The Andes of southern Peru . verwe were in a few days to have one of the most extensive views inSouth America. The break between the Andean Cordillera and thehill-dotted plains of the lower Urubamba valley is almost as sharpas a shoreline. The rolling plains are covered with leagues uponleagues of dense, shadowy, fever-haunted jungle. The great riverwinds through in a series of splendid meanders, and with so broada channel as to make it visible almost to the horizon. Down river THE RAPIDS AND CANYONS OF THE URUBAMBA 21 from our lookout one can reach ocean steamers at Iquitos withless than two
The Andes of southern Peru . verwe were in a few days to have one of the most extensive views inSouth America. The break between the Andean Cordillera and thehill-dotted plains of the lower Urubamba valley is almost as sharpas a shoreline. The rolling plains are covered with leagues uponleagues of dense, shadowy, fever-haunted jungle. The great riverwinds through in a series of splendid meanders, and with so broada channel as to make it visible almost to the horizon. Down river THE RAPIDS AND CANYONS OF THE URUBAMBA 21 from our lookout one can reach ocean steamers at Iquitos withless than two weeks of travel. It is three weeks to the Pacificvia Cuzco and more than a month if one takes the route acrossthe high bleak lava-covered country which we were soon to crosson our way to the coast at Camana. CHAPTER III THE RUBBER FORESTS The white limestone cliffs at Pongo de Mainique are a bound-ary between two great geographic provinces (Fig. 17). Down val-ley are the vast river plains, drained by broad meandering rivers;. Fig. 17—Regional diagram of the Eastern Andes (here the Cordillera Vilcapampa)and the adjacent tropical plains. For an explanation of the method of constructionand the symbolism of the diagram see p. 51. up valley are the rugged spurs of the eastern Andes and their en-cany oned streams (Fig. 18). There are outliers of the Andes stillfarther toward the northeast where hangs the inevitable haze ofthe tropical horizon, but the country beyond them differs in noimportant respect from that immediately below the Pongo. The foot-path to the summit of the cliffs is too narrow and 23 THE RUBBER FORESTS 23 steep for even the mostagile mules. It is simplyimpassable for animalswithout hands. In placesthe packs are lowered byropes over steep ledgesand men must scrambledown from one project-ing root or swinging vineto another. In the breath-less jungle it is a wearing-task to pack in all sup-plies for the station be-low the Pongo and tocarry out the seasonsrubber. Rece
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidandeso, booksubjectgeology
