Untitled - The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

IN THE ECUADOREAN ANDES 191
South America near upon thirty years. He was
formerly medical attendant to ex-President Flores,
and lecturer on Anatomy in the University of
; Quito but he married several years ago a young
Peruvian in Cuenca, the widow of one of Bolivar's
generals, and he has since
and Riobamba. He has
then resided in Cuenca
but one child
livinga
boy of about fifteen. Dr. Taylor is a native of
Cumberland, and has had a good education when
; young he
enjoy Anacreon ;
has still Greek enough to read and
what is much better, he is a
and
very kind-hearted, honourable man, which can't be
said of many Englishmen I have met in South
America.
I found it a rather fatiguing day's ride to
Riobamba. Instead of starting at five in the morning,
as we ought to have done, it was ten when we got off,
in consequence of a delay in bringing in the horses.
The first 17 miles was mostly over loose sand,
where the horses sometimes sank to the knees.
This brought us to Mocha, a small village, some
1500 feet higher up than Ambato, and with a very
chilly climate. The chief industry of its scanty
population is the keeping of horses and mules for
hire to Quito and Guayaquil. From Mocha there
is a steep descent to a stream, and then we begin
to reascend towards Chimborazo. The ground
becomes firmer, and grassy, and at about two-thirds
of the ascent a road branches off to the right,
which leads to Guayaquil. It crosses the southern
shoulder of Chimborazo, at a height of over 14,000
feet. We keep straight on ; and till up, up, up, we
come out on an elevated grassy plain (the Paramo