made my pathway easier, the assurance that their names,
though not enumerated, are unforgotten:
Miss M. Exzanor Partrivce, Hergert N. Fenner,
Epwarp S. Hawes, Pu.D., JosepuH Davot,
Mrs. Mary H. Witmarrtu, Atrrep METca-r,
Dr. E. Bensamin ANvDREws, Lyman Gorr,
Morais K. Jesup, Miss Carotine Ricumonp,
Mrs. Joseru N. Situ, James H. Bownitcu,
Mrs. E. L. Woop, AuBa B. JoHNsoNn,
Hon. Netson W. Axpricn, JouNn GREENOUGH,
Frank L. Youna, Herscueyt C. Parker, Pu.D.
To all who had faith in my ability to win ultimate success
or who have rejoiced in my triumph, I would express the
hope that they may be encouraged on future occasions to
aid women everywhere in obtaining equal opportunity with
men; justice and not favour.
The names of the Seiler Brothers of Zermatt and Brieg,
whose assistance in the procuring of guides and in accom-
panying details was invaluable, must not be omitted from the
list of those who rendered the various expeditions possible.
Annie §S. Peck.
FOREWORD
So often have I been asked how I ever came to undertake
the extraordinary task of high mountain climbing, and what
is the use of such an ascent as I have made that I am con-
vinced that the general reader, for whom this work is designed,
will find the story of my actual experiences of greater interest
if these mysteries are first unfolded.
My reasons for climbing have varied somewhat as time has
progressed.
On my first visit to Switzerland, my allegiance, pre-
viously given to the sea, was transferred for all time to the
mountains, the Matterhorn securing the first place in my
affections. On beholding this majestic, awe-inspiring peak,
I felt that I should never be happy until I, too, should scale
those frowning walls which have beckoned so many upwards,
a few to their own destruction. But with thoughts on study
bent, to this end on my way to the classic land of Greece,
I ventured not on so great extravagance as devoting fifty
dollars to a day’s pleasure. Reluctantly I turned away, with
the determination some day to come again and fulfil my
heart’s desire.
Meantime, in Switzerland and Greece I climbed the little
mountains that came in my way, later Cloud’s Rest and Mt.
Shasta in California, the latter already bringing me above
the 14,000 foot mark. The exercise was delightful and in-
vigorating. The joy in the exhilarating atmosphere, the
charm of the ever varying vista, both near and remote, must
be felt to be understood. No one is acquainted with moun-
tains who sees them only from valleys or from a railway
train; the wooded and grassy slopes, the moraines and
glacier, the rocks and cliffs, the precipices, the snow fields,
the cornice and crevasse, the wide expanse of earth and
heaven, the stillness and solitude, the calm and peace, so
different from the ever restless sea,— these should attract and
ix
x FOREWORD
will charm every soul with a love of beauty and grandeur;
while this most exhilarating form of exercise, by strengthen-
ing the heart and lungs, will renew the youth of everyone
who is able to walk, if he go carefully and gradually ac-
cording to his measure, whether that be 5,000 or 15,000
fect.
At last came a second visit to Europe, when lecturing on
Greek Archxology had become my vocation. But mountain
climbing, I thought, might be a more popular theme, and by
telling the story of my adventures I could conscientiously
pursue this diversion. The conquest in 1895 of the grand
old Matterhorn, and the unmerited notoriety attained thereby,
spurred me on to the accomplishment of some deed which
should render me worthy of the fame already acquired. The
most feasible project seemed to be the ascent of Orizaba in
Mexico, its summit the highest point which had been reached
in North America. This became, under the auspices of the
New York World, in 1897, the easy goal of my ambition
and gave me temporarily the world’s record for women.
What I had begun merely for my own pleasure I continued
with a scientific purpose also, taking with me to the top of
Orizaba a mercurial barometer to measure the altitude. The
result of my observations, as calculated by the United States
Weather Bureau, indicates a height of 18,660 fect.
My next thought was to do a little genuine exploration, to
conquer a virgin peak, to attain some height where no man
had previously stood. The most worthy and practicable en-
terprise seemed to be an expedition for the ascent of Mt.
Sorata in Bolivia, which had been brought to my attention
by my friend, Mr. E. C. White, as perhaps the loftiest moun-
tain on this hemisphere; its yet untrodden summit having
been variously measured as from 21,000 to 25,000 feet above
the sea.
To establish the height of this great mountain and as-
certain whether it were indeed superior to Aconcagua, gen-
erally regarded as the loftiest peak of the Western Hemis-
phere, to make meteorological, geological, and any other
FOREWORD x1
observations possible in a brief visit seemed to promise a
worthy contribution to science. At the same time, should
the mountain rise to its greatest possibilities, to reach a
higher point than any where man had previously stood
seemed worthy also of a sportsman’s effort; in a small way
like Peary’s getting a degree nearer to the North Pole.
Above and beyond this, being always from earliest years a
firm believer in the equality of the sexes, I felt that any great
achievement in any line of endeavour would be of advantage
to my sex.
Subsequently, with a deepening interest in South American
countries and peoples, I have been inspired to hope that by’
drawing attention to the magnificent scenery of the Andes
and to other matters observed in my travels, I might aug-
ment the awakening interest in our sister Republics beyond
the Equator, thus helping to promote travel, commerce, and
trade between the two sections, and the construction of the
Pan-American Railway. To aid in a small degree the cause
of Peace by increasing our knowledge of countries with
which we have too little acquaintance, a bond of sympathy
and union taking the place of crass conceit and narrow
prejudice, has seemed to me even more worth while than the
slight contribution I hoped to make to the world’s scientific
knowledge.
When in 1898 I resolved on the ascent of Mt. Sorata
(Illampu), the crucial question was that of funds. News-
papers and magazines refusing to be interested in the mat-
ter to the extent of the $5,000 I believed essential to the
enterprise, I conceived the idea of raising the money by
subscriptions of $100 cach. A few persons responded
promptly, but soon it seemed impossible to proceed. Ad-
vertising men by the dozen including representatives of
Sapolio and Castoria (what a chance was lost for saying
“Soapine did it!”), food people, manufacturers of shoes
and of chocolate, and wealthy private individuals in vain
were invited to lend their names and resources to the expedi-
tion.
mil FOREWORD
The persons who were sympathetic were mostly impe-
cunious. Of those who had plenty of money, many re-
garded the scheme as foolish and unprofitable, some advised
me to stay at home (I said I would if I had one), while
others believed me insane, or ignorant of what I was planning
and unable to carry it out; though the fact that I had, with
little inconvenience, already surmounted over 18,000 feet was
evidence that I had some ability in this direction. The at-
tainment, without skilled assistants, of a height of 20,500
feet on Mt. Sorata in 1904 gave me confidence to ask for
further aid in a matter that would seem of far more prac-
tical importance to the United States than Polar explora-
tion, as extending our acquaintance with sections and peoples
for commercial reasons most desirable to cultivate; yet the
disheartening struggle continued to the last moment pre-
ceding the final triumph.
Continually now comes the query: Are you ever going
to climb any more? Surely I hope again to climb, for pleas-
ure merely, smaller mountains such as the Alps and Canadian
Rockies; while, if funds were provided, I would gladly make
further exploration among the many untrodden peaks of the
Andes, the Himalayas, or elsewhere, with full equipment and
competent assistants, prepared to make more accurate scien-
tific observations than were possible on my last expedition.
But never, no, never, shall I again set out so meagrely
financed and equipped as to be compelled to serve as porter,
cook, photographer, scientific man, and general boss, all at
the same time!
Annig 8. Peck.
CHAPTER
I
II
III
IV
VI
VII
VIII
IX
XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
XX
CONTENTS
PAGE
EXPEDITION oF 1903. PREPARATIONS Sesh Fe 1
Tue VoyacEe Pee ee ne ee 7
Across THE Desert, Mountains, aNnp LAKE
Trmicaca To La Paz. . . . ww ele COI
DypGasPage 4) ee Oe Mo OR eS ee 28D)
Journey to Mt. Intampu. . . . . . . 38%
Tue Tracepy or THe l'irst Exrepirion . . 47
Lire in La Paz in 1903. Tianuarnaco . . 61
Arequipa AND Ex Mistr . . . . . . . 8
Across tHE Desert or Istay. . . . . . 89
Lima anp THE Oroya Rattway. A Pyemy City 99
Return to New Yorn. New Prans. .. . 115
Seconp Journey to La Paz. . . . . . 124
Ascent or Intampu. ALMosT BUT NoT Quite . 137
From La Paz ro YuNGay. . . . . . . 156
A Peruvian Buuitricut. First ATrempr oN
IUGASGARAN? (9s & <3 “ © @ % “<< + a L78
A Seconp Atremrt oN Huascaran. . . . 192
My Home in Peru. Lire or tHe INDIANS. . 202
To New York anp Return 1n 1906. A SIL-
ver Ming, a Sucar Puantation, THE Hargor
OF CHIMBOTE . 212
Over to YuNcay. Turrp ATTEMPT on Huas-
CARAN . 226
Fourtu Atrempt on HuascaRan . 244
Xl
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
XXI Lima wit Secretary Root. Crrro De Pasco 261
XXII Tue Sourck or tHE AMAzon. . . . . . 276
XXIITI A Finst Ascent ar Lasr . . . . . . . 294
MOXEV) To YUNGAYsINil O08) ame ieee at 300)
XXV Firtu Atrempr on Huascaran . . . . . 816
XXVI_ Vicrory ar Last! Tue Firsr Ascent or Hv-
‘ASGARAN | gram jitci enemies Mts eel eats Oo
XXVII Tue Pan American Rattway. Honours ReE-
CEIVED FROM Peru . .. . . . .«. .« 859
XIV
ILLUSTRATIONS
Annie S.Peck . 2. 2. 2. 1...) Frontispiece
FACING
PAGE
Map showing Huascardn and the author’s route. . . . 1
Setting out from New York: Miss Peck, Scientist, two Swiss
GUIdES st -s- <> as : CPi eS poe ied Cet se ES:
Balsas, Boats of Neves on Lalke Titicaca. « .« « « 26
(eas Pag: Mite lirani;, ao. 2. “s- oo) vs. 2 ik. eee Se oa, ee E26
Hotel Guibert, La Paz er % 2 peo fon fe O80)
Miss Peck and party in patio, Hotel Guibert . ie 2 ge see a0
Party about to setout . 2. 2... we we
Pantheon, La Paz . . .. - « 84
League Post, Alto above La Pas Bolivian Cordillera ; a: 388
WamasvoniPunass 2. 3 “i “3 @- = a A ao i Tm 288
Travellerson Puna. . . . . ... . . . . 88
Tambo,"Gocuta 2 2-6 # . # & & « & «= «4 40
Patio, Achacachi . . . fat Je, oe he AO
Mt. Sorata, lampu, from Haallata — oe ee) ae
Sorata, town and mountain. . . . . . . . . . 44
Umapusa, Tambo . . . So ge a ey Ser 248
Place of Camp. Alt. of aie 15,300 feet = ek oe 48
Market: Place, LavPaz . = < 3 « &% «© « © © « °66
Street near market, La Paz . . . . . we O66
Tiahuanaco, Sacred Enclosure. . eo se ay eer aa eed
Tiahuanaco, Ancient Statue, M. Cees De east yas ap
Church, Tiahuanaco . . . we eee eee
Indians with masks, Saint’s Day, Tiahuanaco . . . . 6
Harvard Observatory, Arequipa . . . . . . . . 80
El Misti, from Harvard Observatory . . . . . . . 80
XV
ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING
IME Teas rae UGE a ce ii ae ey ag oe Gk Bk
Summit of E] Misti, 19,200 feet ., . i. «1 +» «© « «©
View from Summit of E] Misti . 2. 2. ws 2. 2 ee
New ‘Grater, JE) Misti7 (> 9-2 sf) Were Ger dete tien tea ecmnten
Sand Dune, Pampaof Islay . . . . . . « .
@uileay fee -gele st ence aass Woe a Cee ee
Pygmy house wall with steps outside .
Pygmy city wall
New Capitol where inauguration of President occurred .
Inauguration of President Montes, Bolivia, La Paz
Chiarhuyo i
Lake San Francisco
Site of camp, Ilampu, 15,300 feet
First camp, Ilampu
Second camp on Ilampu
Miss Peck under snow at Second camp
Mt. Sorata (TMampu), from Second camp
Glacier, Hlampu :
Third camp, Illampu, Miss Peck.
Flashlight of indians in tent .
TWampu, from above Third camp .
Iampu, still higher
Highest point reached on Tlampu
Miss Peck — Third camp, Hlampu
Mt. Sorata from plain at 13,000 feet altitude
Samanaco Spire Lit ah Gus
Residence of Administrador, Church, San Jacinto
Hornillos, on road to Cajabamba and Huailas Valley
Hornillos, Oven .
View of White Cordillera from Pass in Black Cordillera.
Huascaran at right :
Mt. Huascaran from 10,000 feet .
Procession in Plaza, Yungay, before bull fight .
Bull fight, Yungay .
XV1
PAGE
82
82
84:
84
94
4
110
110
124
124
138
138
140
140
142
142
144
144
146
146
148
148
150
150
154
160
160
166
166
172
172
180
180
ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING
PAGE
Setting out for east side of mountain. . . . . . . 182
Llanganuco Gorge . . . . .« «© « « © « «© «© 182
Llanganuco Gorge . . . . 1 ee eee te 186
South peak of Huascardn from East. . SP se Sen 86
Saddle and north peak of Huascaran, from ake « = -« 188
Highest camp, east side of Huascaran, about 18,000 feet . 188
Companions on east side of Huascarén . . . . . . 190
(iouse of Indians. . 2 2 2 -@ % % «# « & « & 190
Jacinto Osorio: 6 2. 6 os a ew wae 08
Glacier, west side of Huasearan . . . . . . . . 198
Main patio, house in Yungay . . . . . . . .) . 204
Side patio,same house. 2.2 << « «© = + © « « «+ 204
Patio, ‘Cayabamba: 4. Go Ws % 4° 4: & “e & & 4eQI4
Indian houses near mine, Colquipocro . . . . . . 214
Sefior Pezet, American Consul, and family, Chimbote 220
Yungay, Independence Day of Peru. . . . . . . 220
Mt. Huascaran from alt. of 10,000 feet 238
Indian porters in ascent of Huascaran 238
Black Rock, foot of North peak, from highest Side aca
first-ascentsTQ00%% sa ss chs we 2 Se et 4 ee Jen ed:
South peak of Huascardn from same point 242
North peak of Huascardn, from highest camp - 254
South peak of Huascardn, from highest camp 254i
Highest camp, Second ascent, 1906 256
Crevasse where Ramos lost his pack . 256
House where Sec. Root was entertained, Lima 264
Garden party, American Legation . eS cep see e204
Patio, University of St. Mark, Lima. . . . . . . 266
Reform: Schools 4.%s. 24 ye He ca A Ep ceo BL GS) 41206
Primary School, Lima 1: i et eee 268
Primary School, Lima. oe) tere at iw 268
Hotel on Plaza, Cerro de Pasco. 52) ete tte TR
Market Place, Cerro de Pasco. . . 2. © 0 tw 1 « 272
Smelter, Cerrode Pasco. . . - ee ow wwe 278
Xvi
ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING
PAGE
Vinchuscancha after thunder storm . . . .« » « « 278
House of M. Bories, near Yanahuanca ., . . . . . 280
Gorge near Yanahuanca . a a= ao (a Re os 2 OO)
Mt. La Viuda, near Chiquian, Poe ot) ae v= en 2 Oe
Caballo Cocha. 5... Leen ee em pe SS
Raura Range, Source of Marajion (Maan eee
Glacier from rocks atthe right . . . . . . . . 288
Mountain ascended, October 21,1906. . . . . . =. 800
Miss Peck at summit of mountain. . . . . . . . 800
Mine, Matarao: Sefior Campos and wife. . . . . . 318
Camp at edge of glacier, Mt. Huascaran. . . . . . 318
Just beyond 70% slope, continued up more moderate grade
in background aan = grt ae ns ene ee 2 4
Black Rock at foot of North ses sn fe Mee cass seamen Eo
Camp half way to saddle. . . . . . . . |. « 886
Gabriel cutting steps in perpendicular wall. . . . . 336
North peak from camp half way to saddle . . . . . 338
South peak from camp half way to saddle . . . . . 338
Camp in saddle, and Black Range oye eee ee
Camp in saddle, with North peak .. . 340
Top of South peak, from summit ridge of North sae . 344
Summit ridge with clouds and tops of mountains southeast . 344
Gabriel on summit, near northedge . . . . . . . 346
Miss Peck as on summit of Huascarfn . . . . . . 346
View of saddle with nearly perpendicular wall. . . . 352
Rudolfwith porters G30 50 eM) ee ee
Sefior Don Francisco Handabaka, with servant at right. . 354
Four porters after ascent... 3) 2 4: st vip jer 1s) S04
Gabriel Zumtaugwald, hero of Huascardn . .. wee 356
Rudolf Taugwalder, maimed guide . . 2. wow ww). 856
Mt. Huascardn, from 10,000 feet. . .« . . « ww . 360
San José Mine, Oruro. . o) fe ta Gey ter vst BOM
Sefior Don A. B. Leguia, Pendent of Perum yectets . 368
Gold medal presented Miss Peck by Government of por - 368
Xvill
A SEARCH FOR
THE APEX OF AMERICA
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COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY DODD, MEAD & CO., N.Y.
MAP SHOWING HUASCARAN AND THE AUTHOR'S ROUTE
CHAPTER I
EXPEDITION OF 1903. PREPARATIONS
“ WuicH is my intention of climbing Sorata, I am going to
tell you!” This, the frequent playful remark of a little
Peruvian lad on my first voyage from New York to Callao,
may serve as introduction.
An intention to scale what some persons regarded as the
loftiest mountain of the Western Hemisphere was formed in
the early days of 1898, scarcely a year after the conquest
by the Fitzgerald Expedition of Aconcagua, generally sup-
posed to hold that honour. A few months later my heart
sank within me, as I read in a Boston paper that Sir Martin
Conway had left England to do some climbing in South Amer-
ica, for I felt quite sure that he was going to try my moun-
tain. ‘* Now,” said a friend, rather inelegantly, who shared
the knowledge of my purpose, “ your cake is dough! Of
course Conway will climb it, and if he doesn’t, you can’t.”
“ Well,’ I responded, ‘it does look that way, but there is a
single chance. Conway has started two months late. He
may make one attempt under unfavourable conditions and be
prevented by the opening of the rainy season from trying
again.” It was ’99 before I learned that this was prac-
tically what happened.
For the next four years my thoughts and efforts beyond
earning a mere subsistence were turned in this direction.
When at last, with the patronage of a leading magazine and
the aid of a few individuals, on the evening of May 20th,
1903, the momentous decision was made to undertake the
matter, I was thoroughly informed upon the subject and
ready for immediate action. Within the hour a cable was
speeding beneath the ocean to summon to my aid Swiss
guides, and a telegram was flashing westward to apprise of
the actual realisation of the project a scientific gentleman
1
2 EXPEDITION OF 1903
whom I had tentatively invited to accompany me and share
in the scientific work of the expedition.
With one of the Swiss guides I had been negotiating semi-
occasionally for years, but final arrangements and details
were in the hands of Dr. Hermann Seiler of Brieg. In the
absence of his brother, Dr. Alexander, of Mont Cervin fame,
to whom I had written, Dr. Hermann had kindly offered
to select the other guide and to advance money for their
journey to New York and other needful expenses. Such
confidence and interest in my undertaking displayed by an
entire stranger was highly appreciated.
In connexion with the scientific work which I desired to -~
cover as far as possible in so brief a trip at a minimum of
expense and labour, I at first, in 1898, hoped for the com-
panionship of the then Lieutenant, now Captain Milton F.
Davis, of the United States Army, who in 1897 had been with
me on Popocatepetl. He had there shown wonderful ability
for rapid climbing, ascending to the crater from Las Cruces
in record time, two hours and five minutes. A thorough
scientist and gentleman, a most agreeable and considerate
companion, I rejoiced at his eager acceptance of my invita-
tion. In Washington I was assured that the necessary leave
for the officer could undoubtedly be obtained if a war with
Spain did not break out; alas, that it did! with many other
evils, putting an end to all chance of obtaining assistance
from the regular army.
Uncertainty as to making the expedition at all later
prevented my secking near home a congenial and competent
assistant. JI had, therefore, broached the matter by corre-
spondence to a gentleman of an hour’s acquaintance who, a
few years earlier, had been recommended to me as an expert
photographer and an all around scientist, his specialty geol-
ogy, but with some knowledge of botany, entomology, ete.
DIFFICULTIES OF THE ENTERPRISE
In addition to the ordinary dangers of the Alps (whereby
one’s neck may be broken in a variety of ways) the region
EXPEDITION OF 1903 3
of the Andes has troubles peculiarly its own or shared only
by the Himalayas. These difficulties, due to the extreme
and unaccustomed altitude, though grave, are by no means
insurmountable to one of strictly sound physique. A few
persons are unpleasantly affected at the summit of Mt. Wash-
ington, many at the top of Pike’s Peak, where death has
sometimes ensued. At 20,000 fect the difficulty is enor-
mously increased. Near the summit of Sorata, Conway
found the mercury of his barometer at 12.42 inches, indica-
ting about two-fifths the amount of air at sea level. When
the mercury stands in the twenties, a slight difference in
pressure is unnoticed by the person of sound heart and lungs ;
but the diminution of three-fifths the ordinary amount of
oxygen to two-fifths counts emphatically with every one. It
may be endured only by a few and by these generally with
suffering.
In South America, where the railways for ordinary traffic
carry passengers to elevations equalling the loftiest summits
of the Alps, mountain sickness, there called soroche, is very
common. Attacking most persons at an altitude of from
10,000 to 20,000 feet it bears much resemblance to seasick-
ness, usually having the form of a headache, often with
nausea and vomiting, accompanied by more or less fever.
With others it causes hemorrhage, apoplexy, or heart failure,
any of which may prove fatal. The few who above 16,000
feet escape anything that may be called illness suffer from
accelerated heart action when moving, a great diminution of
strength, and the impossibility of severe or prolonged effort
without exhaustion. What persons will best endure the
strain of great altitudes cannot be ascertained absolutely in
advance; yet it is obvious that with a perfect heart, strong
lungs, good digestion, and sound tissues, the risk is de-
creased to the minimum. TI should not, therefore, have in-
vited to accompany me a gentleman subject to sick head-
aches, had I been aware of the fact.
Another difficulty to be encountered at great altitudes is
the excessive cold. While the temperature is not so low as
4 EXPEDITION OF 1903
in the Polar regions, the fact that from the diminished supply
of oxygen the fires within burn low renders greater the
liability to frozen fect and general suffering. Some per-
sons have found it impossible at an altitude of 16,000 feet
to keep warm at night with any amount of clothing; the
strong winds which often prevail on plateau or mountain,
penetrating any clothing not of skin, greatly augment the
discomfort.
A further obstacle to high climbing in South America is
the impossibility of procuring suitable assistance on the
ground. Many inquire “ Why take Swiss guides? Why
not get help from those who live there? ” without pausing
to consider that a person who has never set foot upon ice
is no more competent to lead the way on glaciers because
he happens to live at the foot of the mountain. Few ex-
pert climbers undertake scrious mountaineering in any part
of the world without the aid of Swiss guides, who alone make
mountain climbing a profession and who, the best of them,
understand so well snow- and rock-work as to be able skilfully
to choose the practicable and safest path even on unfamiliar
ground. By no means regarding myself as an independent
climber, I should, at the outset, never have dreamed of ven-
turing upon great glacicrs without expert professional as-
sistance. Desperation only at length drove me to do so.
EQUIPMENT
The equipment of an expedition is hardly less important
than the personnel of a party. Being a particularly cold
individual, and aware that some of Conway’s and Fitz-
gerald’s guides had had their feet frozen, I feared this
danger more than any other and accordingly made careful
preparation, profiting by the knowledge that several thick-
nesses of light weight woollen are better than one or two of
heavier weave. Three sets of all wool underwear, tights,
sweater, cardigan jacket, flannel waists, knickerbockers, very
heavy boots four sizes too large, for the accommodation of
four pairs of heavy woollen stockings, might be deemed sufli-
EXPEDITION OF 1903 5
cient to keep me warm; but I had my doubts and was there-
fore highly gratified when, at the suggestion of Admiral
Peary and through the kindness of Professor H. C. Bumpus,
Director of the American Museum of Natural History, I was
able to borrow from that institution an eskimo suit brought
by Mr. Peary from the Polar regions.
For the cold nights we had sleeping bags consisting of two
pairs of blankets in a canvas cover, with a flap to be drawn
over the face. It occurred to me to carry Japanese stoves ;
small, cloth-covered tin boxes which a roll of prepared fuel
will heat for two hours. With one of these in each pocket
and good mittens, there would be no danger of cold hands.
I had also a pair of heavy woollen mitts with long wrists,
especially suited for scientific observations on the summit
when the fingers must be free. For our further protection
we had two tents, one of silk that it might be as light as pos-
sible, since at great altitudes neither man nor beast can carry
half so much as below.
The food supply was important, as it must be something
easily prepared and digested. Rolls of German erbswurst,
an army ration containing in condensed form all the in-
gredients essential to health and strength, and other dry
soups such as lentils, beans, etc., served well all but the Pro-
fessor who preferred his food in solid form. Among our
stores were tea, coffee, and cocoa, the second not to be used
above 15,000 feet, as tea is the safer beverage in high climb-
ing. Brandy must not be omitted, however temperate the
party, to be used, not as an aid in climbing, but in case of
exhaustion or collapse. Chocolate is absolutely essential.
Without my Gala Peter I should hardly have reached the
summit of Huascardan.
Our equipment included a primus oil stove burning with a
gas flame, and ordinary utensils, an aluminum lantern with
candles, a field glass, compasses, rifle and revolvers, whistles
in case of separation, smoked glasses, and four cameras.
As it was my purpose to make the expedition of scientific
interest by observations in the line of geology, geography,
6 EXPEDITION OF 1903
and meteorology, as by others of a physico-medical char-
acter showing the endurance and varying capabilities of the
human frame, we carried scientific instruments: two mercurial
barometers, one loaned by the Weather Bureau, to be used
at a base station in comparison with the one above, the other
made especially for me by Henry J. Green of Brooklyn,
probably the only one in the country reading down to ten
inches, as except for climbing in the Andes or Himalayas,
or high ballooning, one would have no use for such an instru-
ment. With these indicating the pressure of the atmos-
phere, I hoped to ascertain the height of the mountain.
But as barometers are awkward things to carry and easily
broken, we had also two hypsometers by which to find the
temperature of boiling water at various altitudes and so the
height above sea level. An aneroid barometer was loaned
by Professor Winslow Upton of Brown University, another
was borrowed later of Professor Solon I. Bailey at Arequipa.
To measure the humidity of the air we had three psychrom-
eters. Clinical thermometers were carried to take our tempera-
tures, a sphygmograph by which to observe the strength and
character of the pulse, a sphygmomanometer to ascertain the
blood pressure; also a transit instrument for measuring
the height of Sorata. The last three instruments were fur-
nished by the scientist of the party, as were also three of the
cameras.
Lastly, we prepared to attempt the use of oxygen on the
mountain, though this is a difficult matter. Cylinders with
oxygen under pressure are very heavy, and Mr. Whymper’s
at a considerable elevation burst. Accordingly, we planned
to transport to our highest camp materials for its manufac-
ture, with rubber bags to contain the gas. The bags with
a capacity of six or cight gallons were arranged to be carried
on the back and were provided with tubing and mouthpiece.
They were made by the Davidson Rubber Company of
Charlestown, Mass., who assisted in their design.
With such equipment and aid, I hoped to accomplish some-
thing both of gencral interest and of real scientific value.
CHAPTER II
THE VOYAGE
Very cheerfully, though half dead with the fatigue of hasty
preparation, on the 16th of June, 1903, I embarked at New
York on the good ship Seguranga in quest of a goal which
for five years I had been hoping to attain. With the com-
panionship of a stalwart scientific man, who I believed would
prove in every way a valuable assistant, and of two Swiss
guides, one of whom was familiar with the country and the
mountain we proposed to visit, I felt highly sanguine as to
the result; especially as hitherto I had always been favoured
of fortune and my every undertaking of importance had
been crowned with success. But we have heard that of too
much success the gods are jealous. In blissful ignorance
that on this occasion I was to meet their frowns, I sailed away
towards what I hoped would prove the utmost height of my
ambition.
Those days were different from the present. In many
ways our ship seemed in pleasing contrast to the great At-
lantic liners. The spacious decks were but sparsely sprin-
kled with passengers: a few South Americans, going down
the West Coast and a few North Americans, mostly en route
to California by way of the Isthmus for the sake of the
long sea voyage. Sailing southward under sunny skies over
unruffled seas we wondered why more tourists did not choose
a southern voyage instead of always the familiar route
across the ocean. With a genial American captain, good
homelike fare, countrymen enough to form, after a single
day out, a social and rather merry company, we have a
homey feeling and seem almost like a large family. On
the fourth day, sailing through the Windward Channel,
towards sunset we look with interest at the steep, wooded,
7
8 THE VOYAGE
and desolate bluffs of Cape Maysie and the eastern shores of
Cuba, mountains from 3,000 to 8,000 feet high rising at
various and uncertain distances.
We had been forewarned that the Carribe’an Sea (why
will nearly all the people persist in calling it the Car’ib-
bean?) might prove less kind than the Atlantic, and the
prognostication was correct. The weather, already suffi-
ciently warm, now became muggy and sticky, the sea dis-
agreeably choppy, and the skies grey; so, though happier
than most of the passengers in that I had no vows to pay
to Neptune, I still felt rather solemn. The seventh day out
was less doleful than the sixth but we were glad, on the
morning of Tuesday, the 23rd of June, to find ourselves in
the apparently fine harbour of Colon; apparently, indeed,
only, for the large opening at the north, unprotected by
any island, admits the whole force of the occasional
“ Norther,” the severest storm of this region, so that there
is ample warrant for the breakwater which our government
is building west of the old docks, to protect the mouth of the
canal and form a safe anchorage.
Colon, which was formerly said to appear from the sea a
bright emerald green, and never so beautiful as when seen
from the stern of a vessel, a writer once called ‘ the filthiest,
unwholesomest, most disorderly and repulsive hole of a place
in all Christendom.” Though JI never use such language
myself, I was not inclined to dispute the statement; but
one now seeing the place for the first time could hardly
imagine that it ever deserved the description.
It was usually necessary to wait from two to six days
for the weekly steamer on the Pacific sailing south. At this
time the irregularity had increased on account of quaran-
tines, a result of the bubonica prevailing, as we were already
aware, in a number of South American ports. I had been
advised that there was little to choose as to where we should
wait until Thursday, the regular (?) advertised sailing day
of the steamers, (in all my trips I have never sailed on
Thursday, nor did I ever hear of a boat leaving on that
Setting out from New York; Miss Peck, Scientist, two Swiss Guides
THE VOYAGE 9
day), for in Colon were mosquitoes, in Panama was yellow
fever; probably it was most desirable to go on board the
Pacific steamship at the pier at La Boca, four miles from
Panama City; whatever we did I should doubtless wish we
had done something else. After trying all three possibilities,
I should hesitate under old conditions to give advice; but
now there is no question. One may safely and happily abide
at Hotel Tivoli on the edge of the city of Panama as long
as he desires. But these were other days! ?
Hearing that there was yellow fever in Panama, we de-
cided to remain on board ship, with genial old Captain
Leighton, instead of taking the morning train across the
Isthmus, as did most of the other passengers.
It was the rainy season in Colon. It generally is since
the dry season lasts but four months from December to
April. Strange to say the wet season was considered the
more healthful. During this period, they said, people died
of yellow fever in four or five days, in the dry term, of
pernicious fever in from twenty-four to thirty-six hours.
The day passed pleasantly enough, with but a single
shower of short duration. The coolness of the temperature
was an agreeable surprise, but alas! as evening drew on the
cool breeze died away and clouds of mosquitoes sprang from
nowhere to torment us in the sultry heat. Even before re-
tiring, all agreed to flee from these ills by the earliest morn-
ing train, whatever our fate on the other shore, trusting that
in one day no great harm would befall.
After boarding the train Wednesday morning, we learned
that our ship would not sail until Saturday. Deep gloom
settled over us, but we must proceed. The three hours’ ride
across the Isthmus, less hot than we feared, was full of in-
terest. It is so yet, but in striking contrast to what we saw
1In connexion with Panama it may be noted that in Spanish the
last syllable is written with an accent, indicating the correct pro-
nunciation. Unfortunately many Americans resident on the Isthmus,
heedless of what is correct, place the accent on the first syllable: an
improper and less euphonious pronunciation, now prevalent and spread-
ing, which should be carefully avoided.
10 THE VOYAGE
in 1903. The country would not be recognised. Back of
Colon were several swamps which sufficiently accounted for
the mosquitoes. We had glimpses of the French Canal, first
appearing like a broad inlet, later a stream of moderate
width. Soon we had a vision of luxuriant tropical vegetation,
a splendid thicket of great trees, tangled vines, and under-
brush, beautiful to look at, but not, I should judge, for a
promenade.
From the Panama station at the edge of the town it is a
mile to the Central or Cathedral plaza; carriages are nu-
merous and ten cents of American money is the reasonable
fare both then and now. We rattle over the wretchedly
uneven pavement to the office of the steamship line where
tickets must be exchanged. Here, luckily, we find the cap-
tain of the Palena by which we are to sail and learn that we
may go on board the steamer at once if we desire, thus
avoiding danger from yellow fever. Moreover, the cost on
board ship, $2.50 a day, was less than at the Hotel Central
where the price was $3.50 gold, while the cheaper fare as
afterwards proved was much the better.
A railroad ride of fifteen or twenty minutes brings one
to the pier at La Boca. The Palena we find larger than the
Seguranga. Its officers claimed that it was thoroughly up
to date and equal to any ship afloat in construction, equip-
ment, and cuisine; but this seemed a slight exaggeration.
On the upper deck is a spacious, handsomely decorated din-
ing room, a fine salon with card tables, piano, and organ,
and plenty of space for deck golf and promenade. The
good sized staterooms on the deck below open on an out-
side passage, door and window each being furnished with
blinds.
In spite of an extensive menu the cuisine is not wholly
to our minds, as we are unaccustomed to South American
cookery ; yet we easily satisfy our appetites and have less
temptation to over-eat. Coffee is served in dining or state-
room until half past eight a.m., breakfast at ten, luncheon
at one, dinner at six, and tea at nine. Most persons omit
THE VOYAGE 11
coffee, luncheon, or tea; a few, perhaps, all of these. Break-
fast and dinner resemble each other, both beginning with
soup, generally followed by fish, and having many other
dishes in common; but beefsteak and eggs are served only
at breakfast and roasts and sweets at dinner. At luncheon,
there is a variety of cold dishes such as meats and salad, but
nothing hot save potatoes, tea, and coffee.
Much fun we had over the bill of fare, a poor young man
at our table who understood Spanish being much bored by
our “ What is this? What is that?” of the same things
day after day. Signs are largely employed, as most of the
waiters understand very little English, but agua con hielo
(ice water) is speedily learned as well as bifsteak, and asado
buey, roast beef. Plenty of fruit is provided, oranges,
bananas, and watermelons, white, red, and yellow. The meat,
whether beef or lamb, was generally tough, being eaten the
day after it was killed, as there was no large refrigerator.
There is now a marked improvement, as the ships are pro-
vided with facilities for cold storage.
Animals for eating were taken on board at La Boca, one
being killed daily for the consumption of passengers and
crew, each numbering about eighty. They did not walk
on board, but were drawn up by windlass, chain, and pulley.
A rope was fastened around their horns, an iron hook was
inserted, when suddenly off they go, their legs waving
frantically ; others quite passive but with eyes rolling wildly.
