A VIEW OF IQUITOS FROM THE RIVER.
The provinces of Loreto are completely watered by the tributaries of the Amazon; the main stream, under the name of Marañon, crosses Alto and Bajo Amazonas through a territory of the greatest fertility, rich in rubber, hardwoods, and tropical fruits; and along the eastern border of Ucayali province, the river of the same name flows in a serpentine course northward, receiving innumerable small streams that descend the western slope of the central Cordilleras. The popular route from the Pacific Coast to the forests of Loreto is by the Ucayali River to its confluence with the Marañon, and thence along the great waterway down to Iquitos; though a very interesting journey may be made by the northern route, through Cajamarca, Chachapoyas and Moyobamba to the port of Yurimaguas on the Huallaga River. Along both routes the luxuriance of the Montaña is seen in all its glory; the forest is aglow with the brilliant hues of a thousand birds and butterflies; the trees are alive with chattering monkeys that swing back and forth by the long parasitic vines which hang like ropes from the highest branches. In the heart of the Montaña the trees become larger, the palms and ferns of denser growth, and the creeping vines form a network about the overarching boughs. Plantations of cacao, plantains, yucca, and other products appear from time to time as a clear space separates the wooded tracts; and, in the neighborhood of the great rivers, the jebe and caucho gatherers may be seen working their way through the estradas, or journeying to some point on the river to take a boat down to Iquitos, the metropolis of the rubber country. The sentiment of hospitality prevails everywhere, and a traveller is usually treated with the greatest kindness when he arrives at a settlement in the Amazon forest, whatever his business or nationality. The men whose tasks keep them buried for years in the heart of the rubber country are always glad to have news from the outside world.
In the development of trade on the Amazon, the port of Iquitos has been placed in direct communication with the head of navigation on all the large tributaries of the great river, and explorations have been made far up the smaller streams toward their source in the Cordilleras. The expeditions sent out by the Peruvian government with this object in view have added many interesting contributions to the knowledge already existing in reference to the resources and wealth of Loreto and the promising future of its chief port.
THE CUSTOM HOUSE AT IQUITOS.
A ROAD THROUGH THE VIRGIN FOREST TO PUERTO BERMUDEZ.
CHAPTER XXXIII
NAVIGATION AND EXPLORATION ON THE AMAZON WATERWAYS
