Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-28

PETRIFIED EYEBAILs.
Our poems dug down about five feet deep in
several different places and uncarthed half o
dozen aforementioned mum mies-two Of which
afterward shipped to the United States with
/ their wrappings undisturbed The most curious
| things We found that day were not the rings of
beaten gold cncirclinS bony fingers, or water
| jars of quaint designs in nodded clay, or
spindles with thread still on them. just as the
weaver laid down her work some hundreds of
years ago-but the petrified eyeballs, which o
careful digger may always find, seldoIa inserted
In the face OF the mummy but fallen out
! among the wrappinSs. Modern science cannot
comprehend how these eyes were preserved
but 1t Is now a commonly accepted theory that
they were never human optics, but those of
cuttlehsh, with which the more perishable eyes
OF the subject to be mummified were replaced
But they are mono the less curious and are
really beautiful things-fat on one side, round
and smooth on the other. bright, amber-like
yellow, holding light as an opal, and vareing in
size from the tip of your little finger to the end
OF mans thumb. They are eagerly sought for
the settings of pins sleeve buttons, &c, and
are durable as most jewels. Everybody re-
members the story that went the rounds Of the
press few years ago-how Tiffany, the New
York jeweler, was sent number of these num-
mified eyeballs to be made into necklace for
some fair lady, and how two or three of the
workmen employed in polishing them died be-
fore it was discovered that their sudden demise
these relics of the tomb.
THE HEwERs OF WOOD.
The quality Of the wrappings and the various
articles found in the graves enables one to
judge pretty correctly what was the condition
in life Of the occupant. Mr.. E. G.. Squier, who
spent long time searching these Indian ceme-
teries, writes: In Peru, as elsewhere, the
hewers of wood and drawers of water met in
death a treatment corresponding to that melted
A in int
crevices OF the rock among the mountains or
into holes in the nitrous sand of the coast, with
such scant paraphernalia for their wanderings
In a future world as their own limited means,
or those OF their humble friends could supply.
Few and rude the relics found with their
shriveled remains-a gourd, perhaps q carved
wooden cup containing amulets or charms, an
implement OF toll, rude wooden idol and a
few curious stones, to the natural peculiarities
OF which the superstitiOus mind rendered rev.
erence.'
EACH STONE PILE HOLDS MUMMY.
The plebeian dead were buried in such shall
low graves that sometimes earthquakes tossed
them up to view or winds uncovered them.
In order to utilize all the arabic land the an
cient inhabitants used to pile up the stones that
encumbered the ground into great heaps.
There are thousands Of stone piles all over the
country and nearly every one holds mummies.
Mr.. Squier's description of one that he uncov-
cred answers well for the rest. He says: ''The
dead man sat alone among the stones, wrapped
In rustic cloth, with some bean pods and ears Of
corn pressed between his breast aid knees At
his feet. enveloped in coarse cotton CLOTH were
two objects OF interest, obviously connected with
his superstitions. The first was kind of mask, or
idol, cut out OF wood. bearing q resemblance
to the carved idols brought from distant Pacific
islands. 1t is painted on the face and has holes
on the top and sides, through which thin cords,
still remaining in place, were passed. as if to
attach in Of A
lection beneath the chin apparently designed
to mt into a socket, suggests the possibility
that 1t was carried surmonnting pole or staff.
There was also a wooden bowl, carved with
border representing birds running around its
rim, packed full Of layers of varioualy colored
alpaca and vicuna wool, In perfect preservation.
Between each layer pebbles were deposited that
bore some faint likeness to animals, a little
strengthened by art. There were fragments
OF crystaiized quartz, and very good carving
OF an ear of corn"
THE HOUSEHOLD DErrIEs OF EARLY PERuv1ANs
Father Arriaga, in his rare book on 'Idolatry
in Peru" calls these pebbles (canopes) the
household deities of the early Peruvians. He
says that bezoar stones and small quartz crys-
tails were most esteemed, and that O stone,
carved In imitation of an ear Of corn, was con-
sIdered a great treasure.
In the cemeteries around Lima the mummies
are sometimes put in layers Of tombs, one above
another. three or four deep. Perhaps the most
interesting one which Mr.. Squier opened-in
the second layer down, and evidently belong
ing to a family in middle circumstances
about four feet square, three feet deep and
walled with adobes. 1t contained Eve bodies
a middle-aged man, a ful-grown woman, girl
OF about fourteen years, boy some years
younger and an infant. The baby was placed
between the father and mother, the boy by the
side OF the man, and the girl cuddled up close
to the woman. Each was enveloped in a
braided network Of coarse grass bound closely
around the body by cords OF the same material.
Under the mans outer wrapping was another
OF stout, plain cotton cloth, fastened with
variegated cord of llama wool. Next came an
envelope Of cotton cloth Of finer texture which,
when removed, disclosed the mahogany-col-
ored corpse, dried and shrunken, but we'll pre-
served.
HIS FISHING NET WAS WITH HIM.
Passing around the neck and carefully folded
over the knees, on which the head rested, was
fishing net, made Of the twisted fiber Of the
agave, the threads fine as the finest used TODAY
and nicely knotted. Wrapped in cloth at his
feet were some fishing lines Of various sizes,
copper hooks, barbed like ours, and copper
sinkers- Under each Of his armpits was a roll
Of white alpaca wool, and behind the calf of
each leg we're a few thick, short ears of corn.
small piece OF copper had been placed in his
mouth, corresponding, perhaps, with the
''obolos" which the ancient Greeks put into the
mouths of their dead for fee to Charon.
HOW THE WIFE APPEARED.
The wife, beneath the same coarse outer
wrapping Of braided reeds, was enveloped in
blanket Of alpaca wool, finely spun, woven IN
the style known as three-ply in two colors,
brown and white, and an elaborate diamond
shaped pattern in which were representations
of monkeys climbing up and down Beneath
this was soft, closely woven cotton cloth,
twenty yards long. rolled round and round the
womans body. In one hand she held q comb
made by setting the rays of fishes fins into a
piece OF the dwarf palm tree, and In her Other
hand were the remains Of Q fan with a cane
handle, from the upper points Of which radiated
the faded feathers OF parrots and humming
birds Round her neck was a triple necklace
OF shells and between her body and bent-up
knees we're several domestic implements among
them some spindles. half covered with spun
cotton. The most interesting article was a
wallet, made of two pieces of thick
cotton cloth OF different colors. ten
inches long by five broad The lower
end terminated with fringe and at the
upper end OF each of the four corners was a
braid, the strands neatly plated together
higher up. The whole was carefully folded and
tied by the brsids and contained some lima
beans few pods Of cotton, some chalcedony
beads and several thin pieces Of silver. each
pierced with a hole.
THE GIRL AND HER PIAYrHISos
The girl mummy was seated on a box of
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