Fifteen or twenty feet up, they swing over to the ship and
are deposited in the hold; some quite dazed go off quietly
to their places, others dance about in rage at the indignity
to which they have been subjected. At ports below, many
cattle were taken on in this way for journeys to other
regions, but a later regulation now prohibits this rather bar-
barous method of embarkation, and the animals are hoisted
by means of a girdle placed under their bellies.
The ship was discharging and receiving freight at differ-
ent hatches. To watch operations was interesting. The
men were stalwart bronze fellows, who, wearing a single
12 THE VOYAGE
garment, displayed splendid muscles on back and_shoul-
ders.
The harbour is beautiful, surrounded on three sides by
green wooded hills, some might almost be dignified as moun-
tains; a wide stream coming down at the west includes the
Pacific entrance to the Canal. Not far below are pretty
islands and the masts of a shipwrecked vessel. At high
tide all is admirable, but when the water has fallen eighteen
feet as it does twice a day, the ship lies in the mud, and from
either green shore stretches an ugly expanse of flats.
Slowly the days pass. Shall we get away Sunday morn-
ing or night? The captain swears, the chief officer ditto —
and growls. Sunday night, they say, we shall go; but we
must leave near high tide and before all is ready it is too
late. At last, early Monday morning, we are off. As we
sail away, we have a charming picture from the stern; look-
ing backward, the city of Panama appears at our right,
situated on a promontory with water on three sides, a fine
location. Now it is as healthy a city as any to be found
in the torrid zone and as most of those in temperate regions.
The Peaceful Ocean does not belie its name, either now
or on any subsequent voyage. While a few passengers
succumb to mal de mer, it would seem that with a little reso-
lution this might be avoided. Several days we are out of
sight of land, but in the early morning of Friday we find
ourselves in the Gulf of Guayaquil. We have heard alarm-
ing reports of the great heat to be experienced on the river,
that for three days we may expect to be parboiled, perhaps
two days more, in quarantine at our own expense. The
previous night had been cool enough for a blanket, though
as usual in the early morning I was compelled to step to
the door for a breath of fresh air. At six, low distant
shores are visible on both sides. The quarantine station,
Puna, is on an island at the mouth of the river. Here we
have anxious moments. Boats put out from shore; the
captain is at the rail. ‘* Have you a clean bill of health? ”
says the doctor. “ Ay, sir!” “ Any sick of contagious
THE VOYAGE 13
diseases?” “No, sir!’ “Any sick at all?” “One.”
Up comes the doctor. All the cabin passengers are cur-
sorily inspected, a few who look too pale or red, a little more
carefully. At length we learn that all is satisfactory and
we have escaped quarantine.
On we sail, watching the low green shores heavily fringed
with trees or bushes. The back country is well wooded.
‘Low clouds hanging over the shore appear like mountains,
yet suddenly among these is seen a real mountain, a long
ridge and peak of blue, impressive and lofty, above the
clouds which conceal its base. But not a glimpse of Chim-
borazo, the great Ecuadorean giant, did I have, either now
or on any subsequent voyage, as it is usually concealed by
clouds. ‘The mountain, though famous, is not so high as
many persons suppose, only about 20,600 feet. Without
doubt there are in South America a hundred loftier peaks of
which the names of many are unknown, some, perhaps, hav-
ing none.
At eleven o’clock we approach the city, Guayaquil, a
pretty enough place from the steamer’s deck, but one to be
avoided. Stretching for several miles along the river front,
it has but shallow depth. A few buildings are prominent,
the hospital, the city hall, churches, but we do not venture
on shore; only a Peruvian gentleman whose horror of the
place is great, but whom acute facial neuralgia impels to
seek a physician or at least an apothecary. The Pro-
fessor was inclined to investigate but deferred to my wish
that no chances be taken on the way down. On the return
it would be his own affair. But where is the intense heat
that was promised? Where are the mosquitoes? Even at
night they fail to appear. In vain, happily, have I carried
my mosquito netting up and down on four voyages. At
last I learned that they really do have mosquitoes on the
river, swarms of them, making the wood-work black, but in
the rainy season only, here not so long as at Panama, from
December to June, or an even shorter time. It is wisdom to
avoid that period.
14 THE VOYAGE
Saturday afternoon we sailed down the river and gulf
to find ourselves Sunday morning at anchor in the harbour
at Paita, the most northern of the chief ports of Peru.
The coast of this country is unlike any other in the world.
To one sailing from Panama in ignorance of its pecul-
jarities it presents a series of surprises. One naturally ex-
pects the climate in the torrid zone, at least at sea level, to
be hot; but the morning after leaving Guayaquil, where the
heat is always considerable if not oppressive, we find the air
so cool that warmer clothing is desirable, and from this port
onward I wear the moderately heavy underwear that suffices
in winter at home. We are here but 314° south of the
equator and the journey of 1,200 miles down the coast of
Peru is all within the tropics, yet we have a cool and agree-
able climate in which exercise is enjoyable and golf cape or
steamer rug often useful. Of this moderate temperature the
primary cause is the presence of an Antarctic current flow-
ing up from the South Polar regions, until at Point Parifia
in Northern Peru, it meets a hot stream and both turn west-
ward across the Pacific. The lofty mountains near the shore
also contribute to the coolness.
A second astonishing phenomenon is that while hitherto
we have observed the luxuriant vegetation to be expected in
the tropics, on turning the corner of Peru we have not only
a different climate but an absolutely barren shore. For the
entire distance of the Peruvian coast there is almost total
absence of vegetation, hardly a tree, shrub, or vestige of
verdure being visible, save where, at considerable intervals,
a stream flows down from the mountains. ‘This condition is
due, not to any fault of the soil, but merely to a lack of
moisture.
After a week on board ship,.the barren shore seems attrac-
tive, and as there is no longer danger from yellow fever,
many passengers improve the opportunity to land. A
nearer view proves to us the reality of the desert. ‘“ Paita”
said the captain, “Sis the dryest place on earth.” From its
appearance we are not disposed to dispute the fact, but hay-
THE VOYAGE 15
ing heard that at Iquique it never rains, while at Paita it
rains once in seven years, we request an explanation of the
mystery. ‘0,’ said the captain, “that is easy. In
Iquique there are heavy dews. Here there is nothing, and
now it has skipped one shower and it is fourteen years since
it has rained.” That this was no idle jest is evident from
the fact that on later voyages I have been told that it was
fifteen or seventeen years since it had rained, so that two
showers were lacking ; not until February, 1910, was the long
drought broken.
Paita is a funny little place, port of the city Piura with
which it is connected by rail. The walls of the houses are
of round cane or bamboo sticks set perpendicularly: some
covered over with plaster, in places partly peeled off, while
others never had any. The streets are ten or twelve feet
wide, the sidewalks three.
Many natives came on board ship with various articles to
sell, paroquets, mocking birds, fruits, ancient and modern
pottery, and Panama hats; for Panama hats, be it under-
stood, were never made in Panama (there is a late attempt
to introduce the industry), but chiefly and originally in
Ecuador, now also in a single town in Peru, Catacaos, east
of Paita. Half of the 25,000 or 30,000 inhabitants are
engaged in this occupation. The straw grows in a damp
region of Ecuador and should be braided in a humid at-
mosphere, so the industry seems out of place in this extraor-
dinarily dry country. For common hats the straw is
moistened with water, but finer ones are made without wetting
between the hours of 2:30 and 8 a.m., the dampest hours of
the twenty-four, by persons labouring from six to eight
hours a day. Cheap hats are made in a week or two, better
ones in from three to six weeks or more. At Paita hats may
be bought at from two to ten dollars, one fourth (or less)
the price in New York of goods of the same quality.
As we were leaving in the afternoon I observed that the
temperature which in Panama and Guayaquil had been near
90° was now but 66°; in my room that night it fell to 60°;
16 THE VOYAGE
doubtless it was lower outside. A heavy double blanket
hardly sufficed to keep me warm, but my rug helped out.
A fresh breeze caused a moderate swell. In the morning a
foggy cloud concealed the sun, making a gloomy sea.
After four voyages I should say that bright sunshine along
the West Coast is the exception during their winter season,
which, of course, corresponds with our summer. At Etén,
noted as a disagreeable anchorage, there is a more open road-
stead than at Paita. So heavy is the swell that the steps
are not lowered. A few persons come on board in a sort
of barrel minus one side, so arranged that one person sits
down while another stands facing him, when the barrel is
drawn up by a rope in the same manner as the cattle. After
a half hour’s wait, the unusual decision is made that it is
too rough to receive or discharge freight. Well pleased, we
sail onward, hoping to overtake at Callao the preceding
steamer for the south which we hear has been delayed. For
the first time we have guards on the table and a few more yield
to seasickness. Others regret the absence of warm cloth-
ing which they had supposed would not be needed in the
torrid zone.
The coast presents, for the most part, a study in browns
and yellows, diversified by occasional patches of green, vary-
ing in size according to that of the stream and the amount
of irrigation in the valley. The view of the shore would
soon become monotonous, were it not for the third pecul-
jarity, the great mountain range near the sea. Although
this is indicated on the maps we did not dream it was so
near. To be sure there are foothills; and in the northern
and southern sections of Peru, above high bluffs, a plain
stretches away to lofty mountains; yet these are near
enough to be always in sight were it not for the fourth
peculiarity of a rainless country, the low clouds (or mist)
which generally obscure the vision. In Central Peru the
mountains come down to the shore, often with an appear-
ance of several ranges of varying altitudes, a frowning,
jagged, almost perpendicular black wall in the rear. Had
THE VOYAGE 17
we a clear view of these immense heights the voyage would
to the mountain-lover be of real fascination; as it is the in-
terest flags, unless one is especially fond of the ocean; for
the long lying at anchor to discharge and take on freight
becomes tedious to the traveller eager to arrive at his des-
tination.
The disadvantage of these delays being evident to the
Peruvian Government, a line of express steamers was planned
to run from Callao to Panama. The old companies,
hitherto reluctant in any way to make concessions for the
convenience of travellers, thereupon decided to forestall this
improvement and in March, 1909, began an express bi-
weekly service, sailing in six days instead of the former ten,
from Callao to Panama, omitting the unpleasant trip to
Guayaquil, calling instead at Pund, the quarantine station,
where passengers may be transferred to a local steamboat
for a sail up the river. A bi-weekly service of Peruvian
steamers was later installed with ships of 6,000 tons making
the trip in from four to five days.
At the port below Etén, Pacasmayo, the swell is not so
strong and we take on the prescribed quantity of freight ;
bags of rice and hides. After a five hours’ run at night, a
day is spent at Huanchacho, not a usual port of call for the
Panama steamers, but perhaps as a punishment for our skip-
ping Etén; cane sugar and alcohol for Mollendo and Val-
paraiso are the principal cargo received here. It is but
a two hours’ run to Salaverry, where the next day is spent.
Thus much time is wasted at night in addition to what is
devoted to loading and unloading freight by day. Sala-
verry is the port of Trujillo, one of the largest cities of
Peru, a half hour up a fertile valley, in which much sugar
is produced. Frequently one hundred persons embark here
for Callao, but luckily not this time. All of the ports ex-
cept Pacasmayo are no more than a few houses on the bar-
ren shore, with a railroad leading to a considerable town in
a well-watered valley some miles away. Salaverry, the last
port before Callao, is called twenty-two hours distant. As
18 THE VOYAGE
it is 9:30 p.m. ere we sail, we despair of arriving the next
evening in time to catch the Columbia. But the captain
seems in a hurry as well as the passengers. The ship goes
faster than ever before. Mrs. B and I have our last
game of cribbage; everyone is packed and eager to depart,
and sailing at unusual speed we arrive at seven Thursday
evening, anchoring in the outer harbour.
The lights along the water front gleam a happy wel-
come; we dimly see the neighbouring hills, and the numerous
ships lying at the dock or anchored outside. This is the
only place in the long voyage from Panama to the Straits
where there are docks to which ships can approach. The
other Peruvian ports, the Chilian I suppose as well, have long
iron piers extending often a quarter of a mile out into the
sea, but in water so shallow that the ship must anchor a
long way off, the pier serving merely for lighters. At
Callao the boats do not go to the docks on arrival and some-
times not at all. We are soon surrounded by a large number
of rowboats, many bringing friends to welcome the pas-
sengers, whose names had been cabled from Panama, or from
the smaller ports where they had come on board. Enthusias-
tic greetings are exchanged, such as we seldom see in our own
country. Of course there was no one to meet us, but the
excitement is contagious. Our friend, Mrs. B » has a
husband at Cerro de Pasco whom she hardly expects to see
here. But we all watch the boats that come from shore and
when she steps quickly towards the stairs at the side of the
ship we are not surprised to see her clasped in the arms of
a stalwart man and rejoice in her glad reception. Then we
turn to observe our Peruvian friend, Mr. V , a lately
bereaved widower, whose relatives have now come on board;
he embraces all in turn as their custom is; they kiss his little
son and daughter, and presently he departs with them to
the shore, leaving his baggage, as he must, to be inspected
at the customs on the morrow.
Friday morning we learn on going ashore that we may be
transferred to the Columbia which has not yet departed for
THE VOYAGE 19
the south. In Lima, a half hour by rail, I present some Ict-
ters of introduction, receiving much kindness and courtesy
from several Peruvians, from our Ambassador, Mr. Dudley,
Mr. L. H. Shearman of the house of W. R. Grace, and Mr. F.
L. Crosby of The American Trading Company. On Monday
removing to the Columbia, about midnight we are again
under way.
Between two of the ports farther south, Pisco and Chala,
a strange phenomenon is observed on the sandy slope near
the shore, a curious figure of large dimensions in the form
of a candelabrum. Inquiring into the mystery, I learn from
a gentleman of Lima that this was constructed about sixty
years ago by Father Guadalupe in gratitude for a miracu-
lous well which in answer to prayer appeared in the desert
some miles away. The gentleman had himself seen this
memorial twenty-five years earlier, when it looked just the
same as now. The figure appears as if made by deep
trenches and must be several hundred feet in length and of
considerable depth to show as it does from a distance. It
seemed odd that the trenches did not become filled with sand,
but subsequently I was informed that pious indians from the
nearest town every year come to clear them out, thus pre-
serving the figure in its original form.
On the morning of the 18th of July, we arrive at Mol-
lendo, the port of our destination, whence the Southern Rail-
way of Peru runs up to Arequipa and beyond to Lake
Titicaca on the boundary of Peru and Bolivia. While for-
tune favoured us in that we had made the voyage in from
one to three wecks less time than any who sailed from New
York during the month previous, we were, nevertheless, a week
behind, as we were due July 11th. This loss of a week
proved a serious matter as the sequel shows.
As a matter of course, I had not entered upon so great
an undertaking without realising its difficulties, nor pro-
cured guides from Switzerland with the expectation of an
immediate and easy walk to the top of the great mountain
on which Conway had twice been compelled to retreat. My
20 THE VOYAGE
original plan to set out in May had been impossible of
realisation on account of procuring funds only at the elev-
enth hour, but with my usual good luck in travelling, the de-
lay of a month in starting had caused but a week’s difference
in my arrival. I was still much earlier than Conway and if at
first defeated there was time for several efforts and victory
in the end. Yet an incident at Panama had disturbed me
not a little. The Professor, approaching me one day with
a rather excited air, had exclaimed, “ I’m frightened, I am
alarmed at what I have overheard you say.” Wondering
of what terrible indiscretion I had been guilty, I inquired
what this might be. ‘ Why,” said the Professor, “I heard
you say that you didn’t expect to get back before the mid-
dle of October or the first of November.” “ Certainly,” I
replied; “why not?” “Indeed,” responded the scientist,
“T had no idea it would take so long as that.” “ Surely,”
I returned, “it is quite evident. The journey each way re-
quires four or five weeks, then we must get accustomed to
the altitude and make preparations. It is impossible to
know what difficulties we may meet with or what weather;
how many efforts we shall make to no purpose. If the
first attempt fails of course we must try again. After our
arrival in Bolivia we may be six weeks or ten in successfully
carrying out our enterprise.” ‘ Well,” rejoined the Pro-
fessor, ‘I had no idea it would take so long as that, but
now that I am in it I shall have to see it through.” The
matter rested there, but I felt somewhat disquicted.
CHAPTER III
ACROSS THE DESERT, MOUNTAINS, AND LAKE TITICACA
TO LA PAZ
Mo.zenpvo, the terminus of the Southern Railway, the busi-
est port in Peru aside from Callao, has without doubt the
very worst harbour, in fact, no harbour at all. The town is
perched on a sloping shelf twenty or thirty feet above the
rocky shore, against which the surf is always dashing. The
sea is so rough that passengers often must be lowered to
the boats by means of barrels, such as we saw at Etén, and
sometimes cannot be landed at all, but must at their own
expense go on to the next port. A few miles to the north
at Islay is a nice quict anchorage. Unfortunately someone
of influence owned land at Mollendo; so, as has happened
in other countries, an excellent harbour which should have
served as the railway terminus was renounced for this
wretched site, where the sea is too turbulent even for an
iron pier for the lighters, such as is found at all the other
ports. Within the last few years a breakwater has been
constructed, which proves of slight bencfit.?
Our party escaped the barrel, but on reaching the stairs
which lead up to the mole, we had need to be agile, spring
at the right moment, and run up quickly, or have a foot
caught, or maybe get a good sprinkle by the following wave.
As the train left at 8:30 a.m. there was much hurry and
bustle about getting on shore and away. Everyone was
very polite, and owing to letters from Lima our baggage
was passed without examination, but not all arrived in time.
The Professor kindly offered to remain and look after this
while the Swiss guides and I took the train to Arequipa.
11t is now proposed to extend the railway to the better harbour.
21
22 ACROSS THE DESERT
For a few miles the railway hugs a sandy shore where beau-
tiful rollers are always coming in from Australia or some
other remote region; then it turns up a valley and soon we
are climbing, climbing, with steep grade and great curves
around the bluffs and cafions, until an hour or two later,
after an ascent of 3,000 feet, we come out on the great pla-
teau leading away to distant mountains. Of the cajion
where we climb, the lower slopes are barren, above are dry
bushes about the size of sage brush; but on my last descent
in 1908, they proved to be mostly heliotrope, at that time
green and in blossom. In this section of the coast as else-
where it is not supposed to rain, but it comes nearer to it
than farther north, and in the wet season a heavy mist hang-
ing over the shore almost answers the purpose, causing
many flowers to blossom on these barren hillsides. From
the Tambo station 1,000 feet up, we have a glimpse at the
south of the beautifully green valley of the Tambo River
far below, where much sugar is produced and many fruits
are raised.
The plateau above is covered with deep yellow sand and
many scattered stones, some of these black as a coal; a few
as large as one’s head, but more the size of a child’s fist.
Here we have absolute desert, no blade of grass nor vegeta-
tion of any kind. Instead, there are graceful crescent-
shaped sand-dunes, generally from three to ten feet high,
travelling slowly along at the rate of sixty feet a year. On
the outside there is a gentle slope of white or greyish sand
toward the prevailing south wind, while the inner wall is
much more nearly perpendicular. In the distance are curi-
ous hills, variegated with red, brown, and white; farther away
are the great mountains, El] Misti and Chachani, with small
caps of snow; Pichu-Pichu, a long range slightly lower and
nearer. At the way stations women offer for sale a variety
of fruit and other eatables; but the fruits do not grow there.
Some of the stations have not a glint of green, others are
little oases in the desert; but the water is used sparingly,
since it is piped from a mountain stream near Arequipa all
ACROSS THE DESERT 23
the way down to Mollendo for the service of the railway and
the port.
At 10:30 the train pauses for breakfast at Cochendo. No
ten minutes for refreshments here, but a decorous forty min-
utes in which to eat a good meal of several courses. Later
we run along the side of a deep cafion at the bottom of
which, in tortuous course westward, flows the Vitor River,
fringed with green. Farther up, the cafion is wider, and
houses and gardens occupy the broad flat floor. In the
rugged, sometimes perpendicular walls are rocks of red and
grey, signs of copper and iron. It grows warm, but not
too hot. An enchanting view of El Misti and Chachani,
with the city of Arequipa on the verdant slopes of a broad-
ening valley, completes a ride of strange and unique charm.
At 4:30 p.m. we reach the Arequipa station at the lower
edge of the city, a mile from the principal plaza. A row
of little tram cars drawn by burros is always in waiting for
the trains. By one of these we are presently deposited in
front of the Hotel Central, called the best in the place, but
far from elegant. It is built mostly of a single story, but
with two on the street, around a central court or patio;
from my upper room, I delighted to look over at beautiful
Misti, on the lower slope of which the town is situated.
Here is a soft and genial climate of perennial June, rather
warm in the sun at noon-day, but with ever cool mornings
and evenings. The following afternoon, Sunday, we found
it a pleasant walk to the Harvard Observatory on the edge
of the town, two miles distant, where Professor, and Mrs.
Bailey gave us cordial greeting. The guides had brought
along the barometer to compare with the one at the Observ-
atory, and we were mutually pleased to find the readings
practically the same. A charming place for afternoon tea
is the large upper veranda looking towards El Misti, the
top of which, eleven miles distant in a direct line, is thirty-
nine miles by the road, which makes a complete circuit of
the mountain. A saddle horse was urged upon me for the
return as far as the end of the car line, whence I went by
24 OVER THE MOUNTAINS
tram to the station to meet the scientist. Escorted by Mr.
Victor H. McCord, long the obliging and popular super-
intendent of the road, to whom I had brought a letter of
introduction, we called upon his newly appointed successor,
Mr. Clark, who was greatly interested in our expedition.
To him, to Mr. W. R. Morkill, and to other officials in Peru
and Bolivia who, appreciating the benefits resulting from
such travel and writings, extended courtesies of whatever
nature, I gladly express my most cordial thanks.
Monday morning, July 20, saw us again on our way. I
had planned to remain a week at Arequipa, 7,500 feet above
the sea, in order gradually to prepare our frames for the
great altitudes before us, making in the meantime the ascent
of El Misti, 19,200 feet, which would be a valuable training
in endurance for the loftier mountain above. However, at
the urgent solicitation of the Professor, who was seconded
by the guides, against my own preference and’ judgment,
I had consented to take the first semi-weekly train for Puno,
on the border of Lake Titicaca. Our long day’s ride be-
gan at seven, for while the journey was of no great distance,
about 220 miles, it was mainly up hill and progress was
slow. Fortunately, the Professor and I were invited by
some officials of the road to share with them a special com-
partment, where we had plenty of room and comfort; for the
single first-class coach, as usual, was crowded. After leaving
the beautiful verdure around Arequipa we are again on the
desert, but close to the mountains, winding in and out on the
west and north slopes of Chachani (not Misti, as one writer
has it). The ground is largely volcanic ash with many
beds of lava rock. There is much sameness to the scenery,
except for glimpses of a great snow-covered mountain massif
at the north called Amfato, rising solitary in the plateau, a
second farther on of similar shape, probably the rightful
claimant of the more familiar name Coropuna, the two a long
distance from us and apparently from each other.
Breakfast is at a place called Pampa de Arrieros, at an
altitude of 12,340 fect. Still we climb, now behind Chachani
OVER THE MOUNTAINS: 25
and Misti, finding less snow (on Misti none at all) on the
north slope where there is more sunshine. In the distance
are occasional vicufias, and droves of llamas and alpacas pas-
turing on the herbage; for after passing the Coast Cordillera
the soil is better watered and well covered with brown bunch
grass, a good food for cattle. We are now on the high
plateau region where the ground is hilly and rolling. Be-
low, near Arequipa, I saw no ordinary grass, but cultivated
fields of great variety, including many of green, luxuriant
alfalfa. We took various observations with our clinical
thermometers and other instruments. At Vincocaya, altitude
14,360 feet, my pulse had risen from its ordinary 60-70 to
78; Maquignaz’s was very faint, but seemed to be 116, with
temperature 99°. Near the highest point of the road, 14,-
000 feet, two large lakes among the hills, gave pleasing vari-
ety to the landscape. Beyond these down to Lake Titicaca
the outlook is rather dull, the atmosphere cold and raw. At
Juliaca, a considerable town, and junction with the road to-
wards Cuzco, natives board the train in so large numbers
that two extra cars are added. Meanwhile an invasion of
our compartment is attempted. One indian woman succeeds
in getting in and creates amusement by sitting down on the
floor and refusing to budge until on the arrival of the other
cars she is ultimately expelled. Coming after dark to the
dock at Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, we go on
board a small steamer, the Coya, built in Scotland, brought
over in pieces, and put together here.
This ride from the coast up to and over the western range
of the Andes is one of novelty and interest, at times of
beauty and grandeur; but to pass, within sixty hours, from
the sea to an altitude of 14,666 feet is sufficient to disturb
the interior economy of all save the soundest constitutions.
Persons, however, who are in any way afflicted, often seem
loath to acknowledge that they have mountain sickness,
here called soroche, although this is very common, preferring
to believe that it is merely a coincidence that they fall ill at
this elevation. So when our scientist, who laboured under
26 ACROSS LAKE TITICACA
the disadvantage of being thirty-odd hours from Mollendo,
was attacked with a violent sick-headache, which caused him
much suffering during the afternoon on the railway and the
whole night at Puno, he, too, believed that he would have
been afflicted just the same at a lower elevation; certain it
is that at Lima he was in like distress. The rest of us at-
tested to sound physical condition by not a sign of discom-
fort, and, after passing the night on board ship at the dock,
we sailed all day across the noble Lake Titicaca, fourteen
times the size of Lake Geneva and 12,500 feet above the sea;
the highest lake in the world where steamboats ply. We
sailed past promontories, bays, and cultivated islands, among
these the Isles of the Sun and Moon, early home of the an-
cient Incas, whence it is said they issued forth on their career
of conquest, resulting in the establishment of a great empire.
Here are still remains of their ancient palaces, larger, it is
said, than those existing at their later capital, Cuzco. In
a magnificent range of snow-clad mountains to the east, the
Cordillera Real, where Mont Blane would be lost among the
foothills, we had our first view of gigantic Sorata or II-
lampu, which even to the guides looked formidable and well
worthy the preparations for its conquest. Lauber remarked
that it was worse than he expected, but Maquignaz declared
that we could climb it any way.
In the afternoon we turned from the regular course in the
direction of Copacabana, where many of our passengers
were landed. We improved the hour of delay by going on
shore to visit this far-famed shrine. Within a few days a
great festival to the Virgin would be celebrated, for which
crowds of indians were flocking thither, some by boat but
more on foot, from one or two hundred miles around. In
the curious old church we saw the High Altar being deco-
rated with plates of silver a quarter of an inch thick. In a
side chapel upstairs was the noted image of the Virgin, richly
dressed in white satin, bespangled and jewelled to a remark-
able degree. This image is said to cure all diseases. Such
festivals, I was informed, whether to the Virgin or mere
Balsas, Boats of Natives, on Lake Titicaca
La Paz, Mt. Ilimani
ON THE PLATEAU 27
Saint’s Days, were largely an opportunity for drunken
sprees, the truth of which statement I was able later to con-
firm from my own observation. Near the church was an
old square temple with four columns of the Roman Doric
style, said to date from a period prior to the coming of the
Spaniards.
The following morning we found ourselves at the port
of Guaqui, at the south end of the lake, whence a railroad
leads to La Paz. Comfortable cars were in waiting, in which
we were soon established for a ride on the great plateau.
Now in Bolivian territory we experienced no less kindness and
hospitality than in Peru, receiving every courtesy from Mr.
Pierce-Hope, who arranged by telegram for a special car-
riage to meet us at the end of the railroad. We met, too, a
son of President Pando, who cordially assured us that we
should have no customs’ dues, and that our baggage should
be brought directly to the hotel. The ride over the brown
plain was between low hills on the left and higher ones, with
a thin mantle of fresh snow, several miles away at the right.
We saw many indian villages and single dwellings, these
made of sun-dried bricks. The houses have thatched slop-
ing roofs, and are surrounded by walls of big bricks, though
stone walls are used to separate the cultivated ploughed
fields, of which there are many. Near the lake a great part
of the land is covered with bunch grass. We saw many
cows with long rough hair, and trains of donkeys, mules,
and llamas; also indian men and women, not very prepos-
sessing in appearance.
After a comfortable three hours’ ride we were set down in
the midst of nowhere, at the end of the road. An unseason-
able snowstorm gave signs of the displeasure of the local
divinities. In an antiquated chariot which had been sent
up to meet us, we were soon rattling over the plain. Sud-
denly passing the brink of the alto, as the height above the
city is called by those dwelling below, as we skirt the sides of
a cliff in the long curves of a well-graded road, we catch
a glimpse, through the heavy mist, of the red roofs of La
28 ON THE PLATEAU
Paz, a thousand feet beneath. Here in the heart of the
Andes is this singularly situated city of 60,000 inhabitants,
unique in the whole world; with an elevation of 12,000 feet,
the highest large city on the globe, nevertheless at the bot-
tom of a cafion 1,000 feet deep. The curiously carved basin
has walls on three sides, so irregular in shape that they con-
ceal the outlet on the fourth side, though leaving an opening
there. At a distance, magnificently overtopping these walls,
is the great and radiant snow-crowned Mt. Illimani. Who,
suddenly awaking here, would dream that the city hidden
away in the depths of this valley with a mountain rising
9,000 fect above, is itself higher than many a noted Alpine
summit, and nearly twice as high as the top of Mt. Wash-
ington? ‘Twelve thousand feet above the sea, which in other
lands would mean a region of perpetual snow, here signifies
a temperate clime where flowers blossom throughout the year,
and a rare inch or two of snow by night quickly vanishes in
the morrow’s sunshine.
CHAPTER IV
IN LA PAZ
La Paz is a city of contradictions and surprises, where win-
ter and summer live together, and the 16th and 20th cen-
turies walk side by side. From the height above,
it appears to occupy the broad floor of a valley, but
this is appearance only. At the outskirts of the town the
way becomes steeper. We plunge down narrow streets,
turning short corners, till our careless coachman, driving
four horses, cramps a wheel so that he is obliged to take off
the animals and hitch them to the rear axle before the coach
is righted. Crossing a streamlet called the Chuqueyapu
River, we ascend sharply on the other side to the principal
city plaza, halting in safety at one corner, at the door of
the Grand Hotel Guibert, the leading and most ancient hos-
telry of the city. The hotel, on account of the slope of the
hill, having two stories front and three back, is built, as are
practically all buildings of whatever nature in Spanish Amer-
ica, around a pretty court or patio. It has a second side
patio around which are additional sleeping rooms, with the
kitchen, etc., below. While some conveniences were lacking,
even necessities as we regard them, such as bathroom and
toilet with running water, the large bedrooms were com-
fortably furnished with brussels carpet and heavy handsome
furniture, a curtained bed with nice warm blankets. There
was no hotel parlour or reception room, guests being there-
fore received in one’s apartment whether of one or two rooms,
and occasionally sent up unannounced. On both first
and second floors, were several dining rooms, with the same
meals served in each.
We arrived Wednesday, July 22. As our baggage did
not appear, it was necessary the following morning to go
29,
30 IN LA PAZ
in search of it to the Custom House. ‘Transportation thence
to the hotel several blocks away, two of these up a very steep
hill, was by means of indians who carried on their backs the
large boxes, each weighing over 200 pounds. Expressmen
here who groan over stairs would regard these men with
amazement. ‘Ten centavos apiece I was told was a sufficient
fee, but I could hardly reconcile my conscience to that, and
gave double to those who brought the heavier pieces, this
being barely eight cents of our money. The men were Ay-
mardé indians, obviously of great strength to carry such
burdens at any altitude, still more at this, where many persons
puff from slowly walking up the hills. Reporters soon be-
gan to call in quite cosmopolitan style, for there are several
newspapers. My Spanish was rather rudimentary, but
helped out by French and English, I made them understand
all that was essential.
The weather, unpleasant on our arrival, soon brightened,
but I was distressed by the occurrence of several rains, un-
usual in this the dry season; for these indicated fresh snow
upon the mountain and consequently bad conditions for
climbing. For this reason I the more regretted that we
had not remained in Arequipa for the ascent of El Misti,
and did not at once hasten preparations for departure, though
always sufficiently busy. The weather was so cool that I
was compelled to wear the coat of my travelling suit in the
house as well as out; in fact, by day it seemed warmer outside ;
the temperature of my room, about 44 ° Fah. in the morning,
with the heat of an oil stove rose only to 56° or 58° in the
afternoon. With letters of introduction we made calls on
several dignitaries, Sefior Don Ignacio Calderén, Secretary
of Hacienda or Finance, now the Bolivian Minister at Wash-
ington, whose wife was a Baltimore lady, and the American
Minister, Mr. William B. Sorsby. The gentlemen returned
our calls the same day. Also came the Secretary of State,
Sefior Villaséhn, with whom I conversed in French. In com-
pany with Sefior Calderén, who, of course, spoke English, I
called on Sefior Capriles, Acting President, in the absence of
az
Hotel Guibert, La P
Hotel Guibert
in patio,
and party
Miss Peck
IN LA PAZ 31
President Pando. All were extremely courteous and promised
every needed assistance. With the American Minister came
Mr. and Mrs. T. Clive Sheppard, who were living in the Ho-
tel Guibert and who, on my several trips to South America,
did much to make my stay pleasant. Mr. Sheppard, an Eng-
lishman, superintendent of the new railway and Subdirector
of Public Works, gave me much valuable information in re-
gard to Bolivia, besides showing other kindnesses.
We received invitations to luncheon with the American
Minister on Sunday, to afternoon tea with Mrs. Sheppard,
and to dine Monday evening with the Calderéns. Persons
who have supposed that, in this remote country, life must be
barbarous, would be astonished at the elaborateness of our
entertainment. At the luncheon we had six courses with
three kinds of wine, at the dinner, eleven or twelve courses
with five kinds of wine. The table was elegantly decorated
and served, some of the food similar to what we might have
at home, other dishes of a novel character, but most of them
extremely good.
Other callers came with advice and offers of assistance.
There was much to occupy me besides. Monday, July 25,
funeral services were held in honour of the late Pope. A
procession of Government officials and of military went to the
pro-cathedral for service, and I took a number of pictures.
The soldiers marched well, and I was told by one who had
travelled in the various countries that, though rather under-
sized, they made the best appearance of any in South Amer-
ica.
I had thought myself fortunate in being able to secure as
leading guide, Antoine Maquignaz, who not only had acted
as such for the Duke of the Abruzzi on his successful ascent
of Mt. St. Elias, but five years previous, in the service of
Sir Martin Conway, had visited Bolivia and almost reached
the summit of the mountain that was the goal of my ambi-
tion. I was, however, destined to discover that what I had
naturally considered a great advantage was really the op-
posite. Having had some unpleasant experiences with the
32 IN LA PAZ
indians on his former visit, Maquignaz was very timid about
them; it proved unnecessarily so; whereas a guide who had
never been there before would probably not have thought of
being afraid. On M °s arrival in New York he had at
once declared that we must have soldiers to protect us from
the indians, which assertion he often repeated. JI had read in
Conway’s book of their being attacked by the natives with
stones, and as M was urgent in the matter, I approached
the Government in regard to it. I was, however, courteously
informed that the country was perfectly safe and the indians
harmless; that there was, therefore, no occasion for soldiers.
This statement being corroborated both by natives and by a
few foreigners who had been some time in the country, fur-
thermore as it was impossible to secure the desired escort, I
finally prevailed upon the guides to venture forth without,
on condition that they be provided with rifles and revolvers.
I had borrowed one of the latter in New York, another was
obtained in La Paz. Two army rifles were promised by the
Secretary of War. These, after many calls on various per-
sons, were finally secured from the Intendente of Police.
As I had brought two mercurial barometers for an accurate
measurement of the mountain, and as M said the Pro-
fessor must accompany us on the climb because we must have
at least three men on the ice, there was need of some one else
to take observations at the base station. Accordingly, Sefior
Montes, the Secretary of War, kindly consented to send at
the expense of the Government an army officer to make the
observations at Achacachi, near the foot of the mountain,
on the shore of Lake Titicaca. This officer, Subteniente
Epifanio L. Llano, though unfamiliar with the use of the
instruments, after a little instruction from me, became very
accurate in taking observations. It was a pity that his la-
bours proved futile.
