MOUNTAIN PASS IN THE ANDES.
"You will cross the Andes at an elevation of fifteen thousand feet," said Francisco, not noticing the sign of disapproval; "and, therefore, must carry thick clothing to shield you from the cold, and rubber ponchos to keep off the rain in the day and spread on the ground at night as a foundation for your beds. You want two suits of clothes; one to wear in the daytime, and the other to put on dry at night. When you go into camp you must remove the suit you have worn since morning, as it will generally be wet through by the rain, or by fording streams and passing through marshy ground."
"How many pairs of boots will be wanted for each of us?" inquired Fred. "It seems to me there will be a fearful destruction of foot-gear."
"Yes," replied the guide, "but your American boots will not answer for the journey. Buy plenty of alpargates, or native sandals made from the fibre of the aloe plant, and be sure and have enough of them, as a pair will not last more than two days. They are better than boots, as they do not keep the feet uncomfortably warm, and no leather boots can keep out the moisture through which you will constantly travel.
"Then you want a stock of lienzo, or cotton cloth, which is the currency of the Indians, just as it is of the wild people of Africa. Then add knives, fish-hooks, thread, beads, looking-glasses, and some other trifles, and you will have an outfit for the trip. Of course you will suit yourselves about guns, pistols, cooking utensils, scientific apparatus, and the like, and remember to have no package weighing more than seventy-five pounds, which is the load of an Indian porter. Professor Orton had thirteen horses to carry himself and party as far as the horses could go, and from there to the Napo he had twenty Indian porters, which is probably what you would need. The whole expense for horses and porters will be about one hundred and fifty dollars; at Napo you will hire canoes to descend the river, and the hardships of your journey will be over.
RAPIDS IN A MOUNTAIN STREAM OF SOUTH AMERICA.