"The amount of the destruction in Quito has been mentioned already. The earthquake was more severe in the northern provinces of Ecuador, where the ground sank, cliffs were thrown down, lakes appeared, great chasms opened in the earth, and the whole face of the country was changed. The province of Imbaburu, which was the most fertile and productive in the republic, as well as the most populous and prosperous, suffered more than any other. It contained several towns and small cities, and the rural districts were in an excellent state of cultivation for this part of the world. The earthquake totally destroyed several of these places, as it came in the night, when most of the inhabitants were asleep in their houses. Two towns in the canton of Catuchi were completely wiped out of existence, and no sign was left to show where they stood. Not five per cent. of the people escaped with their lives! [Illustration: VIEW OF IBARRA, ECUADOR.] "In another town seven tenths of the inhabitants were killed by the falling of the buildings, and the sinking of the earth into a great chasm, which opened beneath the place. The city of Ibarra, the capital of the province, was beautifully situated in the centre of a fertile plain; it was surrounded by orchards, gardens, and fields, so that the place only became visible on a very near approach, or from the distant hills. It had a population of about ten thousand, though generally estimated at a higher figure. Nearly one half of its inhabitants lost their lives in the earthquake, and it was said that hardly a dozen houses remained standing after the shocks were ended. "The subject is an unpleasant one," continued the Doctor, after a pause. "Let us turn to something else. "To-morrow we will prepare for our return to the coast. The guide has been trying to persuade me to go over the Andes to the head-waters of the Amazon, whence we can descend to the Atlantic. I have told him our plans would not permit our doing so, but he desires to talk further on the subject. Let us call him, and hear what he has to say; at any rate, we can learn something about the country to the east of us." Francisco, the guide, was waiting in the court-yard of the hotel, and came promptly when told that he was wanted. He was an intelligent native of a village near Quito, and had been several times over the mountains, between the capital and the Napo River, one of the tributaries of the Amazon. He spoke Spanish fluently, and told his story without a moment's hesitation. We will render it into English, and give it as it was remembered by our friends.