A most important matter was the selection of an arriero, a
man who provides and looks after the mules; for on mule-
back we were to proceed ninety miles to the mountain.
After considerable effort in various directions an apparently
IN LA PAZ 33
good man was secured who could speak fluently both Spanish
and Aymara, the latter the language of the indians of this
region, although Quichua, the chief dialect of the Peruvian
indians, is used also in some parts of Bolivia. This man
was a cholo or half breed, of whom there are many in La
Paz, where they form a sort of middle class between the
Spanish Americans and the pure blooded indians. By the
aid of Mr. Jackson, a young Harvard graduate, then en-
gaged in the rubber business in the town of Sorata, an elab-
orate contract was drawn up, according to which the arricro
was to receive 115 bolivians, about $45.00 per week for his
services and those of cight mules and an indian. An ad-
vance payment was made, as is customary in all such transac-
tions.
How I did rush about during the last four days of prepa-
ration! doubtless to the great astonishment if not horror of
the Bolivians, who never hurry themselves, and who would
least of all expect a woman to do so. Many purchases were
made to add to our stores brought from New York; canned
meat, sugar, chocolate, ete. The prices were double those
at home. The chocolate of native make was extremely
coarse and hardly palatable for eating. A five gallon can
of kerosene for our primus oil stove cost over $2.00 gold.
Almost as important as the fucl was a bag of coca leaves.
Without coca the indians would decline arduous labour; a
strong stimulant and sedative as well, it is excellent to use
in emergency, but injurious as a custom; undoubtedly stu-
pefying to the intellect. Chewing coca leaves (from which
cocaine, not cocoa, is derived), the indians can defy hunger,
thirst, sleep, and fatigue; travelling continuously for sev-
eral days, if need be, with little food or drink. I have read
that when provided with coca the indians do not care to eat,
but in my considerable experience with both Quichuas and
Aymards I found them always to have excellent appetites,
however much coca they consumed. If able to go without
eating they evidently did not wish to, eagerly devouring
anything within reach.
34 IN LA PAZ
The coca tree, six or eight feet high, grows in moist val-
leys on the east slope of the Andes all the way from Colom-
bia to Argentina. The drug is valuable for many com-
plaints, as well as for an anesthetic, but, like alcohol and
opium, its habitual use is a curse. I had heard its value from
my friend Mr. White, and had been advised by him to use it
myself as well as to provide it for the indian porters. Ac-
cordingly, I laid in a good supply. At almost the last mo-
ment I paid a visit to the Jesuit College, again to compare
barometers, again finding exact correspondence.
On the afternoon of Friday, July 31, came the first prog-
nostication of disaster. I was amazed at being suddenly in-
formed by the Professor that whatever happened he intended
to leave for home, as his duties there demanded, on the 20th
of August; less than a month from the time of our arrival
in Bolivia ninety miles from the mountain. If fortune fa-
voured, it was possible that the ascent might be made within
that time; but if the mountain were in bad condition, if one
side proved impracticable, we must make a second or a third
attempt. At the first opportunity, the evening of the day
following, I remonstrated with the Professor, setting forth
that having come down with me at my expense, for the as-
cent of this mountain, no time limit being set, it was his
duty to stay until the mountain was climbed or the attempt
abandoned. It had been obvious from the beginning that he
could not return in time for the opening of his college, and
I was aware that he had secured permission to extend his va-
cation. The Professor, in response, declared that he had
other duties and obligations and must return at the time he
had yesterday stated, but if I thought he was not doing the
fair thing he would step out of the expedition then and there
and make the best of his way home. (Nothing, however,
was said as to re-imbursing me for the hundreds of dollars
already spent on his account.) Or he would go with me and
do the best he could for the limited time and I should pay his
expenses home, as previously understood.
I knew of no one whom I could get to take the Professor’s
Party about to set out
Pantheon, La Paz
IN LA PAZ 35
place. The few foreigners in La Paz were actively engaged
in business. The Bolivians have not yet acquired a taste for
climbing. JI had searched in vain for an interpreter to ac-
company us. M had said we must have three men on the
ice, and I had counted much on the Professor’s being an expert
photographer to obtain fine views of the mountain. It was
Saturday night; we were to set out on Monday. I had no
time to consider or to ask advice, so, though recognising the
injustice of the proposition, I made the mistake of accepting
the latter alternative, hoping, if my usual good fortune con-
tinued, to reach the top of the mountain within the prescribed
period. To have the Professor’s help for so short a time
only, in an undertaking involving the expenditure of thou-
sands of dollars and months of travel, was a terrible and un-
expected blow. With anxious forebodings I hurried my
preparations for departure.
There were quantities of things to be attended to on Sun-
day, packing, shopping, and numberless small details, but
the Professor, having been invited by Mr. Sorsby to visit a
mine, went in spite of my protest, returning only at three
p.m. I was, therefore, obliged to rise carly and to keep at
work all day. Among my purchases in the market-place
was a pair of coarse knit stockings of undyed native wool,
to be worn as my fourth or outermost pair. In all of my
expeditions they have proved highly serviceable. Some sew-
ing was necessary, such as placing big pockcts of vicufia fur,
large enough for the Japanese stoves, on the outside of my
eskimo coat. With such matters, calls, and letter writing, it
was two a.m. when I sought my pillow, setting my alarm for
six. This was a poor preparation for an arduous journey,
and I should have deferred our departure a day to set out
in better physical condition, except for the circumstance above
mentioned. So tired that I overslept through failing to hear
my alarm, I was greatly astonished when I awoke to discover
that it was 7:40 a.m. Luckily for me the arriero with his
mules, strictly ordered to arrive at seven, according to the
custom of the place, did not appear until 8:30; so that my
36 IN LA PAZ
slothfulness delayed us but a few minutes. The Lieutenant
was prompt. The arrangement of the baggage was a two
hours’ matter. When all was ready we had a group picture
taken in the patio.
CHAPTER V
JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU
Art half past ten on the morning of the third of August, our
cavalcade, the object of much observation, clattered out
of the hotel patio. Our procession seemed quite imposing;
first, the arriero, on horseback, to be sure, with a fine saddle
and embroidered trappings; our officer, also on horseback, re-
splendent in full white uniform, with spurs and saddle bags,
his sword by no means omitted; the rest of us on mules, the
guides with rifles tied to their saddles, revolvers in pocket,
the Professor similarly equipped with his own weapons; my-
self in knickerbockers riding astride, but wearing a long
ulster, with an opening up to the waist at the back, which
thus gave somewhat the appearance of a divided skirt and I
trust prevented my shocking the sensibilities of anyone; three
mules, heavily laden with baggage, and on foot to look after
these an indian of mature years and a boy of fourteen, son
of the arriero.
Soon leaving the paved streets behind, we pursue our way
along an ancient stony pathway, casting occasional back-
ward glances at the noble form of Illimani which towers
grandly above the city, anon, gazing at the steep encircling
walls of the cafion and at a distant monument on the edge
of the alto where we were to emerge from the valley. On
the outskirts of the city we pass the Pantheén or cemetery,
where most of the people are buried not in the ground, but
entombed in enclosing walls somewhat after the fashion of
the Roman columbaria. Higher up we see women engaged
in laundry work in primitive fashion by a tiny streamlet,
industriously whacking the wet clothes against the numerous
stones, according to the method of the country.
It required an hour and a half to reach the alto and enter
37
38 JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU
upon the great puna as this part of the tableland is called.
The monument at the edge we find to be an ancient and di-
lapidated league post, extremely useful to the traveller com-
ing over the plain, when the track is obliterated by snow,
indicating from afar the point where begins the descent into
the valley. Here we leave behind almost all traces not only
of civilisation but of life, save that which we mect upon the
road. Not a village nor even a hut do we pass for hours.
The brown rolling plain shows no signs of cultivation; we
cross several dry river beds thickly covered with stones. To
the right a splendid mountain called Huana Potosi or
Cacaaca, appearing steeper than Illimani or Illampu, but
probably a little lower, looks inviting for a climb, though
assuredly a difficult one. To the left are distant hills of
graceful outline.
Though the district is uninhabited, we meet many people,
mostly indians, and more animals; troops of donkeys bearing
burdens larger than themselves, flocks of sheep, a few droves
of hogs, and several herds of cattle, most interesting of all
many a troop of graceful llamas, which I never tired of
watching. These dignified animals, who carry their heads so
high and so proudly, are the distinctive burden bearers of
the high plateau regions; animals said to be related to the
camel as also to the sheep, for they have very long necks
and heavy coarse wool. The white ones are particularly
pretty and all have beautiful eyes. I always wanted to pat
one of these stately creatures, but never ventured on the fa-
miliarity, because I had heard that they are unused to petting
and are liable to spit in one’s face if displeased. They
did not look as if they could be so rude. They have
a peculiar independence of spirit, which is betrayed in their
haughty bearing. There is a certain load, 100 pounds, which
they are able and willing to carry, but if there is a pound
beyond, they lie down and refuse to rise until their burden
is lightened. Beating avails nothing. They will submit to
be killed outright rather than be imposed upon; consequently
they are the one sort of animal that is kindly treated and
League Post, Alto above La Paz, Bolivian Cordillera
Llamas on Puna
Travellers on Puna
JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU 39
never beaten, as it would be worse than useless. As the ani-
mals are able to obtain sustenance for themselves in any sort
of country except absolute desert, they are the cheapest form
of transportation for non-perishable articles only, since they
travel slowly. Donkeys, they say, take twice as long as
mules, and llamas twice as long as donkeys. They not only
move slowly, but lose time by grazing on the way.
Here and there we sce roofless stone enclosures or corrals,
often a mere wall which serves as protection from the wind.
Against some of these sit men or women, spinning while
watching their flocks, or it may be cooking their dinners.
An occasional passing indian displays a fondness for music
by playing on a reed instrument resembling a flute. Though
having but few notes in a minor key, it still sounds cheerful.
The Professor invests and makes valiant efforts to play
Yankee Doodle, but does not get beyond the first few notes.
With no pause for luncheon, at half past four, hungry
and tired, we arrive at Cocuta, a tambo or inn five leagues
from La Paz, where we stop for the night, as the next halt-
ing place is five hours farther. Riding through a spacious
doorway, we enter a large rectangular enclosure, formed by
adobe walls and buildings. In the long, low structure at the
left is a store with bar or restaurant opening outside. Back
of this, entered from the patio, is a guest room furnished
with four cane seat chairs, a table, a broad bench or bed
which looks like stone, but is merely adobe or dricd clay, and
narrower benches of the same material. We at once par-
tially allay our hunger from our own stores, but not too
much to be ready for dinner at six. This, served in courses,
was better than might have been expected from our surround-
ings; first, a palatable soup with noodles, next beefsteak with
a fried egg placed on top, bread we had also, lastly a cup of
tea; I took hot orangeade instead. We concluded with some
raisins and lump sugar of our own. Fastidiousness on such
expeditions has no place, and all ate heartily.
Afterwards I peeped in where the cooking was going on,
a dark, smoky room, lighted only by the fire and the door.
40 JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU
Several women of friendly mien, with children, were sitting
on stones or the floor. For them a hot soup was cooking,
more savoury than the one served to us; soup or stew called
chupe with potatoes and various herbs being one of the chief
articles of their diet. The meat is usually chalona or dried
sheep, the potatoes may be one of 250 varieties. For po-
tatoes are indigenous to this great plateau region of Peru
and Bolivia, while before the coming hither of the Spaniards
the Europeans were destitute of this now indispensable article
of diet. I have not, however, observed that the potatoes of
Peru and Bolivia are any better than those grown in the
United States, if they did originate there.
Later, I strolled outside the enclosure in the cold, still
moonlight for a look at the great white mountain and over
the dark, broad plain. Here, one must needs feel small and
insignificant, realising the word “ awe” as never in crowded
city. Soon all settle down to rest, I occupying the elevated
plain, the others spreading their sleeping bags on the floor.
Fresh air and exercise make one sleepy, and having been in
unconventional situations before, I am soon lost to all sur-
roundings.
Next morning, although up at six, it is eight before we
are off, as it is a two hours’ operation for the arriero and his
assistants to saddle six animals and to collect and arrange
the baggage on the other three. Even then it must fre-
quently be readjusted, and the mules have a hard time as
well as we. We breakfasted on black coffee and bread, and
bestowed in a bag for our luncheon some crackers, sugar,
raisins, canned beef, and sardines.
This day the great Hlampu with its immense glaciers ap-
pears before us and a longer line of snow clad mountains on
the right. Soon after noon we arrive at another tambo,
Machacamarca, where we pause for luncheon. The mules
are relieved of their baggage and allowed to graze while we
stretch our limbs and procure some fried eggs to supplement
our own stores. We are waited on by a woman carrying a
baby on her back by means of a shawl, the ordinary method
Tambo, Cocuta
Sot
x oa y
= Ao. AN eas ac
sh
Patio, Achacachi
JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU 41
of transporting them, obviously much more convenient and
better than our way, both for mother and child. Dogs
are very common in South America among the poor as well
as the rich, and here we saw a hairless specimen, to my taste
repulsive in appearance, but of a breed, I am told, prized by
dog fanciers on account of its rarity. Our photographs at
Machacamarca included one of an indian man, spinning, as
many do, while watching their flocks on the pura. Among
the indians, apparently, there is no question of woman’s work
or sphere, both sexes doing whatever happens to be convenient.
In the afternoon, nearer the lake, of which we had a distant
glimpse, the land becomes more fertile, and as a consequence
is more thickly settled. Our mountain, as we approached,
appeared still more imposing, its tremendous array of great
snow fields evidently making a deep impression on the Pro-
fessor, who remarked, “‘ My, it looks cold up there.” I sup-
pose it did, but I should never have thought of saying so.
We well knew it was extremely cold there, and I had been at
great pains to exhort the Professor to prepare for the low
temperature, as he had done.
To Guarina was a long day’s journey. Eleven hours on
mule back is too much for an already tired mortal who has
not enjoyed this form of exercise for six years. At half
past three I was unable longer to endure my unaccustomed
position astride the mule. Beginning to walk, I was soon
compelled to remount to cross a stream. In half an hour
riding again became intolerable. After an hour’s walk, I
became too tired for that and was obliged once more to ride;
so I continued, when I could no longer endure the one chang-
ing to the other. I instructed the Professor, in case I col-
lapsed after my arrival (I assured him that I should not do
so before), that he had only to give me some brandy and hot
water and I should be quickly restored. Later, half dead
with cold and fatigue, I struggled along on foot, alone, in
the dark and in the rear, feeling rather forlorn and friendless,
as all the others preferred to ride. For some reason the
train at length paused and by a desperate effort I got into
42 JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU
the lead, remaining there, as the mules were going slowly,
being also very tired, till we reached the edge of the town.
Now they plucked up heart, as did we all, and became too
animated. In their eagerness for shelter, trying to run into
every open doorway and one rushing up a side street, they
caused a good deal of trouble to the arriero and his assistants,
and excitement for the rest.
It was eight o’clock when, at the farther end of the town,
we reached the proper tambo, which afforded a better room
than we had at Cocuta, similarly furnished, but cleaner and
with a grass matting over the floor. It was nine before we
had anything to eat, but meanwhile aching knees and back
had found the adobe bed a welcome resting place, though I
did not collapse and was able myself to call for the hot water
and cognac which speedily put me to rights.
As our next day’s journey to Achacachi, a big indian town
near the lake, was six hours only, we were satisfied to set out
at ten. On the distant foothills of the range, we saw indian
villages and the dwellings of a few large haciendas or estates,
the owners of which live, probably, in La Paz or Sorata town,
spending a little time in the summer on their farms. Some
houses of Guarina and most of those along the way are sur-
rounded by walls made of large blocks of adobe or of undried
clay; also there are walls apparently of stones, which, how-
ever, are round bits of clay; this part of the country being
far less stony than the puna near La Paz. There I was
reminded of the stony ficlds near Athens, but there was this
difference. At Athens the stones were not removed even
when the fields were cultivated. When I had asked why was
this, I was informed that they left the stones there to keep
the soil down. If they removed the stones, the soil was so
light, they said, that it would all blow away. On the plateau
they do not fear this result or else they are not so lazy. The
indians not only build many thick walls with the stones, but
in many places gather the rest into great heaps at frequent
intervals, leaving the remainder of the ground in good con-
dition for tillage.
JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU 43
Reaching Achacachi at half past two, for once earlier than
we expected, we procceded to the house of the corregidor, to
whom we brought a letter. Here I had a room to myself and
a bed, which, I am sorry to say, did not look very inviting.
In this place we installed our Lieutenant to take observations
with various instruments during the time that we were on the
mountain.
Having heard that from a high pass on the northeast side
of Ilampu, an apparently easy slope leads well towards the
summit of the mountain, and that this route might be investi-
gated in one day from the town of Sorata, on Thursday we
proceeded thither by a delightful day’s journey over a great
ridge called the Huallata Pass, first traversing a long cause-
way between a swamp and the lake, then ascending a big
buttress of the mountain to a height of over 14,000 feet.
Half way up was a small indian settlement with numerous
stone walls, and cattle even at this bleak elevation. At the
top of the pass, finding water, we paused for luncheon, hav-
ing here a fine opportunity to scan, close on our right, the
enormous mountain massif with several different summits, all
looking absolutely impossible from this side. As we descend,
we have a beautiful view of the deep Mapiri valley below, the
upper end of which is divided into two branches by a sort of
promontory projecting from the mountain. The path going
out on this for a short distance turns again toward the great
cliffs, winds down to the bottom of a deep gorge, crosses a
little stream on a picturesque stone bridge, and climbs up
half a mile on the other side to a shelf, amid steep inclines,
on which is situated at an altitude of 8,000 fect, the pretty
town of Sorata with about 8,000 inhabitants.
It was quite dark when we arrived, but we had no difficulty
in finding Mr. Jackson’s house, where it was highly agreeable
to be cordially welcomed by Mrs. Jackson, a charming young
Cambridge lady, who, duly chaperoned by her aunt, Miss
Amy Fay, the well-known pianist, had come down the year
previous to become the bride of her lover from childhood
days. Although the only English-speaking woman within a
44 JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU
hundred miles, she seemed perfectly happy in her strange sur-
roundings.
This beautiful valley, with its trees and fragrant flowers,
is a pleasing change from the cheerless, treeless plain above
on the other side of the pass. The town is favored with a
delightful climate in addition to its charmingly picturesque
location, close to the head of the valley, where rise in rugged
grandeur the tremendous walls of Illampu, nearly 14,000 feet
above. In the opposite direction below, a steeply enclosed
gorge with bluish purple tints is in sharp contrast to the
dazzling mountain summits. In any well populated region
the town of Sorata would be a favourite summer or winter
resort, and the day is not remote when it will be included in
the fashionable tours of South America. At present it is a
pretty Bolivian city, headquarters for the rubber industry,
carried on by Boston and other companies on the eastern
slope of the Andes; further for many miners who follow the
various trails in their search for placer deposits, also on the
eastern side. Already, indeed, we are in the watershed of
the Amazon, the Mapiri stream, by way of the Beni and
Madera Rivers, contributing its mite to the great Father of
Waters. La Paz, too, though absolutely on the west side of
the great Cordillera Real, is on the banks of a little stream
which through a deep gorge finds its way to the east, and,
also by the Beni and Amazon, to the Atlantic. If some of
these waters which are superfluous on the damp eastern slopes
could be diverted towards the Pacific, its arid coasts would
develop marvellous fertility and well repay the labour.
In Sorata town we find that it will take two days to investi-
gate the route on the north side of the mountain, a most
desirable thing to do, as it has never been examined either
by Conway, or, I believe, by any other mountaineer. That
it looks easy from a distance to a person absolutely inex-
perienced, is no certainty that it is so, but makes it worth
an examination. If, however, after investigation, we should
try this route, or even try it immediately without success,
there would be no time left for the Professor to make an
Sorata, town, and mountain
JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU 45
attempt on the Umapusa side with which our guide, M ‘
is familiar. By that route M now declares he will guar-
antee that we reach the summit. Had he made this state-
ment earlier we should have saved three days by omitting this
long journey to the town of Sorata until after making the
climb. As it was, although I was anxious to explore the
only unknown side of the mountain, it seemed wisest to follow
M *s advice and the route with which he was familiar;
so after a day’s rest, we in part retraced our steps over the
Huallata Pass, turning then to the left down to Umapusa, a
finca or large estate on the southwest side of the mountain,
which we reached at dusk. Being duly established in the
tambo, after eating a good supper from our own stores, we
were getting settled for the night, when M , for some
mysterious reason, became alarmed. Having been assaulted
(with stones) by the indians five years before, he was doubt-
less more timid than he would have been otherwise, it seemed
unnecessarily so. He now believed the indians about to at-
tack us. When half way into his sleeping bag, he decided
to get out again, and with rifle, revolver, and even his ice-
axe, he took his stand by the door. The Professor, though
believing M °s fears groundless, suggested, if M——
really thought there was danger, dividing the night into three
watches, he and the two guides each taking one; as there was
no need of all remaining awake unless some demonstration
was made. I, already ensconced in my sleeping bag, ex-
pressed my opinion that it was folly to put credence in a
rumour of hostile indians, and politely requested the men to
blow out the light so that I could sleep; a measure conducive
to safety, supposing the danger to be real. As it was bright
moonlight outside and would then be dark within, an attack-
ing party would obviously be at great disadvantage. It was
some time before I could get any one to heed my request,
after which I fell asleep while the men were still discussing
what arrangements should be made. How long M kept
guard I never knew. Next day, when I asked him where the
indians were, he looked rather sheepish and said nothing.
46 JOURNEY TO MT. ILLAMPU
Conversation among us was a little mixed. Maquignaz
was Italian Swiss, speaking neither German nor English,
while Lauber was German Swiss. They conversed together
in French. I spoke French with M and German with
L , while the Professor, who spoke no language but his
own, addressed both in English, helping out greatly with
signs. Lauber, who understood English fairly, translated to
Maquignaz when necessary, so that the men got on very well
together without much assistance from me.
CHAPTER VI
THE TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
Tue major domo of the finca, Umapusa, to whom I brought
a letter from the owner in La Paz, proved to be an unpre-
possessing, elderly indian with little disposition to aid us.
Nothing could be done the evening of our arrival, but on
Sunday, the day following, we arranged with him to provide
indian porters to carry our baggage up the lower cliffs of
the mountains, promising two bolivians daily, four times what
they would ordinarily earn, to each of the eight required
indians. As it would take time to find and secure suitable
men, we must remain over until Monday. At ten the next
morning they would be there. Our plea for an earlier hour
was useless. Ten it must be and in truth the indians were
punctual.
But a holiday had been too much for the arriero, who,
Monday morning, was half drunken and slow, so that the
animals were not ready when the indians appeared. The
mules were to keep on a day longer, as we were still a good
distance from the point where we should begin to climb. AI-
though the indians had nothing to do but go along with their
own effects to be ready for work the day following, they
must receive a day’s pay in advance and be supplied with a
good measure of coca leaves. This done we at length sallied
forth. The arriero, however, turned back to speak to a
woman who was making great lamentation over his departure.
Supposing that he would overtake us in a few moments, as he
had done on previous occasions, we gave no especial heed;
later, when he did not appear, we hardly ventured to send
any one back for him, lest he, too, should be lost to us. It was
noon of the day following before we saw the arriero again.
Though his boy and the indian served well enough to care
47
48 TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
for the mules, this proved a real calamity. I had been par-
ticular to engage a man who could speak Aymara, that he
might act as interpreter with the indians; but at the critical
and necessary moment he was not with us.
From Umapusa we rode along the ridge towards the moun-
tain, passing two villages. The evening before the people at
Umapusa had called the natives of the upper villages bad
indians ; in the morning they said, good indians. It is a note-
worthy fact, common I found both to Peru and Bolivia, that
the inhabitants of any town or village regard their own people
as excellent and trustworthy, but speak of those in adjacent
districts as less reliable, and of sections more remote as abso-
lutely unsafe. In the country there is generally a little
suspicion and unfriendliness between the indian residents of
neighbouring haciendas or fincas. This state of affairs is
no doubt due in part to ignorance and the suspicion arising
therefrom; perhaps also to the fact that a certain loyalty
usually prevents the indians from robbing their neighbours
and employers while they consider other people as fair prey.
In the upper of the two villages, M , who, being ac-
quainted with the way, was riding ahead with Lauber while
the Professor was some distance in the rear, came back to
me in alarm, saying, ‘‘ Some indians have assembled and are
picking up stones to throw at us.” Withdrawing my gaze
from the surrounding landscape to look near at hand in the
direction he pointed out, I saw a group of men a little dis-
tance ahead, close to our pathway. We were riding along
a narrow lane with continuous high walls on both sides, so
that we could not avoid passing close to the indians except
by turning back and riding a long way around. So I re-
plied, “ We can hardly turn back for that. We will go on
until they do throw stones at us, any way.” So we went
on up the narrow lane to mect the fate in store. Drawing
nearer we perceived half a dozen men sorting potatoes or
tubers of some kind, while others stood by watching. None
gave the slightest heed as we passed by, and again I laughed
at M ’s foolish apprchensions.
Umapusa, Tambo
Place of Camp. Alt. of valley 15,300 feet
TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION 49
After riding a considerable distance towards the mountain
along one side of a great ridge, we turned sharply to the
right, and ascending a steep grassy slope crossed over to
the other side, pausing half way for luncheon. From the
crest of this ridge we had a fine view of great snow fields
above, and of a deep narrow valley in front which passes
along the southeast face of the mountain, having this with
glaciated side valleys and buttresses at the left and consider-
able hills at the right. Descending a little on the other side,
we skirted one or two shorter buttresses, while far below at
the right lies the liimpid green Lake San Francisco, rarely
seen by mortal eyes. I longed to make the entire circuit of
this great mountain massif, a most interesting and valuable
trip, but with the Professor’s limited time, such an effort was
impossible.
Presently we turned to the left up a narrow hanging val-
ley hemmed in by high, steep walls, finding towards the head
a nearly level floor, perhaps a quarter of a mile in width.
The indians, who had long been grumbling, now refused to
advance, so we halted rather prematurely. In this romantic
spot with tall cliffs towering above us, a bit of glacier gleam-
ing in the upper right hand corner, about five o’clock we
encamped. After pitching our tents, we have a good supper
of soup, cocoa, etc. The indians flit about and climb the
rocks with evident pleasure, but at length come down and
occupy the larger tent, laughing and singing as if in the
happiest of moods. My silk tent was so small that the Pro-
fessor, who had a particularly warm sleeping bag and a
heavy sheep-skin suit, decided to rest in front and guard our
baggage, while the guides and I slept within. It was a clear,
still night and I hoped for the best on the morrow. Accord-
ing to Professor Bailey’s excellent aneroid, which had proved
extremely accurate on the railroad, we were at an elevation
of 15,350 feet; higher than the top of any mountain in the
Alps except Mont Blanc. Although I had especially feared
the cold, of the severity of which at night I had heard many
alarming reports, in this sheltered spot, with the temperature
50 TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
not far from freezing, I passed the night comfortably without
using half the clothing I had brought.
In the morning I was up betimes, about six, hoping to
surmount in good season the 3,000 fect, so M called it,
of rocks to the glacier. But alas! the Professor was ill and
did not arise, except to move his sleeping bag to one side in
order to take another nap. Being outside the tent, he had
suffered from cold during the night and also from illness.
Not soroche! he said. O no! merely an attack of indigestion
such as might afflict any of us; brought on probably by the
cheese which he had eaten yesterday, as this did disagree
with him about half of the time. The guides and I prepared
breakfast, took down the tents, and arranged in packs for
the indians the baggage which had so far come on mules.
It was a tedious operation and we missed the strength and
judgment of the Professor who had been wont to look after
the packing. As the guides were unused to such matters, it
now devolved mostly on me. When, after several hours, the
Professor arose, being still cold, he strolled off down the
valley to seek a sunny spot to get warm. Not long after
his departure, when the packs were nearly ready, the indians,
who had hitherto been wandering aimlessly about, came up
and declared to M , the only one who spoke much Span-
ish, that they would not ascend the mountain on account of
the depth of the snow. It was true that in consequence of
the unprecedented precipitation during this supposedly
said) lay half a mile lower than
dry season, the snow (M
when he was there before. With sandals merely and no
stockings, who could blame the indians for not wishing to
climb over snow? Later, however, I was convinced by resi-
dents of La Paz that this was only an excuse. The indians
often go with bare feet upon the snow, but they have a cus-
tom of backing out from any unusual labour, unless held to
their contract by a stern man.
M: in this emergency manifested no moral force or
energy, but was limp as a rag, simply repeating to me the
indians’? words. The men began collecting their things to
oD o oS
TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION 51
go down. The cholo boy and our own indian were pre-
paring to leave with the mules. Were we to be deserted
here? My command of Spanish was small, that of the in-
dians equally so, as they spoke little but Aymard; still I
made an effort. They knew, of course, what they had
been engaged for, and with signs and gestures I insisted that
they should go up, finally offering them double what I had
agreed to pay. They shook their heads. I continued to
urge them in vain. I looked for the Professor to aid, but he
seemed beyond call. Doubtless the indians supposed him to
be the leader of the expedition and believed that he had al-
ready abandoned it; that I could do nothing anyway. So
they slipped away homeward leaving us alone.
I turned to the guides and proposed that we should carry
the things up ourselves. “ Impossible!” said M. most
emphatically. I therefore awaited the return of the Pro-
fessor, who, when he saw the retreating indians below, came
back to inquire the cause. He also asked M if we could
not go by ourselves. “Impossible!” again said M
At Umapusa the Professor had declared that if we could not
obtain indian porters, of which for a time there seemed doubt,
he and the guides would carry the things up. When I had
said, “Do you think you can?” he had answered, “ Cer-
tainly.” So now I eagerly awaited his response. ‘“ That
settles it!” he cried; and now indeed my heart sank. Three
men against me, one of whom had been ill all night and not
eaten a morsel of breakfast. Could I ask him to carry up
loads when he did not offer? Could I over-rule M: who
knew the way and pronounced it impossible? simply reitera-
ting, “ I told you we must have soldiers.” Never before had
I felt so helpless. Heart-sick I said nothing. It was not a
question of my own capabilities. I could climb, but cer-
tainly I could not carry up tents, sleeping bags, ete. To
manage three men seemed beyond my power. Perhaps some
of my more experienced married sisters would have done
better.
What to do? The mules were about to start down; there
52 ‘TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
was no time to think or hesitate; only to pack up and go with
them. Rage and mortification filled my soul. Those
wretched indians! I cowldn’t have it so! But neither could
I go alone. With the goal so near, to be turned back, even
temporarily, for the lack of indian porters for a single day’s
journey! We had not wished them to proceed on the glacier.
With plenty of time, surely three men might carry the bur-
dens of eleven. By leaving behind all unnecessary articles
like the paraphernalia for the use of oxygen, in three days
the men, returning for two nights, could certainly carry up
the essentials, if, as had been planned, they were able to carry
over the ice in two trips what would be needful. This I
should have insisted upon, to the extent of threatening the
guides with no pay, had not our time (for the Professor)
been short. He was determined to return home the next week
and had declared that if necessary to reach La Paz in time
he would leave me taking one of the guides, if but a day below
the summit; and M had declared that he would not go
on with me alone. Thus we should waste five or six days
to no purpose. To descend the mountain and make the
weary journey back to La Paz, to find there some one to take
the Professor’s place, to procure, if possible, the soldiers that
M. now more stoutly than ever declared to be necessary ;
such seemed the only course open.
A wretched mortal was I, as we descended to Umapusa, re-
volving various possibilities in my mind. Could we get
police at Achacachi to compel the indians to fulfil their con-
tract? M said, “No, they are just as bad as the in-
dians.” Could we make an attempt on the Sorata side?
The Professor had not sufficient time and M would not.
go without another man. Half way down we met our un-
faithful arriero coming to meet us. Had he been with us at
the camp he might possibly have persuaded the indians to
remain. At least we could have communicated with them
better. Reaching Umapusa by the middle of the afternoon,
after a hasty luncheon, we continued down to Achacachi
where we arrived at night after losing our way and wandering
TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION 53
in the dark on the edge of a swamp, beset in a small village
by barking dogs which do sometimes bite: the whole a most
doleful and heartbreaking experience.
That night I made an effort to induce the Professor to
relent and stay over another week, urging the ignominy of
such a return, and that, if abject failure could thus be trans-
formed into great success, no one would criticise him for a
week’s delay in getting back to his home duties. But all in
vain !
Too tired and disheartened for an early start, I was plan-
ning to set out at noon on our return to La Paz for soldiers
and other assistance, when the Professor suggested that if I
would remain until Thursday, he and the guides would make
a triangulation of the mountain. To this I assented and in
the afternoon the three men with a chain 400 feet long
measured off a base line of 4,400 feet on the plain near the
lake. Early Thursday morning they went over this again,
the Professor took the angles and after luncheon we set out
on the return journey, before sunset reaching a tambo an
hour beyond Guarina.
Now on the way home, both arriero and the mules pro-
ceeded with much greater alacrity. The following morning
was cold and misty when we sct out a few minutes past six
at hardly daybreak. An hour’s walk in the fresh cold air
for me was a good beginning. At noon we halted at
Machacamarca as on the way out, soon after which the
arriero inquired if I would like to reach La Paz that even-
ing. I had expected to go only as far as Cocuta, but being
now in better condition, somewhat inured to the saddle, the
attractions of a comfortable bed instead of an adobe bench
were sufficient, even if we were too late for dinner, to make
me say yes. Then, indeed, the arriero showed what he and
the animals could do when he felt disposed. No more was
said about the wearied mules. He whacked those beasts so
that he made them trot a large part of the time in spite of
their heavy burdens. I was soon quite worn out striking my
own mule with the ends of my bridle, so he beat that as well.
54 TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
Though at first a little fun, it soon became monotonous.
After a good whack the animals would trot for a consider-
able distance leaving the arriero far in the rear, though he
trotted, too. When the beasts had settled again into a walk,
the arricro would overtake us and give them another whack
all around. Thus we went on the whole afternoon. The
other men were left far behind, making it rather dull for me
with no one to speak to; but in my later journeys alone, I be-
came accustomed to travelling with a native only, and found
that solitude has its own peculiar charm.
At Cocuta, the mules, evidently thinking they had done
enough for one day, were determined to enter the enclosure.
When the gate was shut they still refused to proceed, one
running one way and one another, so that the arriero, who had
already dismissed the indian to his home on the puna, was
quite frantic. The delay gave the men behind opportunity
to overtake us, and without dismounting I again rode on.
At first the arricro had promised that we should arrive in
La Paz at ten in the evening, later he said nine, and finally
seven. On reaching Cocuta at half past three, I began to
think we might arrive in time for dinner, and so we did.
One reason for the guide’s willingness to push on so rapidly
was his eagerness to be in La Paz on Saturday; for that was
a Saint’s day on which there would be a great indian festival.
A reason for wishing to arrive early was that the part of the
puna between Cocuta and the edge of the alto, being unin-
habited, was considered rather dangerous after nightfall.
Robberies and even murders used occasionally to occur in this
section. We were therefore well pleased to reach the ancient
league post about sunset while the afternoon light was still
giving delicate tints to the cloud-crested mountains.
Illimani, in front, was especially magnificent, much more im-
posing than when seen from the city below.
Almost paralysed with long riding, I was glad of the op-
portunity to walk most of the way down into the valley, tak-
ing the arm of Lauber, who had been especially kind and at-
tentive throughout the journey, helping me with my boots and
TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION 55
leggings and often inquiring if he could do anything for
me.
That we reached the city after dark was a cause of thank-
fulness, since I at least was full of mortification over our
ignominious defeat, though regarding it as temporary and
determined to make another and a genuine attack upon the
mountain. The arriero had been specific in demanding the
same pay if he arrived that night as if we were on the road
a day longer. To this I assented so promptly that he was
fearful I had not understood him; but he spoke Spanish with
unusual distinctness, and I could always tell what he meant,
even though I did not understand all the words; while he was
intelligent enough to comprehend my conversational efforts
in Spanish better than anyone else, frequently interpreting to
the officer any directions that I gave him.
