The record-union., 1896-03-21
OBSTINACY OF LLAMAS.
Mules Are Vacillatfng Compared With
These stubborn Brutes.

/
The boy called ''U-pa!" to the llamas,
lifting his finger as if to point them up
trail. Ordinarily they would have obey
eo, but the aggressive manner of Bar
! ton had reused their obstinacy, and
| they did not bulge. The boy put his
shoulder to the ribs of one, and heaved
hard, but the brute stood its ground.
! We'll, it is to wait!'' said he, and ran
| about the path, gathering up very
small pebbles until his shabby hat was
/ full. Then he sat down, settling him
self as if for a long rest. Then he threw
a mild and measured pebble at each
| llama. They turned their heads little
and wrinkled their disagreeable noses.
He waited for some time and then
pitched two more pebbles-which had
the same effect. So he sat, slowly and
mechanically tossing his harmless mis-
siles upon the dense hair Of his charges.
Evidently he was in no hurry, and the
| two travellers, impatient as they were,
had too much wisdom of experience to
| try to push him. They sat quietly in
their saddles, watching the droll scene.
1t was very ridiculous to need deliver
ance from two stupid beasts, and to get
it from such an owlish little tatterde-
malion. His ragged clothing was Of
very thick coarse CLOTH and upon his
feet were the clumsy yanquis or raw
hide sandals of mountain Peru, and he
wore thick stockings rising to his knees.
over his trousers was curious gar
ment, half apron and half leggings,
and oyersleeves of the same material,
hung with a cBrd about his neck, came
up over the elbows of his coat. These
| two garments were knit in very strange
patterns, amid which were square,
brown llamas wandering up and down
background. Around his waist was a
kwoven belt, now very old. but of beau
| tiful colors and workmanship. And
| his face-what a brown, round riddle!
How do you cali yourself, friend?"
asked the Professor, in Spanish. And
have you ten years or a hundred?"
Ramon Ynga, senior. And the other
do not know. 1 have been here long
ti1ne-ever since they built the mill at
Casapalca."
You must be about 10, then. And
where do you liye?"
There, above" answered Ramon,
tossing another pebble.
"A curious habit of the mountain
eers,'' said the professor. These noun
tain Indians, instead Of living in the
valleys, climb to the very tops of these
peaks, and build there their squalid
novels. They seem to think nothing of
the eternal cIambering up and down. ;"
An hour crawled by, and the stones in
Ramon's hat were running low. Sud-
denly the brown llama turned with a
snort of disgust and strode off up the
4,,a r1ta crY.a 0Ya bccifatad a mo-
ment, snorted-and followed. THAT
way they get tired, sirs," said the boy,
enptying his hat and pulling it down
upon his thatch of black hair.
I'D take a good club to them!"
growled Barton, who had great conf
dence in the Saxon way of forcing
things.
mo, the boy is quite right. 1t is an>
other case where you must not try to
be smarter than nature. The llama Is
! the stubbornest brute alive; a mule is
vacillating compared to him. If you
put a pound too much on his load, he
will lie down; and you might beat him
to death. or build fire beside him, but
he would not get up. Nobody but a
Peruvian Indian can do anything with
a Peruvian camel, and Ramon has just
shown US the proper tactics. Hurt the
animal, and he only grows more sui
len; but the pebbles merely tease him
until he can bear it no longer. And
really, he repays patience when he be-
haves well, for he is the only animal
that can work effectively at these ter
rife attitudes, where horses and mules
are practically useless. But adelante
(forward)" the professor concluded
Charles F. Lummis, In st. Nicholas.