From Iquitos to the Foot of the Andes up the Rivers Ucayalli,
Pachitea and Pichis--The Cashibos or "Vampire Indians"
THE change in the characteristics of the people the moment you were in
Peru was considerable, and striking was the neatness of the buildings.
Iquitos was a pleasant little city, the streets of which needed paving
badly, but were otherwise well aligned and tidy. There were numbers of
foreigners there, including a small English colony made up of employés of
the Booth Line and the representatives of a few commercial houses. It is
difficult to realize how pleasant Englishmen can be when they live in
those out-of-the-way places.
After the Putumayo atrocities a proper English Consulate, in charge of
Mr. Mitchell, formerly our vice-consul in Paris, had been established
there. Yellow fever was rampant at that time in Iquitos, and reaped many
victims daily.
Although Iquitos was 2,300 kil. farther up the river than Manaos, the
price of all commodities in that country was less than half those in
Manaos, and the quality of the articles twice as good. That is what comes
of having free trade instead of a high tariff.
I spent a pleasant Christmas in Iquitos, all the English residents there
showing me the greatest kindness. From Iquitos the river was no longer
navigable for ocean-going steamers, and it was necessary to travel by
small launches. There was no regular service, but there were a number of
trading launches which went a certain distance up the river in order to
trade with the different houses on the banks of the stream. The
travelling was not particularly rapid, as one stopped ten or twenty times
a day, and wasted endless time while the people came on board to buy beer
or rum, or cotton goods, looking-glasses, etc., etc. Rubber and
aigrettes, as well as money, were given in exchange for the goods
received.
I left Iquitos on December 29th, on the launch _Rimac_, belonging to the
Swiss firm of Messikommer. I was told that she would be ready to start at
9 a.m. sharp on December 28th, and at that time I got on board. The
actual time of our departure was at 6.30 in the afternoon of December
29th. That was, of course, Iquitos punctuality.
The Prefect of the Province of Loreto had shown me much civility, and had
telegraphed, by the wireless installation which had been established
between Iquitos and Lima, making every possible arrangement for me to
travel quickly. Thus, although in a terrible condition of health, I was
able to make a record journey between Iquitos and Lima, the capital of
Peru.
[Illustration: Oroya.]
[Illustration: Oroya, the Highest Railway Station in the World.]
Once started in the launch _Rimac_, we went through interesting channels,
outlets of the main stream being often noticeable on either bank, cutting
wide passages through the forest and forming one or more shallow
lakelets, with innumerable aquatic plants on the surface of the water.
As we went farther it became easy to understand how islands were
constantly forming in the river. Quantities of large and small logs of
wood were continually floating down the stream; the banks were gradually
being eaten away by the current. Whole trees fell down with their immense
branches and polypi-like roots, and formed a barrier arresting the
progress of the floating wood. Particles of earth deposited by wind and
by water saturated with impurities settled there. Soon grass would begin
to grow on those deposits, which quickly collected more deposits of
flying and floating particles. The soft bottom of the river, disturbed by
the deviated current, piled up mud against the submerged branches resting
on the river-bed. Quickly an island was then formed; more wood
accumulated, more grass, more mud; the base of the islands would increase
rapidly, and in the space of a few years islands several kilometres in
length rose above the water.
We had reached a point where the two great rivers Marañon and
Ucayalli--both descending from the Andes--joined and formed the river
Solimões, which we had so far navigated. We followed the Ucayalli.
On December 31st we entered a small arm on the left side of the river and
we reached no less a place than New York--very dissimilar, I can assure
you, from its namesake of the United States of North America. Far from
seeing skyscrapers, brilliantly illuminated streets, and ferry-boats and
steamers galore, there were only half a dozen thatched huts with
_bona_-palm walls and floors. In the water floated two or three small
canoes; that was all. The place was chiefly remarkable for the number
and the fierceness of its mosquitoes--regular clouds of them. Only one
thing New York of Ucayalli seemed to have in common with New York of the
United States--the people seemed to be able to stand a lot of drink. They
purchased from the _Rimac_ a number of boxes of beer.
We proceeded. In a way it was amusing to travel on a trading boat. Every
time we approached a hut the steamer blew her whistle; the people got up,
at any time of the night, to come on board and see what there was for
sale. I slept on deck, and from my bed could see what was going on all
the time.