In La Paz a new complication presented itself. During
our absence the port of Mollendo had been closed on account
of the breaking out there of the bubonic plague. On hear-
ing this I said to the Professor, ‘* Now, you sce, you might
have stayed at the mountain just as well as not. It is im-
possible to get out and you can go back with me for another
try.” ‘No, indeed,” he responded. ‘I am going home by
way of Oruro and Antofagasta.” This was a longer and
much more expensive route, two days by diligence, three by
rail, and four additional on the steamer. It was because I
already had the return transportation to New York that I had
consented to give this for his brief services. I therefore de-
murred saying that I had made no such agreement. I would
give him return tickets by the way he came. It wasn’t my
fault if the port was closed. The Professor, however, in-
sisted that I agreed to pay his expenses and pay them I
must if he had to go back by way of Buenos Aires and Lon-
don. ‘The situation was so unpleasant that I at length con-
sented to his demands. Then the guides began to be dis-
agreeable. They were alarmed lest they should be shut in
for the whole winter. In vain did I assure them that it was
impossible for all the ports to be closed. Nothing would
56 TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
satisfy them except to return with the Professor, and after
much useless discussion I was finally glad on the following
Thursday, August 20, to see them all off and to begin mak-
ing plans on my own account, albeit as a forlorn hope, for
another attempt on the mountain.
In the meantime I had not delayed making a second ap-
peal to the government for soldiers, as M had urged,
calling upon the Acting President, the Secretary of War, and
the Prefect; but my efforts were futile, as before. Had the
indians attacked or even threatened us? they inquired. If so
we should surely be protected; but they could not give us
soldiers to act as porters or because Maquignaz was afraid.
The Prefect promised to furnish police from Achacachi to
compel the indians to fulfil their contract, but M de-
clared that this was quite useless. Probably the indians
could not be found and the local police would sympathise with
them if they were.
A Bolivian gentleman who, as he spoke English very well,
had chanced one day to be called in as interpreter, Sefior
Juan Maria Zalles, now came to my relief. Mr. Zalles was
the proprietor of the finca above Umapusa, with the village
where the indians were sorting potatoes, and was the owner
of the top and a large part of the side of the mountain in-
cluding the little green lake and the valley where we had
encamped. This gentleman cordially offered me all the as-
sistance in his power. He declared that his indians would
be glad to serve as porters and sent to his finca, Chiarhuyo,
for a cholo to come to La Paz, who he thought would be
willing and competent to conduct me to the top of the
mountain.
Next I set about finding a civilised person to accompany
me on the journey and assist in the ascent. This was a
difficult problem. I had brought a letter from one of my
fellow travellers to Sefior Don Felipe Pardo, now the Peru-
vian Minister to the United States, son and brother of former
Presidents of Peru. Unfortunately, on my arrival in La
Paz, this gentleman was absent from the city. Had it been
TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION 57
otherwise the whole story of my expedition would have been
different, as the next year’s adventure proved. But in 1903
everything went wrong after I landed at Mollendo. The
fates were certainly against me.
Mr. Pardo, who had now returned from a journey, said
that he personally was not interested in mountain climbing,
but that he had a friend who was, an Austrian, Mr. Victor
Sintich, whom he would send to me. This gentleman called
the same day and was enthusiastic over the matter. He had,
he said, been most anxious to go with me on my first attempt,
but instead of calling to offer his services he had sat in the
next block waiting for some one to send me to him. He de-
clared that there was no trouble with the indians if they were
properly managed (which he proved the next year), adding
that if I had had one man with me he would have made those
indians go up. Mr. Sintich still desired to accompany me,
but in the interim had made arrangements for a business trip
which finally prevented his doing so. An American was dis-
covered who spoke Spanish fluently and was at leisure; but
he was no athlete and, it was evident, had no inclination for
the task. He wished, therefore, to be paid for his services
which I was unable to do at the moment.
On the 26th of August the cholo arrived from the
finca. After a good deal of conversation in several inter-
views, we signed a contract by which I was to pay the cholo
fifty bolicvians if he took me to the edge of the glacier, fifty
more if he should conduct me to the foot of the final peak.
This last, he said, was very steep but possibly might be
surmounted. The bargaining for that I concluded to leave
until we reached the spot. The cholo was to provide in-
dians to serve as porters to the glacier. He guaranteed then
with his brother to take me to a point previously reached,
within a few hundred feet of the summit, to the very top if
practicable.
A snow storm having occurred just prior to these negotia-
tions, my prospective guide asserted that it would be two
weeks before the cliffs would be sufficiently free from snow
58 TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
for the indian porters to go up. I, however, declared that
I should set out from La Paz the following Wednesday,
September 2, as I believed the mountain would be in condi-
tion sooner. With typical politeness the man rejoined that
if the lady said it would be all right, of course it would be,
but he didn’t think so. Before Wednesday came, there was
another storm, heavier than the preceding, and then I knew
that I must indeed wait some days longer.
It presently became evident that the American was not to
be depended upon. While deploring this to my Greek friends,
Mr. and Mrs. Armas, and wondering whither I should turn
for help, the gentleman remarked, ‘I don’t see but that you
will have to go alone.” ‘ Alone!” I cried, in amazement
and some horror, “* you don’t mean that I should go all alone
with an arricro ninety miles to the finca (where there was no
really civilised person) and go up the mountain with indians
and cholos only?” ‘ Yes,” he replied, “I do. I consider
that it will be perfectly safe, and it is the only way you can
go; for there is no one here to accompany you.” The
gentleman had resided in Bolivia four years and might be
supposed to know, but this idea almost took my breath
away.
The next morning I went to Mr. Calderén, the Minister
with the American wife, and inquired what he thought. He
replied that he believed I would be taking no risk whatever.
Then I went to the American Minister, Mr. Sorsby, and in-
quired if he thought I should be safe in going alone with an
arriero to Chiarhuyo and climbing the mountain with cholos
and indians. ‘I think you are crazy,” he replied. ‘ You
are desperate, and you will break your neck. Some one ought
to stop you.” “I can take care of my neck,” I rejoined.
“Tam not asking you about that. What I want to know is
whether I shall be safe so far as the natives are concerned.”
“ Well, yes!” he replied, with some reluctance. ‘* There is
no danger to be feared from them.” ‘* Very well,” I said,
“that is all I want to know. I understand the mountain
TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION 59
climbing part better than you do and I have no notion of
breaking my neck.”
It is true that I should never have left New York with
the idea of climbing Sorata in this fashion. Though
possessed of considerable experience, I had not regarded my-
self as an independent climber, capable of leading the way
over glaciers and up steep snow inclines or of directing
novices in such enterprises. The idea of going with natives
only at first had been startling, but being left alone and
realising that there was no other way, having received the
assurance, alike from foreigners and Bolivians, that I should
be perfectly safe, I determined to do my best. My courage
rose till I became quite enthusiastic over the prospect, re-
solving to make a good try for the yet untrodden summit and
put to shame my former companions. I engaged a fatherly-
looking arricro with a nice kind face, upon whom [ felt I
could rely until we reached the finca, when the cholo there
would take charge.
With my courage my hopes had risen; the weather was the
only draw-back. Several times the clouds gathered and
snow fell, on the mountain range for several days. The
whole puna was covered with snow, near the Cordillera to a
depth of several feet. Avalanches were continually falling
and mountain climbing was out of the question. It was now
the middle of September and there was no prospect that con-
ditions would improve; rather they would become worse, as
the rainy season was approaching.
Who shall over-rule the decrees of fate? The year before
the skies through June, July, and August were cloudless and
the mountain was in splendid condition. The chief of the
Geographical Bureau, Sefior Manuel J. Ballividn, informed
me that this year there had been no cessation of the rainy
season which should have closed in May, but that a succes-
sion of storms at intervals of a week or two had kept the
mountains continually in a dangerous state. Such a season
had never before been experienced as the records kept for
60 TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION
twelve years bear witness. The best time during the whole
period was the moment when we were at the foot of the
mountain. With the co-operation of the indians, or with
more time and enthusiasm on the part of my assistants, the
success might easily have been ours which later weather con-
ditions rendered impossible.
CHAPTER VII
LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903. TIAHUARNACO
Tur weeks spent in waiting for good weather gave oppor-
tunity to observe something of the life and customs of this
unique city. If I should relate all that I saw and learned
on this and subsequent visits, the story of my adventures
would lag; but I cannot forbear mention of a few matters,
referring to other works on the subject those who wish fur-
ther details.
The Bolivians are extremely courteous. My Greek friend,
who had lived in many parts of the world including Paris,
Constantinople, and several cities of the United States, said
that the people were more polite, especially on the street, than
those of any other country he had visited. I frequently saw
men step from the narrow sidewalk into the street to allow
a lady to pass. Many of the wealthy have been educated
in Europe and speak French or German, a few also English.
Of especial interest, however, were the indians and cholos
who together constitute three-quarters of the inhabitants of
La Paz and give a picturesque novelty to the place. In
going on errands about the town (I never had time for an
aimless stroll), I found them of endless fascination, not, in-
deed, for their beauty, but for the strangeness of their per-
sonality and garb. Whether it was the indians carrying
loads or driving herds of llamas, together apparently be-
longing to some remote patriarchal age, or women sitting in
the squares, perhaps holding out chupe to an indian patron,
or knitting as they preside over the sale of other eatables or
of various wares, or cholas in gay attire, all attract eager at-
tention if not admiration.
The indians are dark with straight black hair. Their
heads they carefully cover, especially at night, with woollen
61
62 LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903
hood and hat of felt or straw, while their feet, whatever the
degree of cold, are usually bare or protected with sandals
merely. The men’s trousers are nearly white or black ac-
cording to whether they are worn right side out or wrong,
as when at work they often wear the lining side out to keep
the other clean. The peculiar trousers, broad at the pockets,
coming but little below the knee, and slit up the back ex-
posing white drawers underneath, were introduced by the
Spaniards at the time of the Conquest when they were the
mode, and forced upon the natives who have worn them
ever since. When fully dressed the men wear a short jacket
over a coarse white shirt, perhaps also a sash. Every indian
as well as every gentleman possesses a poncho, a sort of
blanket shawl, square or rectangular, with a slit in the middle
through which goes the head. These serve as overcoat by
day and as blanket at night, besides being employed in car-
rying burdens on the back.
The indian women wear plain full short skirts commonly
showing bare feet below. Their waists are seldom visible,
being concealed by one or two shawls. That these people
are generally dirty looking is not strange, since they sleep
on the floor and wear the same garments day and night for an
indefinite period. A bath is an unknown luxury which they
would doubtless regard rather as a punishment. Without
conveniences, water even being scarce, such a procedure is
absolutely unthought of.
It is hardly to be wondered at that the Aymard indians are
a rather surly looking lot, since they have been robbed of
their lands and their more sympathetic rulers, and made sub-
ject to an alien race by whom in earlier days they were ill-
treated and oppressed far more than now. Yet as a rule
they are peaccable and quiet except in the rare periods of
insurrection when their latent savagery is liable to break
forth. The sections of country in which they dwell are
ordinarily safer than the United States, which has a larger
percentage of murders than any other civilised country upon
the globe. Thus the kind solicitude of my friends in re-
LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903 63
gard to my venturing alone in the wilds of Peru and Bolivia
is entirely without warrant.
While the indians occupy a subordinate position, most of
them attached to the land after the manner of serfs, if in-
telligent and ambitious they may better their condition.
They may attend the public schools, wherever these are pro-
vided, and by learning to read and write they may become
citizens with voting privileges, if they earn $80 a year in
any other manner than as servants. If they also make money
they may attain a good social position. There is no such
prejudice against them as with us against negroes, though
doubtless some of the old Spanish families pride themselves
on their pure Castilian blood. A Minister of one of the
Departments of Government, I was told, was a full blooded
indian.
The cholos form a sort of middle class, the men dressing
in the every-day garb of white men generally, but the women
are as noticeable as the indians, having a distinctive style of
their own. At times they may go barefoot, though on oc-
casion they wear fine lisle-thread stockings with high heeled
French shoes. Their skirts, of which they have a super-
fluity, barely reach their ankles. Apparently they wear their
entire wardrobe at once, at least they sometimes have on five
or six woollen petticoats at a time, the uppermost standing
out to such a degree that one might suppose there was crino-
line beneath. The bright coloured skirts, blue, green, yel-
low, magenta, etc., are so arranged that two or three will
show, one a little below another, giving thus a novel if not
attractive appearance. These women always wear shawls of
varied and brilliant colours, of which the shops have great
store. They buy and wear as many as they can afford, often
four at a time. The cholas spend most of their money on
dress, silk skirts and rich jewellery, although they may sleep
on the floor. They often wear jaunty headgear, but com-
monly a straw or grey felt hat with narrow rim, much like
a derby. The combination is rather peculiar, but certainly
the chola adds to the gay appearance of the city.
64 LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903
The ladies of high degree are in striking contrast. In the
morning when they go to market or at any hour on their way
to church, they are robed entirely in black. A shawl fas-
tened over their heads in a very prim and precise manner
comes down well over the black skirt, a convenient fashion,
sometimes concealing, it is said, a multitude of sins, either
of apparel or of hair dressing. At other times, when mak-
ing afternoon calls or attending festivities of any kind, the
ladies are gowned and hatted according to the latest Paris
fashions, displaying a fondness for bright colours and ex-
tremes of the mode. The gentlemen are in a high degree
punctilious as to correct dress, appropriate to the hour of the
day and to the function; much more so than is general with
us.
As housekeeping matters are generally interesting to
ladies, I made inquiries on the subject of Mrs. Thompson and
Mrs. Calderén. Speaking of Mrs. Thompson reminds me
that people, noncatholics, who have wished to get married
here have had a hard time. The rules of the Roman Catholic
Church allow of the marriage by Catholic priests of those
outside the fold, but it is not done in Bolivia. No civil mar-
riage was allowed. This made a good deal of trouble for
the Thompsons, who finally sailed over to Puno in Peru to
get the knot tied, as one or two other couples have done
since. The Thompsons’ marriage was said to be the first
civil ceremony in the neighbouring Republic. Catholics also
have trouble in this regard, though not for the same reason.
Considerable fees are charged for marriage, christening, and
burial services, enough it is said to make the priests com-
paratively rich. The last two rites are deemed essential lest
dire results follow in another world, but the ceremony of
marriage may be dispensed with. Partly as a result of this
view the baptisms for two months at the cathedral showed
forty per cent. of the births illegitimate, while at Sucre two
years earlier the municipal reports showed seventy per cent.
This condition exists largely among the cholas. Illegiti-
macy is so common as to be no especial stain, although un-
LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903 65
less formally acknowledged the children have no legal rights
in inheritance. The state of public opinion on this ques-
tion, at least among the cholas, may be evident from the fact
that a Canadian lady, Mrs. Baker, was asked by a cholo
woman in reference to her two small children, first if they
were hers, second if they were her husband’s, and third if she
and Mr. Baker were married.
To return to the subject of housekeeping.— Rents in La
Paz are called high for a place of its size, a furnished apart-
ment of five rooms being considered cheap at $60 a month.
Other expenses are small.
Families of position employ from five to eight servants: a
cook at from two to eight dollars a month, a dining room boy
at ten, a laundress at three and a half, a maid for chamber
work, and a pongo. These with the exception of the pongo
are cholos, who as a rule go home to sleep at night. They
work hard, but are slow, and rather dull about learning; yet
some are intelligent and there must be many good cooks, as
the food served in private houses is generally excellent. The
pongo is an indian from the country, who brings fresh water
from the street corner and carries away the slops and refuse,
as few houses have running water and there is no sewerage.
He scrubs floors, and acts as a scullion in the kitchen, peeling
potatoes, cleaning knives, etc. He sleeps in his poncho in-
side the door of the patio which at night is fastened. For
the pongo the house-holder usually pays $50 a year to the
proprictor of a finca or farm some miles from the city.
Every fortnight a fresh indian is sent to take the place of
the former, each bringing with him a new supply of taquia.
Of course you do not know what that is, so I will explain.
As previously remarked, Bolivia is a peculiar country in
more ways than one. There are practically no trees of
natural growth on the great plateau or elsewhere, save in a
few cafions, until you pass over to the cast side of the Andes
where the lower slopes are thickly wooded. ‘This, however, is
a distant region; not in miles, but in cost of transportation.
It is cheaper to bring wood for furniture and for house in-
66 LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903
teriors from Oregon than from Eastern Bolivia up over the
mountain range. Naturally there is no wood to burn ex-
cept small sticks from bushes which in some places in the
country serve the indians for cooking purposes. Also there
appears to be little if any coal. It is said that the coal
strata have been washed away. There is talk of a recent
discovery near Lake Titicaca, but none is available. Im-
ported coal is naturally very expensive, $30 a ton. Oil?
This, too, has been discovered on the shore of the Lake, but
practically all refined oil is imported and dear, about forty
cents a gallon. It is therefore used only for illumination, or
by foreigners for heating their dwellings, as Americans
especially do not enjoy sitting without a fire in a room where
the temperature varies from 44° to 60° Fah., (as it was in
my room even with a stove burning). ‘This the natives do
not seem to mind, so their houses are never heated. Neither
do they use oil for cooking, nor yet gas, nor electricity.
What then? If you visit somebody’s kitchen you may see
the fuel in a wooden box or a bag. What does it look like?
I should say, pecan nuts, but a trifle larger, darker, and more
shiny. Yet it is not nuts. O no! but a much more shocking
substance: viz, the dung of Mamas, which when hard and dry
is gathered up on the plains in great quantities and brought
into the city by the pongos for fuel. The term taquia
by which it is called makes it seem rather less objectionable
than our expression. Three donkey loads will serve a family
for a fortnight.
The cost of food like the wages of servants was very small;
meat was astonishingly cheap, 50 cents buying 1214 pounds.
A leg of mutton might cost 12 cents, a large roast of beef
30 cents. Vegetables in considerable variety and fruit of
many kinds are also cheap, save chirimoias: custard apples
they are sometimes called, the size of an orange or larger,
white inside with black seeds and a coarse green skin, when
in perfection a delicious edible. These may cost from two
to ten cents each. The fruits and vegetables do not grow
near La Paz, but are brought up from the yungas or warm
Market Place, La Paz
Street near market, La Paz
LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903 ‘67
valleys at the east. For a large bunch of sweet peas I paid
five cents ; other flowers are in proportion, with roses slightly
higher.
The market and adjacent streets greatly interest the
stranger, especially on Sunday when there is the largest
assortment of goods and the most purchasers. Almost any-
thing may be found here; dry goods, particularly clothing
and knit articles, dolls and other toys, shoes, etc., as well as
meat, vegetables, grains, fruits, and coca leaves. Women,
old and young, many with small children or babies, sell most
of the goods, though men serve in a few departments. There
is a motley crowd in motley raiment, indians and cholos in
great numbers, with a sprinkling of ladies and gentlemen.
The regular marketing is ordinarily done by the cook. The
Spanish Americans eat a great deal of meat with compara-
tively few vegetables, while sweets on the order of our pies
or puddings are practically unknown. At banquets all man-
ner of little cakes of excellent quality are served and a
variety of ices.
Certain household conveniences to which we are accus-
tomed are lacking. [I heard some indignation expressed be-
cause a writer had published the statement that there were
no bath tubs in La Paz. While this was not strictly true, I
was unable to discover that any one possessed a proper and
well regulated bath room with hot and cold water. Very few
houses had running water at all; if they did it was cold, and
hot water must be brought by the pailful from the kitchen.
In one house occupied by an Englishman, there was an ar-
rangement of pipes connected with a small charcoal heater
by which in the course of two hours the water for a bath
might be heated, but even these rather primitive facilities
were rare. Doubtless some of the people bathe, but South
Americans generally can hardly be said to have the habit
as practised here and in England, which is scarcely to be
wondered at under present conditions. There has been a
great change in this respect in the United States within the
last fifty years.
68 LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903
Of amusements in La Paz there is a dearth. 'The theatre
is occasionally opened for some stray company, more rarely
there is a horse race or a bull fight. There is considerable
social life, formal calls, dinners, especially among the diplo-
mats, and evening parties with dancing. Horseback riding
is a favourite diversion. All know how to ride as that is
or was the most common mode of travel. In 1903 there
were no automobiles in La Paz and few carriages, most of
these disreputable in appearance; the stage coaches looked as
if they had been bought of Buffalo Bill twenty years earlier.
Holes in the floor, holes in the sides, ropes and patches ; they
seemed unable to hold together, much less to carry anything,
but they did. The horses, including mules, of all sizes and
shapes, four, six, or cight to each coach, compared well with
the vehicles.
As the city is built on uncommonly steep slopes on both
sides of a narrow stream, it is no place for pleasure driving,
but the walking is fine. I took much satisfaction in going
up the cross streets which reminded me of some of those in
my native city, Providence, where one is so steep that there
is a fence across the top while another ends in some steps.
In La Paz, many groan over the hills and puff and pant
much more than they would at sea level. On account of the
incline the side-walks are partly paved with cobble stones,
squares of these alternating, checkerboard fashion, with
squares of stone flagging. Even so, slips are common and
falls occasional; wherefore, many persons take to the middle
of the street which is all cobble stones, a safe enough pro-
ceeding, though you may have to turn aside for a drove of
llamas, a few horsemen, or a troop of donkeys. Llamas in
great numbers frequently crowd the ways; every morning
thirty or more came into the rear patio of the hotel bring-
ing ice from a mountain glacier (the price is independent
of the severity of the winter there), in the evening, another
set brought fuel gathered on the plain.
The streets of the city seemed remarkably clean, being
swept about six every morning, by the men or women who
LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903 , 69
occupy the ground floor of the houses, or by persons whom
they employ. The brooms were small but effectively
wielded.
Good shops of all sorts are numerous, the largest dry
goods establishment being an English firm, Harries and
Thompson, with four separate stores which then paid, I was
told, one-half the duties on imports to the city, £15,000
sterling a month. These stores are open from seven in the
morning until quarter past five save for an hour between
eleven and twelve when they are closed for breakfast.
Families generally take this meal between eleven and one,
tea at three or four, and dinner about seven. One has
coffee in the morning in his room at whatever hour he likes.
This I enjoyed more than any of my other meals. The rolls,
quite large and flat, had a fine thick brittle crust, the fresh
butter was excellent, and the coffee of a most agreeable
flavour. When I had once convinced the chamber boy (for
they never have hotel maids in Peru or Bolivia) that the
milk must be boiling hot and plenty of it, for the coffee was
very strong and I drank it two-thirds milk, I took great
satisfaction in my morning meal. It is a mistake to imagine
that because one has always drunk Java coffee he must al-
ways continue to do so. Much South American coffee has
a finer flavour. A gentleman who had been to the interior
declared that he never before knew what coffee was. The
very choicest, however, is reserved for home consumption, a
contrast to the habit of those farmers who sell all the best
and eat the poorest.
Importations from the United States, though few, were in-
creasing. In 1903, a gentleman said he had seen but two
travelling men from this country within several years.
Goods were imported mainly by the Germans and English.
At that date there was not a single American woman resident
in La Paz except Mrs. Calderén, and few men, these mostly
miners ; it is altogether different now.
Foreigners who visit La Paz generally purchase as a
souvenir a rug or two of the vicufia fur, peculiar to the high
70 , LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903
plateau region and here of better quality than those to be
found in most parts of Peru. The animals, the vicufias, the
size of a small deer, have skins of a beautiful tawny shade,
which are the lightest and warmest of furs with the exception
of chinchilla. They live in large numbers at or above
14,000 feet on the ridges and slopes of the Andes. It is a
pity that so far it has proved impossible to domesticate the
animals, though I did see a tame one in a patio in La Paz.
In the same districts as the vicufias live the alpacas, found
in no other part of the world. All genuine alpaca, there-
fore, comes from this region. The animals have been more
or less domesticated and at one time much of their wool was
exported, but lately very little. Exquisite white rugs are
made from certain parts of their skins, but the rugs are more
rarely seen than those of the vicufia. Being twice as heavy,
for some purposes they are less desirable. Chinchilla, for-
merly numerous, are now rare and their fur is more expen-
sive.
Bolivia is a fine country for sheep and cattle. When meat
becomes too costly to eat here we have only to migrate
thither where a whole sheep may be bought for a dollar.
I paid a visit to the Municipal Museum which contains
specimens of the flora, fauna, and mineral wealth of the
country, aboriginal mummies found on the plateaus, ancient
sculptures, pottery and other paraphernalia of the Incas, all
having some interest for the intelligent traveller. I called
at the woman’s hospital where the patients were comfortably
disposed in iron beds in a long neat looking ward. Some
persons would be interested in visiting the many churches in
the city, the convents, the universities, the manual training
school, and the modern penitentiary which contains, among
other departments, workshops for both men and women.
On my first visit to La Paz I found time for two long
walks only; one, partly for practice in climbing, up the
steep wall of the cafion to a little chapel at the top, 1,000 feet
above. ‘Though from a distance the wall looks perpendicular
and is nearly so in places, it is carved into jagged irregular
LIFE IN LA PAZ IN 1903 7
slopes which present a field for interesting and not difficult
ascents. A great country this for climbing; great, I mean,
in opportunity, as yet undeveloped. The splendid exercise,
the fine air, the ever varying outlook should be sufficient
compensation ; in addition one reaps the reward of vigorous
health, and renewal of youth, if the recreation is pursued
wisely.
One day I walked down the valley hoping to get to a
point where I could see out in that direction; in this I was
disappointed, the walls twisting around in front in tanta-
lising fashion, but I still had my reward in admiring along
the way the curious shapes of the walls and the bright varie-
gated colours of the cliffs, with the glorious Ilimani there
above and the gold bearing stream at the bottom of the cafion
below.
In by-gone ages, even before the arrival of the Spaniards
in the 16th century, this little river was the scene of placer
mining. How much gold is now concealed forever by the
houses and streets of the city, who can tell? Once upon a
time an indian picked up a big chunk of gold worth over
$10,000 near the middle of the present city. Not many
years ago the Chilian minister found a nugget worth $5,000,
a few miles down the stream. No wonder they called it Chu-
queyapu, river of gold.
On Sunday, August 30, occurred the opening of Congress,
which should have taken place some time earlier, but had
been postponed on account of the non-arrival of members
enough to form a quorum. While La Paz is the chief city
of Bolivia and has for many years been the seat of govern-
ment, Sucre is still called the capital. In 1899, a revolu-
tion occurred through the desire of the old Spanish conserva-
tives to bring the government back again to Sucre, an interior
town nine days’ ride from La Paz, a century or two behind
the times. The liberals would not consent to the order which
would have accomplished this, and under General Pando a
battle was fought which decided, no doubt for all time, that
the progressive party should remain in the ascendancy and
72 TIAHUARNACO
La Paz continue the capital de facto. General Pando then
became President. That people in cities so remote from each
other and so far removed from the outside world should have
preserved through several centuries so high a degree of culture
and civilisation is one of the remarkable facts of history.
In the period of delay for conditions favourable to moun-
tain climbing, the ruins of Tiahuarnaco were an attraction.
Easy of access, lying close to the railway, a few miles from
Lake Titicaca, these relics of an ancient pre-historic civilisa-
tion go back to a legendary period before the time of the In-
cas; for when the Spaniards invaded the country they al-
ready existed as strange monuments of a remote antiquity.
In an attempt to unravel the mystery of their origin, still a
matter of conjecture, M. Georges Courty, from the Museum in
Paris, was, in September, 1903, engaged in making excava-
tions, the Bolivian government furnishing twenty-five men
for this purpose for a period of forty days. At the railway
station I procured accommodations, not luxurious in charac-
ter, but better than at Umapusa. Sleeping on a brick floor
was no novelty, my first experience of this sort, years ago in
Greece, having been practically renewed on the adobe beds
of Bolivian tambos, as hard as a floor although elevated.
With plenty of blankets I slept fairly well, with some twisting
and turnings. M. Courty for his longer stay was no better
provided. The family of the station agent, however, con-
sisting of his wife and two children, possessed beds for them-
selves, perhaps also for an army officer at that time their
guest.
A half hour before the dinner which was served at the hour
of seven, M. Courty came to me with the inquiry if I would
like a cockle. Waving no idea what a cockle might be,
but desiring to become acquainted with all Bolivian customs
and dishes, I replied “ Yes.” A tray was soon brought,
with small tumblers containing a dark liquid which proved to
be a mild and harmless cocktail, my first experience of the
beverage, though of course the name was familiar; I had not
expected to hear it in that remote region.
TIAHUARNACO 73
In spite of rather primitive surroundings, we had a formal
dinner of six courses, sitting an hour and a half at the table.
A small indian brought in the food and removed the plates,
while the lady went to a side table to serve the different viands.
The meal began with vermicelli soup, which was followed by.
a vegetable similar to squash, then by fried rice, in the man-
ner of fried mush; next came mutton with a green salad and
bits of raw tomato, later canned peaches, the meal concluding
with black coffee.
The afternoon had already been spent in visiting the site
of the ruins which are regarded by many as the most ancient,
and as indicating the highest degree of civilisation, of any
existing in the Western hemisphere. A quarter of a mile
from the station, conspicuous on the bleak brown plain, cheer-
less under the wintry sky, centuries long have been standing
great granite blocks eight or ten feet high, about fifteen feet
apart, which once formed part of a wall enclosing a rectangu-
lar space 388 by 445 feet. Some of these slabs have fallen,
while others have disappeared. It is believed that the spaces
between were once filled in by rough stone, a wall about eight
feet high thus forming what may have been a sacred enclo-
sure in which a temple stood, though of this there are no posi-
tive remains.
A massive monolithic gateway, now broken and evidently
not in its original position, may once have afforded entrance
to this enclosure. This gateway is the most interesting and
remarkable of the existing ruins, having on one face a frieze
containing small niches, with one large niche on each side of
the doorway below, and on the other face, above the doorway,
four rows of sculpture in low relief, somewhat after the Egyp-
tian style, with a figure in high relief in the centre. The
three upper rows seem to portray human figures, although
all have wings, while in the central row they have also the
heads of condors; but in the upper and lower rows, they have
human heads wearing crowns; all hold sceptres in the hand,
all are half kneeling as if in adoration of the central figure,
which in high relief is still more conventional in aspect, dec-
TA TIAHUARNACO
orations both of tiger and of condor heads being added
around the head and elsewhere. The interpretation of the
figures is uncertain, but one supposition is that conquered
chieftains are here paying tribute to the great ruler of Tia-
huarnaco. A resemblance has been noted between these
sculptures and those of Mexico and Central America, indi-
cating some connexion or relationship between the people,
but it is said that nothing of the sort has been found else-
where within the ancient empire of the Incas.
A notable statue stood within this enclosure, while two
others covered with hieroglyphics lay on the ground beyond
the railroad track. Still others had been removed to deco-
rate the church and plaza of the modern village of Tiahuar-
naco, whither also had been carried many beautiful cut stones.
The church is largely constructed of these; many have been
used in ordinary buildings and for paving courts. As has
happened all over the world, ancient ruins have been a quarry
for the erection of more modern buildings, other villages
and churches of the puna and even the cathedral of La Paz
containing material of admirable workmanship, transported
from this place. Mr. E. G. Squier states that in no part of
the world has he seen stones cut with such precision and ac-
curacy as in Peru and Tiahuarnaco.
In addition to a number of shapeless hillocks, there seem to
be traces of five distinct structures, one, a great terraced
mound called the fortress, which may have had a temple or
palace at the summit. Much digging has been done all about
and destruction wrought, not only by archeologists and by
those who wished blocks for building, but also by treasure
seekers who have hoped to find hidden gold. Any one now
making archeological research in any section is believed to
be investigating for a more mercenary purpose. The centre
of the great mound is hollow with a small pond of water at
the bottom; on the outside M. Courty had brought to light a
heavy stone wall with a drain leading above and below. Many
pieces of ancient pottery have been found, a few of which I
procured, with other articles of interest.
APUNO) “TY fonqyqe yuotuy Soovurnyer MMSOPUTT POLOVE SoOovurnyvi
Ss Lay iL [Pua F Ss LL
TIAHUARNACO 75
The Sunday of my visit chanced to be a special holy day,
though the religious services seemed of less than sec-
ondary importance. In the afternoon we went over to the
plaza of the neighbouring village to see what was going on.
In front of the church are ancient statues, long since trans-
ported from their original site. Beggars in Bolivia are
less numerous than in some countries of Europe or even than
in New York City, but one ragged creature here I invited to
be included in my photograph of the church. The festiv-
ities of the afternoon embraced several sets of performers ;
some in bright-coloured ponchos rode madly about on don-
keys; others marched in groups of a dozen, wearing hats
elaborately decorated with feathers and playing on pipes and
drums. A dozen or more were richly dressed in bright col-
oured garments, red, blue, green, or pink, of velvet or plush
embroidered with gold and silver. These persons wore masks,
black, white, or yellow, and head dresses of ostrich feathers.
One of these suits, I was told, would cost about $200 gold.
Several men were dressed as devils with horns and tails, a
few represented animals, as a green turtle. A small boy
having a sheep’s head was clad in a sheepskin with red and
yellow ornaments. One set of men made a great deal of noise
with wooden rattles. A band with wind instruments played
sadly out of tune. A few men carried whips, which they
cracked at the others. All seemed jovial and good natured.
Some of them bowed to us. One chases a woman. ‘Two pre-
tend to fight, one with a whip, the other with a knife. Such
festivals usually continue several days, with drunkenness as
a characteristic feature.
In the town of Sorata at this same period occurs yearly a
much more elaborate festival continuing four or five days.
A gentleman who had witnessed this celebration described to
me the gorgeous head dresses of feathers, wonderful fans
which could not be bought at $75 apiece, and the extraor-
dinary representations by the indians of animals, lions, apes,
monkeys, a condor, ete. The indians engaged in comical
antics and dances, up to the church door. After spending
76 SORATA FESTIVAL
ten minutes inside they would come forth to resume their
sport and continue their drunkenness. A band of ten drums
and Pandean pipes played the same tune all day and all night.
One company of five or six persons was clothed in tiger skins.
On one of the days a procession of the gentry of the town at-
tended church service in magnificent clothing which could not
be surpassed (I was told) in any civilised court of the world.
The men wore wigs like ancient courtiers, and velvet coats
richly embroidered with gold. They were masked mostly
as coloured men and carried rattles a foot long, keeping time
to the music which was supplied by two cornets, a bassoon,
and drums.
On entering church for Mass the masks were removed,
but no other change was made by those representing ani-
mals, or by others. On emerging from the church they were
followed by a sacred procession: the patron saint, Muestro
Sefior de la Columna, carried on an altar on the shoulders of
men, the priest in front with his Mass book. At each corner
of the plaza they paused, all fell on their knees while the
priest read, then the bands struck up and they marched on
to the next corner.
The dancers roamed the strect all night. On Septem-
ber 14, a great feast day, orgies were still going on at eleven
o’clock at night, while a horrible din awakened the people at
seven the next morning. More processions occurred, the
saint again taking an airing; paper flowers and large tallow
candles were brought to the church as offerings. On the
last day, September 16, a representation of the execution
of the Inca, Atahualpa, occurred in the plaza. Pizarro was
represented by an indian dressed as a soldier. When Ata-
hualpa was shot by his order, the women howled, mourning
for him in realistic manner. The September festival at
Sorata from the 12th to the 16th is the most elaborate of any
in this region. It is evident that the civilisation and Christi-
anity of these indians does not go very deep. They are little
altered from four centuries ago, except probably for the
worse, imitating the vices more than the virtues of their con-
Church, Tiahuanaco
Indians with masks, Saint’s Day, Tiahuanaco
SORATA FESTIVAL 77
querors, as happens generally. Education is sadly needed,
but with the absence of material development and the small
revenue it is hardly surprising that so little has been done in
this direction. The old idea of keeping the lower classes in a
state of ignorance no doubt formerly prevailed here as in
other parts of the world, but the new one is growing that
for the full development of a country there must be gen-
eral education, even of the labourers.
