Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A TRAIL
Under a bridge of the Central Peruvian
Railway.
AmostpeculiarandyetmysteriousdiseaseexistsinsomepartsofthePeruvianmountains.
This horrible malady, which is commonly known as
verruga
, is usually fatal, and manifests
itself in great swellings or boils, and opinions as to how it is contracted are divided. Some
maintain that certain waters are the cause, others say it is in the air, and some blame insects. I
hadbeentoldtobeparticularlycarefulnottodrinkwaterinacertainpartofthegulleysonthe
downward grade towards Lima, but only remembered the warning when both the horses and
myself had taken a hearty drink out ofa crystal-clear pool in the very place Ihad been warned
about; however, no harm resulted to any of us.
In two days we were down in the hot plains near the Pacific coast. The sudden change of
atmosphericpressureaffectedmyhearing,formyearswerehummingandbuzzing,andIcon-
stantly heard noises like the ringing of bells.