St. Helena came next, with its depot and farmhouse. A few cows could be
seen grazing on the poorest kind of grass. We could often get good fruit
at those farmhouses, principally bananas, pineapples, and _mamão_. Then
we stopped at Requeña, on the left bank of the river, where a wireless
telegraphic station of the Telefunken system was established. It was
quite a nice little place, with a few houses, built of unbaked clay and
roofed with zinc.
[Illustration: In the Andes at 16,000 Feet above the Sea Level.]
[Illustration: the Galera Tunnel.]
It was entertaining to watch the pride of the local gentlemen when they
showed me their houses--mere sheds of the humblest description, but in
their eyes far superior to any palace of Europe. An imported chair or an
antiquated desk would supply them with conversation to last hours. The
wives of those settlers were generally eccentric persons who looked
suspiciously at us. One of them at Requeña made me feel most
uncomfortable by the annoying way in which she looked at my only shoe--as
I was unable to put a shoe on the other much swollen foot. She never
took her eyes off that shoe, and stooped down many times to examine it
closer.
A short distance from Requeña, still on the left side of the river, was
the mouth of the Tapiche River, a tributary of the Ucayalli. On the right
bank of this river was California, and then Avispa--a pretty spot. Two
new red-roofed houses with large verandas stood prominent on a green
grassy hill about 120 ft. high, while on the ridge in continuation of the
hill itself could be seen a number of small houses, some with zinc roofs,
others with _bona_ roofs and walls.
The Ucayalli was a rich stream. It was interesting to notice how many
trading launches were to be seen on that river, and the amazing part of
it was that they could all exist. Hardly a day went by that we did not
meet two or three launches. We were also constantly meeting canoes,
generally hollowed out of tree-trunks, and larger boats of a more solid
construction.
The population was entirely composed of a mixture of Spanish and Indian
types and of pure Indians. Some of the latter had Mongolian
characteristics; others were more of the Malay and Papuan types.
After the first day or two the voyage on the launch was tedious. One got
tired of the endless conversation and of listening to the bargaining. The
perpetual drinking which had to be witnessed was of little interest to a
teetotaller. One seldom saw money change hands, all being done by barter,
the merchandise we had on board being exchanged chiefly for rubber. Even
so far up the river civilization had well set in, and great caution was
needed in buying balls of rubber. It was advisable to split them in two
before purchase, as they generally contained all kinds of rubbish instead
of pure coagulated latex.
After Brazil, however, the villages and houses of Peru looked clean and
neat.
The prices of food were somewhat high, chickens fetching 4_s._ each,
whereas in Iquitos they fetched from 8_s._ to 10_s._; eggs sold for 6_d._
each, and were generally bad, the good ones being eaten by the people
themselves.
We went up the Tapiche River, a tributary on the right bank, and visited
the estate newly bought by an American company. In fact, we were there at
midnight of December 31st, and drank in the New Year with Mr. Anzelius,
the director, and his Polish and Italian assistants.
On January 2nd, 1912, we saw a great many Indians along the banks of the
river, who ran away when they saw the camera pointed at them.
The people on that river were fond of giving high-sounding names to their
houses. We passed a place called Philadelphia, where a large farm with
lean cattle, ducks and fowls, could be seen, looking as miserable as
possible; also plenty of banana palms and sugar-cane.
Some way off, after passing the large saw-mills of Cumaseba and Tamanco,
where an interesting collection of animals and Indian weapons had been
made by the proprietor, we came in the evening to the farm of Buenos
Aires.
[Illustration: The Oroya Railway.
(A great spring emerging from the mountain-side.)]
[Illustration: Beautiful Scenery on the Peruvian Corporation
Railway to Cuzco, Peru.]
Early on January 3rd we passed San Roque, and then Condorcanqui, a
fine plantation of bananas along the river bank, and also a plantation of
_yuta_ (jute) and some bread trees. Clouds of aigrette storks could be
seen in the evening circling about, thousands and thousands of them. They
produced a most curious effect in the distance against the heavy black
clouds of the sky.
We entered the Yanna Yakka stream, the water of which was almost
absolutely stagnant and as black as ink, full of snakes, fish, and
crocodiles. Yanna Yakka in the local Indian language means "black water."
We steamed for two hours up that river as far as Porto Central, the river
being quite narrow--only 150 m. wide. We eventually arrived at the
prettiest spot I had so far seen on the river, called Porto Principal. On
an elongated island not more than 80 m. wide were to be seen four large
buildings of _bona_ palm, with spacious verandas and corrugated iron
roofs. The buildings were connected by high bridges. All those structures
were built on piles 12 ft. high. Many _chapaha_ palms of great height
were to be seen there.
