Across the Andes--The End of the Trans-continental Journey
I WAS fortunate in obtaining some excellent Peruvian muleteers to
accompany me on the expedition over the Andes. The trip might have been a
rough one for the ordinary traveller, but for me it was a real holiday
excursion, after the horrible time I had experienced in Brazil. This
notwithstanding the disagreeable weather I encountered during the
fourteen days' rough riding which I employed in reaching the Pacific
Ocean.
I started at once with my pack animals on the trail which has been cut by
the Peruvian Government over the mountains. Rain came down in torrents.
Most of the country was swampy, the mules sinking chest-deep in mud. The
travelling was not exactly what you would call pleasant. Your legs
dangled all the time in water and slush. As that trail was used by
caravans, the mules had cut regular transverse grooves in the ground all
along, in which successively they all placed their hoofs. Each groove was
filled with slushy water, and was separated from the next by a mud wall
from one to three feet high. The mules were constantly stumbling and
falling. After you had travelled a short distance you were in a filthy
condition, the torrential rain washing down the splashes of mud and
spreading them all over you.
After leaving Yessup we crossed first the Sinchhuaqui river, then the
Aguachini. We began to ascend two kilometres after we had left Yessup,
and marched steadily the entire day among gigantic _aguaso_ trees and
wonderful ferns of great height, until we reached the Miriatiriami
_tambo_, 27 kil. from Yessup.
On January 19th we followed the River Azupizu along a narrow trail from
300 to 400 ft. above the level of the river, with an almost vertical drop
by the side of us. Huge palms and ferns of indescribable beauty were to
be seen all along, while waterfalls and streamlets constantly crossed the
trail.
We encountered that day deep mud all the way, the mules sinking up to
their bellies in the slush. The trail along the mountain side was cut in
the soft earth, and actually formed a deep groove only about two feet
wide, the mud and slush being held by the solid transverse barriers which
succeeded one another at short intervals.
[Illustration: Cuzco.]
[Illustration: Llamas in foreground.]
At Piriatingalini and Puchalini we found light cable suspension bridges,
very shaky, which swung to and fro as you rode over them. Most of them
were not more than four feet wide and had no parapet at all. I cannot say
that I felt particularly happy when my mule--sure-footed, I grant--took
me across, the bridge swinging, quivering, and squeaking with our weight
on it, especially when we were in the middle. The rivers were extremely
picturesque, with high mountains on either side, among which they wound
their way in a snake-like fashion over a rocky bed, forming a series of
cascades. We went that day 25 kil., and arrived at the _tambo_ of
Azupizu, which was in charge of a deserter from the French navy. He was
an extraordinary character. He had forgotten French, and had neither
learnt Spanish nor the local language of the Campas Indians.
A tribe of those Indians was to be found near there--very handsome
people, the men solidly built and muscular, with intelligent but brutal
faces, with the yellowish-brown skin and slanting eyes of the Malay
races. The eyes showed a great discoloration in the upper part of the
iris. They possessed straight hair, slightly inclined to curl at the end.
The nose was flattened at the root. They wore a few ornaments of feathers
on the head. Their clothing consisted of a loose gown not unlike a Roman
toga. The women were good-looking when very young.
The Campas claimed to be the direct descendants of the Incas. There is no
doubt that the Campas were practically the same tribe as the Antis, once
a most powerful tribe which inhabited an extensive territory to the north
and east of Cuzco. In fact, the eastern portion of the Inca country was
once called Anti-Suya. The Campas, or Antis, were formerly ferocious.
They are now quite tame, but still retain their cruel countenances,
resembling closely those of Polynesians and Malays.
