The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-11-06

RUINED PALACEa

-, - 49, :
zhe xuins Of the 1ncas-The Native Popu-
1asisn II Central America.
From the pit.4barg Dispatch = :
A full bearded gentleman, whose face
was slightly bronzed by exposure, was
standing on the steps of the postoAice,
bn Fifth avenue. yesterday, with a
packet Of foreign letters in his hand;
when Dispatch reporter aceosted him:
The person was Mr.. Francis R. Fast,
a,rmerly of this city, but now
secretary OF the Central Amer
lean Syndicate Company; with heade
quarters Ii New York. Mr.. Fast
Is in the city on d brief business visit;
but is fresh from FIVE months tour in
she States of Central America, having
arrived in New York only last week
A keen observer and thorough inguist,
Mr.. Fast has wealth of experiences
stored away regarding those odd little
Republics down id the tropics:
''Most; or might say all of My trav-
cling was done on the back of mule
with OILY a servant. I would travel all
day and ,.at night; after Swinging my
hammock under tree in the public
square of the little village where I in
tended to rest, crowd Of the principal
men of the village would gather around
and ask innumerable questions about
my country in queer, innocent fashion.
After I had told them all, they in
turn would relate the traditions of
their ancestors; of the fabulous mines
of gold and silver; of the Spanish con:
quest, and the glory of their departed
geatness.. / travelled from the British
Colony of Belize to the Incas' ruins in
the Province of Copan, in the Repub-
lie of Honduras" -
"What do you know of the reported,
iscovery by priest of key to the
Mexican and Central American hieno-
glyphics?'"
ii know nothing beyond what have'
read since my return to New York. I
heard nothing of it down there. In fact
there is very little in it. I don't see
how any KEY can be obtain ed that would
unlock the Incas' mysteries. There is
no vestige of the old language left, and
there was no contemporaneous language
that was reduced to writing that
7 know or ever heard o4
But of these Incas' ruins, they
are wonderful. You come upon them
in the midst of morass and swamp.
Miles of magnificent columns, the wreck
of the palaces of emperors who ruled
before Cortez came. Next to the beau
| ty of their ruins comes the beauty of
their pottery, remains of which are to-
be found within the walls of every
temple and palace"
"What was the most striking thingl
in the way of ruins that you encounA
tered q
"a wonderful road. The Applan
way has been the boast of antiquarians
for ages, but what do you think of a
road sixty miles long in the heart OF
Central America, constructed over
mountain and through morass and
Jungle, and exquisitely paved with
square blocks of stone as compactly set
! as our Belgian blocks of to-day? One
of the Inca Emperors had that road
built expressly for his bride. SO that
when she came on her bridal trip to his
palace her mule train would have tit
road upon which to travel. The ira
dition says that this ruler, whose name
has been forgotten, had 1000 men for
nearly year working on this enter
prise. The ruins are there to show for
the work yet, and ] have travelled on
that strange thoroughfare over whose
stones, still firmly set, the tangled vines
and branches of The giant trees formed
q canopy that almost excluded the sun
shine"
"And The people lazy and dishonest, I
presumed" suggested the reporter.
Lazy? Yes" replied the gentle
man. "but not dishonest. On the other
hand, they are strictly honest. Once a
month peon is sent from the mines
down to the colony for coin to pay the
hands He has no guard and receives
60 cents day for his services. He re-
turns regularly with from $4,000 to
S., 1000 in gold in the net on the mules
back. The village is sixty miles from
the mine. The native women are the
prettiest on the continent, but they
are the most slovenly, too, may add. y
Mr.. Fast will return to Central
America, the coming fall in all proba-
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