ientifica del Instituto de Smithsonian de Washington, va
a la provincia de Oriente con el objeto de esplorarla en
cumplimiento de su encargo. S.E. el Presidenta de la Republica
ordena a U.U. presten al espresado Sor. Orton i su comitiva cuantas
consideraciones merecen sus personas, i los ausilios i co-operacion
que necesiten para verificar su viaje i hacer sus estudios i
observaciones.

Dios gue. a U.U.

R. CARVAJAL.

]

CHAPTER XII.

Departure from Quito.--Itulcachi.--A Night in a
Bread-tray.--Crossing the
Cordillera.--Guamani.--Papallacta.--Domiciled at the
Governor's.--An Indian Aristides.--Our Peon Train.--In the
Wilderness.

Forty miles east-southeast of Quito, on the eastern slope of the Eastern
Cordillera, and on the western edge of the great forest, is the Indian
village of Papallacta. From the capital to this point there is a path
just passable for horses; but thence to the Napo travelers must take to
their feet. Through the intervention of the curate of Papallacta, who
has great influence over his wild people, but who has wit enough to
reside in Quito instead of his parish, we engaged the Indian governor to
send over thirteen beasts and three peons to carry our party and baggage
to Papallacta. Wednesday morning the quadrupeds were at the door of our
hotel, five of them _bestias de silla_. These horses, judging by size,
color, shape, and bony prominences, were of five different species. The
saddles, likewise, differed from one another, and from any thing we had
ever seen or desired to see. One of them was so narrow and deep none of
us could get into it; so, filling up the cavity with blankets, we took
turns in riding on the summit. By noon, October 30th, we had seen our
Andean collections in the hands of arrieros bound for Guayaquil, whence
they were to be shipped by way of Panama to Washington, and our baggage
train for Napo headed toward the rising sun. So, mounting our jades, we
defiled across the Grand Plaza and through the street of St. Augustine,
and down the Carniceria to the Alameda, amid the _vivas_ and _adeos_ of
our Quitonian friends, who turned out to see the largest expedition
that ever left the city for the wild Napo country since the days of
Pizarro. Few there were who expected to hear of our safe arrival on the
shores of the Atlantic.

Crossing the magnificent plain of Inaquito, we reached in an hour the
romantic