Frank said the most interesting part of the city was the river which ran through it; it is called the Guayaquil, and also the Guayas; its name has been given to the city, which is really "Santiago di Guayaquil." All the provisions for the city are brought in canoes and on _balsas_ or rafts, and every morning the river is almost covered with these crafts. They were laden with all sorts of things produced in the country--bananas, plantains, pineapples, cocoanuts, guavas, melons, oranges, zapotes, mangoes, and kindred fruits that grow in the tropics, and there was also a goodly array of tropical vegetables. Poultry-dealers were numerous, and the fowls with which their cages were filled kept up a vigorous cackling; there were fish of many varieties, some of them quite new to our young friends, who regarded them with much interest. In their eagerness to get about the boatmen frequently ran their craft against those of their neighbors, but there was the utmost good-nature, with one or two exceptions. Probably the people find it does not pay to quarrel where the climate is so warm, and the effort of getting into a passion is too much for every-day life. [Illustration: CATHEDRAL OF GUAYAQUIL.] The city has a population of twenty-five or thirty thousand, and is a little more than two degrees south of the equator, consequently it is very hot, and quite unhealthy, in spite of the sanitary precautions that have been taken by its authorities. The Bay, or Gulf, of Guayaquil has a tide of about twenty feet, so that any accumulation of impurities is prevented by the great flow of water in and out of the channel every day. It has one of the best harbors on the west coast of South America, and would have a considerable commerce were it not that the prosperity of the country is restricted by earthquakes. [Illustration: STREET SCENE AND RUINS.] Our friends found that some of the streets were narrow and crooked, but the most of them were comparatively straight, and crossed at right angles. They drove past the principal buildings, the governor's residence, City Hall, and several churches, and then into the suburbs, where they saw some pretty gardens full of tropical flowers. As the forenoon advanced the heat increased, and they returned to breakfast at their hotel. The table was set on the veranda, which afforded a fine view of the lofty peaks of the Andes. The manager of the establishment was a stout and dreamy Spaniard, who went to sleep if his attention was not wanted for a minute, but waked immediately when he was spoken to. The waiter was of aboriginal descent, and seemed to have copied the habits of his master in the matter of deliberation, as he paused after each step, as though uncertain about the next. They had a breakfast of tortillas, or Spanish griddle-cakes, a chicken broiled over the coals, which were still adhering in places, and an omelette in which various peppery things were very apparent to the palate.