We left that place on January 20th in drenching rain. The river was much
swollen, and formed a whirlpool of great magnitude just over some bad
rapids. We crossed from mountain-side to mountain-side, some 400 ft.
above the stream, in a sling car running along a wire rope. The car
consisted of two planks suspended on four pieces of telegraph wire. As
the sling had been badly constructed it did not run smoothly along the
cable. I had an unpleasant experience--everybody had who used that
conveyance--as I was going across from one side to the other of the
stream, a distance of some 200 metres or more. The ropes which were used
for pulling the car along got badly entangled when I had reached the
middle of the passage. The Indians and the Frenchman pulled with violent
jerks in order to disentangle them, and caused the car to swing and bump
to such an extent that it was all I could do to hold on and not be flung
out of it. Having been swung to and fro for the best part of an hour on
that primitive arrangement, I was able to proceed on the other side of
the stream. Fortunately we had taken the precaution of making the animals
cross over the river the previous evening, before it was in flood, or
else we should have been held up there for several days. Leaving the
Azupizu river, we followed the river Kintoliani, which joined the Azupizu
and formed with it a most formidable stream.
[Illustration: A Famous Inca Wall, Cuzco.
The various rocks fit so perfectly that no mortar was used to keep them
in place.]
The trail was at a great height, some 600 ft. above the water. In two or
three places where it had been cut into the rock it was most dangerous,
as the rocks were slippery with the wet, so that the mules had great
difficulty in keeping their feet. The vegetation was wonderful, with
trees of enormous height and beautiful giant palms. Waterfalls over rocky
walls were plentiful, while the effects of clouds were marvellous among
those mountains--although my enthusiasm was damped a good deal that day
by the torrential rain, which came down in bucketfuls upon us, and
filtered through even my heavy waterproof coat.
The zigzag ascent was extremely heavy, the first part being over rocky
ground, while the rest of that day's journey was along a swampy trail on
which the mules stumbled and fell many times. One of my men had a narrow
escape from being precipitated down the chasm. So bad, indeed, was the
trail that we only went 15 kil., halting at the _tambo_ of Pampas S.
Nicolas.
On January 21st we made a long and tedious march, rising all the time
among slippery rocks along precipices, or sinking in swampy mud on the
narrow trail. Picturesque waterfalls of great height were visible in
volcanic vents, some square, others crescent-shaped, on the face of the
mountain. The torrents, swollen by the heavy rains, were difficult to
cross, my mules on several occasions being nearly swept away by the
foaming current. We sank in deep red slush and in deep holes filled with
water, but continued all the time to ascend a gentle but continuous
incline. We travelled that day from six o'clock in the morning until six
o'clock in the evening, rain pouring down upon us all the time. We were
simply smothered in mud from head to foot.
We found a large _tambo_ at Camp 93, with a telephone and telegraph
station. At those _tambos_ it was always possible to obtain rice,
chickens and eggs at reasonable prices, fixed by the Government. In many
of the _tambos_ were also rough wooden bedsteads, with a more or less
comfortable mattress. I generally preferred to use my own camp-bed. As
there were never more than one or two rooms in the _tambo_, you had to
sleep in the same room with other people, unless you preferred to sleep
outside, as I did.
For the privilege of sleeping at any _tambo_, in or out of doors, one
paid the small sum of one shilling. A dinner or lunch seldom cost more
than two shillings, and breakfast eightpence to one shilling. The food
for the animals could be reckoned at one shilling for each mule, the
price being higher at the Yessup end of the journey and getting gradually
lower as one got nearer the capital.
Of course one could not call travelling over the Andes in any way
luxurious. The tablecloths at the _tambos_ showed all round the table the
marks of the dirty lips of previous travellers, and plentiful stains of
soup, coffee and tea. The illumination consisted usually of a candle
placed in the mouth of a bottle, which was used as a candlestick.
I saw more Campas Indians there. They were singing songs strongly
resembling Malay melodies, to the accompaniment of Spanish guitars. Other
songs influenced by Spanish airs, but still delivered in a typically
Malay fashion, were also given that evening. They interested me greatly.
[Illustration: Inca Three-Walled Fortress of Sacsayhuaman, Cuzco.]
On January 22nd we left Camp 93. I was struck everywhere at those
_tambos_ by the great honesty of the Peruvians. I was often touched by
the extreme kindness of the people and their considerate manner--although
perhaps it was more particularly striking to me after my experience of
the brutal behaviour of the lower-class Brazilians. The gentle way of
speaking, the more harmonious language--Spanish instead of
Portuguese--and the charming civility of the people, made travelling,
even under those unpleasant circumstances, quite agreeable.
