The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-19
Geo. I. Brodnax, Inc, Importing Jewellers and Diamond Merchants.
 Memphis, Tenn.

railroad in a short cut, riding through the tunnels.
 About 10:30 a. m. we meet party of men with whom is a man who left Matucana ahead of us this morning. This party had a horse fall down the mountain side at a bad place in the trail where landslide had occurred and the man was not going to try it. However he turned and went on with us. About II 80 a. m. we reached the landslide which has obliterated the trail. When we got there number of Indians were at work clearing a trail and after waiting an hour we were able to lead our animals over safely.
 At a bend in the valley a little far ther ahead we get our first view of a snow capped peak of the Andes. Con- dors have always been associated in my mind with the Andes and here they are soaring easily up in the air above us. As we come out of one of the tunnels I notice a number just across the ravine and flying near the ground. Next I see, perhaps a dozen of the great birds crowding each other over some animal which they are devouring. I brought them very close to me with my field glasses and got a good look at them. I did not take the time. though, to go over and try to get a. shot at them with my camera at close quarters.
 Soon the valley widens a little and we pass Tamboraqua and then San Mateo. Shortly after leaving the lat ter place the valley again narrows and then we enter a gorge with nearly yer tical cliffs of dark bluish limestone ex tending 1,500 to 2.000 feet above us. The railroad crosses the river in this ravine with the black mouths of tun nels at both ends of the bridge.
 Our approach to the vicinity of a mining district is heralded by the pres ence of old smelters and mills for ex- tracting the metals.
 Up at these attitudes 11,000 to 1000 feet the mountain sides are divided into small patches about the size of a pocket handkerchief and are cultivated nearly to the mountain tops. Clouds hang around the tops of the mountains nearly all the time. Cold drizzles are very frequent and some times torren- tial rains. The clouds obscure the views of the high peaks in the distance but now and then we catch glimpses of them.
 At last Casapalca Is reached at 530 p. m. This place is 13,600 feet above sea level. We have had a long ride the last hour and half in cold soak ing rain, and have risen about 5000 feet since morning. We are tired and hungry-our lunch for four was box of sardines and wine crackers-and go at once to the hotel This Is thorouehly uninviting but the only one in s--e village.
 We enter the combination bar and sitting room and office and immediate ly insist on a fire in stove in the cor ner. This stove Is bit larger than tomato can, but with fire in it will be better than nothing. While waiting for the landlord to get fire started look into the dining room l note table with a man. Poncho. around him and head on table, sound asleep. A room is given us and we are led to it. I pass through the kitchen which is so dark that I am glad to say that l can see nothing in it. The passage way Is little lighter so I can avoid the pieces of animal carcases hanging up there. We cross the patio, which Is filthy be- yond description, and are given a room with four beds in it. Fresh linen was so evidently a luxury here as to be clearly unthought of. even the single towel had seen long and arduous ser vice. The ceiling of the room is of cloth and hangs down just a trife above ones head, there Is no window and but one door.
 As soon as dinner is served we en- ter the dining room to find about eight other men already seated, each with his hat on and several with ponchos around them. My poncho is in my room, but my hat Is in the right place. The table cloth had rot been renewed, I venture to say. for weeks, the nap kins were little fresher-at least some of them were-still a five course dinner was served us by two little In- dian boys, remarkably dirty in cast off clothing, much too large for them, and no shoes.
 About the third course the man as- leep at the table was aroused by the noise and joined in the dinner with us. That night there was gathered in the hotel waiting room and bar mot ly assemblage of Englishmen, Cana dian, Yankee. German, Austrian, Ital- ian, Frenchman and Peruvian and the l language which they all spoke in com mon was English!
 Next morning I found one of my companions quite sick, the effects of the altitude The bedroom was too un- comfortable for him to stay there so he dressed and spent the day on a bench by the stove in the barroom. The other man and 1 felt better so we wandered around looking over the town and visiting the telegraph office to try and get in communication with the general manager of the railroad at Lima The lines were broken by fresh landslldes and we could not get con- nections until late in the afternoon.