Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-27

horses cannot endure the thin air, a. IL alone is
exempt from sirroche. its natural home being
5000 feet and upward. Though domes,ica;ed
in Peru. Bolivia and Chill and not able TO live
bel Iw certain elevation unless tho weather
is very cold. great numbers OF them run wild
ON the foothills and sandy plains OF Patago-
MIA, even near the level Of the sea 90 far from
the equator.
THEY ARE INDISPENSABLE.
A full-grown llama is about the size Of
year-oid colt, standing from four to six feet
high, and is covered with . long and surpris-
ingly thick coat Of wool. which. however. is
seldom sheared. as the animsl is used only for
purposes OF transportation. Its usual color is
muddy brown, while a few are light yellow or
nearly white. The Indians paint the latter
with liquid dyes and verv odd IL looks TO a
troop OF them in all the colors of the rainbow.
red. blue. purple, pink and green. with CAV
tasses dangling from tRir ears. Many of the
most valuable mines of Peru and Bolivia could
hardly be carried on without these hardy and
sure-footed little animals. though not one OF
them can he made to bear more than hundred
pounds weight. while the average load of n
mule il 800 pounds. On all the noun tam roads
leading from the mines hundreds of ilamas NAV
be seen with bags of barilla. as the powdered
ore is called, fastened to pack saddles on their
backs by ropes made from their own wool
which the Indians pull. spin and weave as they
walk along. Where the trails are dangerously
narrow each troop is led by one having q bell
attached to his neck, SO that travellers coming
from the other direction may be warned by the
ringing to wait IN some place where there is
room enough to pass.
IRREGULARITIES OF THE ANIMAL
None but Indians shy as themselves and I'M
hampered by the ways OF civilization. can
manage llamas, and white men never attempt
it. II an ounce more than 100 pounds be added
to his burden the beast will lie down and refuse
to stir until the surplus is removed. and when
ever he Is tired, burden or no burden, he is
bound 20 stretch out until well rested. Mean
while tho patient driver viii halt all the rest
OF the flock and lie down too, waiting by the
roadside until the refractory animal is ready
to move on. An Indian never strikes hIs
!lamas, tho utmost coercion he uses under any
circumstances being gentle push. Indeed.
be takes better care OF them than he does OF
his own children; perhaps with good reason.
since the four-footed animals are of more
value commercially. The latter are worth
alive about seven dollars apiece. but sell for
more when dead, in the shape OF hides. meat
and tallow. The natives prefer llama flesh,
after it has been frozen. to any other kind of
meat and make great account OF the tallow.
which Is called sabo, using it for many pur-
poses.
MALE LLAMAs ONLY CARRY FREIGHT,
the females being kept in corral for breeding
purposes. Soon as a young male is ready to
stand he is trained to bear burdens, and at two
years old is put into an alquila. the usual drove
of twenty animals. To drive this number
easily two persons are required. An Indian
will take his alquila, with 100 pounds piled on
the back Of each. and. assisted by has wife or
child. will drive them IA distance OF $50 miles in
eighteen or twenty days. For this service he
charges at the rate of eighty cents per diem TO
each beast, bolivian cents, worth about half as
much AS ours. At this price he feeds himself
and the animals and furnishes the necessary
caNlau II
forty cents a day for the llamas, twenty cents
for the wear and tear Of sacks and ropes and
twenty cents for the food OF himself aud COM
panero. The sack in which he carries grain
ore, &C., costs in the currency of the country
:l.25, but will last a long time Under this
contract he will sometimes make a journey of
two or three months duration and save money
out Of it
LITTLE FOOD AND LESS WATER.
The lima subsists upon a mountain shrub or
species Of tough, coarse grass mixed with the
sand in which it grows. He drinks almost no
water and can travel Sthout food for a week.
IL given a square meal at both ends of the
journey. IL too well fed. he is subject to q
skin disease, which invariably proves fatal
Some years ago, III 1857, believe, an effort
was made to introduce llamas into the United
States, but il could not be carried out, prin-
cipally because the food was too good for
them. Seventy-two llamas were taken from
Peru to New York. Only thirty-eight of that
number survived the sea voyage and those
were wintered on Long Island farm-which
certainly must have been cold enough for the
most fastidious animal of the Andes. In the
spring scarcely dozen of these were left alive;
these were sold to museums and menageries
and died at the first approach Of warm weather.
THE FUEL OF THE COUNTRY.
A circumstance in connection with this
singular animal should not be omitted, viz,
that its dung is universally used for fuel in
Bolivia and many parts of Peru 1t burns az
readily as wood, gives out great deal of heat,
has no odor and can be bought at the rate Of 81
cents per hundredweight therefore il is highly
priced in treeless sections, where coal costs
from S35 to S4S per ton and the only other al
Tentative Is kind Of spongy fungus that
grows on the mountains. great deal of COM
plant is just now rife in La Paz against the
electric light company, the citizens asserting
that so much llama dung is consumed by its
furnaces that their supply of fuel will soon be
exhausted. Knowing it to be in general use
in the kitchens of the country. the tourist in
these parts ceases to exist on toast and broiled
meats and becomes quite willing to put up with
the eternal stews and fries. The commercial
name of the fuel is taquis, and owing to the
habits OF the animal 1t is by no means difficult
to gather. For example, in certain places
along every road where llamas are driven al
ways at the foot Of the hills and in these places
only, VIII taQula De 1Ounu-nOt an atom OF II
anywhere else for miles around. The same is
true in corrals and fields where the ANIMALS
Craze, each invariably adding his own quota to
the general accumulation, always in precisely
the same spot.
Llamas have queer but effective way of de-
Tending themselves when leased or made
angry. Stamping the forcfeet and turning
suddenly upon the object Of rage, they will
eject between the teeth pint or more Of
saliva, throwing it with great force a distance
of several feet This saliva produces a sting
ing sensation on the skin and If it gets into the
mouth or eyes or on any place where the skin
is broken violent Inflammation is Immediately
caused and deathly blood-poisoning has been
known TO ensue. Therefore those who are ac-
quainted with the peculiarities of the beast are
very careful to keep on the right side of his
temper and at . respectful distance from his
nose. FANNIE b. WARD.
Women Who Feel Young.
Bob Burdette in Ladies' Home Journal.
There's a sister often meet in my travels
She is the good sister who "feels Just as young
N ayor ba xvaS Shaso a l,t.oo;.h .l;.-