The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-07-22
'..-4gAosFf Weskea,

Afecent trayer in the Province of
Lahonl, betwee3A india and hibet says:
Near each village was carefully.sul-
tvated willow orchard (al1 pollard tles),
and also patsAes of carefully -irrigated bar
: were Working; from the housA-tops 16men
gage. Where, then, are the men? We
found, on inquiry, that all the ahle-bodied
males pass the summer in transporting
merchandise between-Ladak, Chumbas and
Kulu, and sometimes fufther, on strong,
well-shaped, re-footed ponies and not q
few, no doubt, spend the summer months
in contraband traffic 81 their own &C.
count. al si.5~.s & g
With the ladies, therefore, the summer
is busy time. They have to sow, to
reap and to garner; to stack firewood for
winter on the fat house-top, ind look after
the children, and last-not least-to carry
the baggage of a. chance Engtfshman for a
march or two (blt tllis4Sst occupation is
of such rare occufremoe, That it has all the
charms of novelty for them, so that when
the good men return home from their
travels they have nothing to do but to
smoke their pipes, and Hibernate through
the months of ice and snow: In the enjoy
mept of the good things their .helpmates
have provided fortthem.
''These women were the strangestspeci-
mems Of womankind it had been my lot to
see--at once the most dressy and uyliest
of their sex! Their costume, how shall
describe it? Their surprising ugliness,
how portray? Their hair, of a rusty black,
is plated into a number of tails, which
reach to their waist, and Of which, the OK
tremities are collected together and tied
under small bit of mother of pearl shell,
from which again hang rows of beads and
small bells of metal. These jingled as
they moved like bells of a carriers team.
A band of red Cloth pr leather, about two
or three inches bread, reaches from the
forehead back over the crownd6f the head,
and falls as far as, the waist This is
studded with rough turquoises, large bat
ill-shaped and full Of flaws. Their color,
too, is green, not blue, and they are OF
little value. This is the fashionable head
dress. Some (but these may possibly have
been suffering from neuralgia) wore flaps
of black sheepskin over the ears-oreil-
lettes, in fact; and they all of them added
as many beads of amber, of mother-of.
pearl and coral as they came by. Neck
laces of amber, carnelian, coral and glass
generally the, latter hung around their
tawny Threats, from (which depended rude
amulets of silver; nor We're armlets and
earrings forgotten. x coarse, warm
jacket OF wooden cloth, petticoat Of
divers colors principally blue, red, yellow,
and green), and glass shoes or sandals
completed the costume. A few of them
too wore undressed sheepskins hanging
down over their shoulders and fastened in
front across ther breast by skewers-the
most primitive of NANTES. They all car
ricd small baskets slung at their backs
ready for load, and most of them had a
baby In arms, which, Wien the able
bodied matron who owned it had decided
what baggage she should carry, was hand
ca oyer to the care Of one of the bigger
children.
Their sunken features, broad, fiat,
square visagcs were we'll worthy of their
ignoble. setting; the eyes, narrow, small
and twinkling, seemed eternally endeav-
oring but in vain to squint over the prom
inent cheekbone and peep at the fiat,
broad nose below. The mouth, wide and
thick-lipped though it was, was the re-
deeming feature, for it was generally on
the broad grin and gave an expression of
good nature to the otherwise dull, vacant
face. Their figures, squat, short and
broad, were the reverse of graceful, but
they walk away under the burdens which
the men of Sinia would have grumbled ut
the weight Of. 1t was quite a jour de .fete
for them and they had brought their
whole family with them to share in its de-
lights. They were by far the best coolies
we had had, were these. sturdy, good
humored ladies of Lahoul."