I heard at that place an extraordinary account of how a dirigible
balloon, with nobody on board, had some few years before passed over the
house. The balloon--which my informant, in his ignorant language, called
a "huge square globe"--flew, according to him, a flag, the stars and
stripes, and had an anchor dangling down. The balloon was travelling in a
westerly direction. It flew a little higher than the trees, and caused a
great scare among the natives. My informant told me that there was no one
in the car at all, but they waved their hands at him (_sic_) when they
passed over his house! He then told me that the air-ship had passed in
the daytime and had quickly disappeared, but that it was beautifully
lighted with coloured lights at night. So that it would be difficult from
that truthful account to place much reliance on what the man said or on
what he had seen at all. It is quite possible--after discarding all the
indisputable embroidery from the story--that a balloon actually went over
that place, and it may probably have been Wellman's abandoned balloon
with which he had tried to go across the Atlantic.
On January 3rd and 4th we had no great excitement. We stopped at
numberless places. Nearly all the houses in that district were made in
three sections, the two end rooms enclosed in _bona_-palm walls, while
the central and larger room had two open sides. All the houses were
perched up on piles, owing to the frequent inundations. Sewing-machines
and gramophones were to be found in nearly every house. All the women
wore, rather becomingly over such ugly countenances, the valuable hats
which generally go under the name of "Panamas." The river was getting
beautiful as we went farther up, immense grassy stretches being visible
where the country was not inundated, and low shrubs emerging from the
water in the many channels that were formed everywhere.
[Illustration: A. B. Leguia, the President of the Peruvian Republic.]
On January 5th we arrived at Terra Blanca, where a lakelet had been
formed by an outlet of the river on the left bank. A place called
Pernambuco was situated at the entrance of this lake. The water of the
lake was beautifully clear and of a wonderful greenish colour.
Beautiful white and yellow sand deposits were to be found around it. Five
hundred people lived at Pernambuco. The _Rimac_ did a brisk trade, over a
hundred pounds sterling worth of goods being sold in an hour at that
place.
On January 6th I saw the first hills of importance we had seen since
leaving the lower Amazon. Those were the hills of Petronilla, where a
mass of volcanic rocks and some interesting hot springs were to be found.
A ridge ran from south-east to north-west in symmetrical undulations up
to 1,000 ft. from Petronilla to Cancha Huayo. It rose quite abruptly from
the flat alluvial land. Where a land-slide had occurred it showed an
upper stratum of grey alluvial deposit 10 ft. thick, with soft yellow
volcanic rock underneath, in a stratum of 30 ft. thick. It seemed as if
that hill had been lifted up by volcanic pressure from underneath, as a
lot of white and yellow sand had been brought to the surface, which
evidently formed a substratum in the Ucayalli region.
We found strong whirlpools where the channel of the river formed an elbow
at the foot of the mountain. The steam launch made poor progress against
the strong current.
On January 7th we arrived at the large settlement of Condamano, a
sub-Prefecture in the big province of Loreto. There were two parallel
streets, clean and well kept, with others intersecting at right angles.
On the main street along the water front were many large commercial
houses, handsome buildings of _caña_ walls and zinc roofs. The place had
been built on a flat high land about 30 ft. above the river, and had
some 1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants. One of the peculiarities of Condamano
was that during the rubber-collecting season the population consisted
almost entirely of women, as the men were in the forest collecting the
latex.
We arrived there on a feast day--they have more feast days than working
days in the week in that country--and the streets were alive with monks
and soldiers, the only men who do not go collecting rubber. Women and
girls, in flesh-coloured stockings and lace mantillas, flocked out of the
church, each carrying a small carpet which they used to prevent spoiling
their finery when kneeling down.
On leaving Condamano we came to the north-westerly end of the range we
had seen the day before. It ended abruptly in almost vertical walls of
yellow sandstone of various shades. The range was thickly wooded on its
summit. The opposite bank of the river was absolutely flat.
That evening we came in for a heavy storm, which compelled us to halt
from 6 o'clock until 2.10 a.m. Black clouds had accumulated overhead to
the west. A boisterous gust of wind suddenly caught us, which swept off
our chicken-coop, buckets, and other loose things which were on the roof
of the launch. We were tossed about in a most alarming way, and were just
able to tie up under shelter and make fast to some trees. The wind
increased in fury, and the launch tore up her moorings, bringing down a
big tree on the top of us with a tremendous crash.
