The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-04-23

| we HrSt CaIne upon tue TOau III was
raised way, spanning a valley more than
two miles in breadth. The embankment
was not built up level, but swept down
wards in regular curve from either side
making grade of some thirty feet from
the centre each way.
The level surface is grown up thickly
with trees as sturdy in growth as any in
the forests of Peru, while the slopes on
either side are perfect jungles of smaller
trees, shrubs and hundred varieties of
wild vines, tving and tangling the whole
into an obstinate net work almost impcn-
etrablc.
Such an inunda'ion, as it were, of ami
mate existence, we had never before met
with, as there was above. behind, on either
hand and al around US as we passed
along this ancient Peruvian highway to
about the center of the valley, where we
came to q halt, dismountcd and proceeded
to investigate the economy and architec-
ture of the old Inca embarkmcnt. Mon
keys more than could be counted were
scampering TO and fro in the tree tops
and clinging to pendant branches,
chatterng an intcrmnable jargon, frc-
quently within a few inches of our cars,
serpents, great and small and many
colored, glided across our way and under
our horses feet, utterly needless of our
presence; birds of bright plumage and
numberless in variety fitted among the
luxuriant foliage, like swarming bees,
singing sweetly in musical discord; scor-
pions, centipedcs, tarantulas and lizards
of all shapes, sizes and colors, darted and
run in all directions. In short, the Old
Peruvian highway, with its jungle sides
and dark shaded summit, appeared to be
perfect paradise of all pests and pretty
live creatures ever found in Peruvian
forest. Gator expressed an opinion that
of all the many millions of insect and
reptile pests banished by the good old
Bcnedictne padre from Tambobamba, a
very large majority had found asylum in
the congenal covers of this old Inca
viaduct, where they had continued to
multiply at the rate of sixty thousand per
cent. per annum ever since.
Having devoted three hours to inspec-
tion and investigation and another to
dinner, we had disposed ourselves in
almost as many ways as there were per-
sons of our company. DR.. Bond was in
deep antiquarian puzzle over some relics
of ancient Inca art he had found in one of
the archcd culverts; Edith was transfer
ring TO her portfolio a brilliant toucan,
with bill bigger than his body; our
serrdm Swede was arranging and number
ing botanical specimens; Dona Angela
was petting and caressing a poor pretty
bird, that an irate monkey had cuifed
from its perch and sent futtering down at
her feet Minnie and Arthur Essling were
quietly at work civiIizing an ovcrgrown
scorpion by pinning him fast to the ground
with divers skewers, driven through his
body and limbs Consul Mareden sat bcls.
tered by the trunk of n tree fast asleep ;
Monteiro lay fiat on his back, making
lazy feints with his lasso at an impudent
monkey that kept grinning and chattering
at him IRON branch just over his head
Our pretty Bell Bird of the Val de Dulce
sat leaning against the stem of low
branching tree, busily weaving wreath
of bright feathers and a delicate downy
spray of n sort of purple grass gathered
in one OF the avenues of Tambobamba.
AT little distance from our bug hunters
girl wife, Airline Essling sat in the shade,
industriou'ly removing from the polished
blade OF her lance some hecks OF rust with
drop or two of oil and bit of pumi ,e
stone.
The afternoon was excessively warm,
not breath OF air stirred leaf. no one
seemed disposed to conversation, even the
birds and monkeys appeared drowsy-
dogs lay stretched out, horses and mules
stood with head. dooping and closed eyes,
and all symptoms indicated an early and
universal s'esta of everybody and every
thing animate.
Suddenly Came an energetc-"Cnam-
ba r from Airline Essling, then "a shril
cry of terror from the BELL Bird, lost in
an angry-"Ir r.r-a!" from Monteiro-a
sharp whir'r "TRIP; and in wink, men,
women, horses, dogs, monkeys BIRDS the
camp and everything in and about it was
wide awake. There stood Airline Essling,
like another Diana, crashing the shaft of
her spear, the keen, bright blade driven
entirely through the neck of large SER
pent, the moose of Monteiro's lasso was
iightened about the great snake close to
Arline's weapon. and our brazilian com
paniero was tugging with all his might
carrdhotng furiously-to prevent the lanced
and lassocd serpent from dragging lance,
airline, and all out of camp, into the
jungle.
For few moments there was consterna-
tion such confusion as if Pandemonium
had let out all its discord IN that sylvan
shade. Men shouted, women shrieked,
dogs barked monkeys chartered, and birds
twittered-Dr. Bond fairly turned a
backward summerset Her Won Platem
scattered his botanic specimens in as many
directions as there are points to the com.
pass Then there were several rapid
shots from the revolvers OF Col. Essling
and bis nephew Arthur, which effectual-
ly settled the snake, and coming back to
something like quiet, we learned from
Montiero the origin of all the hurrah.