Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-07-10

Paraguay.
A Procession of Women Load
ing a Steamer.
The two principal ports for shipping
oranges are san Lorenzo aud san An
tonic. We staid at the latter, a lovely
spot on the Paraguay river, with
strand of yellow sand, bank, frineed
with lilies, and in the background
trees, SOM of them forming masses
of lilac bloom. The port consists of
square of sand, with the cabin and
llog of the custom hcusc, or re -guardo,
and short wooden ictty to the right;
Il roughly traced road leading into
the interior past u sort Of store or
tanbo; and to the left large tcat
stretched over palm poles, with
n lattice lloor made of bam-
boo. This tent was full OF oranges;
OH the sand outside were other noun
tains of oranges, and cart; drawn by
Yokcs of Two or four oxen, preceded
by the driver, wearing Il long poncho
and carrying bamboo goad, kept
grooming aud crcaking down the slope,
and dcpOsiting other golden piles
along the Leach. Under the shady
curtain Of trees were seated groups Of
men, women and children with oranges,
bananas, maudioca, parrots. bIue-jays
and monkeys. which they hope 10 sell,
but at the same time making no eflort
to offer their merchandise, prcferring
to remain calm and Indifferent, suck
ing mate through silver bombllas.
The steamer is moored alongside,
anda long gangway Of planks is laid
on high trc>tlcs from the padile-boX
to the shore then. when all is ready,
about sixty women and girls and ten
men sci 70 work, some 70 carry
baskets fu! Of oranges, others to
hand the baskets f. m beside the
padd.c-boN to the upper deck, others
to pass the baskets on from lhis point
TO the corral or caclosur, that has
Teen built behind the pilot house. and
other still TO pas, down Tie empty
baskets. The carrying i, all done by
women, who form procession pass
ing continuously up and down the
@angway, and generally ut a
run, They arc Paraguayans, Qua
ranis. and other Indians and mulaitoes
Of variou, shades, clad in white, rose,
scarlet, yellow and other bright-colored
Manchester cotton stuh, all are bare
footed, but gay and ready to laugh
and scream without prctcX., merely
for the sake Of being lively aud max
ing a noise. They are like birds and
monkeys. Hour after hour this op-
Grafton goes on. Women aud Young
girls alike have cigars in their mouths
inthc usual Paraguaynn fashion The
rapid movement of brightlv-clad iig-
ures passing in opposite direc-
tions, with the Glaze of the
yellow mountains of oranges and
of the dazzing white tent on
the shore, ends by hypnotizing one,
and yet the scene is so original that
one continues to watch it in spite of
ones self. For that matter, there is
nothing else TO do The village,
buried in orange trees, is soon visited;
10 walk for any distance along the
river is rendered difficult By the over
hanging trees, and 50 one remains
leaning over the rail, and watching
the women and girls toiling, while the
Husbands, fathers or brothcrs-
loaf on the shore, smoke and play
cards, according 10 the custom of
Paraguay, where the women do the
work while the men enjoy life The
steamer was supposed to take 80, 600
oranges; but there being no
means of control, it is probable,
that, in order TO allow for loss, the
shipper put on board at least 800, 600
These oranges Of fine flavor and as
pect, are worth one Paraguayan dollar
a thousand at san Antonia The
/ women, who carry The baskets on their
heads, are paid eighty ccnlayos a day,
and the harvest of the fruit lasts eight
months, beginning at the end OF May.
The freight from Paraguay 10 Cam
pana, and from Campana by schooner
to La Boca, together with the loss
from putrcfaction and rough handling
during the journey, brings the retail
price Of u good orange in Bucnos
Ayrcs to about two cents = [IIarpcr's
Magazine.
Where Flesh Turns TO Stone.
The character Of the. soil in aud
arOuud RabiI civ Shutb Dakota hos