It was cold, especially at night. Nearly all my instruments had been
badly damaged in our many accidents in Brazil, and I was unable to
replace them either in Pará or Manaos. Owing, therefore, to the lack of
self-registering thermometers, I could not keep an accurate daily record
of the maximum and minimum temperatures. After leaving Camp 93, we went
over a really fearful trail, my mules being all the time chest-deep in
mud. It was extremely hard work for the animals to get along. As is well
known to any traveller, all animals of a caravan when on a narrow path
step in the footprints of their predecessors, so that on that trail they
had sunk a long series of deep holes in the soft clay, which were
constantly being filled by water sliding from the mountain-side. In that
particular part the mud had highly caustic qualities, which burnt the
skin and caused irritation each time you were splashed. The muleteers who
were walking had their feet badly burnt by it, one man suffering agony
from his blistered feet.
Magnificent mountain scenery covered with luxuriant forest surrounded us
as the trail wound its way along the high point on the top of the
mountain range. We went only 21 kil. that day from Pampas, having
occupied seven hours to cover the distance, owing to the difficulties of
the march.
In the afternoon we were enveloped in dense fog which lasted the whole
night, the cold being quite severe, and the more perceptible because of
the humidity in the air. The trail here described a wide detour, which
could have easily been avoided had another trail that went direct to New
Bermudez been followed at the bottom of the valley. The journey by that
lower trail could be accomplished in one day and a half. The elevation by
hypsometrical apparatus of this camp (N.71) was 5,663 ft.
On January 23rd we descended rapidly through beautiful forest from Camp
71, where we had halted for the night, to a large _tambo_ called Eneñas,
in charge of an Italian. The place was situated in a beautiful valley
intersected by a streamlet saturated with lime. It looked exactly like
milk, and hurt your gums considerably when you drank it. The excellent
mule I was riding had unfortunately hurt one of its legs while we were
crossing a swollen torrent, where the mule and myself were nearly swept
away in the foaming current. Riding on the lame animal, which was all the
time stumbling and falling down on its knees, was unpleasant. In the
narrow trail it was not possible to unload another animal and change the
saddle, and it was out of the question for me to walk.
[Illustration: The Inca Temple of the Sun, with Spanish Superstructure.]
[Illustration: Inca Doorway, Cuzco.]
I arrived at the _tambo_ with a ravenous appetite, but unfortunately
nobody had telephoned from the previous _tambo_ that I was coming, so
that it was impossible to get lunch, and I had to wait two or three hours
before I could get anything to eat at all. The men in charge of the
various _tambos_ were rather negligent in telephoning and making
arrangements with the next _tambo_, as the kind of travellers they had
on that trail was not of the highest type and could not always be relied
upon for payment. The people in charge of the _tambos_ were poor devils,
half _abrutis_, to use a most appropriate French expression, by the life
they had to lead in that forlorn country.
On January 24th we continued our journey over horrible deep mud-holes,
which made the trail extremely dangerous. On that particular day we were
travelling over sticky soil, so that when the mules trod in the deep
holes they stuck with their hoofs and fell over, immediately struggling
wildly to free themselves. One of my men was nearly thrown down a
precipice that day, and all of us, as well as all the pack animals, had
many unpleasant falls during that march. Swampy places like that were
encountered for hundreds of metres at a time. In one place that day we
had two kilometres of continuous swampy mud. In the afternoon I had a
nasty fall, the mule rolling right on the top of me and nearly breaking
my right leg. The animal in falling had sunk its head in the sticky mud,
and was struggling madly to release itself. The animals were then
marching chest-deep in mud. In my helpless condition I tried to get off
when the animal fell, but sank up to my waist and stuck fast with my legs
in the mud. When the mule rolled over, it knocked me down on the edge of
the precipice, my leg remaining caught under the animal. Had not one of
my muleteers been by my side at the moment and rushed to my rescue, I
should have fared badly indeed.
We had a slippery descent after Tambo 33, where we had a lunch composed
of putrid tinned salmon and "invisible" eggs--the latter dish being a
speciality of that place. The _tambo_ man insisted that I had eaten six
eggs, whereas I had not even seen them except on the bill. He told me
that I was wrong, showing me a napkin on which two yellow streaks were to
be seen--though not left there by me, but by the lips of some traveller
who had passed perhaps a month before.
