The Indianapolis journal., 1898-04-17

Ecuador. This belongs to Mr.. Augustine
Barrios, man who owns thousands of cat
tie and horses, and who sells something
like 100000 pounds of chocolate beans every
year. The plantation is now all under
water, and we had to take a canoe to visit
1t. Our canoe was about thirty feet long
and not over thirty inches wide 1t was a
dugout and was polled and sculed by two
lusty brown-skinned gondoliers, one of
whom stood at each end of it. Mr.. Klein
sat in the bottom and was given a place
in the center of the canoe and told to hold
myself steady. Leaving the city we were
pushed along through the wide streets of
water. passing by huts which seemed to be
floating on the waves, until at last we
moved on into the tropical forest. We rowed
for miles among the treetops, now grazing
great black alligator and again chartered
at by monkeys, who made faces at us as
they scampered away The trees were full
of strange birds, which fluttered and cried
as we went by. Now we get shot at one,
guilareta, beautiful thing as big as a
pigeon, with bill like blood, long legs Of a
golden yellow and plumage of royal pur-
pie.
l try a shot at a crocodile, but the canoe
trembles as / stand UP in it, and the ugly
monster gets away unharmed. There are
wild ducks and other birds which 1 have
never seen before, and Mr.. Klein tells me
that lie often bags a deer on the highlands
or has shot at Il wild hog or leopard.
The ride is beyond description. Under us
there is twelve feet of water, where a few
weeks ago it was all dry land The trees
make a thick arbor-like shade over us, and
we wind in and out through them, now
making our way along a narrow road of
md h1n oh i,,fr
green-walled chamber of water the trees
about which are loaded down with orchids,
each of which in New York would bring
sum equal to the wages Of the
average workingman. Insects are plen-
ty, bugs and ants of every descrip-
ton fall upon us as we float onward,
and Mr.. Klein tells me how a great snake
once dropped down into his boat from the
branches above The trees are all strange
and tropical There are rubber trees, trees
loaded with alligator pears and here and
there a great palm has hoisted it's green
head above the others Outside of the
insects and birds the silence is almost op-
pressive The soft air is heavy with
peace and rest, and the ripple of the water
as our long canoe works its way onward
seems to invite us to sleep. Now canoe
with family of Indians passes us, and
again great cargo boat loaded with cocoa
is showed along on its way to the markets.
A MILLIONAIRES PLANTATION.
Nearly all the land above which we have
been travelling belongs to the millionaire
planter whom we are to visit. When we
get out of the forest we come directly into
the grazing lands OF his plantation. The
grass is now under water, and his herds
have been taken to the high lands on the.
toJsr r@G& h.,
of waters, above which here and there the
tops Of the wire fences are to be seen. We
sail right over these fences, now and then
passing tenant houses of bamboo thatched
with palm leaves. The houses are like
| those of Babahoyo. built high upon piles.
Under each, just over the water, there is a
platform on which the chickens and pigs
of the owner live within six inches of
drowning. AS we near the great white house
OF the planter we see more and more of
these houses. We pass u butcher shop rest
ing on the water, where arc killed the ami
mails which furnish the meat for the planter
and go by great barn which is also
on piles surrounded by water. We sail
over the front gate and land amid a lot
| or long steel cocoa boats on the second
floor of the house, which is great three
story building rooted with red tiles. Here
we are met by the owner, and are made to
| feel at home. He orders a breakfast to be
| prepared for us and puts wine and cognao
before us. His two pretty daughters are
now called in to entertain us, and together
we all drink to the better relations of our
continents and our countries. The young
| ladies drink brandy, and when L pull out
my flask we all drink again in that famous
fluid which comes from Kentucky. Later
| N1I A.. -
to climb one of his cocoanut trees to give
us d drink of cocoanut milk, and then
directs men to guide us in canoes to the
| cocoa orchard and to other parts of his es-
| tate.
LABOR AND WAGES.
/ talk with him as to the profits of farm
ing. He says he keeps no accounts, but
| that he leaves all to his foreman and over
seers and that all that is over above the
| expenses is profit. This year he will har-
vest 100000 pounds of cocoa, which at 10
cents profit pound will net him $4,000 from
this source alone.
He tells me he loses a great deal every
year because he cannot get labOrers to work
for him, and still am told the men on his
plantation owe him $26O0O0 in silver. This
is to certain extent his labor capital, for
the money must be worked out and por-
ton OF 1t Is taken every Qdy lIOlIt Tic Wd5So
of his debt slaves. 1t is said that slavery
no longer exists in Ecuador. 1t may not ex-
list as it did in the days of Pizarro, when
the Indians were branded, whipped and
killed at the will of their owners, but it is
really in force through the debt laws and
the habits Of the poems or laJoring classes
which cause them to keep i'll debt to their
masters. The wages are so low that once
in debt it is almost impossible to get out.
Here, near the coast poems get about IS a
month, but in the interior they do not re-
ceiye over half this, and one-tenth of their
earnings goes to the church. The planters
give their laborers twelve ounces of meat,
fourteen ounces of rice or beans, a little
lard or salt a day. Each also gets hat,
three coarse cotton shirts and three pairs
of cotton pantaloons year, and house,
such as l have described above. Their
hours of work are from sunrise until sun
set and if a man skips day this is charged
to him. The women and children must work
as well as the men, and if
man runs away he is straightway
put in prison for debt and stays
there until some other planter is
willing TO pay him out and take him into
his service Even should man get out OF
debt the conditions are such that he is
soon in again. If there is death in his
family he has to borrow money to bury his
dead. If he would be married the priests
will charge him $6 for performing the cere-