Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-04

Indians paying the highest prices for every
thing. They were allowed TO build huts 70,
themselves, the rudest materials being fur
nished; but no provision for fires was made ai
this freezing altitude, and a. nothing grows on
the island, fuel for cooking purposes had also
70 be bought Of the Indiana Il IL said thai
| scenes OF robbery, murder and violence were
OF daily occurrence, the young and weak hav'
ing little chance Of retaining the pittance given
| by the government Sometimes . number
pooled their issues and cooked over one fire,
but more frequently it happened that the
strongest did not buy fuel at all, but drove
| away those who needed 1t most from the little
blaze they had scrimped themselves OF food to
purchase. So great was the penalty for as
sisting prisoner from the island that it was
never attempted, and to swim any distance in
these icy waters was impossible.
On the mainland nearest to this Tortugas 10
an Aymara village which few years ago num-
bered nearly thousand Indians. A philan-
| thropic English physician, filed with desire
| to elevate the condition Of the Aymaras, went
with his wife and family to live in this settle
| ment The latter, however, resented the in
| trusion and one night caused the whole family
| to be murdered in their beds. The atrocity
was not discovered for some weeks--not until
distant friends failing to hear from the good
doctor, came over to zee how he was getting on.
As the most diligent search failed to discover
sent out a body of troops, who massacred more
than half the people Of the village, to teach
| them better manners in the line of hospitality
and a. . warning to other Indian settlements.
PROTESTANT ISLAND GRAVEYARD.
The saddest of all the islands In Lake Titi-
caca is one very near to Puno, called San Este
van (Saint Stephen) which has become .
Protestant graveyard. Many years ago, from
| some unknown reason, Spaniard who fell
during the war for independence was buried
here. queer old monument marks the spot,
built up Of small, rough stones, in shape Of q
short, fat Cleopatra's needle. Close besides
this is the grave Of Capt, Pemberton, an En-.
glish skipper who commanded the first boat on
| the lake, and Who being a hereto, could not
be buried in consecrated ground. 1t is said
| that even this barren rock was begrudged him
for burial place, the pious natives Of the
vicinage threatening to dig up and scatter his
bones abroad, which they doubtless would
have done had he lain in . more accessible
place.
The latest addition to this desolate cemetery
was made when Prof. Orion died. The we'll
known author and scientist, from PouGhkeep-
sic, NY, died of consumption, brought on by
overwork and the inhospitable climate of this
far-away land, and when he knew that the end
was near requested that his remains be laid on
the top Of San Estevan. We made q pilgrim
age to the spot in honor Of his memory, going
out from Puno in a canoe against the protests
OF the villagers, who assured US that we could
not possibly land anywhere on the island, il
! being completely surrounded by an impossible
marsh
Padding all around it we found a place
where the swampy soil was somewhat firm, and
using thick growth Of reeds for improvised
bridges, by dint of considerable leaping and
the trihing Inconvenience of going over-shoe
in the ooze we succeeded in passing the barrier.
The island is nothing but high, rocky hill,
rising SO precpitously out of the water that
hardly goat could scale it. except on the fur
Their side. where the ascent is not very difficult,
f,nh vinai md ,oth ~ 10 oy<a,,
compelled to stop and recover breath In the
thin air.
To this day poor Orton's resting place is I'M
marked. Not long ago friend and fellow-pro-
lessor from Rochester, MY, came here and in
CURED the cost Of putting up a plain slab, or
at least cairn Of cemented stones, like those
which mark the graves Of Capt. Pemberton
and the Spanish soldier. He was told that the
lowest cost would be $500, not including the
tablet, which must be sent, engraved, from
the United States. The latter might never reach
here; if 1t did, would probably never be placed
unless somebody made the long journey to see
1t done-all of which would bring the actual
cost up to very large sum. The memory of
Prof. Orton does not need to be kept alive by
| such means. He lives in the hearts of his coun-
trymen, and more enduring monument was
wrought by himself in the books and scientific
researches which he has given to future gen.
erations
ON THE DESERTED ISLE.
Standing on the lonely island with the graves
at our feet, and the mysterious lake spreading
all around Its waters of unknown depth-the
only link that connected us with the living
| world being the frail balsa of reeds propelled
by an Indian-the words Of another, who, like
Orion, spent the best part of his life In this
strange country came with new force to my
mind, as perfectly describing the scene and its
| effect upon the beholder: Viewed from the
| crest of the cOrdillera, we have spread out be-
| fore us q region unlike any other on the face
| Of the earth-one which seems to be lifted
above the rest Of the world, in spirit we'll az
| in fact, to be looking down on it coldly and
calmly as the winter stars, sharing none Of its
| sympathles and disturbed by none of its alarms
The silent, wondering vicuna gazing at us with
| liquid eyes, the gliding llama, and the condor
circling high in the air or swooping down to.
ward us as II in menace: the absence Of forests
| the white clouds surging up from the plains OF
| Brazil, only to be precipitated and dissi
pated by the snowy barriers they cannot
| pass; the clear metallic blue of the sky; the
painful silence-all impress the traveller with
| feeling that he Ia no longer in the same world
he has known before. There is nothing with
| which he is familiar, nothing suggestive oil
other scenes. IL was island Of Lake
Titicaca that. rs tradition affirms the founders
| of the Inca empire had their supernatural
| ruins OF ancient architecture, singular in char
acter, and having an antiquity greater thar
| any other of advanced civilization on THU
| hemisphere. Not an uniting region, this, fol
| the development of an original civilization like
| that which carved its monuments in massive
stone and left them Oh the plains of Tiahuanaco
of which no tradition remains except that they
were the work of the giants of old. who bull
them in a single night" FANNIE b. WARD.
1