Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-24
and gloves, and holding up our watches for

|
native silver. These are for the use OF
chiefs and well-to-do persons, poorer people
| being content with drinking out of little
| gourdS which have been scooped out and
| the shells carved or painted. We devoutly
| hoped that squawS might be exempt from
| the duty of drinking. but there was no such
| good luck. In an imperative aside our i'll
terpreter told Us that we must not only
drink, but drink with gusto, pretend to like
| II and call for more, if we would not give
| mortal offense and endanger the lives of
the whole party. Before the ceremony be
gan, the chief required his favorite wife TO
| take a sip from every horu--a custom
| among the AraucanianS to prove TO Stran-
| ger-guests that the food or drink has not
been poisoned. Most of US turned pale
| with the effort, but every one swallowed a
| horn full at one fell Culp, or pretended 70.
! after spilling il in the long thick fur upon
which we sat. Chicha is not unpleasant TO
| the taste, whether made of corn. wheat.
| apples or wild grades. but we knew that
| in this every dirty female in sight mad had
q hand or rather tooth. The Indian way
! of making il is truthfully described by 4
! gentleman who recently saw II done III this
| part of Araucania.
Essays: While the women are engaged
at their usual avocatiou. one of them
brought out a dish of meal. slightly DoiS-
tened. and a small eartheu Jug, both Of
! which she sat upon the ground. One of the
girls approached, took handful of the meal
and made it into d ball. which she stuffed in
her mouth and with both checks diSteudcj
returned to her work Another followed
and another, until ali from children 10 5icar-
eyed old croneS. We're busy munchng aud
chewing, with their faces pulled out like
balls, but still managing 10 keep up 4 cease
less jabbering IN 4 few minutes ne first
returned, and lifting up the Jug. emptied
into it the whole contents of her mouth.
She took another mouthfuI of meal and went
off, chewing and jabhering as before The
rest followed in due time; and so 1t Went on
until the meal was exhausted and the Jug
was full, l approached one of the women.
being puzzled 70 comprehend these proceed
lngS, and pointing TO the jug inquired chem
tua-'what is that 'Aludai.' she replied
cume, cume, good. good Just then the
guide came along and | asked him what on
earth the women Were doing. Making
mudai, or Indian chicha,' he explained com
posedly. Great Scott; the liquor that |
have been drinking for d month past" The
very same, he replied and without ObSerV-
ing the nervous twitching of my mouth,
went on to describe the process mluUleiy
a quantity of wheat is boiled over Il slow
fire for several hours, after which the
decoction is strained and set aside to cool
To this a jugfull of masticated grain ISL
added, i'll order TO produce rapid fermenta-
ton; and as soon as fermentation begins
the liquor is fit for use. A bumper of the
fresh brewed was offered ME that evening
which | respectfully declined. This process
OF beer making is not peculiar to the
Araucanians, for Mr.. HerudOu, III his Val
ley of the Amazon, speaks of native drink
prepared in the same way
Warmed into confidence by this Glowing
cup the chief informed Us that he was Il
very rich man, having fifteen wives. fifty
ponies and many sheep: that his subjects
We're loyal and contented, us were all the
tribe to which he belonged They We're at |
peace with the world, had good homes and |
enough to eat-what more could they de- |
sire? True, the smallpox visited them |
pretty often and carried OFF a great many |
people, but Notwithstanding that dcpopu- |
lator, the LlanistOs We're the most power |
ful nation on earth.
Through the interpreter, we replied that |
we were not Spaniards nor descendants of |
Spaniards, and that we had read with |
pleasure how his ancestors had withstoOd |
the cOnquerOrS; that we sympathiZcd with |
his warriors and knew from those facts |
that they were very brave The delighted |
chief beamed from top to toe with pleasure
and whispered something to squaw, who
left the room and presently returned with |
an armful of human skulls. From most of
them the face part had been partially cut
away and all were worn perfectly smooth.
The grinning chief assured us that every
skull was once the Uranium of n Spanard
OF high rank, who had been slain while
fighting the AraucanianS. Some of them
had been handed down from generation to
generation through several centuries and
We're used Ouly by chiefs and wise men to
drink out of on great occasions. The 9TH
erS had been taken from enemies during
his own time and were used for drinking
cups at ordinary feaStS.
One of the party, anxious to learn some
! tNA,. 10, LIZ l-T.- -
strange people, asked the chief if he WAS
not afraid those dead Spauiards might re-
turn sometime and claim their heads. His
lordship replied with perfect sincerity that
he did not think it possible, because they
were fully occupied up in the clouds fight
ing with the Indians they had killed, and |
being themselves killed over and over again
through all eternity. In reply to the quas-
ton whether all Indians go to the clouds at
death, he said that only warriors that had
distinguished themselves in battle were
permitted to go there. When common
Indian dies he Immediately becomes a
bumble-bee, having nothing to do but to
wander up and down the earth, eating sweet
things and singing his enemies.
The Araucanians never have a feast with
1ut putting some chicha, sugar and other
good things on the graves of their dead, so
hat the bumblebeeS into which the departed
have entered, may have their share When
he Warrlor-SplrltS in the clouds are angry,
The friends on earth can see their wrath in
.he form of lightning and when they have
/ great battle with their old-time enemies,
md the latter are vanquished, it is known
Dy their howls of distress, which we call |
hunder. y very great chief who has led
lis tribe through many successful battles !
soes to better place than the cIouds-he
S turned into volcano; aud when things
m earth do not please him, he shows his
age by splitting out fire and smoke After
IN hour or two of this edifying conversa-
ion we begged permission to retire and
bitch our tents for the night. To this not
lot unreasonable request the chief was
oath to consent, saying that we must re-
main in his house, where his wives would
erve US we'll Being placated, however,
y the gift of red blanket, a pair of vel
ow leggings and small mirror, he reluct-
Lntly let US go. FANNIE 3. WARD.
LION w CCnTT MEAN I