? Sunrise was not due for at
least two hours. In the tropics there is little twilight preceding
the day; "the dawn comes up like thunder." Surely the moon could
not be going to rise again! What could be the meaning of the rapidly
brightening eastern sky? While we watched and marveled, the pure white
light grew brighter and brighter, until we cried out in ecstasy as
a dazzling luminary rose majestically above the horizon. A splendor,
neither of the sun nor of the moon, shone upon us. It was the morning
star. For sheer beauty, "divine, enchanting ravishment," Venus that day
surpassed anything I have ever seen. In the words of the great Eastern
poet, who had often seen such a sight in the deserts of Asia, "the
morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy."

CHAPTER V

Titicaca

Arequipa is one of the pleasantest places in the world: mountain air,
bright sunshine, warm days, cool nights, and a sparkling atmosphere
dear to the hearts of star-gazers. The city lies on a plateau,
surrounded by mighty snow-capped volcanoes, Chachani (20,000 ft.), El
Misti (19,000 ft.), and Pichu Pichu (18,000 ft.). Arequipa has only
one nightmare--earthquakes. About twice in a century the spirits of
the sleeping volcanoes stir, roll over, and go to sleep again. But
they shake the bed! And Arequipa rests on their bed. The possibility
of a "terremoto" is always present in the subconscious mind of the
Arequipeno.

One evening I happened to be dining with a friend at the hospitable
Arequipa Club. Suddenly the windows rattled violently and we heard
a loud explosion; at least that is what it sounded like to me. To
the members of the club, however, it meant only one thing--an
earthquake. Everybody rushed out; the streets were already crowded
with hysterical people, crying, shouting, and running toward the great
open plaza in front of the beautiful cathedral. Here some dropped on
their knees in gratitude at having escaped from falling walls, others
prayed to the god of earthquakes to spare their city. Yet no walls
had fallen! In the business district a great column of black smoke
was rising. Gradually it became known to the panic-stricken throngs
that the noise and the trembling had not been due to an earthquake,
but to an explosion in a large warehouse which had contained gasoline,
kerosene, dynamite and giant powder!

In this city of 35,000 people, the second largest of Peru, fires are
so very rare, not even annual, s