yaquil. I had a
faint recollection of its appearance, with Chimborazo's snow-capped dome
towering up in the distance. Ellen, who had forgotten all about being
there, was delighted with the scenery. Guayaquil is situated at the
mouth of the river Guayas--the largest on the Pacific coast. On going
on shore, however, we were somewhat disappointed, as the buildings,
though grand at a distance, have a tumbledown appearance, partly owing
to the earthquakes to which they are subjected, and partly to the
carelessness of the inhabitants in repairing them. We had great hopes
of meeting our father, but his correspondents in the city had not heard
from him for some time. The country, we found, was in a very unsettled
state, owing to which, probably, he had not come down from Quito. We
bade farewell to our kind captain and the crew of the _Inca_.

Some time before, Peru, Chili, and the other Spanish provinces of South
America had thrown off their allegiance to the mother country, forming
themselves into republics. Their government, however, especially in the
northern provinces, had been as yet far from well established.
Disturbances were continually occurring, preventing the progress of the
country. First one party took up arms to overthrow another in
authority, and in a short time those who had been superseded played the
same trick to those who had stepped into their places.

We lost no time in making preparations for our journey, the first part
of which was to be performed on board a boat,--seventy miles up the
river to Bodegas. We were there to engage mules to proceed over the
mountains to Quito, of the difficulties of which journey I had some
slight recollection.

We spent two days at Guayaquil. Had we not been anxious about our
father and the rest of our family, we should have been well amused.
From the balcony of our house we had a magnificent view of the towering
range of the Andes seen from the east of us, and extending like a mighty
wall north and south. Far away on the left, and fully a hundred miles
off, appeared the mighty Chimborazo, whose snow-capped summit, rising
far above its fellows, formed a superb background to the range of lesser
mountains and grand forests which cover the intermediate space. I have
before mentioned the delicious fruits that may be found in abundance in
the city; and I described the curious balsas, on board of which the
natives navigate the coasts and rivers. We all supplied ours