th sticks to keep him quiet.
Our curiosity induced us to run as fast as we could towards the spot,
when we found that the condor had been caught in a trap laid on purpose
for him. A hole had been dug in the ground, over which had been spread
a fresh cowhide, with parts of the flesh still adhering to it.
Underneath this an Indian had concealed himself with a rope in his hand.
The condor, attracted by the smell of the flesh, had darted down on the
hide, when the Indian below had firmly bound his claws together, and
held on with all his might, the cowhide protecting him from the attacks
of the bird's beak. The other Indians had been concealed near the spot
to help their companion. They quickly secured the monster bird, and
prepared to carry him off in triumph to their village. At first when we
appeared, they looked suspiciously at us; but after Pedro had spoken to
them, their looks brightened up, and they invited us to accompany them
to their dwellings, which were on the other side of the height.

We gladly accepted their invitations, for they lived near the road we
wished to pursue. I have so often spoken of the wretchedness of Indian
huts, and of the coarseness of the food, that I need not describe them.
They were no exceptions to the general rule. The scene before them was
wild and dreary. At some distance off appeared a mass of long rushes,
beyond which extended a sheet of water, the opposite shore of which was
scarcely visible. Numerous flocks of waterfowl were hovering over the
marshy banks of this lake, which I found was of very considerable
extent, though inferior to that of Titicaca, the largest in South
America.

Pedro and I were sitting round a fire in the hut with our Indian hosts,
before retiring to rest, when a loud moaning noise was heard in the
distance. The Indians regarded each other with terrified looks.

"What can cause that noise?" I inquired of Pedro. He shook his head,
and turned to one of the Indians.

"It forebodes evil to the herdsmen," answered the man. "In yonder lake,
which is so profound that no plummet has ever reached the bottom, there
dwell huge monsters, neither beasts nor fish. No man has ever seen one
near; but at night, when the moon is shining, they have been descried at
a distance, prowling about in search of prey. When that noise is heard,
which has just sounded in our ears, it is a sign that they have attacked
some of the cattle feeding in the surrounding pastures;