[Illustration: The American Observatory, Arequipa, and Mount Misti, Peru.]
[Illustration: On the Peruvian Corporation Railway on the way to Cuzco.]
There was a stampede on board, as everybody thought we had been struck by
lightning. Some of the people were just able to jump on shore, while
other Peruvians, men and women, scared to death by the diabolic clashing
of thunder and the vivid lightning, knelt on the decks and prayed
fervently that we might escape unhurt.
I had a narrow escape, a lighted petroleum lamp which swung above getting
off its hook and falling on my head, upsetting all the petroleum over me.
Fortunately it went out as it fell on me. In the middle of the night we
had a great deal of trouble to make the boat fast once more, the waves in
the river being of great height. The rattle of all the merchandise and
broken crockery on board, the moans of the scared Peruvians, with the
howling of the wind, made a regular pandemonium.
When we proceeded up the river next morning we came upon more interesting
islands in course of formation. We saw quantities of _caña baraba_, wild
cane, with its fan-disposed, elongated leaves. The natives used the reeds
for walling their houses. Being absolutely straight, they are well
adapted for that purpose.
On January 9th we passed several villages. Along the banks we saw many
Indians, all dressed up in bright costumes, principally red shawls. We
entered a tiny channel on the right bank and went as far as a place
called San Jeronimo, a fairly large settlement. This small channel was,
as late as 1895, the main stream, which has since been diverted by the
formation of a low island. At sunset we perceived to the west what
appeared at first a mass of low clouds revolving in a circle at a great
speed. On closer inspection we found it to be millions of _garças_ or
aigrette storks flying in a circle.
I arrived in the evening of January 10th at Masisea, where another
wireless telegraph station had been established by the Peruvian
Government. At this place I left the launch _Rimac_, and found the
Government launch _Esploradora_, which had been detained there by the
Prefect of Loreto for two days, awaiting my arrival. Having transhipped
at once, I was able to proceed on January 11th on the latter. She was to
take me as far as possible toward the foot of the Andes.
As we proceeded up the river we saw extensive farms surrounded by
clearings of good land, with lots of cattle and horses, especially on the
left bank of the river. We purchased an ox, so as to have fresh meat on
board.
The small launch was, unfortunately, packed with a great many Peruvian
travellers. There were no cabins, and one had to sleep on the roof of the
launch. Everybody was most civil, and with the new camp-bed I had
purchased in Manaos I was able to make myself as comfortable as was
possible under the circumstances.
Beautiful specimens of _cataua_ trees of great height were constantly to
be seen in the forest along the banks. The resin from these trees is
extremely poisonous, and is much used by the local Indians for killing
fish. We halted for five hours that day in order to take on board
sufficient wood for the engines to last us the entire journey. At 6.30
that afternoon we left the Ucayalli river and entered the tributary
Pachitea, on the left side, the Ucayalli describing a big curve where
the Pachitea enters it. Just before reaching the mouth of the Pachitea,
the Ucayalli had first a big arm deviating from the main stream on the
left bank, then soon after another great arm also on the left side. The
navigation of those rivers was now getting difficult, and we had to halt
at night.
On January 12th we started up the Pachitea River, a stream much smaller
than the Ucayalli, but more interesting. Soon after departing we could
perceive in the distance before us a high hill range. Crocodiles and
white storks were innumerable, while fallen trees impeded navigation
constantly. Once or twice we banged with such force against immense
floating logs of wood that it made the launch quiver in a most alarming
way. In the dirty water of the stream it was not always possible to
detect the floating logs, which sometimes were just under the surface of
the water. Immense quantities of _caña baraba_ were to be seen on the
banks, and great numbers of delicately-tinted violet flowers which
enlivened the landscape. The _caña_ had light violet-coloured _panaches_,
which were much used by the Indians in the manufacture of their arrows.
The banks were of alluvial formation. Islets of grey sand mixed with
volcanic ashes could be seen. The current was strong.
We saw large families of _ciancias_--beautiful birds with velvety black
bodies speckled with white, and fan tails of rich brown colour, feathers
of the same colour being also on the outer half of the wings. They
possessed slender, most elegant necks, small brown-crested heads, and
light yellow chests. Seen at a distance they were not, in shape, unlike
pheasants. Twenty or thirty together at a time could be seen playing
among the lower branches of the trees along the edge of the river. Then
there were small birds of a beautiful metallic blue-black, with very long
tails; these latter were innumerable near the water.
