A HOUSE IN THE TROPICS.
"In addition to the banana and plantain forests we saw many plantations where coffee and cacao are grown, and some of them were of great extent. Then there were orange and lemon groves, fields of pineapples, mango and bread-fruit trees, and great numbers of cocoa palms. There were many canoes and balsas on the river; the balsas are nothing but rafts made of the trunks of the balsa trees. Half a dozen logs are lashed together with withes and cords, and braced with cross-pieces of wood so that there is no danger of separation. On the top of the raft a flooring of bamboos or split palms is laid, and on this flooring they build a hut in which the people live, often for weeks at a time.
CACAO.
"Some of these balsas are larger than others, in consequence of the logs being longer and more numerous. The huts on the larger rafts contain several rooms, and are equipped with conveniences for living quite equal to those of huts on shore. There are places for cooking, coops for fowls, pens for pigs, and nooks among the rafters where edibles can be stored, out of the reach of the four-footed inhabitants. A whole family will live comfortably on a balsa, and few of them are destitute of pets in the shape of monkeys and parrots. Some of the rafts carried such an abundance of monkeys and parrots that it was not easy to say if they were not the possessors of the establishment, carrying the men, women, and children to a market in Guayaquil. The monkeys and children appeared on the most familiar terms, and as the latter were unencumbered with clothing they were not to be readily distinguished from their tailed associates.
"Balsa wood is as light as cork, and remains a long time in the water without any tendency to absorption. The balsa raft was in use long before the visit of the Spaniards, and the craft we have seen are probably identical with those that met the eyes of Pizarro at the time of the conquest.
"Occasionally we saw monkeys among the trees on the shore, but they evidently did not like the steamer, and were careful to keep at a respectful distance. There were birds of brilliant plumage, but we did not hear a song from one of them; a gentleman who was our fellow-passenger says that most of the birds of this part of the world have no knowledge of music. There were plenty of alligators lying on the banks; we took several shots at them, but soon desisted, as we bagged no game, while the alligators seemed to enjoy the sport and the waste of our ammunition. Many of them were lying with their mouths open, waiting for the flies to settle in their throats; when they judged that a sufficient number had assembled they suddenly closed their jaws, swallowed the flies that were caught, and set themselves for more. They make splendid fly-traps, and Fred suggests that they should be introduced into New York and other cities to take the place of the many patent machines that are now in use for catching flies."
Down to quite recently the route from Bodegas to Quito was simply a mule path; a wagon road has been completed for a part of the way, and is ultimately intended to reach the capital. A railway is projected from Guayaquil to Quito, but for the present the mule path must be the reliance of travellers. A wagon was obtained, for carrying our friends and their baggage to the end of the road which traverses the level country up to the foot of the mountains. It was a rickety affair, but served its purpose, which is all that can be expected of a wagon under ordinary circumstances.