The record-union., 1891-03-29

firmly bound with ropes before breath
had left the body and death stiffened the
muscles. The teeth are always perfect,
and the hair-sometimes grown unnatu-
rally long in the grave--has generally
turned reddish brown by contact with
the nitrous earth.
A clue to the extent of the aboriginal
population, and some knowledge of their
religion, arts and customs, may be OBJ
tained from the millions of bodies that
are buried in the drifting sands. AS the
soldier going on march, takes his cook
ing kit, canteen, blanket and other port
able treasures, so did the belief in fu-
ture life cause these dead Peruvians to be
well equipped for their journey from this
world TO another. One may find in their
graves weapons for war and for hunting,
fishing TACKLE, apparatus for cooking and
weaving, water jugs, copper knives and
other. utensils, cups and platters of gold
and silver, spoons, strings of beads, idols,
combs, rings-in short everything sup
posed to be required by the spirits Of the
dead to set up their primitive house
keeping anew in the Happy Country.
Our poems dug down about five feet
deep, in several different places, and un-
earthed half dozen well-conditioned
mummies-two of which I afterwards
shipped to the United States with their
wrappings undiSturbed. The most Curl
Gus things we found that day were not
the rings of beaten gold encircling 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 ofyears ago-but the
petritied eyeballs, which careful digger
may always find, seldom inserted in the
face of the mummy, but fallen out among
the wrappings. Modern science cannot
comprehend how these eyes were pre-
served, but it is now a commonly accepted
theory that they were never human OPP
tics, but those of cutie fish, with which
the more perishable eyes of the subject
to be mummified were replaced. But
they are none the less curious, and are
really beautiful things-fiat on one side,
round and smooth on the other, bright,
amber-like yellow, holding light as an
opal, and varying in size from the tip of
your little finger to the end OF a mans
thumb. They are eagerly sought for the
settings of pins, sleeve buttons, etc., and
are durable as most jewels. Everybody
remembers the story that went the rounds
of the press few years ago-how Tiffany,
the New York jeweler, was sent num-
Der of these mummi1ied eyeballs to be
made into necklace for some fair lady,
and how two or three OF the workmen
employed in polishing them died before
it was discovered that their sudden de-
mise was due to the fine dust which
flakes off from these relics of the tomb.
The quality Of the wrappings, and the
various articles found in the graves, ena
bles one to judge pretty correctly what
was the condition in life of the occupant.
+. @. Squier, who spent a. long time
searching these Indian cemeteries, writes:
'In Peru, as elsewhere, the hewers of
wood and drawers of water met in death
treatment corresponding to that meted
out to them in life. They were thrust into
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 future world as
their own limited means, or those of their
humble friends, could supply. Few and
rude are the relics found with their shriv-
elled remains-a gourd, perhaps a carved
wooden cup containing amulets or charms;
an implement of toll, a rude wooden idol.
and a few curious stones, to the natural
peculiarities of which the superstitious
mind rendered reverence"
The plebeian dead were buried in such
shallow graves that sometimes earth
quakes tossed them up to view, CO winds
uncovered them. In order to utilize all
the arabic land, the ancient inhabitants
used to pile up the stones that cucumber
ed 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 uncovered answers well for
the rest. He says: 1.-The dead man sat
alone among the stones, wrapped in rus
tic cloth, with some bean pods and ears of
corn pressed between his breast and
knees. AT his feet, enveloped in coarse
cotton cloth, were two objects Of interest,
obviously connected with his supersti-
tions. The first was kind of mask or
idol, cut out of wood, bearing resem-
blance to the carved idols brought from
distant Pacific Islands. It 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 them
in front of some object. A projection be-
meath the chin, apparently designed to fit
into socket, suggests the possibility that
it was carried surmounting apole or staff.
There was also a wooden bowl, carved
with border representing birds running
around its rim, packed full of layers Of
variously colored alpaca and vicuna wool,
in perfect preservation. Between each
layer pebbles We're deposited that bore
strengthened by art. There were frag
ments of crystalized quartz, and very
good carving OF an ear of corn"
Father Arriaga, in his rare book on
"Idolatry in Peru" calls these pebbles
(cdnopes) the household deities of the
early Peruvians. He says that bezoar
stones and small quartz crystals We're
in imitation of an ear of corn, was consid-
cred great treasure.
In the cemeteries around Lima the
mummles 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 belonging to
about four feet square, three feet deep
and walled with adobes. 1t contained
five bodies-a middle-aged man, a full
grown woman, girl of about IA 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 braided
network of coarse grass, bound closely
around the body by cords Of the same ma
terial. 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 re-
moved, disclosed the mahogany-colored
corpse, dried and shrunken, but well
preserved. 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 as fine as the finest used to-
day and nicely knotted. Wrapped in a
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 roll of white
alpaca wool, and behind the calf of each
leg were a few thick, short ears of corn.
A small piece of copper had been placed
in his mouth, corresponding, perhaps,
with the .'obotos" which the ancient
Greeks put into the mouths Of their dead
for fee to Charon.
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-pIy'