rtile, so that they
were in the days of the Incas, and still are, more densely inhabited by
Indians than any other portion of Peru. These valleys contain many
towns, villages, and hamlets; but as they are surrounded on all sides by
mountains, only to be crossed by dangerous and circuitous routes, their
trade is but limited, and they are seldom visited by the inhabitants of
other parts of Peru. Among them are a few white people, but a
considerable number of mestizos live in the towns. There is very little
money in circulation among them, and in some parts hens' eggs are used
instead of small coin, about fifty being counted for a dollar. The
Indians are the sole cultivators of the soil, which produces wheat,
maize, and barley in abundance, as well as potatoes and other tuberous
plants, and most of the vegetables and fruits of Europe.

It must be understood that many of the scenes I have to describe took
place in this favoured region; while others, again, were among the
mountains and valleys to the east of the vast range of the Andes.
People when reading of mountains are so apt to picture to themselves the
molehills of Europe, which can mostly be crossed on foot in a day or so,
that I must remind them that the Cordilleras and Andes which I am
describing are an extensive region, the passage over which requires not
only days, but in some places even weeks to accomplish. We had
traversed several of these valleys, and were now about to cross over the
highest ridge of the Andes. Having travelled so far without
encountering the Montoneros, even the most timid of our party had lost
all apprehension on that score.

One afternoon we found ourselves ascending through a narrow and wild
gorge in the mountains. For three hours we had been mounting higher and
higher, till our beasts began to show great signs of weariness. At last
we saw before us a huge rock which, projecting from the side of the
mountain, completely overhung the road, and looked as if it would
overwhelm all who attempted to pass under it; while on the other side
was a precipice three or four hundred feet in perpendicular height, at
the bottom of which appeared a dark chasm with a wild roaring torrent
running through it. The road, if so the mountain track could be called,
was barely wide enough to allow a loaded mule to proceed along it; and
it was next to impossible for two animals to pass one another, or for a
person to dismount without great risk of falling