We made a long march that day, having left at seven o'clock in the
morning, and arriving at our halting-place at four o'clock in the
afternoon.
The next day, January 25th, we had a trying march. Several land-slides
had taken place, bringing down great patches of forest. Numberless trees
had fallen over, making it difficult for the animals to be taken across.
In one place all of them had to be unloaded, and they sank so deeply in
the slush and soft earth that we had three or four hours' extremely hard
work to cover a distance of about 50 m. The animals became so scared that
they would not go on at all. The men who pushed and led them along that
dangerous passage with a deep precipice on one side were in constant
danger.
The rain, which had been torrential during the night, continued during
the entire day, swelling the streams and making them most difficult to
cross. In one stream my mule and I were swept away altogether. I had
water right up to my waist while riding, and the mule showed only its
head above the water. We were thrown with great force against some rocks,
where, fortunately, my muleteers came to our help and got us out again.
[Illustration: Inca Steps carved in a Dome of Rock, Cuzco.
Fortress noticeable in the distance.]
The trail--about half a metre wide--wound its way up to a great height
above the foaming river. There were beautiful ferns of immense height,
some of which had finely ribbed, gigantic leaves. Graceful yellow
flowers, or sometimes beautiful red ones, were to be seen on tall trees
with white, clean stems. We passed a coffee plantation, owned by English
people, near a charming settlement of whitewashed houses on the opposite
side of the river. When we came to cross the Rio Las Palmas--heavily
swollen--we were once more nearly swept away in riding across with water
up to our chests. The baggage naturally suffered a good deal in those
constant immersions. This was, unfortunately, the wrong season for
crossing the Andes; but I could not help that, as I was anxious to get
through, and could not wait for the fine weather to come.
Farther on we crossed the river Paucartambo near the Pueblo Pardo. We
next followed the Rio Chanchamayo, which afterwards became the Rio
Perene, along which extensive English farms had been established. We were
now getting near to civilization. I felt that my work was entirely
finished, as the country hereabouts was well known.
We came to the Colorado river, a tributary of the Chanchamayo, and passed
S. Luiz de Shuaro, a charming little village of whitewashed houses. The
scenery was beautiful on nearing La Merced. The river basin showed
luxuriant grassy slopes and immense sugar plantations.
La Merced was situated on the left bank of the Rio Chanchamayo, formed by
the meeting of the Rio Tulumayo and the Rio Tarma, which joined near the
village of S. Ramon. It had two modest hotels and various commercial
houses. In a way I was sorry to get to a town again, because in those
places you had all the trumpery illusion of civilization without any of
its real advantages. One met, however, with the greatest civility from
everybody, and, indeed, with the greatest honesty. So that travelling in
those regions was quite a pleasure.
To my amazement that evening a burly Italian came into the hotel. Who was
he?--Garibaldi's grandson, the son of General Canzio and Garibaldi's
daughter. He was interested in some mines in the district, and had lived
there for some years trying to make a fortune.
What impressed one most in the settlements on the Andes were the great
neatness and cleanliness of all the buildings, and the charming manners
of all the people one met. Everybody, without exception, saluted you
politely as you approached; everybody was anxious to be of assistance or
offer you hospitality. There was, nevertheless, nothing of great interest
in those high-placed villages.
On January 26th I went on in a drenching rain, having changed my animals
at that place for another lot of excellent mules. The hire of animals was
somewhat high, but after the prices one had to pay in Brazil, everything
seemed, by comparison, dirt-cheap in Peru. I also said good-bye to the
Peruvians who had accompanied me so far, and employed Indians to take
charge of my animals.
From La Merced there was a trail from one to three metres wide, cut out
in the solid rock and skirting all along the foaming river, which flowed
in the opposite direction from that in which we were travelling. In
several places narrow tunnels had been excavated in the rock, through
which the trail proceeded. These tunnels were dangerous when you
encountered caravans of pack animals coming through from the opposite
direction. The animals often got jammed in the middle of the tunnel,
tearing their loads to pieces in their attempts to disentangle
themselves. Once I got jammed myself, and came out minus a patch of skin
several inches long from my left shin and knee.