CHAPTER VIII
AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI
Ir was with feelings of keen regret that on the 18th of Sep-
tember I departed from Bolivia. JI had been strongly tempted
to remain until the following season for another try upon
the mountain, confident that with the assistance of Mr. Sintich
or with the indians alone, I could then get somewhere near
the summit, if not to the top of Ilampu. Business obliga-
tions, however, caused me to decide upon the return. After
some hesitation as to following the route of the others to
Oruro and Antofagasta, I concluded to go down to Arequipa,
believing that if the port of Mollendo was still closed, there
must be some other outlet for the people of that section.
At this city I was delighted to find at the Hotel Central
a party of American gentlemen who had just come in by way
of Quilca; for thus I learned that there really was a way out.
The leader’s story, however, was not reassuring. He de-
clared that they had ridden 102 miles across an absolute des-
ert in the unprecedented time of twenty-six hours; that there
was no place to pause en route, but they had slept, unsheltered,
for a brief period; that there was danger of being lost on the
trackless desert and of perishing from hunger and thirst, of
being overwhelmed by sand storms, of freezing by night and
roasting by day; in short, he would strongly advise me to re-
turn to La Paz, for the two days’ stagecoach ride to Oruro,
the three days by rail to Antofagasta, and the four days ad-
ditional on the steamer, with all the extra time and expense
involved, rather than attempt this terrible journey. On my
assuring the gentleman that if his feat were so extraordinary,
there was the more reason for my duplicating it, since, not
having climbed my mountain, I was eager for adventures, he
declared this quite useless from a business point of view, as
78
AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI 719
his companion had engaged to write up the trip for Harper’s
Magazine and his article was already under way.
Nevertheless, I maintained my resolution to undertake the
journey and later was informed by others that the distance
was no more than seventy miles, that it would be quite safe
to go with an arriero, and that a mule could carry my large
trunk if it did not weigh more than 250 pounds.
Not having climbed El Misti on the way in, as originally
planned, I had determined to do this on the way out; a poor
alternative to the ascent of Mt. Sorata, but the best that lay
in my power. Accordingly it was an especial pleasure to
receive from Mrs. Bailey at the Harvard Observatory an in-
vitation to come up there for a visit. The hospitality of the
Baileys to stray Americans was always generous and highly
appreciated by the recipients; it was agreeable indeed to en-
ter once more a delightful American home. From the broad
veranda on two sides of the second story, the view, including
the plain, city, and mountains, with the graceful cone of El
Misti close at hand, is of varied and endless charm. After
long shivering in cold houses on the Bolivian Plateau, a
bright wood fire, here by day unnecessary, in the evening
seemed a luxury. A wood fire I said, though not precisely
what one might infer from the name. The material is called
yareta, a substance in no wise resembling the Bolivian fuel
taquia, but a form of vegetation growing in solid dome-
like masses, which have much the appearance of moss. These
masses average a foot or more in diameter, though many are
considerably larger. As they contain a good deal of resin,
when chopped into suitable pieces, they make an excellent
fire. This plant grows chiefly at an altitude of from 15,000
to 16,000 fect, with a slightly wider range. Trees in this
region are scarce, though between 14,000 and 15,000 feet
there are small stunted specimens, a few feet high. These,
with shrubs, serve the people of Arequipa for the little fuel
they need for cooking.
As I was anxious to ascend El Misti without delay that I
might be ready, if possible, to take the next steamer north,
80 AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI
a native was at once summoned, who engaged to accompany
me to the summit and to provide the mules needful for the
purpose.
The ascent of a mountain with an elevation above 19,000
feet is ordinarily an undertaking of serious difficulty. The
idea of riding to such a height seems almost preposterous.
A distinguished writer and mountain-climber has stated that
16,000 or 17,000 feet is the greatest altitude which may be
attained by means of saddle animals, being evidently unaware
of the fact that for a number of years the summit of El
Misti, 19,200 feet, has been so reached. This mountain,
therefore, affords exceptional opportunity to those persons
who desire to climb only so far as they can ride. Probably
nowhere else in the world can such an elevation be so easily at-
tained. Any one may undertake the trip who can endure the
fatigue of two long days’ rides, yet not every one would reach
the summit, as the rarefied atmosphere above has prostrated
many strong men. For real pleasure I prefer to climb on foot
lesser and more precipitous heights, yet seldom is it possible
to ride so far above one’s fellow creatures, to look down into
the depths of a crater, and to survey so extensive a prospect ;
obviously the opportunity must be improved.
The guide, Francisco, was a muleteer who has made the
ascent of E] Misti oftener than any other person. During
the ten years previous he had accompanied almost all of the
parties undertaking the trip. At one time a visit to the sum-
mit was made every ten days, later once a month, by some
member of the Observatory staff, so that Francisco had been
up at least a hundred times. Manifestly he was a competent
and reliable escort. But to go with Francisco alone would
be undeniably dull. I was, therefore, well pleased when one
of the Observatory gentlemen, though he had made the ascent
a few weeks previous, kindly offered to accompany me.
Seven was the appointed hour, but with the usual delays it
was half past eight before we set out.
The way leads down into the town, where we purchase
bread, oranges, and alfalfa, attracting much attention from
Harvard Observatory, Arequipa
El Misti, from Harvard Observatory
AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI 81
the small boys; their elders also stop to gaze. Crossing the
upper part of the city, we bear along the south side of the
mountain towards the right of the picture. Although the
grade is slight, save when crossing the numerous dry cafions
and ridges, we proceed at a slow walk, the mules being heavily
laden. The soil is as dry as possible, the vegetation scanty,
some poor grass and a few bushes. Watching a high ridge
in front of the great cone of the mountain our progress is
almost imperceptible. At the last house in the suburbs we
pause for a glass of pisco, a kind of native beer, but flatter.
I took a photograph of the woman, though she turned away
her face as if averse to the operation, as many of the natives
are; the small boys, however, are only too eager to get into the
fore-front of the pictures.
At half past twelve we halt for luncheon in a cafion where
there was water for the animals, but none for us. We ride
and ride, except for momentary pauses on the part of a
mule evidently opposed to hill climbing. It is the middle of
the afternoon before we top the great ridge which so long
we have been impatiently approaching, and five o’clock when
we reach the Tambo del Alto de los Huesos, the Inn of the
Plateau of the Bones. In the early part of the day the sun
had been uncomfortably warm, but as we rose higher and the
sun went lower the temperature rapidly declined until here it
was decidedly cold. We were now nearly half way around the
mountain, at an elevation of 13,300 feet, on a lofty plateau
between El Misti and Pichu-Pichu. Here passes the ancient
highway from Arequipa to Cuzco and Bolivia, a route which
we have so far followed, not by any means a carriage road;
there are few in Peru, transportation aside from the railways
being carried on, as we have seen in Bolivia, by means of
horses, mules, donkeys, and llamas.
This tambo was an uncommonly poor one, so that we were
thankful we were not obliged to remain over night. One
finds here shelter only, supplying his own food. Water, even,
he must bring from a spring quite a distance away. As we
are rather late, Francisco does not attempt to water the ani-
82 AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI
mals, merely procuring some to carry up for us; so the poor
beasts have none until we arrive in Arequipa the next even-
ing. I enter the house to put on some extra clothing, after
which we set out on the actual ascent, with our faces turned,
for the first time, directly towards the mountain. Soon it
grows dark, but the way is familiar to Francisco, to the mules,
perhaps, as well; and about half past seven we arrive at the
M. B. hut, thankful to reach a shelter. The hut has two com-
partments, one for the animals, the other for travellers as,
at this altitude, 15,700 fect, both alike need protection from
the cold. The fact that this height is about that of the sum-
mit of Mont Blane gave the hut its name. This structure of
stone, thatched with grass, which was erected by the Observa-
tory people for their convenience in conducting meteoro-
logical observations on the top of the mountain, affords
a welcome shelter to any who desire to visit the crater
above.
We were cold and hungry, but hot lentil soup with crackers
and chocolate soon made us comfortable, and we settled down
for the night, having spread our sleeping bags on the dusty
earth floor. Unfortunately I could not sleep and was pres-
ently afflicted with a slight headache. These symptoms of
soroche I did not attribute exclusively to the altitude, as at
other times at much greater heights I have not been so af-
fected; the cause was no doubt the combination of altitude
and rich soup, of which I had recklessly eaten two portions,
believing that I could do so with impunity.
The cholos — another had joined us at the tambo — as-
serted that we must start for the summit at three and then
we should not be back by four in the afternoon, if we de-
scended into the crater as IJ had planned. This I did not
believe and said so, which rather shocked the Observatory gen-
tleman, as I obviously knew nothing about it; but the event
proved my conviction correct.
The night seemed endless. After twisting and turning in-
definitely, I ventured to inquire the time, to learn that it was
twenty minutes past four, though the men had been certain
M. B. Hut, El Misti
Summit of El Misti, 19,200 feet
AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI 83
that they would awaken by three. After a very light break-
fast of tea and crackers, we set out in the early dawn at
twenty minutes of six. At once I felt better, my headache
vanished, leaving me, however, rather feeble. The trail zig-
zagged up the mountain slope, the angle of which was the
moderate one of 35°. The mules, panting heavily, advanced
slowly on the long zigs and zags, halting for breath every
twenty or thirty feet. This soon became fearfully monoto-
nous, so I sought variety in walking; this, too, I found was
no particular fun. Few can enjoy walking at 17,000 feet or
upward, more especially with a great change of altitude in a
few hours. My heart thumped vigorously; my breathing
was deep and rapid. I was more than ready to stop when-
ever the mules did, but rejoiced that for one long zig I was
able to keep up with them. I was glad when my self-im-
posed task was done, and at the next corner remounted my
mule with pleasure, if not with alacrity. At such altitudes
one does nothing with alacrity. That this slope is composed
of coarse volcanic sand or gravel adds to the difficulty. It is
remarkable that the vestige of a trail should remain after sey-
eral years’ disuse, when in the beginning it was merely scooped
out with shovels. To leave this slope and pursue our way
around the mountain side towards the northwest was an agree-
able change. The incline of sand and gravel is broken by
ridges of rugged lava rock, and detours are made to avoid
impassable cliffs. Later came more zigzags, then a ravine to
cross, a bad slope of pebbles, lastly an easy stretch to the sum-
mit, past a large patch of snow.
Though the way had seemed tedious, we arrived, well-
pleased, at a quarter of ten; yet not so enthusiastic as the
indians who constructed the path. These on reaching the
summit, each in turn embraced the two Observatory gentle-
men with them; then removing their hats, they knelt and
kissed the cross. Next they drank the health of the gentle-
men, after which they made a hole in the ground, placed
therein some coca leaves, poured a libation of wine, and re-
placed the earth. The iron cross, about five feet high, is said
84 AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI
to have been erected here in 1784, after an earthquake which
occurred May 13 of the same year.
From this lofty elevation, the prospect was extensive and
interesting, though not so beautiful as others that I have be-
held from lesser heights. The ocean, sometimes visible for a
great distance along the coast, was hidden by the heavy bank
of clouds which ordinarily hangs over it. The immense des-
ert plateau far beneath was diversified by hills and mountains:
Chachani, close at hand, somewhat higher than Misti, rather
a range than a single peak, with considerable snow-fields on
the top-most ridges; Pichu-Pichu, nearly opposite, a lower
range tinged with the reddish yellow sands of the desert;
Ubinas, another volcano in the far distance. A great white
patch on the plain, glistening in the sun, was neither water
nor snow, but a huge field of borax. At the foot of the cone
lies the beautiful green valley of the Chili River and Are-
quipa.
More interesting by far than the distant prospect is the
view of the crater on the brink of which we stood: a gulf half
a mile in diameter and 800 feet deep, the enclosing wall verti-
cal in many places at the top, though below sloping in towards
the bottom. A black lower wall divides the basin into two
parts, the old crater directly at our fect, the new, which was
still smoking, on the farther side of the cross wall. It was
an impressive sight, but after performing my immcdiate duty
by taking a dozen photographs, I was glad to find refuge
from the chilling wind in a hut six feet square and seven feet
high erected by the Observatory people. After a moderate
luncheon we made an observation with the hypsometer which
I had brought. A small portion of snow being reduced to
boiling water, its temperature was found to be 81°.6 Centi-
grade, equal to about 179° Fahrenheit. The pressure of
the atmosphere thus indicated would give the approximate
height cf the mountain, which we already knew to be 19,200
feet. Another small structure on the summit had been erected
to contain the various instruments with which observations
New Crater, El
Misti
AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI 85
formerly were made. The mean barometric pressure of the
atmosphere at this height, 14.9 inches, is scarcely half what
we have at sea level; such a diminution of the supply of oxy-
gen would be fatal to a large number of people and is en-
dured in comfort by few.
After an hour on the summit we prepared to descend into
the depths, the cholo, Manuel, having come with us from the
Huesos tambo to act as guide and assistant in this operation.
Although he had previously accompanied Professor Bailey
into the crater and was engaged by us for this purpose he
seemed decidedly averse to going down, perhaps because there
was considerable snow along the edge and on the slope within.
However, he was persuaded to follow in the route which I se-
lected.
Proceeding along the edge of the crater we had a steep in-
cline, chiefly of hard snow, on the right and a vertical descent
on the left. The jagged rim compels one to go warily.
Presently we perceived a narrow snow ledge but a few feet
below the top of the perpendicular wall. Descending to this
with care, we crossed to a steep snow slope on which we slowly
worked our way to the gravelly incline below. On this we
ventured upon a sitting slide which we did not dare to make
upon the smooth solid snow: the most convenient method of
descent, but rather hard upon one’s knickerbockers. Luckily
mine, of duck canvas, were proof against the roughest usage,
even gravel stones making little impression. We pocketed
some pure sulphur crystals, many of which were strewn over
the dark slope.
A volcanic crater is a natural reminder of Avernus. It
was easy going down, but hard labour to ascend. Fortunately
the inner wall is not so high as most of the rim, which itself
varies several hundred feet. One stalwart gentleman has told
me that near the summit of the mountain he could take but
three steps between halts ; many who ascend Misti are ill, even
when they do not walk at all. I was, therefore, pleased to
find that I could take fifteen or twenty steps without a pause,
86 AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI
though once, having advanced a little too rapidly, I felt ‘a
slight ringing in my ears and was obliged to sit down for a
moment. On gaining the top of the ridge we looked down
the other side into the new crater, the bottom of which was
400 feet below. There was a slight odour of sulphur and we
could see yellow vapours rising a short distance above the
floor. With plenty of time and someone holding the end of
a long stout rope, by which I might be hauled up in case I
was overcome by the fumes of sulphur, I should have liked
to venture at least part way down; but having neither time
nor rope we continued along the ridge which rises gradually
towards the crater’s rim, coming out on the side above the
hut about half past one. In descending, we would dig our
heels into the stony gravel, sliding several feet at each step.
This sounds easy and was good fun, yet we had to make an oc-
casional pause for breath. Our progress was still rapid,
so that we reached the hut by half past two, four hours better
than Manuel’s estimate of the night before.
Our return was by a shorter route, for some distance cir-
cling the mountain higher up than the way by which we had
come. By the time we were well off the slope, it was dark.
When, at quarter of ten, we reached our destination, I was
thoroughly tired out (my knees aching the worst), more so
than after any climb I ever made on foot, even when out as
many hours. Riding down hill on muleback is not my
favourite diversion. More excitement and less drudgery
better suit my taste. I was glad I had gone and very glad
to get back. Kind attention and the unwonted luxury of a
warm bath after a climb added to my happiness. To hardy
persons inured to long horseback riding this ascent may be
cordially recommended, but not to others.
The Harvard Observatory was established in Arequipa in
1890 for the purpose of making astronomical investigations
under meteorological conditions more favourable than those
of New England or of most other parts of the world. An
especial work has been the photographing of the southern
heavens. The Director is generally assisted by three young
AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI 87
men, who seem to enjoy life in this delightful climate with
agreeable surroundings, though far from their native land.
The climate and location of Arequipa can hardly be sur-
passed. Although Chachani is a trifle higher, El Misti,
being nearer, an isolated cone-shaped peak of graceful out-
line, and a volcano not entirely extinct, is regarded by the
inhabitants of the city as peculiarly their own, and with an
admiration and affection not unmixed with awe. While there
has been no real eruption since the founding of the city by
the Spaniards in 1549, the mountain is held in a measure
responsible for the earthquakes which from time to time have
laid waste the city.
If Arequipa itself compared with its climate and location
it would be one of the finest cities in the world. With about
35,000 inhabitants, it is, though by a long interval, the
second city in Peru. For a place of its population it covers
a large extent of ground, most of the houses, on account of
the earthquakes, having but a single story. In 1868 many
taller structures suffered calamity. Houses may be seen with
a wall rising irregularly a few feet above the first story, a
mute witness of the disaster.
The finest residences are built of stone, plastered over and
painted in bright colours, blue, green, yellow, salmon pink,
and other shades. The patios, decorated with flowering
plants, often with a fountain in the centre, look extremely
pretty and attractive. The dwellings of the poorer people
in the outlying sections, with floors of dirt or brick, are in
striking contrast. Such people sleep on the floor and many
appear to sit there as well. The proportion of indians is
far less than in La Paz, most of the people having an ad-
mixture of Spanish blood. Among the residents are many
families of wealth who travel in Europe, speak several lan-
guages, have homes elegantly furnished, and are most agree-
able to meet socially.
The people are extremely religious, being called, in fact,
the most bigoted in Peru if not in all South America. There
is no objection to foreigners worshipping privately in their
88 AREQUIPA AND EL MISTI
own fashion, but they strongly disapprove of any efforts to
proselyte others. The cathedral has a simple, imposing in-
terior, the exterior cannot be so regarded.
Of frequent occurrence are religious processions, which are
conducted with great ceremony. While I was waiting for a
steamer, there fell a holy day in honour of the Virgin as
patron saint of the army. On Saturday evening there was a
celebration of fire-works in her honour, many set pieces being
displayed on all sides of the plaza, the last from the top of
the cathedral. These, the finest I had ever seen, I was in-
formed, were all made here. A profusion of rockets and
bombs of all colours enhanced the beauty of the scene. The
portales were filled with gaily dressed ladies and their escorts,
and with people of the lower classes, but these kept for the
most part on different sides of the plaza. The crowd was
polite, quict and orderly, manifesting very little enthusiasm.
Sunday occurred the procession, in which life-size images
were carried from one church to another to pay a visit. The
streets where they passed were decorated with bits of coloured
paper attached to strings which at short intervals were
stretched across the street. The images, which were borne
on platforms on the shoulders of men, were first a saint,
next a warlike maiden, and last a Madonna elaborately
attired in white satin and gold. These were escorted by
priests, boys, and soldiers, with a company of ladies on the
sidewalk bearing candles. Such processions, which have been
prohibited in many countries, still occur in various parts of
Peru, including Lima.
CHAPTER IX
ACROSS THE DESERT OF ISLAY
Soon after making the ascent of El Misti I learned that an
American gentleman, just arrived from La Paz, was intend-
ing to go north by the next boat. In strange lands, far from
home, where Americans are few, as in these regions in 1903,
one is apt to feel that all men from the United States are
brothers, more or less. Truly there is a difference, but most
men under such circumstances are disposed to be polite, so
I went boldly to the hotel to inquire for the said gentleman.
He was out, but later called me up on the telephone. Was
he going to Quilca? I inquired. Yes, he was. When? By
the next boat. Could I go along? Surely! When was he
going? Not to-morrow, but probably Wednesday or Thurs-
day. He would telegraph for information about the steamer
to the American Consul and let me know.
Further arrangements having been made in one or two
interviews, and another gentleman having joined the party,
we left Arequipa by train on Thursday, October 1, at 8:30
A.M., expecting to take the steamer Pizarro at Quilca on
Saturday.
At Vitor, where the railway leaves the river cafion to cross
the desert, we enjoy a good breakfast of four courses, and
in a leisurely manner go on to San José. At this station,
we find in waiting our arriero with animals which have come
from Arequipa over night. The arrangement of the bag-
gage was not easy. In the two hours of preparation we
walked about or sat in the shade surveying the scene. The
railroad track, stretching away to the south, disappeared
over or through a sand dune which formed quite a respectable
hill. San José was a railway station, no mas, as they
say, nothing more: a low building with several rooms, one
89,
90 ACROSS THE DESERT OF ISLAY
or two small houses adjoining, a bit of green consisting of a
few trees and a vegetable garden, a very little oasis in the
desert. In all directions could be seen only desert, save for
the mountains, which, indeed, were desert also, southwest a
low range of sandy and limestone hills, northeast the familiar
forms of Misti and Chachani.
At half past one, we set out for Santa Rosa, four or five
leagues distant, where we were to spend the night. During
the preparations we learned that our fletero (the Peruvian
term for muleteer), who in Arequipa had declared that he
knew the route well, had never been this way before. Now
was the time for an imaginative person to conjure up fright-
ful visions of getting lost on those burning sands, of wan-
dering for days and perishing for want of water. To pos-
sess an imagination is a great advantage to a writer, but
for comfort in travelling one is better off without. Perceiv-
ing a distinct track leading westward we follow it with no
forebodings of disaster.
It is satisfaction to have horses to ride instead of mules
as in Bolivia, but as there were four of these with cargo,
as they say, it was impossible to go so rapidly as we might
have done otherwise; a great pity, surely, as our horses in
the few moments that we allowed them to leave a walk proved
to be excellent pacers, capable of making the journey in one
half the time. The bright sunshine on the glaring sand
rendered smoked glasses agreeable. The heat was less than
I had feared. It was warm and would have been uncom-
fortably hot without the breeze which was blowing constantly
from the south. So strong it was that when once or twice
I raised my umbrella to keep off the rays of the sun, I soon
abandoned the effort.
Through the slightly hazy air, Chachani and the beautiful
Misti seemed close at hand, unhappily, almost in our rear.
At our right, and more distant, was a fine snow-clad moun-
tain, evidently higher and of more massive structure, which
had been pointed out to us above Arequipa as Amfato, and
on the railway below as Antasara. Farther north a moun-
ACROSS THE DESERT OF ISLAY 91
tain apparently still higher, crowned with an immense mass
of snow, was probably Coropuna, estimated at 22,800 feet,
even 23,000. For a long time I watched these great moun-
tains, occasionally disappearing behind a nearer and lower
range, but oftener showing thousands of feet of snow
above. They looked tempting for a climb and I longed to
make investigation, but they were far away. Both still
afford the mountaineer a splendid opportunity for a big first
ascent.
The desert itself was the genuine article, recalling, except
for the absence of camels, our childish notions of Sahara.
Other deserts like those of Arizona and Nevada had been a
disappointment. Arid, indeed, they are, but still with some
vegetation. Here there was nothing. No blade of grass
or sage brush, no cactus or lichen peeped forth from that
burning sand. Did the sand burn? Perhaps, but with thick
boots I did not notice it when I dismounted to take a photo-
graph. The sand, however, was hardly so deep or soft as
I had pictured. The horses’ hoofs sank in, but not too far
for easy riding, and they left a foot print. The plain as a
whole is of a yellowish colour with occasional patches which
are nearly black from a covering of black sand, and stones
resembling well rounded pieces of coal. The numerous sand
dunes of material different from the desert floor, some rising
to a height of fifteen or twenty feet, give a pleasing variety
to the otherwise monotonous plain. It seems strange that
the moderate though steady breeze which sometimes attains
a velocity of twenty miles an hour should be sufficient to keep
in motion these great sand banks, yet they are in constant
progress at the rate of about two inches a day. We wonder
where they come from. It seems that up in the mountains
there is a similar sand at an altitude of 11,000 feet. Of
this, immense quantities have been carried by the Tambo
River down to the sea and thence washed up by the waves on
the coasts below Mollendo. The winds then blow this sand
up the steep slopes between the shore and the plateau above.
But as there is a distance of twenty miles between the upper-
92 ACROSS THE DESERT OF ISLAY
most sand banks on the slope and the first of the dunes on
the plain, it is supposed that these came from an older sand
beach, 1,000 feet higher than the present, of which evidence
is given in the railway cuttings. While the dunes add
greatly to the interest of a horseback or railway ride across
the desert, they are of considerable annoyance to the railway
officials. When one determines to cross the track, in the
due course of its travels, nothing can stop it, and considerable
labour is required to keep the road clear.
This great desert region of Peru, extending 1,200 miles
along its entire coast, is not all alike; though wholly barren
save in those valleys where the fifty-eight streams come down
from the Cordillera, supplying water for cultivation of the
soil. These torrential streams, having carved out their chan-
nels in earlier days when perhaps there was more water, then
proceeded partially to fill them with good soil. These val-
leys, together with certain sections in the high plateau region
and on the eastern slope of the Andes, constitute the portion
of Peru now under cultivation. There is not, however, suf-
ficient water to supply all the bottom lands of the valleys, to
say nothing of the plains, unless artificial storage is resorted
to, and this is among the earliest plans for the development
of the country. A larger enterprise demanding more capital
and labourers than are yet at the disposal of Peru is the
irrigation of the desert pampas which present extensive
nearly level tracts of admirable soil, with climate suited to
the cultivation of many productions of both temperate and
torrid zone. This particular Pampa of Islay where we are
travelling has an area of 2,500 square miles, between the
Tambo and the Vitor Rivers. It is an especially favourable
field for irrigation on account of its proximity to several
good ports and its being crossed by the Southern Railway ;
also from the fact that at least a portion of the water needed
for this purpose might be taken from the Chili River near
Arequipa, if storage facilities were provided.
A commission appointed by the Peruvian Government early
in the present century is investigating all matters pertaining
ACROSS THE DESERT OF ISLAY 93
to the problem of irrigation, and will make a careful study
of the possibilities of each river valley.
It was like meeting a ship at sea when we saw two black
spots on the sandy desert. These gradually developed into
two natives from whom our arriero sought information as
to the route. About four we abruptly began the descent
into the cafion of the Vitor River. The very irregular walls
were in some places almost perpendicular, in others sloping
out into side gullies. One of those we went down by a very
steep path full of twists, turns, and zigzags. On the beauti-
fully green floor of the cafion, 500 feet deep, is the establish-
ment called Santa Rosa, a collection of bamboo sheds, in-
habited by one or two families.
Our request for lodging was received with a little demur,
but our mules were soon relieved of their burdens while we
stretched our own limbs. A queer place was this. Our
goods were deposited under a bamboo roof with enclosure on
three sides. On the dirt floor are a table and several chairs.
A door leads into a four-walled room, the kitchen, containing
a stove, a table, some boxes for seats, and a few, not many,
dishes.
The green of the cafion floor is partly composed of bushes
and willows fringing the little gurgling stream, and partly
of cultivated fields. Soon after a dinner of soup provided
by our hosts, with mutton, tea, and fresh figs from our own
stores, we prepare to retire, as the fletero says we must set
out at three a.m. The best accommodations are assigned to
me — the table, which is six feet long. Spreading on this
my sleeping bag, being quite wonted to a hard couch, I sleep
as well as I might with a spring mattress. The gentlemen,
one with a sleeping bag of mine, the other with mattress and
blankets of his own, occupy the dirt floor.
At 3:30 a.m. we aroused our arriero, who was going to
get up at one, and the woman who was to make our coffee.
We thought ourselves fortunate in setting out by half past
five, not much later than the dawn had rendered practicable.
A boy attends to put us on the right track. The cool, crisp
94 ACROSS THE DESERT OF ISLAY
dawn had lightened into sunshine before we came out upon
the plain where our old friends, Misti and Chachani, seemed
almost as near as ever. In the early morning the sky is a
beautiful blue, the air so cool that my woollen jacket, cloak,
and leggings are comfortable. I even take a short walk to
get warm. At the left is a low range of hills, yellow, brown,
and black, later running around to the front. From these
come down long streaks of white sand, some across our path.
The horses are in excellent condition, and after pausing
to take photographs we enjoy a few short gallops, but we
may not venture far ahead of the mules. In the warmth of
the rising sun I doff my cloak for an hour only, as the breeze
makes the air too cool; an astonishing temperature for a
tropical desert but 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea. By an
extremely gradual slope we at length reach the hills, about
eleven pausing for luncheon on the hither side, where we are
somewhat sheltered from the wind.
-
SFR ee
- 7
+ * © es
s - .
Fev >ty =»
>
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 161
sky seemed different, and I already rejoiced that I had made
choice of Huascardn instead of Sajama. The coast region
of this section is far more attractive than that of Southern
Peru. The mountains are much nearer the shore, extending
in bold headlands quite to the sea with stretches of sandy
beach between, the promontories with rocky islands forming
several excellent harbours.
A few rods along the beach we turn toward the mountains,
having on our right, though out of vision, the Nepefia stream
which, coming down from the Black Range above, affords
a water supply sufficient for the irrigation of two large
haciendas. The sandy road, shaded for some distance by
trees or bushes often thirty feet high, is in part lined by
fences of wire or of brush, more rarely by stone walls nearly
three feet thick. The inclination of the plain, which in the
distance of twenty miles to San Jacinto rises barely 1,000
feet above the sea, is usually so slight as to be imperceptible.
The curious part of it is that while our journey is over prac-
tically level ground we are continually surrounded by hills,
not in the far distance nor connected in ridges, but scattered
here and there, entirely distinct from each other, rising
abruptly from the level plain like rocky islands from the sea,
permitting extensive views of the desert between. The hills
are more or less elliptical in shape, many from a sixteenth to
a quarter of a mile in length, the size and height gradually
increasing as we go onward, nearly all steep enough to afford
a pleasurable climb for persons who like to take hold with
their hands. Some hills not far from shore seem to be solid
rock, these the most picturesque and inviting, others are a
mass of more or less rounded boulders; one shows a grecnish
tint, but the rest, like the greater part of the plain, are abso-
lutely barren, and yellow, brown, or grey. We hear the
song of birds, I counted altogether seven different varieties,
a few beautiful little ones with breast and head of bright
scarlet. These, I was informed, cannot be domesticated, but
soon die if caught and confined in a cage. The mournful
minor notes of the dove were heard nearly all the way.
162 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
Straight ahead appeared to be three or four distinct ranges,
the last, a formidable almost perpendicular black wall of ex-
traordinary height. After a three hours’ ride, mostly
through a desert region, we reached a village called Nepefia,
where we were compelled to make a not unwelcome pause, in
order not to desecrate by passing on horseback a religious
procession which was in progress in honour of Our Lady of
Guadalupe. A life size image of the Virgin was attended
by priests, children, and others in the manner of the pro-
cession seen at Arequipa. Farther on we were obliged to
make a detour from the direct road which passed through
the grounds of the hacienda San José. This had been closed
by the proprietor because the owners of the two plantations
were not on good terms with each other on account of some
trouble over the water supply. The twenty miles were so
long that an unusual sunset with a beautiful red glow had
passed ere we rode through the main entrance of San Jacinto
to mect a cordial greeting from the administrador, Sefior
Idiaque, and his Sefiora, who, as we dismounted, were await-
ing us on the veranda. I was delighted to be assigned to
a nicely furnished room with comfortable bed, and to find,
to my great astonishment, a bath room and toilet adjoming.
An excellent dinner was presently served in six or seven
courses, including, among other things, soup, beef, chicken,
quince jelly, a cream pudding, and bananas, as well as wine,
apollinaris, and coffee. Evidently Northern Peru, if desti-
tute of railroads, was by no means uncivilised.
Having learned that my box would not arrive until three
the next afternoon, I decided that nine o’clock in the morn-
ing would be early enough for coffee and rolls. The former
was delicious, and as the lady of the house was affable, I
ventured to inquire into the particulars of its preparation.
The coffee was made twice a week, each time being freshly
roasted, and ground to the finest powder. Then it was put
into the top of a French coffee-pot and pressed down hard.
Boiling water, a few drops at a time, is then poured on for
an hour, slowly trickling through. With plenty of servants,
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 163
time is there no object. Twelve spoonfuls of coffee will
make a wine bottle full of the liquid, which is very strong
and black, the real essence of coffee. A little of this put
into a cup of boiling milk makes a delightful beverage, far
superior to ordinary coffee with a little milk or cream.
During breakfast, which was at half past twelve, we had
a long conversation in regard to the status of women in
our respective countries. An agreeable and cultivated
French priest who was present expressed his opinion in op-
position to women being allowed so much freedom as in the
United States, though he approved of their having broader
lives than in Peru. Sefior Idiaque was more liberal in his
ideas. He explained the laws of Peru in regard to inheri-
tance, stating that where there is no will property is divided
equally among the children. While by will one may be given
more than another, the undue favouritism often shown in
other countries is prevented, as no child may receive double
the amount given to another, much less ten or fifty times as
much. If one is to be cut off on account of bad character,
evidence to that effect must be given in court.
The arrival of my box being delayed until four, by the
time it was unpacked and a suitable division had been made of
the articles to be left and carried, it was rather late to set out
for Moro, ten miles distant. It would have been wiser to
remain till the next morning, but after bidding our hosts
good-bye and getting under way I disliked’to retreat. The
baggage came off, first of one mule, then of another. Our
guide was ill natured and declared that by the time we
reached our destination it would be ten o’clock and all the
houses would be closed. A fee of two soles ' at once rendered
him more amiable, and we cheerfully pursued our way. For
a time we followed the railway track which extends a dis-
tance of nine miles from one end of the plantation to the
other. In the brilliant moonlight we had a fine view of
growing sugar-cane and of abrupt and rocky hills under a
beautifully clouded sky. Later we pursued devious ways
1A sol is nearly fifty cents,
164 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
across babbling streams, under low branching trees, and
through narrow lanes, till about nine o’clock we reached the
centre of the town, too late, we thought, to go on to a hacienda
in the suburbs to the owner of which, Sefior Gadéa, we had
a letter from the administrador of San Jacinto.
Fortunately for us Moro is an exceptional town, boasting
of a real hotel. It has one room where meals and drinks
are served and one where the rare traveller may sleep. In
this there was a mattress on chairs for which clean sheets
were provided. J thought myself lucky in not having to
occupy the floor, but hordes of fleas found me above and
prevented continuous slumber. Early in the morning Peter
went out to Sefior Gadéa’s with the letter of introduction.
A man was found, prepared to furnish burros to transport
our baggage to Cajabamba, the next halting place on our
journey to the Huailas Valley. Another man agreed after
some dickering to provide saddle horses to the same place
for the sum of ten dollars. Our hotel breakfast about half
past ten consisted of a broth with boiled meat and yuccas,
caldo they call it, and a course of steak, rice, and potatoes,
with wine and tea.
In the afternoon, accompanied by Peter, I walked out
beyond the edge of the town to the hacienda of Sefior Gadéa,
a courtly old gentleman who lived here with his wife, a
married daughter, her husband and three small children, and
a daughter who was still single. The house had adobe floors
and was simply furnished, the dining room open to the air
on two sides, a pleasant arrangement in this always summer
clime. After cordial greetings we were at once served with
beer, a little later with wine. About five o’clock we had
dinner, a more elaborate meal than might have been ex-
pected from the simplicity of the house, a soup, some fritters,
boiled meat and potatoes, a steak and salad, in four separate
courses, then a warm pudding with syrup, and two kinds of
wine. At the close a cup was placed before me containing
the most deliciously fragrant coffce it was ever my good
fortune to perceive, with an aroma really exquisite; but that
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 165
was all I could enjoy as I must be up very early in the
morning; drinking the coffee would have kept me awake till
three, a poor preparation for a long day’s journey. I con-
soled myself and my solicitous hosts by assuring them that
on my return I should venture to enjoy a cup whatever the
hour, of the day.
