The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-08-13
TIE LAKE : DW'ELl-.LERS. ELl-.L
AMP2iCl Gus LIFE tit WHICH i SOME
q INDIANS 2 OF MEXICO g LEAD. 4t'

INDIANS Or WENtSO . LERG.
.s:raass9-----L--.---l-A elss.5 i2;4fss5
Peculiar Formation offs the Mexican
Lakes-Nasure's Floating Gardens
Fishing For Frogs, Polywogs and Flies
to Earn scanty livelihood.
Looking towards the lakes one day caught
sight Of the spires of a small town on the
margin of the water. Iiquiring of Mexi-
can friend, he said: 'fThat is Chalco, lying at
the head of lake navigation, once q very
notable place. The town is now dead, or
dying, killed by the railroads. Once it was
the point of shipment OF The products of the
TERRA ealiente, and great quantities of rum,
sugar, grain and tropical fruits were trans
ported thence to Mexico, twenty-five miles
distant, in fiat-bottomed boats, propelled by
the Indians with long poles There are some
reminders of the traffic, yet,' but a foreigner
would probably find more interest in the
Indians who live in kind of house made of
reeds, and almost floating or, the water" Ny
friend could not have suggested an excursion
more apropos to the mood of aperson deeply
interested in the indigenous races and their
customs. In two hours time had descended
from.my crows nest on the hill to the lake
and was negotiating with the head man of
the town for a canoe and couple of stout
Indians to take me to the pueblo of the Lake
Dwellers. s..
And here first surprise awaited me. The
lake which had seen glistening in the sun
from the elevated post of observation no
where appeared when I arrived at its margin.
In its place was a vast expanse, extending for
miles, of reeds, swaying and drifting before
.l,5@e AI,e,. IL
lowed in this sea of green, feeding on the
nutritious aquatic plants and grasses, and
their fine condition and sleek hides showed
that this amphibious life was not uncongenial
to them. az z92 II rse&sl'sS Z. w 'A5"
A marrow waterway leads from the town,
disappearing slowly aanong the reeds, and
upon this we embarked in the Indians light
chalupe. As we passed along this canal |
noticed that the water was clear and pure
but the bottom composed of a spongy bed Of
vegetable matter /, In some places the Indiam
had to get out and pull the canoe past the
long barges, laden with wood, on their way
to Mexico, and which entirely monopolized
the narrow channel Their weight would
submersc what appeared to be, a moment be
fore, firm ground. When the loaded barge
stuck fast their swarthy conductors had the
habit of getting out and springing up and
down on this vegetable mass, at the point OF
adhesion, securing thus two or three feet OF
water where none had been before. ,gy slfs
At times there would come to my ears
strange and mournful sounds from the en-.
circling reed meadows. 1879 s@@a54i -
"Boatman! What sounds are those like the
moaning of persons in distressW al Fat
"Nothing, senorl Only the chatting OF
fishermen and the laughter of children"
Their statement turned out to be correct.
At intervals we caught glimpses through the
tall reeds of intricate passageways, just large
enough for the entry OF y very small canoe.
In these canoes were women and children ell-
gagged in fishing and the other industries pc
culiar to the lake. It was their conversation
and laughter, filtered through the forest of
reeds that produced the mournful sounds
before alluded to.
"But what kind Of fish do they catchs we
next asked. z
"NIainly frogs, polyWogs, WORMS and in.
sects, senor!' was his surprising reply. ..
It was difficult to believe my cars, but sub
seqlIent investigation proved this to be the
main industry of the Lake Dwellers, apart
from their peculiar agriculture, of which ]
shall speak later om. There are three species
of frogs inhabiting the lake. They are pre-
pared for the table, with suitable condiments,
anil are sold extensively even among the we'll
to-do classes, being especially popular during
Lent as a substitute for sniIiial food. The
spawn of the frog, and tie little animals SO
ridiculous and repugnant to civilized taste,
peculiarly called pollywogs are only used
among the poor, and are served ON leaves OF
maize.
But the insect industry slrpasses by far
the frog catching business. There is a sort
of water fly, called by the Indians axayacatl
which frequents the lakes in prodigious
numbers, and which is peddled to-day through
the streets of Mexico with the shrill street
cry, HFlies for bird foed.n AS the number
of birds kept in private houses is very large,
single family often possessing twenty or
thirty, the fly trade is correspondingly brisk.
The insect Is about the size of grain of rice,
has six legs, swims on the water with great
force and rapidity, and though it has wings
has never been known to use them When
caught they are either dried OF kneaded into
q paste, cooked in water with salt, and eaten
with much relish by the ilatives. The eggs
and larvie of this interesting creature have
equal value. The Indians plant the stems of
reeds in the shallow parts of the lake, about q
yard apart, so that the upper end shall pro-
jcct above the stlrface The female OF the
axayacatl deposits her upon these several
layers ,deep,so that they not only cover the
reed stalk, but also hang inshunehes from it.
At regular intervals they are collected, dried
ON mats, and these form the marketable pro
ducts called ahuantle. This, .gronni and fried
in lard with hens eggs, makes dish very
much like fish eggs, and is much used when
the preceptsy of religion prohibitIerh eating.
When the .larvR arc Matched and appear as
little white worms they arc caught in great
quantities and cooked entire or ground into
paste This dcIleato dish is called puxi ana
is considered very nourishing. 1 att
a. As we lleared the little Indian village of
Yico, which was to DO our. point of destina-
tion, the boatmen became communicative,
complaining bitterly OF a kind of floating
mass ofi1peds and grass, called vondoleros.
These floating banks have o thickness rang
ing from half yard to a, yard and half,
aald are composed of the woven roots of
plants, living and dead, the remains of the
creatures that inhabit them the mud OF the
lake bottom, and dust c brought by the wind
Sohdly knit together and of less density than
the water, they shift from point to point with
the winds and currents It is difficult to ac-
count for their formation; but nature works
with such skill in Y their constructions, and
gives them such solidity that, in times of
drought, the natives transport their cattle to
them for pasture, and the banks sustain the
weight, only yielding and sinking unler foot
a ittle-ass would be natural. Mexico Cor. D
Cleveland Leader .s4ss sss.f,,t sass. a
Fireman, Brakeman and Fla:.
stfs86a; a8Elsa man. sSa5 @aaE #s
The traveller who puffs Q fragrant cigar in n
the smoking car, or scans the daily papers In
the first class coach, or reclines with pillow
under his head in the sleeping car, rarely
thinks Of the engineer, the fireman, the
brakeman or the dagman He is thrown in
contact with the conductor, whom be either
paagtres with useless questions or honors by
calling 4captain;n but the silent man at the
throttle lever, or the others aforementioned,
never sliD into the traveieY,s mind ,,,,larS tho