But let us be just to the women of Peru, who, in the matter of
flirting and fondness for finery, are probably not worse than the
sex elsewhere. They love where they love with a fervor unknown
to the women of Europe, their Spanish sisters, perhaps, excepted,
and they are capable of profound patriotism.

[Illustration: PERUVIAN PRIESTS.]

There is an element of real strength in the wild, stormy nature
of these beautiful and impassioned creatures: it is their
misfortune not to know how to hide their weaknesses as well
as their more sophisticated sisters. The tide of time flows so
smoothly with them, through such level summer landscapes steeped
in tropical repose, that the desire for excitement naturally
arises, and excitement itself becomes a necessity. Lacking many
of the indoor employments of the women of colder climates, time
hangs heavy on their hands, idleness wearies, and they cast about
for a way in which to amuse, enjoy, and distract themselves. They
find it in love. If no European is near upon whom they can bestow
their smiles and the lustre of their magnificent eyes, they have
to be content with their own countrymen, who woo them after the
fashion of their Spanish ancestors, by serenades at night, in
which the strumming of guitars generally plays a more important
part than the words it accompanies.

While we are among the Peruvians, we must not entirely overlook
their country, and the features of its varied landscapes. It is
divided by the Andes into three different lands, so to speak, _La
Costa_, the region between the coast and the Andes; _La Sierra_,