firm, and from so frequently looking down
precipices, I no longer felt any dizziness, even when standing on the
edge of the deepest.

We travelled on for several days--sometimes through forests, at others
along the bare mountain-sides, above the region of vegetation. Some
nights were spent in huts, which we erected for ourselves, such as those
I have just described. The natives, when we stopped at their abodes,
always received our friend with great respect and attention. The
accommodation they could afford, however, was but scanty. They were
built of reeds thatched with palm, and consisted of but one room.

I have not yet described the natives of this region. They were of a
bronzed colour, with a sad and serious expression of countenance. They
were seldom five feet high, and the women were even shorter. They had
somewhat broad foreheads; their heads covered with thick, straight,
coarse, yet soft, jet-black hair, which hung down their backs. Their
mouths were large, but their lips were not thicker than those of
Europeans, and their teeth were invariably fine. They had large,
well-formed chins; cheek-bones rounded; their eyes somewhat small, with
black eyebrows; and little or no beard. They had broad chests and
square shoulders, and well-made backs and legs, which showed the
strength possessed by them. They were pleasant-looking people. The men
wore a short kilt, with a poncho over their shoulders; the women, a
petticoat of larger dimensions.

They offered us, on entering their huts, cups of the _guayusa_ tea. It
is an infusion of the large leaf of a tall shrub which grows wild in
that region. We found it very refreshing: though not so powerful a
stimulant as coca, it supports the strength, as do the leaves of that
plant, and we found it enable us to go for a considerable time without
food. The cleanest corner of the hut was assigned us for our
sleeping-place at night, with mats and dried leaves in the place of
mattresses. Our friend made inquiries as to whether any white people
had passed in that direction; and, by his orders, the natives were sent
out to gain information. I saw that he was uneasy, though he did not
explain to me the reason.

One morning we were on the point of again setting forward, when a
native, with a long mountain-staff in his hand, entered the hut. He
exchanged a few words with Don Jose.

"We must hasten away, Harry," said our friend; "there is not a moment to
be lost. The