n 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 w