ear Cuzco
by tearing its way through gigantic mountains of granite. From Torontoy
to Colpani the road runs through a land of matchless charm. It has the
majestic grandeur of the Canadian Rockies, as well as the startling
beauty of the Nuuanu Pali near Honolulu, and the enchanting vistas of
the Koolau Ditch Trail on Maul. In the variety of its charms and the
power of its spell, I know of no place in the world which can compare
with it. Not only has it great snow peaks looming above the clouds more
than two miles overhead; gigantic precipices of many-colored granite
rising sheer for thousands of feet above the foaming, glistening,
roaring rapids; it has also, in striking contrast, orchids and
tree ferns, the delectable beauty of luxurious vegetation, and the
mysterious witchery of the jungle. One is drawn irresistibly onward
by ever-recurring surprises through a deep, winding gorge, turning
and twisting past overhanging cliffs of incredible height. Above all,
there is the fascination of finding here and there under the swaying
vines, or perched on top of a beetling crag, the rugged masonry of
a bygone race; and of trying to understand the bewildering romance
of the ancient builders who ages ago sought refuge in a region which
appears to have been expressly designed by Nature as a sanctuary for
the oppressed, a place where they might fearlessly and patiently give
expression to their passion for walls of enduring beauty. Space forbids
any attempt to describe in detail the constantly changing panorama,
the rank tropical foliage, the countless terraces, the towering cliffs,
the glaciers peeping out between the clouds.

We had camped at a place near the river, called Mandor Pampa. Melchor
Arteaga, proprietor of the neighboring farm, had told us of ruins at
Machu Picchu, as was related in Chapter X.

The morning of July 24th dawned in a cold drizzle. Arteaga shivered
and seemed inclined to stay in his hut. I offered to pay him well if he
would show me the ruins. He demurred and said it was too hard a climb
for such a wet day. When he found that we were willing to pay him a
sol, three or four times the ordinary daily wage in this vicinity,
he finally agreed to guide us to the ruins. No one supposed that they
would be particularly interesting. Accompanied by Sergeant Carrasco
I left camp at ten o'clock and went some distance upstream. On the
road we passed a venomous snake which recently had been killed. This
region has an unpl