or of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.

[Illustration: Where a Stone Fight took place in the Inca Country.

(Notice the innumerable rocks which have been thrown down the hill from
the high Inca structure.)]

[Illustration: Entrance to Inca Subterranean Passages.]

I left Lima five days after my arrival, on February 5th, going by steamer
to the port of Mollendo, where I arrived on February 7th. There I met the
railway line of the Peruvian Corporation from the sea coast to
Arequipa and Cuzco. A magnificent private car had been placed at my
disposal by the Peruvian Corporation, in which I was able to make myself
comfortable for the several days which the journey lasted. Not only so,
but the Peruvian Corporation kindly looked after my welfare in a most
thoughtful way during the whole time I travelled on their line, for which
I am indeed extremely grateful, as the travelling in that country would
have otherwise been less pleasant.

The railroad from Mollendo went along the coast among curious eroded
rocks of great interest; then gradually left the sea among sand-dunes and
mounds upon the wide beach.

As the railway began to get higher and higher upon the steep gradient the
scenery became more and more beautiful. Presently we found ourselves
overlooking a wonderful flat valley between two high hill ranges in
lovely green patches, cut with geometrical precision, and well
cultivated. Giant cacti of the candelabrum type were plentiful. Farther
on we got upon an elevated plateau with a white surface of pumice-stone,
followed by red volcanic sand--an immense stretch of country surrounded
by low hills of grey tufa and red volcanic rock.

Beyond that we came to a most interesting region of sand-dunes of
extraordinary shapes, where the under soil was of a brilliant red, while
the sand accumulations were of a grey colour. Some of the dunes were
crescent-shaped. They stood usually in sets or rows extending from
north-west to south-east. Then there were high mounds, also of sand, and
dunes of all kinds, some with a double crescent, or with the inside of
the crescent much indented, others with multiple concave curves. The
concavity of all those dunes was on the north-east side.

I had seen a similar formation of dunes in the Salt Desert of Persia;
also in the south-western desert of Afghanistan and in the northern
desert of Beluchistan; but I do not remember ever having seen such a
perfect formation of dunes as that to be seen in this p