Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-01-28
Scenes In Peru.


the world is there such a complete alb
scence of the fitness of things as among
the inhabitants of Peru. They are con-
stantly doing and saying the most gro
tesque and inappropriate things, with
the same unchanging air Of dignity and
sober earnestness that makes it only
the more ridiculous. To illustrate
Daily there passes my door an old
Cholo waterman, carrying his water Jars,
on the most diminutive and stunted of
donkeys and daily is the same scene
enacted. AS Peru is Catholic country,
there is erected in the centre of four
streets large wooden or stone cross,
and it is the universal custom for every
man, woman and child, whenever they
pass one of these wayside crosses, to
stop, and, making the sign of the cross.
to bow before it. Some of the devout
kneel and utter an ave maria, while
every one doffs the hat and makes the
sign of the cross. Either this little
donkey of the aquador (water-carrier)
has been brought mp a priest, or else
he possesses more devotion than tho
rest of his species for he invariably
stops square before the cross, sets his
fore legs sturdily at right angles puts
up his long ears and straightens his
stubby tail, and obstinately and per-
sistently refuses to move an inch. The
waterman dismounts, pulls at him,
kicks and shouts, tugs at his bride and
belabors him with a stout cudgel but
all to no purpose. Standing as immova-
BILE as a rock, the donkey brays and
brays again, his nose fairly rubbing
the cross, and, at every blow, only
plants his feet more firmly and brays
the louder. Little donkey boys say
Let him alone he is at his devotions.
Bystanders cry ''LoOk at the piety of
the beast ;" and the waterman, looking
round in despair at the crowd, says
"What shall do what can do ?" in
the most hopeless tones then, turning
to the donkey, he SAYS, savsgely, to it
Beast stop your braying, you are
nothing but an old fool, and your
mother, was a fool before you ?" This
settles the donkey, for he moves on,
amid the jeers OF the lookers-on and
nv own laughter.
l have been much amused at the
drunken antics of a couple of sailors,
ashore for spree after long voyage.
In front of Chinese eating house
(called fonda) these reeling tars see
standing donkey, whose Chinese water
man has gone into fonda with his jar
of fresh water, leaving the little donkey
patiently waiting for him. In a moment
one of the sailors is across the street and
has mounted astride the poor donkey,
with his face turned towards the animals
tail and his long legs almost or
quite touching the ground. The other
sailor takes the poor beast by the bride
and By blows and curses tries to induce
the donkey to go on, but in vain, he
will not move or stir, and only plants
his legs more sturdily and sets his head
stiffiy In the air. Out comes the Chinese
waterman and commences to reason
with the drunken sailor to get off from
his donkey and let him load on the
empty water jars. But the sailor is
drunk enough to want to have little
frolic, and refuses 10 get off or allow the
Chinaman to pull him of.
The waterman now wakes mad, begins
to scold, going from Spanish to shrill
Chinese, and screaming higher and
louder. The sailors understand neither
Spanish or Chinese, so that neither
can understand the other. One sailor
pulls at the donkey's bridle-rein and
the one seated upon the animal jerks
the beasts tail up and down, and digs
his knees into the donkey's sides shout
ing and kicking at him to go on. A
crowd assemblies and some side with
the sailors and some with the Chinaman.
After exhausting all his arts to dislodge
the jolly tar, the Chinaman appeals to
the crowd and says in Spanish :"Gentle-
men pity me and help me see how l
am Kindred and tormented by this
drunken Americana. Will not some
one be good enough to bring his mother
that she may coax MIN to get OF and
let me go In peace?" The idea of
bringing his mother