Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-29

appalling. The walls we're supported by solid
columns OF salt; salt everywhere, around.
above: below, nothing but salt The super
| insenoent informed Us that this stupendous
MOUNTAIN OF SALT
must have been formed by the ocean. which in
prehistoric ages washed over the place where
we we're standing, but whether biologists will
agree with him cannot saw In some places
the salt was white as snow and sparkled like
diamonds, but q rule il was a dirty slate
color. Away up in the heart Of the mountain.
where the air was close to oppression ana the
blackness and silence more terrible than he
lore, Is little chapel, followed out of solid
salt, IN which is an image of the Virgin sur
| rounded by tall crosses. Night and day, from
| year to year, candles are always kent Burning
In 'front.' OF this strange shrine, and miners never
| fail to say their prayers here on entering the
mine, fully believing that this alone saves them
from falling into the clutches OF the evil spirits
Of the mountain.
RURAL HOME
Juratena, the quinta at which we were enter
tanned, is shut in among the hills aud reached
| by lanes overriding with green cones of the es-
| meralda bushes covered with yellow berries
pine-shaped and poisonous. which the natives
| call Pena de Diablo (the DEVILS pineapple)
and pretty pink flowers Of the IVA de Monte.
| No words can convey an adequate idea of the
| look of smiling contentment that pervades this
| rural home, nor describe the pure eXhila-
rating air and the rich green Of the herbage
The place is noted for its fine, fat cattle and
| It's great variety OF fruits and flowers. Just
| below the house a stream, bordered by eu-
| calyptus trees. tumbles over its stony bed in a
| hundred little waterfalls; over one part Of il a
/ beautiful marble basin has been built wherein
| the family may enjoy out-of-door bathing.
! The pretty patio is surrounded by q corridor
| over which the straw-thatched roof Of the house
projects, all shaded by passion vines and the
| blue flowers Of the lobelia, here called '.azul"
| That you may understand something of domes-
/ tic life uall tn- do 81
| lombia let me recount one days experiences in
this hospltabe home, where We were given no
| reason to believe that the inmates had departed
much from their ordinary routine. Having
| slept soundly under the straw roof lulled by
| the sound Of the rushing river. in a neat room
! where the little iron bedsteads were curtained
| with white muslin tied with pink ribbons, We
were awakened at an early hour by the song of
Dlackblrds and the twittering of a colony of
| cacaracheros. which make their nests under the
overhangng thatch. Evidently somebody had
| been listening for the first sound of our voices
| for the instant We were awake the hostess came
| In bringing the usual desaguno in the shape of
tea, bread and arepa cake and to inform us that
being In the country breakfast would be served
| at the extremely early hour of $50 instead of
at noon, as in the city.
AT BREAKFAST
When finally summoned to that meal the
good sonora went in ahead, carrying a Large
ola or earthen-ware jug, of soup just off the
| uTe ~ WAS H1aue OF not water and beaten eggs,
with plenty of butter, favored with fennel and
parsley, hard-boiled eggs put in whole. Next
cold boiled mutton was served. with a bit of
cold turkey and two sweet potatoes served on
each plate. Then came slices of aguacate, the
| oily fruit used for salads. which is sometimes
called vegetable butter" Then cheese, arepa
cake and the weakest of tea We may remark,
en- PEASANT, that the Colombians seem to have
no idea how to make tea, and drink it mostly
| as medicine. The cheese is not at all like
| that found in the United States, but is white
as paper and quite tough and tasteless.
| Arepa cake is made OF crushed corn and water,
without salt or soda, baked on a griddle or in
| the ashes, and not unlike Mexican tortilla.
| THE cEREMoSIoUs MEAL
| At $50 o'clock dinner was announced. This
| Is the ceremonious meal of the day and we
| marched out of the paror into the dining room
| adjoining, each lady on the arm Of gentle
| man, the precedence being given to the pair of
| highest social rank or greatest age. At each
plate was tiny bouquet tied with blue and a
pin in the ribbon with which to fasten it on.
| In the center of the table appeared a fine rcast
turkey, fanked by several bottles of wine.
brandy. beer and chiche, the latter a native
| beverage made from fermented corn and sup
posed to be very strengthening al
| The hrst course was soup, colored yellow by
| some mysterious process and extremely greasy.
| Then the lady of the house carved the turkey,
a slice of which was put on each plate, together
with two potatoes, a lump of corn meal pud-
| ding. bit Of roast mutton and some aguacate
salad. When this had been cleared away we
| were served with another kind of soup. called
! masamora, which seemed to contain little Of
| everything. Then came a dulce, or sweetmeat
| of corn meal well sugared, on the top of which
| appeared in white letters the name of the
| house, 'Juratena." Afterward cheese Was
| served with arepa cake; then chiche in large
| mugs, a villainous drink that does not intoxi-
| cate, but stupefies; then huge dishes Of oranges
| bananas and granadillas, followed by glasses of
water, and lastly coffee, with cigarettes for all
| who desired them.
| About pm. a third meal was served. con-
| ssting OF tea, coffee, chocolate. or bread and
| milk, as each preferred. There was also cheese,
| arepa cake, kind OF dulce made of guavas and
some wafer cakes with honey between ther:.
THE sALA OR PARLoR
is long, high apartment, showing the dean
| straw thatch overhead. Its brick floor is PAP
TALLY covered with straw mats and its wide
| windows, with their shutters of solid wood fike
| the doors of barn, are draped with lace cur
| talns. There are some wonderfully carved
| ebony tables with mirrors in the bottom
| brought from France; claw-footed chairs and
sofas, upholstered with crimson brocade;
| chromOs on the plastered walls, bad enough to
set ones teeth on edge; beautiful crystal
| chandelier (neyer used) suspended from an
| Imprinted beam by two common iron pot-hooks
| linked together; magnificent German piano
and half dozen '.tipleys," guitars and other
| musical instruments.
| In the midst of this queer conglomeration
| we had music and dancing, in course of which
| our kind host and hostess-she short fat
black-eye and good -natured, he tall, thin and
| very dark-performed the ''bambuca" ma
| tive dance, for our edifcation.
| FANNIE B. WARD.