beasts to
proceed in the desired direction.

In many places on the hills were to be seen outlines of large and
small rock circles and shelters erected by herdsmen for temporary
protection against the sudden storms of snow and hail which come
up with unexpected fierceness at this elevation (12,000 feet). The
shelters were in a very ruinous state. They were made of rough,
scoriaceous lava rocks. The circular enclosures varied from 8 to 25
feet in diameter. Most of them showed no evidences whatever of recent
occupation. The smaller walls may have been the foundation of small
circular huts. The larger walls were probably intended as corrals, to
keep alpacas and llamas from straying at night and to guard against
wolves or coyotes. I confess to being quite mystified as to the age
of these remains. It is possible that they represent a settlement
of shepherds within historic times, although, from the shape and
size of the walls, I am inclined to doubt this. The shelters may
have been built by the herdsmen of the Incas. Anyhow, those on the
hills west of Parinacochas had not been used for a long time. Nasca,
which is not very far away to the northwest, was the center of one
of the most artistic pre-Inca cultures in Peru. It is famous for its
very delicate pottery.

Our third camp was on the south side of the lake. Near us the traces
of the ancient road led to the ruins of two large, circular corrals,
substantiating my belief that this curious roadway was intended to keep
the llamas from straying at will over the pasture lands. On the south
shores of the lake there were more signs of occupation than on the
north, although there is nothing so clearly belonging to the time of
the Incas as the ashlars and finely built wall at Incahuasi. On top of
one of the rocky promontories we found the rough stone foundations of
the walls of a little village. The slopes of the promontory were nearly
precipitous on three sides. Forty or fifty very primitive dwellings
had been at one time huddled together here in a position which could
easily be defended. We found among the ruins a few crude potsherds
and some bits of obsidian. There was nothing about the ruins of the
little hill village to give any indication of Inca origin. Probably
it goes back to pre-Inca days. No one could tell us anything about
it. If there were traditions concerning it they were well concealed
by the silent, superstitious shepherds of the vicinity. Possibly it
was regard