After all I did not sleep well in my anxiety for an early
start. About four I called the boy to saddle our horses
which were in waiting, but when we were ready there was
exasperating delay for Sefior Maridtigui, the son-in-law of
Sefior Gadéa, who had proposed to accompany us. How-
ever, we departed about six, our baggage on slower bur-
ros having left the previous afternoon. Moro is situated
near where two streams, coming down separate gorges, unite
to form the Nepefia at the uppermost edge of the region of
the plain; the hills, which though larger and more numerous
had hitherto been scattering, now became ridges leading up
to the Black Range. As our route follows the southern
branch of the Nepefia, for a half hour we ride south over
nearly level country before beginning our long and tedious
climb toward the east. The early morning is delightful, in-
deed the whole ride would be, if thirty miles up-hill did not
require so many hours. Near the bed of the stream we pass
a few cane-built huts, then slowly ascend by a good bridle
path along the side of a generally barren slope. In some
places there are trees and bushes by the path, many of helio-
trope so laden with fragrant blossoms, often above my head,
that I feel no compunction in breaking off a great bunch to
put in my belt and when these become wilted in discarding
them for another. Occasional patches of green are in beau-
tiful contrast to the barren and rocky hills at the sides of
the cafion. Several hills are composed entirely of pale yel-
low, almost straw coloured rocks, well rounded, standing out
separately, some looking ready to roll down to the gorge
below whither many of their companions have preceded them.
The high black wall in front, long before seen from the sea,
seems to bar our way. Our horses pace whenever there is a
166 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
bit of level, yet as usual progress seems slow. Having
earlier in the day passed our baggage on the still slower
burros, about ten we arrive at Hornillos, the halting place for
breakfast, a picturesque level spot among the rugged hills,
consisting of a few dwellings of reeds by the gurgling brook,
and a large adobe oven. Above the stream bend graceful
willows, which with a few irrigated fields of alfalfa and vege-
tables form a pretty oasis among the barren hillsides. The
people were pleasant if dirty, and I did not refuse a plate of
soup, composed apparently of meal and herbs with an egg
on top. Peter was too fastidious to test it, even after I pro-
nounced it good, though Sefior M was devouring his
with avidity.
At Hornillos, perhaps 4,000 feet above Moro, the cafion
divides; the road forks as well, the old way at the left pass-
ing by the village of Pamparomas, at the right a new road,
both leading up to Cajabamba; but the latter is shorter and
better, I understood the arriero to say, as later proved to
be the fact. Sefior M , however, insisted that we should
go by the old way to Pamparomas which Peter also urged, so
that was the course we followed. Peter and M had by
now struck up a great friendship. Their continual chatter
made me glad to ride on ahead out of ear-shot to enjoy the
scenery in peace and quict, the massive black wall ahead pre-
senting ever a more impressive appearance.
Pamparomas, which we reached at quarter past three, is a
considerable village of stone or adobe houses, crowded to-
gether on the hillsides at an approximate altitude of 9,000
feet, therefore, in a rather cool climate. The inhabitants
mostly engage in the carrying trade (with burros as the
chief means of transport) between the coast and the Huailas
Valley on the east side of the Black Range. We paused at
a tambo or inn where a funny old woman presides, voluble
and friendly to an almost excessive degree. In the principal
room on the dirt floor were two single iron bedsteads and a
few chairs, also an adobe bench decorated with a plush scarf.
We had some soup, spaghetti, and meat, after which I pro-
Copyright, 1908, Annie S. Peck
Hornillos, on road to Cajabamba and Huailas Valley
Hornillos, Oven
—
Br anette
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 167
posed to proceed, but Mr. M declared that we must re-
main over night. The rest with the exception of the arriero
all joined in, asserting that it was impossible to reach
Cajabamba before dark, that the road was extremely dan-
gerous with deep precipices at the side, that the people might
be away from home, that in fact the gentleman and his wife
were surely at the mine a league or two higher, that in the
absence of their parents the young ladies would never admit
strangers, that in the wall at some distance from the house
there was an outer gate which would be locked and however
loud our pounding we should be unheard and thus shut out
in the cold for the night, that our horses must be fed here,
and that the road was so bad above that we should not
reach Cajabamba before ten o’clock.
In spite of all this I insisted upon going on, according to
our original plans. But the horses were still unfed. The
arriero, who seemed a very decent fellow, said he had no
money for alfalfa, though the owner of the animals had been
paid in full the day before. Half an hour was already lost;
I promptly supplied the needed funds, thirty cents procuring
alfalfa for our three horses, and they ate diligently for an
hour. Meanwhile the old woman continued her protesta-
tions against our departure, graphically depicting the dan-
gers of the night journey. Scfior M said he would not
go in any case as his horse was too fatigued. Certainly it
was a poor beast and looked exhausted. Hitherto, Peter had
been polite and unobtrusive, but now he continued to re-
monstrate in a voluble and disagreeable manner against my
decision to proceed. ‘The road is very bad,” he said,
“much worse, the arriero told me, than it has been below.
It will be very dangerous after dark. We shall be obliged
to walk. The cold will be intense. I should not think you
would wish to arrive so late at the house of strangers.”
I assured him that that was my affair, that I was paying
for this expedition and would do as I saw fit. I had heard
that the Brysons were extremely hospitable. The Gadéas
had assured me that I needed no letter of introduction, that
168 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
once there I should be cordially received and have no fur-
ther care. I believed, where an English-speaking person
was such a rarity, they would perhaps be as glad to entertain
us as we should be to be entertained. I had overheard what
the arriero said and while my knowledge of Spanish was far
less than his, Peter’s, I was positive that the arriero (who
spoke much more distinctly than Peter) had said that the
road was no worse than part of that already passed over.
I was going on, I declared, and in my most dignified man-
ner I requested him to say no more. Peter was indignant
at the idea that I had understood the arriero better than he,
and refused to subside, although ignored. At quarter past
five we again set forth, Peter still sputtering, but at length
he abandoned his fruitless efforts so that I could enjoy what
proved to be a delightful ride. Some distance up, after
crossing the little stream, we climbed in zigzags the south
wall which separates this branch cafion from the other.
Then, happily with our faces seaward, we could give full
admiration to the gorgeous sunset as we rode high up on this
dividing wall, the end of which we presently rounded, coming
into the south branch 1,000 feet above the other road on the
opposite side of the gorge. The red glow lingered till we
were far up this valley.
I have never observed in the tropics the sudden fall of dark-
ness of which I have read. From the accounts of some
writers, one might think that it was as dark as midnight
five minutes after the sun sank below the horizon. The
twilight is obviously shorter than in our summer evenings,
much shorter than in England, yet it lasts about half an
hour. A more. noticeable fact, which I observed once or
twice to my sorrow, was that when the sun was quite high in
the heavens apparently several hours above the horizon, it
went down in half the time I should have expected, had I
not realised that there would be a great difference from its
descending in a nearly straight line instead of on a long
curve; yct in spite of this knowledge the early sunset once or
twice took me by surprise.
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 169
That it was almost full moon was a fact I had counted
upon. Before the twilight faded a beautiful bright moon
was illuminating our pathway and the entire scenery, afford-
ing an ample and more agreeable light than the hot noonday
sun. The road was excellent, better than much of the dis-
tance below. The gorge was deep beneath, but what mat-
tered that, on a smooth bridle path eight or ten feet wide?
The only drawback to my happiness lay in the fact that it
was now very cold in comparison with the temperature at
Moro; though I had prepared for the change by putting on
heavy underwear in the morning, and sweater, woollen cloak,
and mittens, when they were needed, I was stiff with the
cold before our destination was reached. It was long after
dark when we saw the lights gleaming in the distance. Well
pleased were we when, crossing a little stream, we rode
through an outer gateway along a shaded path up to an inner
door where, a few minutes past eight, we knocked and not
in vain.
First came a servant, then a woman’s voice called ‘“* Who is
there?” With a word of explanation we were promptly ad-
mitted into a patio, on two sides of which were two parts of
the house; on the right, the parlour and office, on the left,
the main house of two stories. What with the cold and the
long ride I was so stiff I had hard work to dismount or to
walk afterwards, but I was soon thawing out before a blaz-
ing wood fire in the parlour. The daughter, Miss Bryson,
had first given us cordial greeting and Mr. and Mrs. Bryson
soon appeared to assure us of a welcome, that dinner was
being prepared, and that I was quite right to come on to
English speaking folk where I should have a comfortable
bed, rather than stay over night in that dirty indian hovel.
The good hot soup, meat, rice, and tea, which we had be-
fore long, followed about eleven by a glass of hot toddy,
fully reconciled Peter to his evening ride, while I rejoiced
later in my good bed and nice heavy blankets.
As our baggage would not arrive before the next night,
and as I, through fatigue and excitement, was suffering
170 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
from a slight headache, I did not rise until one. I may say,
parenthetically, that I believe my habit of relaxing and rest-
ing at the earliest moment possible after any extra fatigue
or strain, perhaps at some moments when others on account
of etiquette or obligation would think it impossible, is one
great reason for my having been able to endure more in
certain lines than most persons.
Luncheon was served at two. Wishing to improve my
time to get a little needed training, about four, accom-
panied by Peter, I took a walk among the hills with which
the place is surrounded. Being still somewhat overdone
from my thirty mile ride of the day previous, and walking
more rapidly than was prudent on an up grade at an eleva-
tion of 12,000 feet when but freshly arrived from 1,000, I
presently felt a slight ringing in my ears which compelled
me to sit down a few minutes. Then at a slower rate I
pursued my upward way a while longer. Peter seemed in
excellent condition and persevered to the top of a ridge in
front whence I hoped he might obtain a glimpse of the
valley, but he reported only similar hills beyond.
It was still the dry or winter season, but above Hornillos
the slopes receive more and more moisture, so that these
rounded hills or mountains instead of being barren, were
covered with a brown grass. There were also cultivated
fields of alfalfa, barley, and potatoes belonging to the
hacienda. The temperature was cool enough to be fine for
walking. The air was bracing? Perhaps, after you were
used to it, but a trifle thin at the outset. Quite near were
some of the highest parts of the Black Range, hardly peaks,
rather a black jagged wall, cut by few passes or valleys.
Though not yet at the top of this pass we were already on
the east side of the highest part of the ridge in this region,
or so it appeared.
It would have been agreeable and an excellent prepara-
tion for higher climbs beyond to accept our hosts’ urgent
invitation to make a longer stay; but on account of the late-
ness of the season I felt compelled to go on at the earliest
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 171
moment possible. The burros with our baggage, they said,
we need not expect until Wednesday night, we had arrived
Sunday evening; but for once the animals made better speed
than was prophesied, appearing Tuesday morning. After a
breakfast at ten and luncheon at one, we were able the same
day at 1:30 p.m. to sect out for Caraz.
The man who attended us from Moro had returned thither
the day following our arrival. From Cajabamba we were
supplied by Mr. Bryson with horses and baggage animals, the
latter going direct to Yungay at the foot of the mountain,
while we set out for Caraz farther down the Huailas Valley.
A boy of the household accompanied us to the top of the
pass, an hour and a half distant, where my aneroid barometer
indicated an altitude of 14,500 feet; 14,700 is the height
given for this place in a Peruvian list of altitudes. I was
pleased to observe that in both directions the black wall
towered several thousand fect above, gratifying evidence
that my estimate from the steamer of from 15,000 to 18,000
feet was about as good a guess as could be made. Authori-
ties in Lima give these figures as the height of this portion
of the Andes.
From our point of vantage at the top of the pass we
looked down a gorge to a delightful valley, carpeted in
various shades of green, brown, and yellow, along which winds
the river Santa, the largest stream in Peru flowing into the
Pacific Ocean. But the eye does not linger over the pic-
ture far below. It is caught at once by the splendid sight
opposite: a row of snow clad giants stretching from north
to south as far as the eye can reach, a serrated wall so steep
and high as I had never before beheld, rising from 12,000
to 15,000 fect above the valley. The massive buttresses be-
low are chiefly of brown hues with an occasional patch of
green; higher up are tall rock cliffs surmounted here and
there by peaks of dazzling splendour, varying in outline,
but several so sharp and sheer that it seems strange the
snow has not slidden away leaving their heads and faces
bare. ‘There was more snow than I had expected to see
172 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
on these peaks of the White Cordillera. It seemed strange
that there should be so tremendous a difference between two
ranges very close together; for the Huailas Valley between
is only from one to four miles in width. The Black Cor-
dillera, at this season frowning and gloomy, from its name
characteristically so, shows at very long intervals a small
patch of snow on the south side of some particularly high
and perpendicular wall, while opposite us immense snow
fields and glaciers cover the mountains, wherever the slopes
will permit them to cling, down to a much less altitude than
that of the Black Range. This condition, as in Bolivia, is
obviously due to the fact that the cold peaks of the White
Range relieve the moist winds from the Atlantic of about
all their remaining vapour, so that the precipitation on the
west side of the valley is extremely small.
Eagerly I search out Huascardn, at the south, a trifle
higher than the rest. A saddle mountain it is called; if so
a Mexican saddle with very tall horns, for its twin peaks rise
several thousand fect above the col between. Directly op-
posite, back of the town of Caraz, is another saddle moun-
tain with even sharper horns; it seems a favourite type.
Here and there delicate clouds rest on the summits of the
range. It is a glorious picture. One could gaze enrapt
for hours; but the chill wind blows and we must hasten if
we wish to reach Caraz before night, as we surely do, espe-
cially Peter, who does not like the prospect; for the cation
below is narrow and deep, and while the path along its side
is sufficiently obvious it may be otherwise farther on, and
Peter and I are now left to find our own way. After tak-
ing a few photographs we begin the descent.
At the very beginning there were two places so steep that
it seemed that the beasts must slide, and we felt compelled
to dismount. The rest of the way the road was good
enough, though a little worse than on the west slope of this
range. After zigzagging a short distance down the head
wall the way passes to the right or south side of the cafion
along a great buttress which leads far out to the distant
ees 1
View of White Cordillera from Pass in Black Cordillera.
Huascaran at right
Copyright, 1909, Ilarper & Brothers
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FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 173
valley. As usual, Peter became pessimistic and asserted that
it would be ten o’clock at night before we reached Caraz.
Yet there were many places where the grade was slight and
our animals could pace. A little excitement was added by
occasionally meeting or passing a train of burros. These
animals would sometimes politely scramble out of our way,
but often a perverse beast would station himself directly
across the path, there remaining immovable until the
fletero ran up from the rear and gave him a good whack.
Then he would rush along utterly regardless of, it might
be, heavy casks hanging on each side of him, which were
liable to take off a person’s leg or do other dire damage.
If on the inside of the track, one was in alarm for fear of
bruises; if on the outside lest, being pushed off the edge,
he should roll 1,000 or 2,000 feet into the depths below, the
slope often being 60° or 70°. But the path was of fair
width and it would have been foolish to worry over so
improbable an accident, though Peter assured me that he
would not allow his sister to take such a ride for $1,000.
I greatly enjoyed the scenery, the deep cajion at the left,
the grim, almost horizontal wall opposite which extended
out for a long distance on nearly the same level as the top
of the pass, and sloped down into the cafion at an angle of
at least 70°. On our side the wall did not project in
a straight line; we went in and out along numerous pro-
jecting side buttresses which made the way vastly longer,
though of slighter grade than if we could have taken a bee
line, impossible except to one’s destruction.
Two hours from the top of the pass we came out upon a
rounded grassy hilltop, where a path branched off to the
left in the direction of Caraz. Now we rode, by horribly
stony ways, among little cultivated farms, till about dark we
reached the valley; but there was still a good moon. With
some inquiries, presently crossing the river, a considerable
foaming stream, we came to the paved streets of the town
and into the principal plaza, on one side of which was the
residence of an Englishman, Mr. Hudson, to whom we
174 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
brought a letter from the Brysons. Although hospitably
received by the Sefiora, I greatly regretted the absence of
her husband who, dividing his time between his business
cares at his mining property and his house and family at
Caraz, had recently departed for a month’s sojourn at
his silver mine on the east side of Mt. Huascardn. This
was the more unfortunate as he was the only English speak-
ing person in this section, and I had gone out of my way to
obtain his advice about the mountain. Being familiar with
both sides he would be able to give me, in English, informa-
tion as to the best plan of attack. Mrs. Hudson, though
the wife of an Englishman and the daughter of an Amer-
ican, did not speak the language at all and understood little,
so that I was obliged, as at San Jacinto and Moro, to do my
best in Spanish, with Peter occasionally helping out.
The rapidity with which immigrants to the United States
become Americanised is often remarked upon as extraor-
dinary, but it appears to be just the same when people go
to other countries. J met several Englishmen and Americans
who had married Peruvians whose wives and children spoke
no English. While some of the men talked vaguely about
going home some day for a visit, they had become just as
much a part of the country as any Germans or Italians have
of the United States.
A card from Sefior Victor Pezet to Sefior Arturo F. Alba,
or Don Arturo as he was often addressed, the editor and pub-
lisher of a weekly paper, La Prensa de Huailas, brought a
call from this gentleman who manifested great interest in
my undertaking, offered me the use of one of his horses for
the journey to Yungay and for the mountain climb, and ex-
pressed a desire to join in the ascent.
Wednesday evening I received a pleasant call from a
bright young woman of the place, a rather unusual and sur-
prising character to be found in this remote region. For
she was a suffragist, if not a suffragette (the latter had
not been heard of in those days), an ardent believer in the
higher education of woman and eager to learn of the greater
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 175
freedom and other advantages enjoyed by the women of the
United States. I heard afterwards that the brothers of the
lady had attempted with partial success to defraud her of her
property, which may have influenced her to believe that
women should have education, and opportunity for self-pro-
tection.
Thursday forenoon, accompanied by Mrs. Hudson and
Sefior Alba, we set out for Yungay. It was a delightful
ride up the valley along the paved highway wide enough
for carts, but no carts were there. This seems strange in
a fertile and thickly settled district, called the most densely
inhabited portion of Peru, a centre, it is said, of a popula-
tion of several hundred thousand people, most of whom live
on the floor or sides of the valley, others in adjoining and
tributary sections. It had not appeared remarkable that
there should be no waggon road over that great mountain
range along the sides of those steep cafions, but that no
carts, carriages, or waggons were going up and down this
populous valley, one hundred miles long, seemed evidence of
a lack of energy and enterprise.
At the elevation of this part of the valley, 7,000 to 8,000
feet, we find a warm summer sun; we enjoy the fragrance of
yellow broom flowers, the odours of fresh fields and grow-
ing plants; we ride between picturesque stone or adobe walls
often with overhanging trees, we gaze at the cultivated hill-
sides, and far above at the darker wall on the right and the
great white peaks on the left. Without doubt this Huailas
Valley in scenic splendour far surpasses Chamonix, while in
mineral riches it rivals the Klondike, for either merit de-
serving to be famed the world over; since these magnificent
mountains are veined with precious metals, gold, silver, and
copper, as with the more useful, if plebeian coal. On the
floor of the valley grow figs, grapes, oranges, chirimoias,
and other tropical and sub-tropical fruits; on the hillsides
above, the grains of the temperate zone; all climates save
the very hottest within a distance of a few miles, and the
grandest scenery that heart could desire. What better
176 FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY
dwelling place could one covet? Yet in spite of all its at-
tractions I wondered that an Englishman or an American
could come and settle in this quiet spot, far from old asso-
ciations, marry, and become to all intents and purposes a
Peruvian. Still, why not? Why condemn or even wonder
at an Englishman or American doing that for which we
applaud the Italian, German, or Swede, abandoning his
home and going to a foreign country where he believes he
can better himself?
At the attractive hacienda of Mrs. Adams, the widowed
mother of Mrs. Hudson, we paused for breakfast, con-
tinuing our ride in the cooler part of the day to the home
of the Vinatéas in Yungay to whom I brought a letter from
Mrs. Bryson. In many of these towns there are no hotels or
inns, the few travellers being entertained by some of the
residents. Having a single note of introduction to begin
with, or as in our case at the Brysons’ with none, a tourist
may go on indefinitely, sent by letters from one to another,
and treated with great hospitality by persons who, as a rule,
are happy to entertain strangers.
This is simply natural, as where there is no railroad
travellers are few, diversions and amusements are rare, so
that the advent of a visitor, as it were from another world,
is a pleasurable excitement. Guests entail little expense or
trouble as food is extremely cheap, families have their own
haciendas and so many servants that labour does not count,
much as it was on Southern plantations before the war.
This custom was extremely pleasant for me, affording op-
portunity to observe something of Peruvian life, of which
foreigners in Lima or Arequipa are apt to see little or
nothing.
The Vinatéa sisters greeted me with great cordiality,
placing the house at my disposal, not in name but in fact.
The household in which I was destined to pass many weeks
before my task was finally accomplished consisted at this
time of three sisters, Emilia, Julia Maria, and Natalia
Vinatéa, and their uncle, Dr. Manuel R. Fernandez, a wid-
FROM LA PAZ TO YUNGAY 177
ower, whose daughter was absent at school in Lima, where
also was the sister Natalia. In the house adjoining lived
a sister of the Vinatéas, Sefiora Margarita de Valle Leon,
a widow with five daughters of ages from three to thirteen
years. Another married sister lived at the corner of the
principal plaza. The family was very well off, each of the
sisters owning two haciendas or estates, and all together, with
two married brothers, a coal mine and a silver mine.
On entering the town we had found the stregts prac-
tically deserted, as almost everyone was at the plaza
(luckily not the Vinatéas who were in mourning), where a
bullfight was in progress. My arrival was at an unfortu-
nate time for my mission, as Yungay was now en feéte,
celebrating the dedication of a fountain in the large central
square. On Wednesday the Bishop had with suitable cere-
monies consecrated this fountain for which water had been
piped from the hills above to afford a better supply than
could be obtained from the acequias or gutters running
through the city. To-day, Thursday, had begun a three
days’ programme of bullfights, the chief form of diversion
in those smaller towns of Peru, too remote for theatrical
companies or travelling shows, where people are thrown for
amusement entirely upon their own resourees. Bullfights
being rather expensive, occur in any one place in the rural dis-
trict at an interval perhaps of two years, when many from
the neighbouring towns visit their friends to share in the fes-
tivities. Beyond making inquiries nothing could be done
until these were concluded.
CHAPTER XV
A PERUVIAN BULLFIGHT. FIRST ATTEMPT ON
HUASCARAN
ComrortaBLy installed in the Vinatéa mansion I enjoyed a
few days’ visit. None of the family spoke English, but they
seemed easily to comprehend my poor Spanish, while I could
understand them if their words were slowly uttered. The
Doctor, however, talked so fast that either his French or his
Spanish was almost equally difficult, but the Sefiorita Emilia,
often repeating his remarks, would make them intelligible.
Peter, too, would occasionally act as interpreter. He oc-
cupied a room in a neighbouring dwelling, coming over to
meals or whenever his services were desired. At other times
he wandered about, making friends and amusing himself on
his own account.
Friday afternoon I went over to the house of the sister
who resided on the plaza, to witness from her balcony the
bullfight. The performance was very different from the
one I had seen in Mexico, otherwise I should not have gone.
A spectacle where horses and bulls, in a one-sided game, are
cruelly slaughtered, was too disgusting for me to witness to
the end. Here, however, the bulls were not killed, nor the
horses either unless by accident. The young men who en-
tered the arena were alone responsible if they chose to risk
their lives. They were not friends of mine, and if their
families approved I had no occasion to worry. As a matter
of fact, except in the case of a silly piece of recklessness on
the part of some foolish, half drunken individual, the danger
was less than in the big college games of football, and the
performance was much less brutal.
About two o’clock occurred the grand entrance of horse-
men headed by three marshals. In their tour around the
178
A PERUVIAN BULLFIGHT 179
sides of the plaza they were showered by the ladies in the
balconies above with bouquets, wreaths of flowers, and in a
few cases white pigeons tied with long red ribbons, red and
white being the national colours of Peru. The many beau-
tiful horses excited my admiration, every one naturally riding
his best steed and lending his second best to a friend desti-
tute of good animals. It is said by some that the Peruvian
saddle animals, as a class, are the best in the world, a few
having five distinct gaits.
The bulls, fourteen in number, were supplied by the
wealthy men of the district. As they came, one at a time,
from a side street into the plaza, there would be a great
booming of fire crackers to arouse the animals to activity.
Men waving ponchos would advance on foot or horseback
to incite the bull to charge. A small minority, however, took
an active part in the proceedings, the majority remaining
aloof in the corners of the plaza.
The bulls would stand still much of the time, occasionally
pawing the ground. Several were quite fierce. It was an
exciting moment, when, as occasionally happened, a man
was thrown down and apparently gored; yet after the bull
had passed, generally he jumped up and ran away. Two were
less fortunate as a result of their own stupidity, caused per-
chance by intoxication. One man, instead of stepping to
one side as the bull charged, stood directly behind his poncho.
Falling, he remained motionless, until carried off the field.
Another who displayed a large pink handkerchief as a poncho
was also gored and carried out. An amusing incident was
when one man having stumbled and fallen lay on his back
and, as the bull lowered his head, kicked at him and then
grabbed his horns. Someone threw him a poncho, a horse-
man rode up to distract the bull’s attention and the man
got off without a scratch though another was injured.
At intervals the band played fairly good music. The
monotony was for us further enlivened by the passing around
of chicha with nutmeg on top, a beverage somewhat like beer.
Later in the afternoon ice cream and cakes were served.
180 A PERUVIAN BULLFIGHT
Gentlemen coming up to shake hands with their lady friends
made a brief call. I took several photographs, though to
select the most exciting moment was difficult. Toward the
east there was continually a wonderful spectacle: the great
open plaza with the fountain in the centre, the horsemen, the
bull, and the indians with their ponchos; the spectators, in-
dians in motley attire on the ground, and gaily dressed ladies
in the balconies, the white church with red roof; the steep
rounded hilltop above showing fields of green and gold in-
terspersed with a few dark trees, and towering higher far,
the wonderful great mountain, a gleaming glacier covering
the whole width of the lower slopes, the twin peaks of the
upper portion rising, partly in perpendicular cliffs, but else-
where covered with dazzling snow: a magnificent picture
which an artist should bring back for the admiration of the
world.
The skilful horsemanship was worthy of high praise, as
outside of a circus it was the finest riding on the most beau-
tiful saddle horses I had ever seen. The way the animals
would go sideways in front of the bulls showed great skill
on the part of horse and rider, but in two cases the horses
were touched by the bull’s horn. One beautiful animal, we
heard later, was mortally injured, the only fatality during
the several days’ féte.
On one occasion a man who had been thrown down by a
bull and rolled over three times, got up and walked away;
whereupon his friends rushing out shook and pounded him
as if he had done wrong; which seemed rather queer unless
this was their curious method of congratulation. This bull,
one of the liveliest of the lot, coming down to our corner
made a great scattering of men, women, and children who
were sitting and standing in front of the barriers. They
fled one way or another, or slipped through the opening at
the corner of the fence. The bull in pursuit discovered
the opening and tried to follow. Success in his attempt
would have been calamitous, as the street outside was filled
with women and children. Luckily a man close by had the
Copyright, 1908, Annie S. Peck
Bull fight, Yungay
FIRST ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN 181
pluck to rush forward and seize the bull by the tail. It was
a powerful animal and one man could not delay him long,
but in a second several others rushed up and laid hold with
him. There was a moment of suspense as we wondered what
would give way first. The united strength of the men
proved too much for the bull. He backed a little and turned
around when the men scattered nimbly, as he was in a good
deal of a rage.
Several of the bulls, frightened by the noise of fire
crackers, the waving ponchos, and the people, instead of
attacking any one, ran away. One was so obviously harm-
less that the boys rushed up, grabbed him by the horns and
tail, and ran along beating him, shouting, and having a
great deal of fun, till the poor beast shook them off and
escaped. This was a part of the programme designed for
the amusement of the youngsters.
While most of the men on foot were indians or cholos, a
few gentlemen thus entered the arena, among these, our
friend, Sefior Maridtigui who was very graceful, skilful with
the poncho, and dexterous in stepping quickly aside. The
festivities continued through Saturday and Sunday after-
noons, accompanied by so much revelry, that on the last day
few men were able to take part in the arena. It was neces-
sary to wait for the indians to get sobered up before I could
set out for the mountain.
A letter of introduction from Mr. Alexander Chambers in
Lima had been presented to Sefior Ildefonso Jaramillo of
Yungay, a man said by Mr. Chambers to be better acquainted
with the indians of that vicinity than any one else, and there-
fore the most competent person to make for me a good
selection of porters. Mr. Jaramillo at once interested him-
self in the matter and in this and later expeditions was most
useful, kindly going to much trouble to procure the best
men obtainable. During the period of enforced delay vari-
ous offers of escort had come from gentlemen of the place.
I knew nothing of the skill or energy of my would-be com-
panions save that all were alike inexperienced, mountain
182 FIRST ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN
climbing not yet having become a fashionable sport in South
America, as in Europe. With my two small tents, a large
retinue was impossible, but it seemed wise not to decline any
proffered assistance, later selecting for the work the one or
two who seemed the most efficient and capable.
When I first saw from Yungay magnificent Huascardn
towering far above the valley, I was filled with dismay at my
own temerity in dreaming for a moment of its conquest.
Many thousand feet rise the rocky slopes and the well rounded
earth covered buttresses, supporting the broad ice-clad sub-
structure of the twin peaks, which at a startling angle pierce
the blue sky above. The immense glacier below the peaks
was so visibly and terribly cut by a multitude of crevasses
that it seemed impossible for the most skilful, much less for
men wholly inexperienced, to find their way through such a
maze.
For the purpose of studying the glacier at closer range,
I walked one morning up the hills back of the town to a
height perhaps 2,000 feet above the valley, which at Yun-
gay has an altitude of 8,300 feet. A nearer view through a
good glass was not encouraging. It signified nothing that
an Englishman, Reginald Enock, had the May previous
gone a short distance over the ice; it would obviously be
much easier to negotiate at the beginning of the dry sca-
son than at the end. While some gentlemen of the town
considered this the only practicable place for an effort,
though all believed the ascent of the mountain impossible,
others reported that on the east side one could ride much
higher, to an altitude of 17,000 feet, instead of 10,000, and
that other difficulties would there be correspondingly less.
Those who favoured the west side declared that on the east
great danger from avalanches would be incurred. With
these conflicting stories I hardly knew how to decide; but as
it seemed preposterous with my poor assistance to dream of
overcoming the difficulties which I saw, and further, as I had
heard of the wonderful scenery of the Llanganuco Gorge
(through which lay the pass to the east), which I greatly
Setting out for east side of mountain
Llanganuco Gorge
ei
a
FIRST ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN 183
desired to visit, I gave the more willing heed to those who
favoured an attempt on the opposite side of the mountain,
and finally determined on this route.
The indians who had been engaged as porters having gone
ahead with the baggage, about two o’clock on the afternoon
of September 28, our cavaleade set forth. In addition to
the members of the party, several gentlemen, including the
Governor and other persons of prominence, had assembled to
see us off, so that quite a cavalcade clattered out of the
patio. Instead of proceeding directly towards the moun-
tain, at the instance of the Governor, who riding by my
side was leading the way, we turned in the opposite direc-
tion to the right then to the left and left again, in order to
pass through two of the main streets of the town, evidently,
as I then perceived, as a spectacle to the inhabitants. If
our cavalcade of a dozen or so did not present an imposing
appearance, we were of sufficient consequence to have called
out a goodly number of spectators who lined the nar-
row sidewalks and stood in the doorways along our route.
How many of the dozen accompanying me or which ones were
contemplating the ascent of the mountain, I had no idea,
until at the edge of the town, the Governor and several
others bade me a cordial good-bye with best wishes for a suc-
cessful ascent.
Presently a discussion arose among my companions as to
which we should take of two paths, one on each side of the
gorge. That by which we at length proceeded, as developed
later, had doubtless been insisted upon because of a habita-
tion part way where liquid refreshment could be procured.
The angle of the foothills is steep, and the way was pic-
turesque, at first often between high adobe walls with over-
hanging trees, past adobe houses and pretty gardens, some-
times along the bank of a rushing stream, to a more sparsely
settled but cultivated hillside. At a house on the rounded
hilltop a halt for refreshment was suggested. Promptly de-
clining the proposal I rode on with one or two others, but
afterwards perceived that my refusal was a mistake, as the
184 FIRST ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN
gentlemen who paused might in my company have made their
stay less protracted.
After two hours of rapid climbing, we approach the
Llanganuco Gorge, which on the north side of Huascardn,
between that mountain and Huandoy, is the best and most
frequented pass on this side of the Huailas Valley. After
entering the gorge which is four miles in length, we con-
tinue to ascend, the walls on both sides becoming more steep
and rugged until cliffs rise perpendicularly above our heads
to a height of several thousand feet. These call to mind
El Capitan in the Yosemite, but seem of more impressive
grandeur, some persons might say more gloomy. The val-
ley is narrower, perhaps a quarter of a mile wide, and the
walls on either side rival each other in height. Most of
the way we are close to the north cliffs some distance above
the main floor of the cafion over which great rocks are scat-
tered. An irregular line of trees and bushes indicates the
course of a rushing stream.
The enclosing walls are of varying outlines; at the north,
half way through, several enormous, almost triangular
blocks disclose between and back of them a glimpse of great
snow fields and glaciers high above.
Some excitement was created when we were overtaken by
the gentlemen who had delayed for refreshments. It was
immediately evident that at least one of these, not alto-
gether recovered from the revelry of the past week, had
tarried too long over his cups. He would dash madly by
on the narrow path shouting and singing; he would en-
deavour to enter into conversation with me, polite but ef-
fusive, halting his horse directly across the pathway, and be-
coming rather abusive when checked by the others. Alarmed
lest some accident ensue, I at length prevailed upon Peter
to induce his friends to keep the gentleman well in the front
or rear.
Upon reaching the culminating point of the gorge, the
altitude of which is 12,000 feet, we behold before us a
beautiful green lake half a mile long, covering almost the
FIRST ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN 185
entire width of the valley. A splendid snow-crowned moun-
tain in the distant background is in striking contrast to the
sombre cliffs on either hand. Here we gaze at the south
ten thousand feet straight up to the summit of the north
peak of Huascardn, where after long years I was destined
one day to stand. Our pathway, in places hewn out of the
solid rock, in others supported by tree trunks, almost over-
hangs the so-called fathomless lake a hundred feet below,
into which a horse’s stumble might easily precipitate one;
but the animals climb veritable stairs with ease, though
going down in an especially dangerous place, I am advised
to dismount. Beyond this lake we find another, then a
broad meadow where cattle are grazing. Near this end of
the gorge a pretty wavering waterfall comes over the north-
ern cliff, descending in feathery spray in one leap possibly
2,000 feet. At the end of the dry season, it is but a small
affair ; five months earlier it must present a spectacle of far
greater beauty. Several of the young men caused further
excitement by dashing madly over the plain, shouting, and
chasing the bulls there feeding, so that I was thankful at
dusk to arrive in safety at a building at the end of the gorge
where travellers find refuge for the night. In the long low
ranch-house, the various rooms, the property of different
persons, were all opened for our benefit. Early next morn-
ing we pursued our journey, with numbers further reduced
by the departure of several gentlemen on their return to
town.
A short distance beyond the ranch, having quite passed
Huascardn and its buttresses we climbed by a steep zigzag
path on our right up to the floor of another valley parallel
to the Huailas lying between Huascardn and other moun-
tains farther east. Riding south until we had rounded the
big buttress of Huascardn, we turned again to the right
towards a narrow defile leading to the east face of the moun-
tain. For a while the horses scrambled over the rocks in
remarkable fashion, but, as we had now left the path, there
was danger of their breaking their legs in holes which were
186 FIRST ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN
concealed by long grass and bushes, so that we soon felt
compelled to dismount. It was a struggle of several hours
up the side of the valley to gain the level of the hollow be-
tween the lofty buttress on our right and a long low ridge on
the left. After a rest and luncheon the way was pursued
in the defile, though with much murmuring and expressions
of fatigue. I had hoped on this day to reach the snow line,
but was forced to consent to encamp while still a long dis-
tance from the mountain. In front was Huascardn, the south
peak only visible, behind us at the east and south other
splendid peaks, one, whose beautiful sheer snow slopes
looked even more impossible than those of Huascaran.
The Bolivian Cordillera Real is a single range of snow-
covered mountains. I was surprised to find here a com-
plex group like many in Switzerland, but these of far
greater height, with vaster walls and slopes of snow. A
climb to the top of the ridge on our left, the south, revealed
the fact that this was an immense lateral moraine of a
glacier several miles long sweeping down from Huascaran;
the ice far below was so covered with stones and gravel that
it took a second glance to disclose a multitude of deep blue
crevasses which told the story.