Between La Merced and S. Ramon, a distance of some 10 kil., one had to
cross the shaky suspension bridges of La Herreria and S. Ramon. The
oscillations of those bridges were so great that it was always a marvel
to me that the animals and riders were not precipitated into the river
below. The planks of the bridges were in many places so rotten that it
was not uncommon for the animals to put their legs right through them.
Only one animal at a time could go across, as the bridges were not strong
enough to support more.
Farther on we arrived at two more bridges--the Puntayacu and the Rio
Seco, one a suspension bridge, the other built of masonry. One met
hundreds of Indians upon the trail, in costumes resembling those of the
Calabrese of Italy. The men wore heavy woollen hand-knitted stockings up
to their knees, or else over their trousers, white leggings left open
behind as far down as the knee. Round felt hats were worn by the women,
who were garbed in bright blue or red petticoats, very full and much
pleated, but quite short. Red was the favourite colour for the shawl
which they threw round the body and over the shoulders.
When we proceeded the next morning the heat in the low valley was
stifling. The scenery continued to be beautiful, with magnificent
waterfalls and torrents flowing down at a steep angle among rocks.
I stopped for the night at the charming little hotel of Huacapistana,
situated at a lower level than the road in a most picturesque narrow
valley, on the right bank of the Tarma River. The distance between La
Merced and Huacapistana was about 35 kil.
Between Huacapistana and Tarma the track was excellent. We went through
the Carpapata tunnel, 184 m. long--very dark and narrow, and extremely
dangerous if you happened to meet pack animals in the middle. The scenery
was enchanting and the vegetation wonderful until, 20 kil. farther, I
entered, by a magnificent avenue of eucalyptus trees, the most
picturesque town of the higher Andes, Tarma. The narrow, neat streets
were paved with cobble-stones. All the houses were painted white, and had
red-tiled roofs. The streets swarmed with quaintly attired Indians and
tidily dressed Peruvians. There were many Italians and Spaniards in
Tarma. Two or three hotels existed here--a capital one, actually lighted
by electric light, being kept by a most honest Italian. The elevation of
Tarma, taken by the hypsometrical apparatus, was 10,034 ft.
[Illustration: The "Round Table" of the Incas.]
[Illustration: Entrance to Inca Subterranean Passages.]
I left Tarma on January 29th, following a well-cultivated valley, fairly
thickly inhabited. We were travelling over a good mule-track, swarming
with Indians, donkeys, mules, and horses. The mud houses and land on
either side were enclosed by hedges of cacti, or by walls. We were
between barren mountains of a brownish colour, against which the quaint,
brightly-coloured costumes of the many people on the road were thrown out
in vivid contrast. Most of the houses were constructed of large mud
bricks, sun-dried. The crops seemed to consist chiefly of Indian corn. As
we went farther, among dark brown rocks and limestone, we came to
grottoes and rock habitations. At some remote period there must have been
a great upheaval in that country--at least, judging by the sedimentary
foliated rock, the strata of which were from one to three feet thick, and
which had originally been deposited horizontally by water. These
accumulations or sediments now stood up at an angle of 45°. We were now
in a region where llamas were plentiful--most delightful animals, with
their pointed ears pricked up, their luxuriant coats, and stumpy curled
tails.
We came to a steep ascent over a high pass, where the cold wind was
fierce. On reaching the pass I found myself on a grassy plateau in which
were to be seen two circles of stones by the side of each other.
The partition of the waters flowing into the River Mantaro and the River
Tarma took place at the point called Ricran, not far from the high pass
we had crossed. It was always advisable when taking the journey between
Tarma and Oroya to start early in the morning, so as to be on that pass
before noon. In the afternoon the wind was intensely cold and frequently
accompanied by violent storms of hail and rain.
I arrived in the evening at Oroya, the distance from Tarma being 30 kil.
236 m. The journey between the two places could be accomplished on a good
mule in five or six hours. Oroya was an important point for me, as it was
there that I saw the first railway since leaving Araguary in Brazil
nearly a year before.
Oroya is perhaps one of the highest railway stations in the world, its
accurate elevation by boiling-point thermometers being 12,156 ft.
