Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1853-10-19

this, Id all Spanish seaports, but particularly
in Payta, is the principal point Of attraction.
whether one is seeking novelty or beef; ex-
element or eggs. Passing thro' several
very narrow, filthy, streets, we came sudden
ly upon la Plaza, and surely wilder, more
novel, or more attractive sight than the
Square presented, it has never been my good
fortune to witness. Long lines of Squaws,
seated very consequentially behind their
small piles of eggs, fruits, vegetables, or
herbs yisa-vised by . siasilar row who con-
fined themselves to the sale Of the scaly
tribe one of the remaining sides Of the
Square was occupied by vendors of poultry
and vegetables by wholesale; while large
church, somewhat out Of repair, forming the
base of the Square; formed picture at once
sublime, novel, ridiculous and most comical,
to which numbers of do,keys, laden with
sacks Of various commod Aas, and attended
by their masters or mattresses m their very
picturesque attire, the females usually with
papoose or two, slung to their backs, lent
an additional charm.
Slowly vending our way thro' this soon
glomerated mass Of queer things" assailed
on all sides by the proprietresses with "com-
pra listed alguna cosa, Senior" "Tengo
nanzanas, pepinos, pan, y muchas otros co
sas." (ssBuy something, Sir" have APP
pies, pepinos, bread and many other things t')
and such like demands, we emerged from
this labyrinth Of bipsds and quadrupeds, and
the meat department. opened to our view
the stalls, FIVE in number, were attended by
very aldermanic looking females, who weigh
ed out the quantity required, with stone
weights, keeping up, at the same time, run
ming fire of queries, jokes, and occasionally
small ironical ebullitions Of affection, the
form Of blows,--for those of the canine spe-
cies whose proboscises we're decidedly of an
inquisitive turn. The rule for butchery APP
pears to be s'cut ad libitum, except where
the bone prevents your
Payta being twenty miles from any pro-
ductiye soil or from water, these articles are
brought by little muchachos on mules, over
a sandy desert, from tina Chcra river, which
is small stream, winding it's serpentine
course thro' this barren region, and by it's
periodical overfowngs, rendering the banks,
for half mile oasei,her side, the most fer
tile in South America every variety of flow
eEs, fruit, and vegetables, is raised in per-
feet profusion; for all the little towns on this
part OF the coast are dependent on these
banks for wood, WAGER, a'sS sArosisians af al
kinds.
The little boys of whom / spoke as the
medium of transportation, in conjunction, Of
course, with their mules, leave Payta about
6 o'clock, P. M.,sleep all night on the backs
of the sagacious animals, arrive at the river
in the morning, load their animals with water
or provisions, and retracing their steps, pur-
sue their lonely way over the burning sand,
and reach Payta about night-fall, where they
are met by hosts Of the habitans seeking wa
ter, or something else, aad the boys are re-
Enumerated for their journey with the enor-
nous sum of two reals or twenty-five cents !.
A party of us took a hunt along this river,
and were very successful in finding both plcn-
ty of game and fun; but on account of the
very heavy dews, and the various little Pc
culiarities of the climate, SO peculiarly disa-
greeable to the unacclimatcd, we curtailed
our intended fortnight's excursion to three
days, and even for that short period we all
suffered severely.
ITo BE CONTINUED