Some of the young men brought up and planted on the
ridge a large Peruvian flag which the Governor, Sefior
Resendo Arias, had asked me to leave on the summit or even
on the saddle of the mountain should we arrive there. This
my enthusiastic companions already wished to float above
them. Fairly level spaces having been cleared for the erec-
tion of the tents, three of us occupied the smaller one of
silk, while the rest of the gentlemen took possession of the
larger, leaving the indians to get along outside as best they
might. Our camp was at an altitude of approximately
15,000 feet and we slept all we could which was very little.
The day following we continued along the moraine of
the glacier towards the mountain, sometimes in the bottom
of the gully, again on the side or along the top of the
moraine wherever the way seemed easier.
oe
*
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7
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2
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FOURTH ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN — 257
low, we could not see the bottom, so of course no pack was
visible. I said there was but one thing to do. If Ramos
was willing to be lowered into the crevasse with four men
holding the rope, possibly he could regain the pack. If not,
it was gone. For this Ramos did not feel inclined, proposing
instead to tie his ice axe to the end of the rope and try to
fish it up. There wasn’t one chance in a thousand, but I
let him make the attempt. Lowering the ice axe as far as
possible he dragged it along several times to no purpose.
Among other things I especially lamented the loss of a fine
pair of field glasses borrowed from the Brysons for the trip.
After wasting an hour over these crevasses, we went on
with a good degree of speed till suddenly the cross, left
near the camp of our former expedition, unseen on our way
up, appeared to my astonished gaze. Thence after lunch-
eon I led the way down by our earlier upward route. De-
spite the deeper hollows, with no trouble we arrived about
four at the rocks, where we promptly pitched our tents. An
hour later the other men joined us, but the barometer was
still missing. E said he could not find it. Instead of
devoting all his time to the search, he had climbed a few hun-
dred feet higher, to be able to say that he had reached the
greater altitude. This was of no consequence, but I did
mourn the loss of my valuable instrument.
E next announced that he was going at once to
Yungay to telegraph his safety to his wife. As he could
not possibly arrive in time to telegraph that night, this
seemed foolish; but my advice that he remain with us or
descend only to the mine was unheeded, though at the mo-
ment I understood him to say that he would pause there and
have a good breakfast awaiting us on our return the next
morning.
Early in my little bed I enjoyed my first good sleep since
leaving the mine. Ramos meanwhile had informed me that
it was E who suggested to the men their breaking the
contract and demanding ten soles additional. At the mine
next day I was surprised to learn that E had not been
258 FOURTH ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN
there. B said there was no other way down and we all
feared that he had escaped the perils of yawning abyss and
crevasse on the glacier, only to fall from some ledge of rock,
now perchance to be lying dead or with broken limb in some
out-of-the-way place. There was, however, a chance that
he had gone straight to Yungay as he had spoken of doing.
The matter of settling with the Carhuaz people I dis-
cussed with B » with whom I had left my money on the
way up. They had been continually insubordinate, had
broken their contracts, and deserted me on the snow. The
three who had signed were certainly liable to the fine. They
had gone less than half the prescribed distance over the
’s advice, I of-
glacier. Therefore, in accordance with B
fered to pay them ten soles in addition to the five each which
they had already received, on condition that they sign a
receipt in full. Otherwise I would give them nothing, but
would go before the Sub-prefect later and submit to his de-
cision whether they should pay the fine or I should give them
more,
At first all indignantly refused, but after a little talk with
Ramos he and the other two who had sworn to the contract
signed the receipt and took their money. The others pres-
ently followed. They were to return the clothing after being
paid, but stole away without doing so, except one who was
caught and purchased what he wore. After they had gone
I delayed my departure for a while, not feeling quite sure
what they might do.
On E *s horse which had been left at the mine while
we were above, I rode off escorted by B till we had
passed a place where he said some bad people lived. I was
accompanied also by E *s man on foot who was to re-
turn to the mountain to search for him if E had not
been seen in Yungay, while I was to go to the Sub-prefect
to ask for men to join in the quest. Half way down the
valley a horseman appeared in the distance; — E him-
self and no other! All our alarm for nothing! He ex-
plained that he had gone directly to Yungay arriving at two
FOURTH ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN — 259
in the morning. I afterwards learned that E had had
a bad fall en route, that in the steep descent he had turned
somersaults twice, smashing an iron cup which he was carry-
ing on his back, which doubtless saved his spine ‘and life.
Having exchanged horses, E and I soon parted com-
pany, and I never saw him again; he going to his home in
Carhuaz while I returned alone to Yungay, fortunately arriv-
ing before dark.
Surely I had had adventures, more exciting in reality
than in the telling, unless by some more gifted writer. I
was now compelled to resign myself to the belief held by all
others in the place that successful mountain climbing with
the people on the ground is impossible.
Not yet were my adventures over. I learned that E——
had declared in Yungay that he knew where the barometer
was and that he would go and fetch it if I would pay him
twenty-five pounds. The general opinion, however, coin-
cided with mine, that he had broken the barometer in a bad
fall and was too vain to acknowledge it. A few days later
Miss Bryson came over with a letter which she had received
from E asserting that I had offered the men ten soles
more and must pay them the entire amount. By advice of
the Sub-prefect Miss B wrote that if the men demanded
more they should come to Yungay and make complaint.
The Sub-prefect assured me that as the men had broken their
contract I was under no further obligations and had even
’s man alone came to
treated them generously. Later E
Yungay, not of his own accord, but sent by E He ad-
mitted the case to be as I had suspected: that E » as a
gentleman, did not like to ask pay for his services. He
had really wished to go; at the same time he had demanded
more for the men in order that he might receive a good
commission. This man said that E had allowed him to
keep but a small part of what he received. The Sub-prefect
told the man that I was under no obligations whatever, but
as he had come so far I would make him a small present,
which I had offered to do, so the man went off contented.
260 FOURTH ATTEMPT ON HUASCARAN
Indirectly I had heard that E had said he would like
to kill me. With an insane man full of hallucinations, it is
impossible to reason. I was therefore glad to learn that
E had been sent by his family to some Baths, as was
their custom when he became more excited than usual.
When himself, E was always kind and polite, and it was
said that E *s wife once remarked that she preferred him
with his infirmity to others who had graver faults all the
time.
While regretting that my attempts on Huascardn had
turned out so badly, I congratulated myself on getting back
alive and resolved never again to go climbing with one who
has been really mad. For E in his early manhood had
been violently insane, the effects it was said of over-study
at the University in Lima. When I was in Yungay in
1908, I learned that he had never been to that city after-
wards, his mind apparently having again become unbal-
anced through the excitement attending our expedition.
CHAPTER XXI
LIMA WITH SECRETARY ROOT. CERRO DE PASCO
As it was obviously useless, with assistance procurable in the
vicinity, to make further attempts upon Huascaran, I de-
termined to visit Cerro de Pasco, in the hope that among the
many Americans there employed one or two of more adven-
turous spirit than Peter might be found who would be glad
to join in an expedition for the ascent of some great moun-
tain. An overland trip to this famous copper region 150
miles to the southeast, I had looked forward to ever since
my first visit to Yungay in 1904. The upper part of the
thickly populated Huailas Valley manifestly presented a con-
tinuation of the magnificent scencry below. The sparsely
settled bleak plateau region beyond would be a change; a still
greater contrast would be the warm deep valley of Hudnuco,
from which ascent would again be made to the lofty plain
14,000 feet above the sea.
The journey is a difficult matter, not to be undertaken
without suitable escort, a good arriero with horses and bag-
gage animals, Yungay is not a favourable place from which
to set out on such a trip, especially for one encumbered with
a quantity of baggage. Jew persons in the town have mules
or horses for hire. The proprietors of haciendas, the Peru-
vian residents, have their own animals for short rides in the
valley, or to mines among the mountains, or for the longer
three days’ journey to the ports of Samanco or Casma on
the way to Lima. Few strangers come to Yungay, those few
like myself from the coast, confining their tour to the valley.
The arrieros who transport freight to and from the scea-
ports prefer to use their animals on the familiar paths
thither, reluctant to hazard an unfamiliar route, and timid
as to what might be encountered at the distance of a few
261
262 RETURN TO LIMA
days’ journey. On the plateau beyond Recuay, it was said,
there were bad people who might steal our animals at night.
This rumour of bad people on the plateau, I concluded
from reports heard later, was not altogether without founda-
tion. We should have to camp out at least once or twice.
Ten days or more would be required for the journey.
Nearly every one attempted to dissuade me, though the Sub-
prefect Cisneros and the Vinatéas made inquiries in my be-
half. At length a man was found who after considerable
talk consented to go and to provide the necessary animals ;
but having agreed upon terms he vanished to return no more.
It was necessary then to go back to Lima by the old way.
The Brysons kindly supplicd animals to Cajabamba, with
a note directing their major domo there to send me on to
San Jacinto. He was a lazy inefficient individual, more in-
terested in airing his little knowledge of English or trying to
learn new phrases from me than in speeding me on my way.
If I had not urgently insisted, rising carly myself, and with
shouts and knocks routed him out of bed, I should not have
gotten away the next morning. The man who accompanied
me downward was indifferent and the baggage mules were
tired. They were not the ones designated by Mr. Bryson
for the journey as they had come up only the night before
with the mails; but it had been too much trouble for the
major domo to bring in fresh animals. Soon after leaving
Hornillos, still several hours from our destination, one of the
mules lay down, causing me much alarm for the safety of my
baggage, and anxicty lest the animals should utterly give
out or be permanently injured from over-exertion, Yet we
could only press onward. Two hours later near the village
of Moro, the animal lay down again. By this time the man
realised the importance of keeping the mules going, and by
continual beating hurried them along until about seven we at
last reached the town house of the Gadéas. With difficulty,
this man absolutely refusing to go farther, I procured local
assistance for the ten miles to San Jacinto the next morning,
when a nice boy of twelve or fourteen who accompanied me
LIMA WITH SECRETARY ROOT 263
greatly surprised me by refusing any money for his trouble.
Spending one night at the sugar plantation and one at
Samanco I embarked Monday, August 27, on the steamer,
which seemed a good deal like home; the more as I met on
board an American, Mr. Thomas F, Sedgwick, a graduate
of the University of California, who, after much practical
experience in Hawaii and Peru, was filling the position of
organiser and Director of the Sugar Experiment Station
in Lima connected with the School of Agriculture. From
him I received much valuable information in regard to
the sugar industry.
The city of Lima I found full of excitement over the
expected coming of Mr. Root, our distinguished Secretary of
State, who here made the last of a series of visits to South
American Capitals, conveying to the several Republics the
assurance of the sincere and disinterested friendship of the
United States Government. With the hospitality charac-
teristic of the Peruvians, elaborate preparations were be-
ing made for the honour and entertainment of the expected
visitor,
On the morning of the tenth of September, 1906, the
United States man-of-war, Charleston, entered the port of
Callao. From the balcony of the English Club House
fronting the harbour, I witnessed the arrival at the dock
of boats conveying thither the Secretary and his family,
together with the United States Minister, and various
Peruvian officials and ladies who had previously gone out
to the steamship to greet the guests of State. In the
capital city, Mr. Root was first welcomed at the Munic-
ipal Building by the Mayor and Town Council; then in
the adjoining Palace, the historical residence of the Vice-
roys, by the President of the Republic, His Excellency,
Don José Pardo. A new and elegant mansion beautifully
furnished and perfectly equipped, though not previously
occupied, had been placed by its owner, Sefiora Barreda
de Pardo, mother of the President, at the disposal of Sec-
retary Root’s family.
264 LIMA WITH SECRETARY ROOT
The same evening an elaborate banquet of seventy covers
was given in the Palace by the President to Mr. Root, the
members of the Diplomatic Corps and the chief officials of
State being present as other guests. On this as on other
social occasions in Peru, the guest of honour had an ad-
vantage over most of the distinguished foreigners who visit
the United States in not being bored to death by a series
of speeches. A single brief address made by President
Pardo, in offering a toast to the President of the United
States and his representative, was responded to by Secre-
tary Root who concluded with a toast to President Pardo.
Following the banquet a fine exhibition of fire-works oc-
curred on the Paseo Colon which was brilliantly illuminated
by an elaborate electrical display, while an enthusiastic
crowd of gaily-dressed people cheered the President and
his guest. This Paseo, the favourite walk and drive of
the city, having a width of 125 feet, is finely adapted for
such a celebration. At one end is the Exposition Palace
containing a beautiful hall where grand balls are given and
where other exercises of especial political or social impor-
tance occur. A pretty park near by contains summer
houses, conservatories, tropical plants, and a few animals.
Among the chief objects of interest in the city deserving
the attention of every traveller, some of which Mr. Root
and his family visited under the guidance of the Mayor,
the most obvious is the Cathedral, of which Pizarro him-
self laid the foundation stone, January 18, 1535, the date
also of the founding of the city. The original structure
being destroyed by an earthquake in 1746, the present
edifice dates from 1758. The imposing interior with five
naves and ten chapels contains some finely carved stalls,
old paintings including one by Murillo, and among other
historical relics a coffin in which the body of the Conqueror,
Pizarro, is said to repose. The interesting Church and
Convent of Santo Domingo and those of San Francisco de-
serve attention.
A great contrast to the sumptuous old churches is the
American Legation
Garden party,
Root was entertained, Lima
Sec,
where
House
LIMA WITH SECRETARY ROOT 265
fine new central market, occupying an entire square. Here
under strict sanitary regulations is offered for sale a
variety of fruits and vegetables, meats, and beautiful
flowers; a market for which we might well envy them. In
the United States I have scen none to compare with it though
such are of prime necessity and importance. A dozen of like
character would be a great boon to New York City. From
the gallery above, the floor presents a most attractive ap-
pearance. It is a pleasure to wander about even with no
idea of purchasing, though one is sure to be tempted at
least by the cheapness of the flowers, tube roses, sweet
peas, heliotrope, roses, and violets, if not by some of the
fruit of strange or familiar varieties.
The Senate House, of fine classic architecture, the Chamber
with a beautifully carved ceiling, possesses historic interest
as originally the seat of the Spanish Inquisition which even
in the New World endeavoured to crush out free thought.
The indians, happily, were excluded from its dominion, ap-
parently the only charity extended to them by their Spanish
conquerors. On another side of the same plaza is the
Chamber of Deputies, corresponding to our House of Rep-
resentatives. In the centre of this plaza, surrounded by a
patch of green, stands a bronze monument to the liberator,
Simon Bolivar, the greatest factor in achieving the inde-
pendence of the South American Republics. Over the en-
tire continent he is held in grateful remembrance.
One of the most dignified and impressive ceremonies with
which Mr. Root was honoured during his visit, was his
incorporation into the University of St. Mark as honourary
member of the faculty of Political and Administrative
Sciences; the conferring of honourary degrees not being
one of their customs. This ancient university of Lima,
nearly a century older than Harvard, and the earliest on
this hemisphere, was founded in 1551 by Royal Letters
patent of Emperor Charles V and Queen Juana, The
especial School of Political Science of the University
was in 1874 established by President Manuel Pardo with
266 LIMA WITH SECRETARY ROOT
the unanimous consent of the Peruvian Congress, under the
leadership of the eminent French scholar, M. Pradier
Fodéré, six years earlier than the first school of similar
character in the United States.
A garden party at the residence of the American Minister,
Mr. Irving Dudley, was a very pleasing affair, the more as
the afternoon sun kindly graced the occasion, a real and
unexpected honour, as at this season he showed his face
but three times in a period of two weeks, the weather in
consequence being extremely damp and chilly. Peruvians
do not seem to mind a temperature of 55°, wearing light
clothng both indoors and out, though I shivered in
my room a large part of the time in spite of heavy un-
der-wear and woollen jacket; this, be it remembered, in the
torrid zone at sea level. The warmest weather of the sum-
mer is seldom above 75 or 80°, quite a contrast to the
nineties in the shade of our northern cities. At this fes-
tivity the ladies were gaily gowned according to the lat-
est Paris fasions, with hats to correspond; the men, that
is all of the Peruvians, were in correct afternoon dress,
silk hats, frock coats, and mostly grey trousers; a few
of the Americans and a stray Englishman appeared in
business suits and derbies, whether because they did not
know any better or had not the required articles I am un-
able to state. There was a canvas spread for dancing,
which was freely indulged in, and elaborate buffet refresh-
ments were served from a long and prettily decorated table
at the side. Beside Secretary and Mrs. Root, the occasion
was honoured by the presence of President Pardo.
The round of entertainments culminated in a ball given
by the Town Council of Lima in the Exposition Palace
which had been beautifully decorated for the occasion; with
the Mayor, Dr. Elguera and his wife, acting as hosts. The
handsomely engraved invitations, fifteen hundred in number,
indicated eleven as the hour of assemblage: Secretary and
Mrs. Root arrived at midnight, President and Mrs. Pardo
a few minutes later. The elegance of this affair could be
Patio, University of St. Mark, Lima
Reform School
.
LIMA WITH SECRETARY ROOT 267
surpassed in few if any cities of the New World, the. ex-
cellent music, the beautiful Paris gowns, and the conduct of
the whole entertainment. In the large dancing hall dur-
ing the entire evening a buffet luncheon was served, includ-
ing sandwiches, cakes, ices, and every variety of liquid
refreshment, the most expensive wines to be had as freely as
water; but I noticed no one who had imbibed so much as
to render his excess apparent. At 2:30 a. m., a regular
supper of five courses was served in a capacious dining room,
for which tickets were given out, since in catering to so
large a number it was necessary to fill the room several
times over. With the exception of soup and coffee, the
viands served were cold: salads, pdté de foie gras, wine,
etc. Day was dawning when we departed, some of the
dancers continuing until seven o’clock.
The gracious hospitality of the Peruvians throughout the
week, both in word and deed, could not have been excelled,
the various attentions being accompanied with the most cor-
dial expressions of good will towards the Secretary and the
United States Government and of a desire for closer com-
mercial relations and friendly intercourse. Mr. Root made
a highly favourable impression on the Peruvians by reason
of his able addresses, his evident interest in the recent
remarkable development of the country, and his sympa-
thetic appreciation of the learning of their leading men
and their patriotic endeavours for national development and
progress.
On the 16th of September after the usual calls of fare-
well, with a considerable escort of distinguished persons,
the guests departed for Callao and the warship Charles-
ton. The same afternoon, as a slight return for the many
courtesies offered them, Secretary and Mrs. Root received
on board ship the President of Peru and a throng of in-
vited guests who improved the opportunity of going over
the ship, besides enjoying an elegant collation and a bril-
liant social affair. The Charleston set sail in the even-
ing leaving an impression upon guest and host calculated
268 CERRO DE PASCO
to exert an influence of great benefit and value upon their
respective countries.
My plan to visit Cerro de Pasco, temporarily suspended
because of my desire to witness the festivities at Lima in
honour of Secretary Root, was carried out the day follow-
ing his departure. What with the social affairs which I
had attended during the preceding forty-eight hours, lack
of sleep and hard work in packing, I was so much the worse
for wear as to be affected even before my departure with
one of the symptoms of soroche, a little nausea; it seemed
therefore certain that I should now discover for myself what
this disease is like; but I would not on that account post-
pone my journey.
Until a week or two previous, the trip to Cerro had con-
sumed the better part of two days, including a night at
Oroya: it had now been crowded into one, doubtless to please
the Americans at Cerro by thus saving a day of their
valuable time when making the journey. Accordingly
setting out from Lima, Monday, September 17, at 6:45 a. M.,
and arriving at Oroya at three, I was able the same evening
to reach Cerro de Pasco ninety miles north of that place.
The scenery of the Rimac Valley, however familiar, can
never lose its grandeur. The wonderful seven hours’ climb
from sea level to a height little less than that of Mont
Blanc has an impressive interest and fascination, although
the excitement is less than on the first experience. At
Matucana a light breakfast seemed the part of prudence;
yet so far I was feeling better instead of worse for the alti-
tude and the cool fresh mountain air. At the highest sta-
tion near the mouth of the Galera tunnel, as the atmosphere
of the car was close, I carefully stepped from the train for
a breath of good pure air. Hardly had I touched the
ground when my head began to swim, causing me to beat an
instant retreat to the quiet car. For the next hour, keep-
ing very still, I had no further trouble, which in view of
my condition in Lima was as surprising as satisfactory.
About nine in the evening I left the train at Tinayhuarco,
Primary School, Lima
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CERRO DE PASCO 269
the station being called La Fundicién, the Smelter of the
Cerro de Pasco copper mines, nine miles beyond. For here
was a “ Chance Acquaintance,” now a bride of three months,
who, sailing from New York on the same steamer with me,
had gone down to Peru to marry the man of her choice.
This gentleman apprised by telegram of my coming escorted
me to the large stone boarding house of the Company where
they had an apartment. In a room adjoining, fortunately
vacant, I was pleasantly quartered for a much longer period
than I then in the least expected.
The object of my visit was two-fold: first to sce the
celebrated copper property upon which more than twenty
millions have been spent by American capitalists, a property
containing what has been called the richest copper deposit in
the world, and second, to make an ascent of some great moun-
tain, with the aid perchance of an American or two who,
among the hundreds there employed, might, though desti-
tute of experience, still have some taste and qualifications
for mountain climbing. I had heard that there were no
mountains in the vicinity, but it seemed incredible that on
this great plateau 14,000 feet above the sea there should
be no considerable peak within a reasonable distance. Yet
alas, the report was true! While beyond the neighbouring
hills at the west a long range of mountains appears, the
nearer peaks are obviously not very high. At the north-
west, far, far away, two great snow covered mountains
are visible, the highest 90 miles distant; at the northeast,
equally remote, is another lofty peak, invisible from the
Smelter, but of imposing grandeur when seen from the hill
above.
Thanks to the hospitality and kindly assistance received
from the consulting engineer, Mr. Frank Klepetko, and the
Superintendent of the Smelter, Mr. J. J. Case, an expedi-
tion to the mountains at the northwest was made practicable,
and permission to accompany me was granted to two young
Americans, who thought that mountain climbing might be
considerable fun.
270 CERRO DE PASCO
To set out on a mountain climbing expedition with ribs
broken or cracked is hardly what one would choose, but
when it is that or nothing, no doubt others would say with
me, “ Let us try what we can do.” It happened in this
wise,
To obtain if possible some information in regard to the
great mountains and the route thither from some of the
natives or from the British Consul who had lived there
thirty years, I went over on the afternoon train to Cerro,
where I was entertained for two days at the Esperanza, the
new office building of the Cerro de Pasco Mining Com-
pany. The place is of exceptional interest as the highest
large mining camp and the highest considerable town in
the world: furthermore because the great copper property
is owned by a small number of well-known American million-
aires,
The town containing about 15,000 inhabitants is 14,300
feet above the sea: an elevation above the top of Pike’s
Peak, and within 200 feet of the altitude of the loftiest
mountain summit in the States which form our Republic.
The great plateau region in this part of Peru in which
Cerro de Pasco is situated is quite different from the sec-
tion I had scen in Bolivia: much wider, from 50 to 100
miles broad, and less level, here all hills and hollows, and
cut by deep and narrow cafions at no great distance apart.
At Cerro is a so-called knot formed by the union of branches
from the East and West Cordilleras, as happens at several
other points in the Andes. Here the titanic forces of nature
have in their struggles thrown up extraordmary mineral
deposits, not in regular veins, but in great chunks of richest
metals, with outcrops of gold, silver, copper, galena, zinc,
and cobalt.
It is these rich mineral deposits which have brought to-
gether so considerable a population on this cold bleak
plateau with its grey leaden sky. Only grass grows on
these rolling hills, though plenty of vegetable food is brought
up from deep sheltered valleys near, From the time when
CERRO DE PASCO 271
silver was here discovered in 1630, active operations have
ever been conducted. At the beginning of this century 45
million ounces of this metal had been taken from the mines,
in former days silver instead of copper being the desidera-
tum, though the latter product was not altogether disre-
garded. Now silver is secondary and copper of chief im-
portance. For the development of this great property
which contains nearly 70,000 acres, it is said that a larger
sum has been expended than on any other copper holding
in the world, amounting, from 1902 to 1907, to about $23,-
000,000. Now are flowing in the rich returns. It is said
that in 1908, 30,000,000 pounds of pure copper were pro-
duced; 45,000,000 were expected in 1909; and it is pre-
dicted that in time 100,000,000 annually will be turned out.
The output for February, 1910, was 4,000,000 pounds in-
dicating for the year about half the greater sum.
On this large property which includes coal mines and
the smelting plant besides the copper veins, a total force
of 6,000 men is employed, 500 of whom are whites, the
rest indians. Besides purchasing and developing the mines,
and erecting buildings for the smelter, offices, ete., it was
necessary to construct a railroad from Oroya (which with
rolling stock cost over $2,000,000), and to build hotels,
club houses, and dwellings for the American employees.
One might think that it would be disagreeable if not im-
possible to live at such an altitude, and it certainly is for
many. Hundreds of persons have gone down from the
United States only to return on account of their health;
but with a sound physique, persons of careful habits have
no trouble. Over indulgence in food, still more in drink,
will produce unpleasant or dangerous consequences, as may
over exertion before becoming acclimated, or excessive labour
at any time. The climate is really healthy for persons
living in warm and well-ventilated dwellings. The occa-
sional change desirable for many may easily be secured
by descending into one of the deep valleys, which have a
soft and pleasant climate, or by making a visit to the coast.
272 CERRO DE PASCO
The excellent grass of the otherwise barren plateau sup-
ports many flocks of sheep, llamas, and cattle.
The town is an interesting place on the top and side of
the ridge beneath which are the rich mineral deposits. For
hundreds of years miners have burrowed underneath, ex-
cavating tunnels and huge chambers, which they left to stand
or fall as might happen. In strolling about the town one
suddenly comes upon great open pits or quarries several
hundred feet deep which add to the already picturesque
appearance of the place. Here and there, too, great cracks
threaten the safety of the residents. During two visits to
the place, I rode about the town and neighbouring country,
visited the market place, the hospital provided by the Com-
pany, and spent one night at the Hotel Universo, a shabby
looking establishment with accommodations better than I
feared. The houses made of stone or adobe are some very
comfortable, these inhabited by Spanish Americans; others
occupied by labourers have a single room with no window
and are heated by peat fires; the better classes burn soft
coal,
On account of proximity to the equator, about ten de-
grees distant, the temperature is not so low as might be
expected at this altitude. For one period of six months
the variation was only from 28° to 64° Far. 10° is
the lowest point ever recorded. The seasons are called wet
and dry, the latter from April to November, though it is
liable to rain, hail, or snow at any time; seldom however is
there more than a few inches of snow, which disappears
at the longest within forty-cight hours. To many the coun-
try seems cheerless, but most of those who stay long enough
to become accustomed to its desolate appearance find a
charm in the graceful outlines of the hills, in the jagged
black cliffs of the distant mountains, and in the fine pure
air in which a walk or a gallop over the rolling country is
the best of tonics: a charm which appealed to me on very
short acquaintance.
Among the 15,000 people of the town I was unable to
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CERRO DE PASCO 273
discover any one who could give me the definite information
desired. For the return journey, as the one daily train to
Smelter left at five o’clock in the morning, I accepted the
kind offer of a mule. I had never ridden alone before, but
as I had found the mule well disposed the previous after-
noon, and as I had no fear of the natives, there was ap-
parently no occasion for uneasiness. I did not like to ask
for further favours, so I set out alone about eleven o’clock
Tuesday morning.
With fine bracing air, a good road, and an easy-going
steed, I was thoroughly enjoying myself, when suddenly the
alforjas, cloth saddle-bags, slipped back to the ground.
The mule obligingly stopped of his own accord. Obviously
I must dismount and go back for the bags which I did, while
the mule turned around to watch the proceedings. For-
tunately, later it seemed unfortunately, I had this season
become so proficient that I could get on and off a horse
from the ground without assistance; so when I had care-
fully replaced the alforjas, I did not bother to lead the an-
imal to the bank by the roadside, but placing one foot in
the stirrup swung up and over. He seemed a gentle beast,
and though he was now facing towards home the wisdom of
turning him around before getting on did not occur to me.
Moreover, never having mounted before without some one
holding the bridle, unsuspicious of danger, I had thought-
lessly ignored the simplest precautions, merely taking hold
of the saddle with both hands as I had been accustomed.
Great was my astonishment, when, before I was fairly over,
that mule bolted. For a second only was I aware of cling-
ing with both hands to the saddle, while the beast rushed
madly onward. In my next moment of consciousness, as
afterwards appeared, about an hour later, I was surprised
to find myself sitting upright, on a bank by the road side,
my alforjas, the occasion of so much mischief, lying be-
side me; the mule near the top of a hill the other side of
the way. Obviously, being stunned by fall or kick, I had
immediately picked myself up and my alforjas and come
274 CERRO DE PASCO
to this place. From the variety of my injuries, as later dis-
covered, I must either have been dragged by the mule, or
else rolled down the bank when he started up the hill.
Although suffering no pain, I felt disinclined to move and
waited. Fortunately, a native soon came along with an
empty cart, lying on the bottom of which I was carried back
to Cerro, meanwhile becoming aware of a pain in my ribs.
Though I had ridden little more than a mile, I had been
absent about two hours. I probably looked rather pale and
my face bloody, as the gentleman who met me at Cerro
called for a chair to carry me upstairs; but I assured him
that I could walk and did. The excellent surgeon of the
Company, Dr. MacDonald, arrived soon after the hasty
summons. Finding several ribs fractured he applied strips
of adhesive plaster half around my body, he bandaged a
severe bruise on my left arm, and dressed with collodion a
deep gash on my forchead, and one on my right hand; ig-
noring eight slight abrasions on this hand, four bruises on
one leg, and other minor injuries, including a cut on the
back of my head discovered later.
For two days, though able to move otherwise, I could
not lift my head straight up from my pillow. On Satur-
day for the first time I dressed and went down to dinner.
Sunday, there being no train, I returned to Smelter on a
locomotive, to which, in spite of considerable assistance, I
climbed with difficulty. Tuesday, a week from the day of
the accident, I rode very slowly on a gentle horse five miles,
on Wednesday walked the same distance, to obtain at Sefior
Fernandini’s Smelter more information about the moun-
tains. Friday afternoon, after a curious momentary pain,
as if something moved, I again went to Cerro. Though
Dr. MacDonald was leaving for Europe the next morning,
he kindly made a thorough examination, as a result of which,
to my great satisfaction, he pronounced everything all right,
adding, “‘ You have a splendid heart, I don’t see many like
that, and lungs, too:” a pleasant confirmation that my
earlier confidence in my sound condition was well founded.
CERRO DE PASCO 275
I now planned to set out for the mountains on the fol-
lowing Tuesday. That I was compelled to wait until the
subsequent Saturday for the boys to procure films from
Lima, was hardly a matter for regret. My ribs were still
sore. I was far from having regained my strength. I
had been obliged to sew and make other preparations for
the expedition, and doubtless looked as I felt rather peaked.
CHAPTER XXII
THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON
Ow the 13th of October our party after the usual delays
set out about eleven o’clock instead of at the appointed
seven. Besides the two young men and myself on _ horse-
back, there were two mules heavily laden with baggage and
a third bearing the youth who was to look after the an-
imals and act as guide. The horse previously assigned to
me was so very frisky, dancing about, that in my dilapidated
condition I did not venture to ride him; in fact I should have
preferred not to under any circumstances. Ned, there-
fore, kindly loaned me his own animal, which appeared more
gentle, and mounted the fractious beast himself. Now
eighteen days after the accident, my ribs were still sore: there
was no spring in me, and throughout the entire journey,
after putting my foot in the stirrup, I had to be boosted into
the saddle by one of the boys. It was evident that the
Smelter people, especially the ladies, believed that I was set-
ting out on a foolhardy undertaking. I had some mis-
givings myself on the subject; so that I remarked on de-
parting, in order to be on the safe side, that very likely
they would see us back within a day or two. My doubts
were as to whether I could endure the long horseback
ride, 90 or 100 miles each way; if so, I felt sure I could
manage the climbing. With the usual masculine attitude,
the young men, in spite of their inexperience, still, I believe,
were confident of their ability to do as they had been told by
Mr. Klepetko they must: climb at least 1,000 feet higher
than I. Not that they displayed any offensive arrogance.
They were most agreeable and considerate companions, and
the whole expedition was by far the most enjoyable of any
that I have undertaken in South America, It was a great
276
THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON Q77
pleasure to have courteous English speaking assistants, and
to be relieved of some of the labour of packing and es-
pecially of attending to the stove. But I think that they
did expect, being both stalwart young fellows, to leave me
far behind when it came to mountain climbing, despite the
fact that they knew I had had much experience and had
already attained a height of 20,500 fect, a greater altitude
than had been reached by any man residing in the United
States.
Hardly were the good-byes said when one of the mules,
unused to carrying cargo, bolted at a frantic pace down
the long steep hill back of the Smelter dwellings. I paused
where I was, to witness the catastrophe, and dismounted to
await repairs. No pack could stand the mad rush down-
wards. After much bouncing, it came off, scattering a varied
assortment of articles in every direction; but within a half
hour, with no more damage than a broken lantern, we pur-
sued our way, the obstreperous mule, after this vain effort
to escape, proving more tractable and serviceable than the
other.
After crossing the swampy hollow below Smelter, we
surmount a col opposite, from which a short descent on the
farther side brings us to a broad expanse of plain. The
prospect extending for many miles before us is curtailed on
either side at a lesser distance by the gentle slope of the
ground, though above this at the left may be seen a fine line
of sharp-toothed peaks of the Black Range with occasional
flecks of snow.
At the foot of the col, a stream barred the way caus-
ing a détour to the right till we came to a bridge af-
fording passage. An hour after crossing the stream, we
reached a considerable village, inhabited by half breeds and
indians. Some wonderfully black clouds which we had long
been admiring and preferred to admire at a distance here
met us with vivid salute: extremely sharp flashes of light-
ning and a cannonade of the heaviest thunder, the accompani-
ments of a furious snow storm. As on this great plateau
278 THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON
it is a frequent occurrence for persons to be killed by light-
ning, I deemed it the part of prudence to seck shelter in
a vacant house. Across the way some natives were en-
gaged in prayer. After a half hour’s delay, when the worst
of the storm was over, we went on by a very good road to
Vinchus Cancha where we arrived about three. At a small
hotel here, a cup of tea had been enjoyed, when the English
superintendent of the mine, Mr. Ralli, came to escort us to
his home where we met his Peruvian wife and baby. After
a good dinner and pleasant chat, we were glad to close our
arduous day by retiring early in expectation of a more
laborious morrow.
A strip of the plain several miles in width was still cov-
ered with an inch or two of snow from the thunder shower
of the previous afternoon, as we sect out from Vinchus Cancha
at eight o’clock in the morning; but in the midday sun this
would soon disappear. From the middle of the plain to
which we descended, our course lay to the right or northwest
in the direction of the great mountains which at Smelter we
had admired in the far distance as they peeped over the col
we had the day before crossed. A mile or two away on our
left was a pretentious hacienda, a group of large: white build-
ings enclosed by a high and massive wall. At long intervals
we observe flocks of sheep grazing or meet one driven by
several natives. Lonely in the wide expanse are scattered a
few indian dwellings.
In our rear at the right, in a northeasterly direction, we
presently perceive a peak which is believed by some persons
to be the highest in this region or even in South America,
24,000 or 25,000 fect it was said. In the clear morning air
it was a splendid sight, somewhat pyramidal in shape, looking
very steep yet largely covered with snow. It appeared a
difficult, if not impossible climb, yet rather more accessible
than that towards which we were tending. The two appear
about equally distant from the hill above the Smelter, but no
one could tell us what town if any the northeast one was
near, how it might be approached, or even what was its name.
Smelter, Cerro de Pasco
Vinchuseancha after thunder storm
THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON 279
It is useless to ride at random across the plateau, since this
is cut by many cafions two or three thousand feet deep which
have almost perpendicular walls, and which, therefore, like
the Grand Cafion of the Colorado, may be descended only at
certain points at distant intervals.