The town, like all termini of railway lines, was not an attractive place.
There were two or three hotels, all extremely bad. One began to feel the
effects of civilization in the dishonesty of the people.
Early the next morning, thanks to arrangements made by Mr. D. T. Lee, I
was allowed to take the journey to Lima in a "gravity car," in the
company of the engineer, Mr. Beverley R. Mayer, instead of by the usual
train, which ran twice a week. Of course it was only possible to go by
"gravity car" from the highest point of the railway, which is not at
Oroya, but at the tunnel of Galera, 5,356 m. (17,572 ft.) above the
sea-level as measured by the railway surveyors.
[Illustration: a Toboggan Slide of Rock.]
[Illustration: An Inca Grave, Bolivia.]
The scenery was magnificent on that railway. Having gone through the
Galera tunnel, Mr. Mayer and I got on the small "gravity car," keeping
all the time just in front of the train. It was quite an exciting
journey, the incline being so great that we soon acquired a vertiginous
speed--in fact, too much, because our brakes would not act any more.
With the snow and rain the rails had become so slippery that we went
sliding down at the most alarming pace. Nor did I feel particularly happy
at having the train only a few hundred metres behind us. Whenever we got
to a station, we had to get off quickly and get our car off the rails to
give room to the incoming train. The cold was intense.
The geological formation of the Andes in that particular region was
remarkable, and more remarkable still was the British engineering triumph
of constructing a railway from the sea to so high an elevation. In one or
two places there were iron bridges of great height and ingenious
construction. You felt a curious sensation as you flew over those bridges
on the tiny car, and you saw between the rails the chasm underneath you;
nor did you feel extraordinarily comfortable when, hundreds of feet down,
down below, at the bottom of one chasm, you saw a railway engine which
had leapt the rails and lay upside down in the middle of a foaming
torrent.
Naturally, in building a mountain railway of that type, a great many
curves and zigzags were necessary, many of those curves taking place
inside tunnels. Along the railway rivers have been switched off through
tunnels within the mountain, and produced picturesque cascades where they
came out again.
The geological surprises were continual. Next to mountains with perfectly
horizontal strata you saw other mountains with strata in a vertical
position, especially in the limestone formation. Farther down immense
superposed terraces were to be noticed upon the mountain side, evidently
made by the ancient dwellers of that country for the cultivation of
their inhospitable land.
This interested me greatly. I had seen among the Igorrotes or
head-hunters of the island of Luzon, in the Philippine Archipelago, that
same method of irrigation, by collecting the water from a high point on
the mountain side in order to irrigate consecutively the series of
terraces. Not only was I struck by the fact of finding so unusual a
method of cultivation at two points of the globe so far apart, but I was
even more impressed by the wonderful resemblance in type between the
local natives and the inhabitants of the northern island of the
Philippines. Undoubtedly these people came from the same stock.
Where we stopped at the different stations there was always something
interesting to observe--now the hundreds of llamas which had conveyed
goods to the railway; at one place the numberless sacks of ore waiting to
be taken to the coast; at another the tall active chimneys of the
smelters, which suggested industry on a large scale. I took a number of
photographs under difficulties on that journey down the Andes.
At 7.30 p.m. on January 30th, 1912, I arrived safely at Lima, a distance
of 222 kil. from Oroya. The total distance from Iquitos to Lima over the
Andes was 2,079 kil., which distance I had performed in the record time
of one month, the time generally occupied by the usual travellers being
from fifty to seventy days.
[Illustration: Inca Remains near Cuzco.]
From Lima I proceeded early the next morning to Callao, the port for
Lima, a few kilometres farther, where at La Punta I touched the
Pacific Ocean, thus ending my trans-continental journey from Rio de
Janeiro, with its zigzags and deviations, 22,000 kil. in length, or
13,750 miles.
I was already in better health when I reached Lima. The violent changes
of climate from the hot valley of the Amazon to the snows of the Andes,
and from there to the sea-coast, had had a beneficial effect upon me. The
attack of beri-beri from which I had been suffering was gradually passing
away, my right foot, by the time I reached Lima, having slowly got back
almost to its normal size, although my toes were still atrophied. It is
well known that there is no better cure for beri-beri than sea air.