1.To reach Quito from the sea，one must ride several days on mule back.The highway to the capital is not yet completed，and only a bridle-path crosses the shoulder of Chimborazo，at a height of fourteen thousand feet，so that the journey is one of great hardship and discomfort.Goods for the interior of Ecuador are carried upon the backs of mules or of men，who travel twelve or fourteen hours a day，and take two or three weeks for the journey.
2.But having once reached the capital of the Incas，one finds himself rewarded for his hardship and exposure；for the scenery is grander than can be foundanywhere else，and the ancient city is so quaintandqueer that a visit to it seems like entering another world.Quito is at least，two hundred years behind the times in almost every feature of civilization.There are no newspapers，and there is only one printing-office，which belongs to the government.There is not a carriage in the place，and there are only a few carts ofthe most primitivepattern.
3.The history of Quito has never been written，but traditionmakes the city as old as Jerusalem orDamascus.The Incas，or native Indians，tell of a mighty nation，called the Quitos，who lived there before their fathers came，but of whom the world has no other knowledge.Pizarro，the conqueror of Peru，found it the magnificent capital of a mighty empire extending over three thousand miles，and as thickly settled as Europe.The city was then filled with beautiful palaces of stone，adorned with gold and silver and gems，but all was plundered and destroyed through the Spaniards’greed for wealth.
4.the people are as vain and proud as if they had all the good things of the world，and they think their city grander than London or Paris.Men stand idly around the street corners，wrapped in their ponchos or cloaks，and beggars reach out their hands for alms to those who pass by.Soldiers are numerous；they are usually barefooted，and wear uniforms of ordinary white cotton sheeting.
5.Indian women clad in black glide to and fro with their mantles drawn down over their heads，or sit in the market-place selling fruits and vegetables.Water-carriers may be seen with great jars of clay on their backs，going to and from the fountain in the square.There are no pipes or wells to supply the houses，and all the water has to be brought by the servants，or purchased from the public carriers.
6.There are no fixed prices for anything in the shops.If you ask the cost of an article，the merchant will reply，“How much will you give for it？”If you name a sum，he will then ask twice or three times as much as you offer，and bargain with you.The women in themarket will sell nothing wholesale.If potatoes arethreepence a pound，every pound will be weighed out separately，no matter whether you buy two pounds or twenty.There is no money smaller than the quartille，which is worth three halfpence，so the change is given in bread.On his way to market the buyer stops at the baker‘s shop，and fills his basket with bread to be given as change-so many rolls to the penny.
7.Everything has to be paid for in advance.Whenyou go to a market-woman and tell her that you want some vegetables，she asks for your money.When you give it to her，she hands you what you have bought.If you order a coat at the tailor’s or boots at the shoemaker‘s，you have to pay for them in advance；for the workmen may not have money to pay for the materials at thewholesale shop，and they have no credit.The landlordat the hotel or the boarding-house where you are staying comes round every morning and asks you to pay your board for the day.Otherwise he could not buy food.
8.There is not a chimney in all Quito.The weather is seldom cold enough to require a fire for heating purposes，and all the cooking is done with charcoal on a sort of shelf like a blacksmith’s forge.There must be a different fire for every pot or kettle.Two persons attend to the cooking-the one with a pair of bellows，to keep the fires from going out；and the other tokeep the pots from falling over，for they are made with rounded bottoms.
9.The Indians form the labouring population，and they carry all their burdens on their backs.They generally go at a slow trot when on a journey，which they can keep up for hours without tiring.They never laugh or sing，and they have no sports，no songs，notales；they are sullen and stupid，and submissivetoall sorts of cruelty and oppression.Three hundred and fifty years of Spanish rule have crushed the spirit of the poor son of the Inca，so that he no longer smiles.