The mountain range ahead, hitherto concealed by the
crests of the rolling plain, about eleven o’clock came into
view, perceptibly nearer, we were pleased to observe. The
impression received at Smelter as to the impossibility of
climbing, without Swiss guides or perhaps with them, the
highest of these mountains, and as to the difficulty of the
next highest in that region was here confirmed; but among
those numberless, nameless peaks, there must be one that we
could scale, while gaining some knowledge of the country.
At this point we turned down the head of a small cafion,
pausing for luncheon in a pretty spot below where there was
good grazing. As the pack animals must be relieved of their
heavy burdens and have time to feed, our usual noonday halt
was an hour and a half, which afforded us also a welcome
rest and ample opportunity to enjoy our luncheon. Farther
down the valley are curious rocks, some sheer and splendid
cliffs, and incredibly steep slopes of grass, where sheep
nevertheless are grazing. A cluster of cottages adds a hu-
man interest. Climbing up out of this cafion, we go down
into another and another, mostly descending, the last of
these leading into a branch of the deep cafion of the Hual-
laga River, 2,000 feet above its floor, on which the town of
Yanahuanca is situated. The opposite wall, 3,000 feet high,
is nearly vertical, This side is sufficiently steep but at this
point presents a few well cultivated terraces on which are
many dwellings. The flowers and bushes along our path-
way, the willow trees, the green patches of alfalfa look rest-
ful to eyes long accustomed to the brown treeless plain.
Down stream the walls of the cafion continue at the same
height. On the distant horizon, northeast, are peaks jagged
and black.
After descending to the town by the steepest bridle path I
280 THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON
had ever travelled, which compelled me to walk part of the
way, it was grievous to learn that we must go up on the
same side of the river 1,500 fect to the house of M. Paul
Bories, to whom we had a letter of introduction. The
stupid man who had come from Vinchus Cancha to show
us the way had brought us down by the wrong branch of
the cafion.
The people of the town seemed greatly interested in the
appearance of the strangers, some of them rudely so. We
were too tired to enjoy the really delightful ride up, in the
fast fading light, but before dark we arrived on the broad
and sloping terrace where the home of M. Bories is situated.
It was no misfortune that in the temporary absence of
the gentleman who returned the next morning we were
obliged to remain over one day enjoying the gracious hos-
pitality of our hosts and getting well rested for the con-
tinuance of our journey. Although fatigued on my arrival,
I rejoiced that my condition was no worse. I knew then
that I was fully “ fit,” ribs cracked or mended, for whatever
lay before us.
The inefficient youth who had accompanied us from
Smelter was now dismissed, as well as the man who had come
from Vinchus Cancha; Mr. Bories procuring for us in their
place two stalwart men familar with the country to the west.
Monsieur B , a Frenchman with a Peruvian wife, was the
first person whom I had met who seemed to possess any
knowledge of the country outside of his immediate vicinity.
The highest of the mountains, which is near Chiquidn, he
declared to be absolutely unclimbable. I decided then to
turn in the direction of the second highest, which had from
the first seemed to me more within the range of possibility.
This second mountain, the chief of the Raura Range, pos-
sessed an additional clement of interest from the fact that
the great glacier on its western slope, as M. Bories informed
us, is the original source of the mighty Amazon. True,
there are many claimants for this honour, since the rivulets
which contribute to the formation of this greatest of all
? 2uUR IVOU *S9LLo “TN Fo osnoy
VOULTYLUL vou o510L) PoOuURNYLU aX I q IN J I
THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON 281
rivers are numerous and remote; yet the pretensions of the
Raura Range seem justified.
The Amazon is formed by the union of the two rivers, the
Maranon and the Ucayali. The smaller of these two, the
Ucayali, is naturally considered the branch: the Marafion,
too, comes from farther west. On both counts it is entitled
to be considered the main stream, though the chief considera-
tion is that it bears the greater quantity of water. Lake
Lauricocha has been called its source, but there is a rivulet
and other lakes farther back with Lake Santa Ana as the
last and the glacier above this as its ultimate origin. This
then was our destination.
Tuesday morning, well equipped and well rested, with two
good men, Pablo and Julian, we descended to Yanahuanca,
crossed the stream on a fine arched stone bridge, and pro-
ceeded up the narrow cafion by a nearly level road, until by
a still narrower side cafion we began to climb out to the
farther rim. Amid blossoming roses and other wild flowers,
along the bank of a foaming brook, often overhung with
willows, at first between massive gloomy walls, then among
rocks of red and yellow, past a picturesque village, up to a
wider valley, on we go through a long delightful morning
till we emerge once more on the great plateau, now much
nearer to that lofty rock-ribbed giant.
After a few miles more in that direction we turn to the
south leaving the great peak behind at our right. My ef-
forts to learn its rightful name bore poor result. Three
different ones I heard, La Viuda, evidently a favourite ap-
pellation, since it is applied to several different mountains
in various localities: another name seemed to be Caballococha
or Caruascocha, but cocha is rather the indian for lake.
Nobody would write the name for me, and there seemed to
be much uncertainty as to the proper title. In the after-
noon we rode among the foot hills of the range, coming about
five o’clock to a beautiful little lake, Caballo Cocha, on the
edge of the Cordillera where we encamped for the night
seven leagues from Yanahuanca,
282 THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON
We had now our first trial of Ned’s cooking. This
burden, to my great joy, he had assumed, on account of his
experience with the two alcohol stoves which had been
brought from the Smelter laboratory. They proved a great
success, and we were soon enjoying an excellent supper of
fried bacon, beans, and cocoa. There was a house or two
near by from which some of the people came to look at us
when we encamped and in the morning, but in no unfriendly
manner.
The next day, passing to the right hand corner of the lake
we climbed by a steep path to a col from the top of which
a backward glance revealed three clear green lakes, one
above another, among sheer rock walls, a charming picture
recalling memories of Tyrol, though here the rich verdure
of the Tyrolean landscape was altogether lacking. Farther
on there was a rather long unpleasant traverse across a sharp
incline at the head of a deep valley which gave into the dis-
tant plain. The path was so narrow that a horse’s stumble
would surely have set one rolling several hundred feet below.
The bridle paths near the Huailas Valley were in comparison
broad highways. The next turn to the left brought us over
another col, when the plateau is finally left behind. For the
remainder of the journey we are surrounded on all sides by
sharp rock peaks or larger snow-clad heights. We ford
several streams, we pass dainty pellucid lakes of the deepest
blue, one of these half enclosed by immense glaciers coming
down to the water’s edge on the slopes of that second highest
mountain which we had seen from Smelter. This side does
not look at all inviting, but M. Bories had declared that on the
western face it would be an easy walk over almost level snow
to the summit. While the opinion of a non-climber as to
the impossibility or the ease of an ascent must be taken with
some grains of allowance, it was obviously worth while to
investigate the western slope.
Our noonday halt in the midst of these romantic scenes,
indecd the whole day’s journey, was a pleasure unalloyed.
In the afternoon, a long climb up a moderate slope, followed
THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON 283
by a descent upon a path so steep that no one dares to ride,
brings us into a broader valley, a good part of the floor of
which is covered by a considerable lake, Tinqui Cocha by
name. Near a little stream, the outlet of the lake, encom-
passed on all sides by rugged cliffs, we encamp. Not far
away is another party of travellers, natives going north by
a different route. Too tired for much labour we satisfy
ourselves with tea, cold meat, and crackers, and are soon in
bed. It is cool, a little below freezing, but not as on the
snow fields of Huascardn, or even as on the puna of Bolivia;
we are no doubt higher than the latter, but less exposed to
the wind.
In the morning it is a delightful ride to the farther side
of the valley, then along the margin of the lake with per-
pendicular cliffs rising on the other side of the narrow path.
After crossing a tributary stream (from Lake Santa Ana),
near which a cattle ranch is located, we surmount a long
slope, and passing over a col at the left find ourselves on the
northwest side of the Raura Mountains, where an immense
snow field leads gradually up to several summits.
Having encamped about half past two, I improved the
afternoon by making a reconnoissance with Julian to ascer-
tain where we could best enter upon the glacier, in order
that no time on the morrow be wasted in the quest. For
while we encamped on the nearest available bit of level grass
land, the glacier was still at some distance. The snow field
did not appear very steep or greatly crevassed, but at. its
foot the ice wall was too high and rugged for us to enter
upon it there. It was therefore necessary to go around to
the right hand side, farthest away from the peaks, then ap-
proach them by a sort of terrace half way up the glacier, or
climb straight up to the top of the ridge, and then proceed
on the aréte, the top of which had a very gradual slope to
the highest summit away off to the left. The terrace seemed
a more favourable route than the aréte except for the fact
that about half way along there was a perpendicular ice
wall which at right angles crossed the glacier from the top
284 THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON
of the aréte down to the very bottom. A few breaks in the
wall might, however, permit a passage. Which of these
routes we should take, a nearer view would enable us better
to decide.
The alarm was set for four that we might be ready to
enter upon the ice by the time it was broad daylight. The
boys demurred at this early hour, inquiring how long I
thought it would take to reach the top of the mountain. I
explained that it was impossible to tell. The glacier looked
easy for the most part, but might be much more difficult than
from this distance appeared. How far it was to the summit
or how long it would take, even if we encountered no serious
obstacle, no one could know. It might be four hours, more
likely six, getting us to the top by noon, but I was prepared
to keep on until three in the afternoon, if it should prove
necessary. ‘* Whew!” said Pat. ‘I had no idea it would
take so long as that.” “ Well,” I rejoined, “ that is some-
thing no one can say, or even whether we can get up at all.”
As it was desirable that one of the indians should attend us
to carry our cameras, luncheon, ete., I offered additional pay
to either of the men who wished to go; Julian, who had
seemed the less intelligent of the two, accepting the offer,
proved a more valuable assistant than I expected.
Eight o’clock found us prepared for the night with the
alarm clock as usual in the boys’ tent. On this trip the
indians were sleeping in the open of their own preference,
partly to look after the animals. For the first time on the
journey I slept little; the night seemed interminable. I kept
wondering the boys did not call me, till finally perceiving
the approach of dawn I shouted to them to discover that it
was already half past five. I arose and expostulated. Ned
stoutly maintained that he had not heard the alarm. Pat
confessed that he had, but supposing Ned had also he did
not trouble to say anything and dropped asleep again quite
unintentionally. His carelessness was explained a day later,
when Ned inadvertently mentioned that on the afternoon of
our arrival at this point, Pat had suggested to Ned that we
Copyright, 1906, Tlarper & Brothers
Caballo Cocha
THE SOURCE OF THE AMAZON 285
climb the mountain that afternoon. In spite of my explana-
tion and his own absolute inexperience he apparently clung
to the conviction that his judgment was the better and that
the early hour of starting was unnccessary.
Setting out at seven instead of half past five we made a
rather ugly traverse at the foot of steep rocks across a
sharp incline where our footing was very small stones, the
German Gerdll. Beyond this we climbed over rocks along
the foot of the glacier and around the corner at the right
till we came at 8:20 to a place where we could easily enter
upon the ice. Here we put on the rope and as many climb-
ing irons as possible. Pat’s boots having no nails were first
provided. Ned’s boots had a meagre supply and he put on
the only remaining crampon that was large enough to fit.
While sitting on the edge of the glacier superintending opera-
tions, I carelessly dropped one of mince so that it fell into a
cavern under the ice whence it was impossible of rescue; ac-
cordingly I did not wear any. >
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VICTORY AT LAST 355
self as doubtful of the result but said he would do his best.
Cotton was procured and a proper solution for bathing the
injured members, in the method of which I was duly in-
structed. For the next twenty-four hours, this operation
which consumed about ten minutes was repeated every
quarter of an hour, so that there was very little intermis-
sion in one’s labours. I had expected to share the night
with Gabriel, but finding that a nurse could be procured,
a cholo woman, I was glad to leave the night work to her.
The second day, once in half an hour was sufficient. Other
treatment followed. After a day or two the doctor said it
would be a fortnight before he could tell whether amputa-
tion would be required, perhaps longer; if so, it would be
two months before Rudolph would be able to travel. As
there was nothing that I could do, since Gabriel would re-
main with him to assist and to keep him company, I de-
cided to leave them both there, Rudolf without the use of
his hands being unable to travel on horseback to the sea-
shore. I was assured that the physician was perfectly able
to attend him and to perform any needed operation, he was
the only one to be had within thirty miles; so with a promise
from the Vinatéas and Sefior Handabaka that he should be
well looked after, I went on to Lima to improve my time
in the country by visits to other sections.
Before my departure the men had been removed to a hos-
pital conducted by a society of the good people of Yungay,
of which Sefior Handabaka was President. For attendance
upon Taugwalder no charge was made; for the board of
Zumtaugwald but a modest sum. Having provided in ad-
vance for all their expenses and arranged for their trans-
portation to the coast, about a week after my ascent of
the mountain I bade farewell to Yungay, and to the hos-
pitable family that had so long entertained me. I had pre-
viously planned to go over land with my guides to Cerro
de Pasco, pausing on the way at Chiquidn, and if it looked
at all feasible, attempting the ascent of the great moun-
tain near by, La Viuda, the highest in that part of the
356 VICTORY AT LAST
Cordillera, northwest of Cerro, to which place we should
then proceed, perhaps if time permitted afterwards try-
ing the high mountain to the northeast. Also I had had
in view an ascent of Coropuna. At least one or more of
these ascents might have been accomplished, had it not been
first, for Rudolf’s illness on our first attempt, which occa-
sioned a loss of two or three weeks, and then, for his sad
accident which prevented any further mountain climbing.
I was greatly grieved to learn afterwards in Lima that
it was finally necessary to amputate most of Taugwalder’s
left hand, a finger of his right, and half of one foot. He
was unable to travel until December, when the men rode
down to Samanco and sailed to Callao, where they took the
steamer for Panama and New York, returning in January
to their homes in Zermatt. The well-known surgeon, Dr.
William Tod Helmuth, kindly examined Rudolf in New
York City, and I was glad to hear him say that undoubtedly
he had received suitable attention and that the operations,
especially the very difficult one on his foot, had been ex-
cellently performed.
Concerning the altitude of Mt. Huascardn, in regard to
which there has been a rather one-sided controversy, a
few words must be said. That I ever asserted the height
of the mountain to be 24,000 feet is a deliberate misstate-
ment, to which my articles published in Harper’s Magazine
for January, 1909, and in the Bulletin of the American
Geographical Society for June of the same year bear wit-
ness. Following is a precise presentation of the facts.
The day after we reached the summit of the north peak,
I requested the guides separately to estimate its height above
the saddle, taking into consideration the angle of the slope,
our rate of progress, and the number of hours occupied in
the ascent. After a few moments’ thought they said that
they had formed an opinion. Rudolf’s estimate was from
4,000 to 5,000 fect, Gabriel’s from 3,800 to 4,200 feet. Com-
paring in my own mind this ascent with that of Orizaba
where, in about the same length of time, an altitude of 4,000
opins potured “ToOp[VASne TY, Fjopny ULAIROSEN FT jo OLOY ‘ppeamsnryunz
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VICTORY AT LAST 357
feet had been gained, remembering that the incline here
was greater and the halts fewer, aside from the momentary
pauses for step cutting, 4,000 feet then seemed a fairly
reasonable estimate. Furthermore, in the photographs, as
well as when viewed from the hills in front, the height of
the peaks above the saddle appears hardly inferior to the
distance from the snow line to the saddle, which is approx-
imately 5,000 feet. I was aware that the north peak sets
farther forward than the top of the saddle, for which I
made some allowance, apparently not enough. I thought the
mountain would reach the height of 23,000 feet and stated
that if it should prove to be 24,000, my ascent would be
the world’s record for men as well as for women; the
greatest height previously attained being the ascent of
Kabru to a trifle less altitude by W. W. Graham, twenty-
five years earlier, an achievement which I never saw any
good reason to doubt. I naturally expected no one to take
an estimate as authority and said so.
From my observations at the saddle with hypsometer and
mercurial barometer compared with hypsometric observa-
tions made at the same time in Yungay by Mr. Handabaka,
the height of the saddle or col between the peaks was
calculated by Prof. C. F. Marvin of the United States
Weather Bureau, and by Prof. H. C. Parker of Columbia
University to be 19,600 fect, a trifle less than I had hoped,
but not enough to preclude the possibility of a total altitude
for Huascaradn of from 23,000 to 24,000 feet when that
should be accurately determined from later observations on
some other ascent or from triangulation. Whatever the re-
sult might be, the fact of my attaining the summit, happily
attested by photographic evidence, would stand.
The triangulation was not long delayed. Solely in the
interest of science, it is said, an expedition of three French
engineers was sent from Paris to Peru to secure the altitude
of this one mountain. Apparently the work was done with
an extreme care which presupposes accurate measurement 5
yet $13,000 seems a large sum to spend for the triangula-
358 VICTORY AT LAST
tion of a single mountain which it cost but $3,000 to climb.
With $1,000 more for my expedition, I should have been
able with an assistant to triangulate the peak myself. With
$12,000 additional I could have triangulated and climbed
many mountains and accomplished other valuable explora-
tion. The figures given as the result of this triangulation
are 21,812 fect for the north peak and 22,187 for the
south. Though it would thus appear that Huascaran is not
so lofty as I had hoped, my ten long years of effort had
culminated in the conquest of a mountain at least 1,500
feet higher than Mt. McKinley, and 2,500 feet higher than
any man residing in the United States had climbed. With
this I must be content until opportunity is offered to in-
vestigate some other possibilities in regard to the Apex of
America.
CHAPTER XXVII
THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY. HONOURS RECEIVED
FROM PERU
Witu mingled feelings of sadness and satisfaction, I bade
a last farewell to my kind hosts, the Vinatéas, and to the
beautiful Huailas Valley; happy that after long years of
labour I had attained my goal, and could return in triumph
instead of in ignominy or with a story of partial achieve-
ment; regretful, too, that I should see no more my good
friends in this region nor behold again the incomparable
Queen of the White Cordillera, my peerless Huascaran.
There may be other mountains more lofty in the Andes,
but I dare say none more lovely.
In good time, with a night at each station, my final jour-
ney was made over the Black Range to Cajabamba, down
through the deep gorge to the home of the Gadéas in Moro,
on to San Jacinto, and to the coast at Samanco, where I
enjoyed a twenty-four hours’ visit with the Brysons, who,
after a long sojourn by the sea were about to return to
their delightful home among the mountains.
To Callao then I sailed with intent to see what more of
Peru and Bolivia the next six weeks might permit, especially
on the line of the Pan American Railway. Since the open-
ing of the road to Cuzco was at the moment being inau-
gurated, I resolved to visit the ancient Inca capital thus
made comparatively accessible. It was still a long way
around, three or four days by sea to Mollendo, one by rail
to Arequipa, another to Juliaca, near the border of Lake
Titicaca, and a very long third day on the highlands back
again toward the northwest to the city of 20,000 inhabit-
ants, where once dwelt the rulers of a mighty kingdom.
By the wholly overland route the journey would be far
359
360 THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY
more protracted. Although a trifle shortened by the open-
ing about the same time of a line from Oroya to Huancayo
it would still be a matter of wecks, as from Huancayo to
Cuzco, a distance of 500 miles, one would be compelled to
travel on horseback. This is the longest break remaining
in the railway connection between Lima and Buenos Aires,
the southern section of the Pan American Railway: a diffi-
cult part too, on account of two deep valleys, the necessary
crossing of which will entail a heavy cost. However, the
line is already in construction from Huancayo on towards
Ayacucho, and it is believed that within a few years this
gap will be filled as well as the smaller one remaining in
Bolivia, when a delightfully interesting railway journey
from Lima to Buenos Aires will supplement the sea voyage
through the Canal to Callao.
Worthily to describe the wonderful ruins and the modern
city of Cuzco is a task beyond my time and space. I can
but advise the tourist on no account to omit from his itin-
erary this historic city, founded by Manco Capac in the
year 1043, and captured by Pizarro in 1534. True, it is
called the dirtiest of all cities, avoiding pestilential diseases
only by the purity of its dry atmosphere more than 11,000
feet above the sea. The Hotel Universo which in 1908
partook of the failings of the city may be endured for a
day or two, while, with the spirit of progress engendered
by the advent of the railroad and the consequent travellers,
superior accommodations will doubtless be offered before any
of my readers will need them.
The zeal for improvement and growth now permeating
South America was already manifest in Arequipa, where in
November, 1908, I found that the proprictor of the old
Hotel Central had erected a fine large new structure which
under the same name was furnishing excellent quarters to a
larger number of guests.
Returning from Cuzco to Juliaca I continued by Puno
and Lake Titicaca to Bolivia and La Paz. The changes
since 1904 are noteworthy. At a station near the edge of
yoF OOO'OL Worf “UbdvOSUD EY “FIT
THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY 361
the alto a brief halt is made for the removal of the locomo-
tive and the attaching of an electrical engine to each of the
cars. From the brink of the cafion we descend to the out-
skirts of the city on a road with an average grade of six
per cent. which includes several curves on a radius of one
hundred metres. The construction of this electric railway
six miles long, by many believed to be impossible, was due
to the initiative and energy of Mr. T. Clive Sheppard, then
Subdirector of Public Works. It was opened for traffic
in 1905. The electricity employed is produced from mond
gas, a composition of ordinary gas, steam, and air, which
in the operation of the road has exhibited a highly eco-
nomical efficiency ; since coal, costing nearly $50 a ton, must
here be used with frugality.
The railway from Guaqui on Lake Titicaca thus com-
pleted to La Paz has been of the greatest benefit to Bolivia
by facilitating communication with the coast, which, how-
ever, still remains expensive, so that the old method of trans-
port by llamas and other pack animals from La Paz to the
seaport Arica, much nearer than Mollendo, is still employed
for many kinds of freight.
The portion of road between Guaqui and Viacha is an-
other link in the great Pan American Railway which will
one day enable the traveller comfortably to make the en-
tire journey by land from New York to Buenos Aires, a
distance of 10,116 miles, amid scenes of wonderful variety,
beauty, and grandeur. Still more recently another link has
been added by the construction by an American company
of a road from Viacha to Oruro, which, in place of the two
days’ diligence ride from La Paz, now becomes but a few
hours by rail. The three days’ journey on the narrow
gauge railway from Oruro to the sea at Antofagasta by a
weekly sleeping-car service is reduced to 28 hours. From
Oruro over the Bolivian plateau as far as Uyuni, one is still
on the line of the intercontinental road. At this point con-
struction will soon be inaugurated towards Tupiza, thence
to Quiaca on the Argentine frontier, the entire distance,
362 THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY
177 miles, constituting the only remaining gap in this
quarter; for the part of Argentina in this great work is
already completed, more than a thousand miles of railroad
conducting the traveller from the northwest border to the
great metropolis of Buenos Aires. At Mendoza connection
is made by means of the Trans-Andine tunnel with Chile,
which country also is busily engaged in a rapid extension
of her railroad system,
The longitudinal line in the countries of Peru and Bolivia,
however important and necessary, is but a part of the great
system to compass their development. From this as a back
bone branches will extend east through the great mountain
range to the warm valleys of the Amazon basin, passing
through rich mining, grazing, and agricultural sections to
the lower rubber country, while others to the west will reach
the ports on the Pacific. Already in Bolivia a branch is
building east from Rio Mulato near Uyuni to the famous
rich silver city of Potosf, whence later it will be extended
to the so-called capital of Bolivia, Sucre, the functions of
which have for many years been usurped by La Paz on
account of its greater accessibility. On the completion,
within the year, of this branch as far as Potosi, work will
be pushed on the main line from Uyuni to Tupiza, then to
Quiaca, unless Argentina should decide to renew former ar-
rangements and herself build up to Tupiza. A second
branch eastward is also being constructed from Oruro to
Cochabamba, a distance of 160 miles, a most desirable con-
nection of rich agricultural valleys with the comparatively
barren plateau. Further, contract has been made with the
Antofagasta Company to build a steam railroad from
Viacha down to La Paz in order to be independent of the
Peruvian Corporation now operating the line from Guaqui.
The former road will then be continued from La Paz down
the valley to Yungas, some time onward to Puerto Pando,
there connecting with the navigation of the Amazon system.
Other plans there are for a more distant future.
On the west, Bolivia’s two outlets to the Pacific by Anto-
THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY 363
fagasta and Mollendo will soon be supplemented by a third
to Arica. With the employment of 5,000 labourers, work
has been vigorously prosecuted from each end of the road,
and the line is expected to open in 1912 with a service occu-
pying but thirteen hours for the journey from Arica to
La Paz. This road will pass the Tacora sulphur mines,
said to be the largest in the world, and traverse the rich
mineral district of Corocoro, thus rendering accessible many
wonderful deposits. At the moment tin holds the first rank
among the exports of Bolivia, which country has, among
the Americas, almost a monopoly in its production. Nearly
all other minerals are found in profusion in the region of
its plateau and mountains, yet the second place among its ex-
ports is held by an agricultural product of the low country,
rubber. Nearly every variety of growing plants flourishes
within its boundaries, while its great pampas provide ample
grazing for millions of cattle. It is said that the country,
now containing less than 8,000,000 people, is capable of
supporting 100,000,000, the lack of proper facilities for
travel and traffic alone having retarded immigration and
general progress.
In 1908, La Paz, in American parlance, seemed to be
enjoying a boom which in view of the plans and resources
of the country no doubt is still in progress and destined to
continue. The Hotel Guibert had opened a large new annex
where I was obliged to find quarters, and another hotel had
been erected in the lower part of the town. Among the
foreign residents now in the city were many from the United
States, some connected with the new railway, others with
the House of W. R. Grace which had recently opened a
Branch here as well as at Arequipa. Many Americans being
accompanied by their wives, the foreigners enjoyed a pleas-
ant little society of their own.
The opportunity afforded by the new railway was im-
proved by a trip to Oruro where the Hotel Union, after
my stay in Cuzco, seemed pleasurably neat, even palatial.
It was provided with Brussels carpet, electric lights, and
364 THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY
all things to correspond. An interesting visit was paid to
one of the mines which account for the city’s existence, the
San José, producing silver and tin. Many men and women
are employed, the latter generally in sorting ore, which they
were said to do better than machinery.
In the evening I was escorted by his Secretary to the
palace of the Prefect where in a large and beautiful salon
an informal dance was in progress. The Sefiora, a gracious
hostess, received me with especial attention, introducing
many of her guests, the ladies handsomely attired in evening
gowns of the latest mode.
On my return to La Paz, through the courtesy of our
Minister, Mr. James F. Stutesman, I had the pleasure of
being presented to President Montes, and of attending a
grand ball given in the palace in honour of the Princess
Glorieta Argendofia, a magnificent affair, enjoyed by the
élite of the city including the diplomatic corps and some
favoured foreigners. Although on a smaller scale, in other
respects, style, decorations, refreshments, etc., it fully
equalled the grand ball given by the City of Lima in honour
of Secretary Root. The dancing which began at eleven
continued I was told until seven o’clock in the morning, my
own departure being rather reluctantly made about half
past four. Many good dancers were present and at 12,000
feet above the sea I found the pastime as enjoyable as at
a lower altitude.
A contemplated trip to the Yungas Valley, being dis-
couraged by the Secretary of Agriculture on the ground
of its difficulty, was finally abandoned for a return to my
prior plan of visiting the plantation, Perené, a property
of the Peruvian Corporation in the Chanchamayo district
east of Oroya. Unfortunately on my return to Lima I
learned that a malarial epidemic of great virulence was there
raging. After escaping the perils of Huascaran, it ap-
peared undesirable to risk serious danger from the un-
usual conditions prevailing in this quarter; no other tropical
region was within the range of possibility; hence a visit
ommIg ‘out gsop WES
THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY 365
to the montafia is a pleasure to which I must still look
forward.
As from either end we approach the central portion of
the Pan American Railway the breaks become larger and
larger. North of the 500 mile gap between Cuzco and
Huancayo the line is in operation for 150 miles to Oroya,
Cerro de Pasco, and Goyllarisquisga. Beyond this, a thou-
sand mile stretch to Alausi in Ecuador still awaits the cap-
italist, the bit which should by now have been completed
along the Huailas Valley to Recuay having halted at kilo-
metre 105, no farther than Meiggs laid the road-bed thirty
odd years ago. The continuance of the line up this rich,
populous, and beautiful longitudinal valley, surely cannot
long be delayed; the entire Peruvian section may be con-
structed within a decade.
Lines equally necessary, tapping or crossing the longi-
tudinal, are already being arranged for. One is proposed
to extend east from Oroya to a navigable tributary of the
Amazon. Farther south the Peruvian Corporation is sur-
veying a line from Urcos on the railroad near Cuzco to
the waters of the Madre de Dios, a line which like the others
will pass through a rich mineral and agricultural section
down to the rubber country. Another, for which a conces-
sion has ‘been granted to an American, Alfred W. McCune,
will extend from Goyllarisquisga, a distance of 275 miles
to Puca Alpa, a port on the Ucayali, which four months in
the year permits the approach of ocean steamers, at all times
of ordinary river craft, and gives connection with a net-
work of 4,000 miles of navigable rivers. By means of this
railway an extensive region will be brought fifteen or twenty
days nearer to New York and Europe than by the more
obvious route down the Amazon past Pard. This most
favourable concession includes immense grants of land of in-
calculable wealth in mineral deposits, timber, virgin rubber,
and various other agricultural products, while the passing
of the road by Yanahuanca, Hudnuco, and several other
towns ensures traffic from the outset. The further privilege
366 THE PAN AMERICAN RAILWAY
of constructing a line down to the Pacific port of Huacho
makes possible a more direct transcontinental connection
through the Amazon than by the Oroya Railway. The
consummation of this great enterprise should bring enor-
mous benefits to its promoters as well as extraordinary
progress in the development of Peru. Farther north the
Germans have made a survey from Paita to Melendez on
the Marafién where a proposed road 400 miles long would
cross the Andes in one of its lowest sections and tap the
future Pan American Line.
In Ecuador 160 miles of the Guayaquil to Quito Railway
will serve for the Pan American, and 100 miles more are
contracted for. The rest and practically the whole thou-
sand miles in Colombia is a blank so far as the Intercon-
tinental Railway is concerned. In Central America, of the
thousand miles more which are lacking, 274 from Panama
to David are arranged for, as are other sections in the
other countries. There is ground therefore for the hope
that on the opening of the Canal in 1915, an all-rail com-
munication will have been established to Panama. This
done, the completion of the South American section, per-
haps five years later, will not fail to entice thousands of
tourists to make the wonderfully enlightening and delightful
journey overland to Buenos Aires.
The traveller who prefers to be in advance of the throng,
the investor who would wisely improve the opportunity will
not await the consummation of these enterprises. The
pleasure secker may now enjoy a unique and delightful
journey: the business man who takes advantage of the pres-
ent moment will be prepared for the rapid development des-
tined soon to astonish the world. The twentieth century
may witness in the southern half of our continent a more
extraordinary material advancement than the nineteenth has
seen in the northern. Peru affords a temperate climate even
at sea level in the torrid zone. Matchless and varied scenery,
admirable remains of antiquity, cities the more interesting
since unlike our own, people with charming courtesy and
HONOURS FROM PERU 367
culture, will there be found. Untraversed regions await the
explorer; minerals of every variety (including vanadium,
graphite, tungsten in wolframite, etc.), in rare profusion
allure those eager for speedy wealth; sugar and cotton crops
of unexampled opulence with all the richest products of
tropical and temperate zones invite the settler to unoccupied
land. Immigration and capital will not be wanting when the
wonderful resources of this great country are recognised
and rendered accessible.
Two pleasurable occasions preceded my departure from
Lima, the honour of an interview with His Excellency, the
President of Peru, whom I had previously met as Sefior
Leguia, and a distinction conferred by the Lima Geograph-
ical Society. President Leguia, through whose kindness I
had been favoured with the hospitality of San Jacinto, was
cordially interested in my ascent of the great Huascardn.
At his instance I was subsequently presented by the Gov-
ernment of Peru, with a very beautiful and artistic gold
medal 22 carats fine, in recognition of my services to their
country through my exploration and writings, a tribute
most gratefully received and highly valued. Following is a
translation of the official decree:
GOLD MEDAL FOR THE EXPLORER, MISS ANNIE S. PECK.
Lima, 27th of Nov., 1908.
The President of the Republic,
Considering:
1st — That it is fitting to stimulate exploration of all kinds
in the national territory for the important biographical and in-
dustrial data which in consequence are obtained:
2nd — That the North American explorer, Miss Annie S. Peck,
has made herself worthy of a testimonial through merit gained
by her ascents to the lofty summits of the Peruvian Andes,
especially of the Nevado Huascaran, situated in the Cordillera
of the department of Ancash; to which is assigned an altitude
of 24,000 feet:
368 HONOURS FROM PERU
Decrees:
1st — To authorize for the said explorer, Miss Annie S. Peck,
a medal of gold in recognition of her meritorious ascent to the
summit of Huascaran.
2nd — The Office of Fomento will arrange what is necessary
for the carrying out of this decree, charging the national mint
with the making of a medal according to the annexed design
of 80 grams weight of substance like that of national gold coins
which shall bear the following inscriptions: on the, obverse
“Nevado Huascaran 24,000 pies, Republica del Peru,” and on
the reverse “El gobierno del Peru a Annie S. Peck. Nadie
llegé antes que ella a la cumbre del Huascaran.”
The expense which is necessary for the fulfilling of the present
decree will be borne by the portion of extraordinary expenses of
the department of the general budget in force.
Given in the house of government in Lima on the 27th day of
the month of November, 1908.
A. B. Leauta,
President.
Francisco Auayza,
Paz Soupan,
A gift highly appreciated was that of the President’s pho-
tograph in which he is justly portrayed as a man of unusual
ability and great strength of character, the latter strikingly
evinced not many months later when he braved death rather
than dishonour.
It was in May, 1909, that one of those distressing epi-
sodes occurred, which have given to the Latin-American
Republics a reputation for unstable governments, though
this, happily, did not result in revolution. A hundred or
more armed adherents of a factionist, Piérola, making at
the noon tide hour a simultaneous attack upon the three
entrances of the palace, overpowered the guard, killing
many, and proceeded to the Presidential suite. Shooting
down his Secretary, they forcibly carried the President to
the street, then, surrounded by horsemen, from one place to
another, finally to the Plaza de l’Inquisicién. With a re
Ve eae : 4
Senor Don A. B. Leguia, President of Peru
Gold medal presented Miss Peck by Government of Peru
HONOURS FROM PERU 369
volver at his head the demand was made that the President
should sign his resignation, which, with great fortitude, he
resolutely refused to do. Meanwhile, ministers in the palace
who had not been molested were arousing their friends by
telephone. Soldiers summoned to the President’s aid soon
surrounded the Plaza, slew a considerable number of the
kidnappers, and arrested others, happily finding the Presi-
dent unharmed after being for two hours or more in the
power of his enemies. President Leguia, who had opened
his administration with acts for the conciliation of all fac-
tions to receive this reward for his generosity, was for-
tunately preserved to continue his pacific policy towards the
neighbouring nations of Bolivia and Ecuador. His name
should be known and honoured and his services to the cause
of Peace recognised, not only in South America, but through-
out the whole civilised world.
An agrecable occasion was on the 23rd of November, 1908,
when I had the distinction of being the first woman to ad-
dress in their own language The Lima Geographical Society,
my subject, The Conquest of Huascarian, illustrated by stere-
opticon views. I did not venture upon extemporaneous
speaking, but read my address, which, hastily written in Eng-
lish, had been translated for me into excellent Spanish by
Sefior Valle-Riestra, one of the members of the Society. Such
interest in the occasion was manifest that more people were
turned from the doors than were able to enter the hall, while a
hundred remained standing throughout the exercises. That
I was perfectly understood had been evident. It was a
gratification to learn afterwards from the Secretary that
I had mispronounced only three words. With three days
instead of one to review the manuscript, these few errors
might have been avoided.