[Illustration: A Beautiful Example of Ancient Spanish Wood-carving, Peru.]
The rainy season was in full swing. In the morning we generally had white
mist rising among the trees, while during the day rain was usually
plentiful and rendered travelling somewhat monotonous, as we could not
see much. We saw many specimens of the _tagua_ or _yarina_, a small palm,
the leaves of which were used in that region for roofing houses. At last
we came to the first rocks I had seen in the river since leaving the
Tapajoz River. They were at the double whirlpool of Naittavo. At the
island of Errera was a narrow channel only 30 to 40 m. wide, where the
current was extremely strong, and just deep enough for our launch, which
drew 5 ft. of water. The upstream end of the island was strewn with logs
of wood, forming a kind of barrage, the water of the dividing stream
being thrown with great force against it. It was here that we got the
first sight of high mountains--a great change after the immense stretches
of flat land we had encountered all along the Amazon, Solimões and
Ucayalli. I saw some beautiful specimens of the idle or sleepy monkey,
the _preguya_, a nocturnal animal with wonderful fur. The small launch
was swung about with great force from one side to the other by the strong
current and whirlpools. We saw a number of _Cashibos_ (Carapaches and
Callisecas) on the right bank of the river. They are said to be
cannibals, but personally I rather doubt it. If they have occasionally
eaten a missionary or two, I believe that it must have been rather as a
religious superstition than because of the actual craving for human
flesh. Also it is possible that, as is the case with many African tribes,
the Cashibos may believe that eating an enemy gives strength and courage,
and may have indulged in this practice purely on that account. So that I
do not think that it is fair to call those Indians cannibals in the true
sense of the word, any more than it would be fair to call a teetotaller a
drunkard because he took a drink or two of brandy for medicinal purposes.
The word "Cashibo" in the Pana language means vampire. Those Indians are
great fighters, and are in a constant state of hostility with all their
neighbours. They are good hunters and fishermen. Their weapons are well
made, and consist of bow and arrows, spears and war-clubs. The Callisecas
and Carapaches are very light in colour, with a yellowish skin, not
darker than that of the average Spaniard. They are fine-looking people,
fairly hairy on the face and body. The men grow long beards. Men and
women generally go about naked, but some of the Indians near the river
have adopted long shawls in which they wrap themselves. After marriage
the women wear a loin-cloth, but nothing at all before marriage. The
girls when young are attractive, with luminous, expressive, dark brown
eyes. These Cashibos are supposed to be the "white race" of the Amazon.
They are nevertheless not white at all, but belong to a yellow race,
although they are, as I have said, of a light yellow colour. Many yellow
races have come under my observation in the islands of the Pacific
Ocean, who were just as light as the Cashibos, such as the Bilans and
Manobos, and some who were even whiter than they are, such as the
Mansakas of the Mindanao Island. The Cashibos are wild people, and the
settlers in the neighbourhood are much afraid of them.
On January 13th, when we were three days out from Masisea, we were
travelling between high rocky hills with almost vertical sides. Their
section showed in the lower portion narrow bands of violet-coloured rock
and white light stone in a horizontal stratum. Above that had accumulated
a deep layer from 30 to 100 ft. thick of red earth.
We went across a dangerous whirlpool. The launch hardly had enough
strength to pull through at full speed. The water all around us formed
great circles with deep central hollows, and, as we went through, rose
before us like a wall. It had quite an impressive effect. That particular
whirlpool was called Sheboya. Soon afterwards we obtained a beautiful
view of the high range--the Sira mountains.
[Illustration: Wonderful Example of Old Spanish Wood-Carving, Peru.]
On January 14th we went over the whirlpool of Marques, a most picturesque
sight. On the banks of the river was plenty of rubber, _hevea_, but not
of quite such good quality as that found in Brazil. Some of the trees
exuded white and some yellow latex, the coloration being probably due to
the quality of the soil. There were few habitations along the banks of
the Pachitea River. There were tribes of the Campas (or Antis) and
Cashibos Indians, the members of both races having marked Malay
characteristics. Occasionally one met extraordinary people in those
out-of-the-way regions. When we halted for wood, which we used instead of
coal for our engine, a man some six feet four inches in height came on
board--quite an extraordinary-looking person. To my amazement, when I
spoke to him, he turned out to be a man of refined taste and quite highly
educated. He was a Hungarian count and an officer in the Austrian army,
who, having got into trouble in his own country, had gone to settle
there.
