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Cornugaya Directory 07
Page 02
We travelled along that great table-land, occasionally seeing a herd of
llamas stampede away at the approach of the train, now and then observing
circular stone walls erected by shepherds as shelters. A gable-roofed hut
was occasionally seen. Picturesque natives in their _ponchos_ and red or
yellow scarves gazed, astonished, at the train throbbing along slowly
upon the steep gradient of that elevated barren country. The cold seemed
intense after the tropical heat of Lima. It was snowing hard. In the
daytime I generally travelled seated in front of the engine, in order to
have a better view of the landscape. In the train everybody suffered from
_soroche_ or mountain-sickness, which attacked most people when brought
up quickly by the railway from the sea to such high elevations. I was
driven away from the front of the engine by the cold rain and sleet
beating with great force into my face, and obscuring the landscape to
such an extent that I could see nothing at all.
I left Lima five days after my arrival, on February 5th, going by steamer
to the port of Mollendo, where I arrived on February 7th. There I met the
railway line of the Peruvian Corporation from the sea coast to
Arequipa and Cuzco. A magnificent private car had been placed at my
disposal by the Peruvian Corporation, in which I was able to make myself
comfortable for the several days which the journey lasted. Not only so,
but the Peruvian Corporation kindly looked after my welfare in a most
thoughtful way during the whole time I travelled on their line, for which
I am indeed extremely grateful, as the travelling in that country would
have otherwise been less pleasant.
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