From a place called Cahaubanas, at the confluence of the river Pichis
with the Pachitea, it was possible to cross over on foot to the Mayro, a
stream which flowed into the Palcazu, and in two more days' walking
(about 75 kil.), the German colony of Potzuzu could be reached at the
meeting-place of the Potzuzu River with the Uancabamba. From the German
colony 158 kil. more would bring you to Uanuco, and 138 kil. farther on
was Serra de Pasco, whence the railway went to Lima.
Another trail from Cahaubanas proceeded to Chuchura, about 50 kil. higher
up the Mayro river. From there it was possible to cross the Yanachag
Mountains and reach the settlement of Uancabamba. The distance from
Cahaubanas to Chuchura was one and a half day's walking--some 40 kil. of
heavy climbing, that from Chuchura to Uancabamba two days' marching. From
Uancabamba one was able to get mules in order to go over the high pass of
Culebra Marca and reach Serra de Pasco.
It was possible by that trail to reach Lima in a few days on foot. It
was out of the question for me to attempt such a journey, the attack of
beri-beri in my right leg making it almost impossible for me to stand up.
I decided to go as far up the stream as I could on the launch and by
canoe.
At Cahaubanas were a monastery and a great many Indians. After halting
for the night at that place we continued our journey up the Pachitea with
a strange medley of passengers on board. We had the Hungarian count, an
Italian farmer, who was a remarkable musician and played the accordion
beautifully; we had some Peruvians, a Spanish emigrant, a small Indian
boy aged ten who acted as steward, and a young fellow of German origin.
The cook on the launch was a lunatic, who was under the impression that
he was the Saviour. It was too pathetic, and occasionally quite alarming,
to see the poor man leaving the cooking stove whenever we passed any
Indians on the banks, when he raised his arms up in the air and,
stretching them forward, gave his benediction to the people he saw,
instead of looking after the boiling rice. His benedictions cost him
frequent kicks and shakings by the neck on the part of the captain of the
launch. He was absorbed in fervent praying during the night. He seldom
condescended to speak to any of us on board, as he said that he was not
living on this earth, but would come back some day to bring peace and
happiness to the whole world. Words of that kind were uttered whilst he
was holding a saucepan in one hand and a ladle in the other. It was
pathetic.
[Illustration: On the way to Cuzco.
Railway bridges partly carried away by swollen river.]
In pouring rain we left again on January 16th between the high rocky
banks of the river, well padded with earth and with dense vegetation.
Extensive beaches of grey sand and coarse gravel were passed, until we
arrived at Port Bermudez, situated at the confluence of the Pichis with
the Chibbis, a tributary on the left bank. Here we found the last of the
chain of wireless stations which had three iron towers. From that place a
telephone and telegraph wire have been installed right over the Andes and
down to Lima.
The passage on the Government launch from Masisea to Bermudez cost £7
10_s._ I heard there that, thanks to the arrangements which had been made
by the Prefect of the Loreto Province, the number of mules I required in
order to cross the Andes was duly waiting for me at the foot of that
great chain of mountains.
I therefore lost no time, and on January 17th, having left the launch
_Esploradora_, proceeded in a canoe with all my baggage intending to
navigate as far as possible the river Pichis, a tributary of the
Pachitea, formed by the united Nazaratec and Asupizu rivers.
The landscape was getting very beautiful, the Sungaro Paro Mountains
rising to a great height on the south-west. Immense _lubuna_ trees, not
unlike pines in shape, were the largest trees in that region--from 5 to 6
ft. in diameter. The current was so strong that we were unable to reach
the spot where the mules were awaiting me, and I had to spend the night
on a gravel beach.
The next morning, however, January 18th, after passing two small rapids,
where my men had to go into the water in order to pull the canoe through,
I arrived at Yessup, where my mules were awaiting me, and where there was
a _tambo_ or rest-house, kept beautifully clean.
[Illustration: Great Sand Dunes along the Peruvian Corporation
Railway to Cuzco.]
[Illustration: Inca Bath or Fountain.]
The distance by water from Iquitos to Masisea was 980 kil.; from Masisea
to Puerto Bermudez 520 kil.; from Puerto Bermudez to Yessup 40 kil.