The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-26

! by llama. He chews his cud Ike cow.
and has special reservoir somewhere IN
his ana tony well stored fer such an occa-
, sion. A llana's spi.Jie smells worse than
| the weapon OF the polecat- II once hit, il
IS Amos, impossible % get The scent out
Of your clothes, and 10 one wants 70 be
near you until you have had 4 ha IN ana
q change. | find, however that most OF
the llamas l have handled ara gentle, and
have had good opportunities 10 study
them They are everywhere about me on
this plateau. Some are almost snow white.
some are seal brown. and few black and
spotted. Their wool Is very long. and
beautiful rugs are made OF i. The Indians
are very fond OF their uamaS. They pet
them and talk 20 them. They sometimes
dye their wool, and often tie hrigh.-colored
ribbons through holes in their ears. They
always walk beside them when on a jour
ney, stopping from time 10 time 70 let the
animals Craze upon the way. The Wool
or most OF the poachos which form the
overcoats and shawls OF the people OF this
plateau is from llanas. II is spun by the
women who. whether tending the docks
or walking along the road. always have a
spinning spool IN their hands. They
weave the wool themselves, and out of il
make all OF the clothes Of the family. The
llama not only clothes and through the
money received from him as a freight
carrier feeds these people but ne warns
them as well. There is no wood on this
high. desolate plateau. Wood all over the
western part of Peru Is very costly. In
thu markets of Arequpa each customer
carries home a bundle OF twigs or rather
roots and bushes with his vegetables and
meats. and this forms the fuel for cooking
the days meal No one thinks of using
fuel for anything bat cooking. end none
of the cities of this part OF the world
nave chimneys. furnaces. heating stoves
or fireplaces.
On the plateau of Bolivia In which Till
caca lies there are not even bushes, and
almost the sole fuel is composed of the
dropplnSs OF the llama. Every hut has a
pile of this fuel beside its fireplace and
the better classes of houses have special
quarters for it, La Paz, which is a CIT,
OF nearly 50,00o people. depends entirely
on the llamas for It's fuel. and the steam
which moves the dynamos OF the electric
light plant Of the city ~ created lv a lire
OF llama manure. The cooking Is all done
over such fires, and FOR this reason | have
for the time given up such things as
brolled beefsteahs ana mutton chops. aud
am now sticking ral,giOusly 70 soups, fries
and TO all victUa,s cooked in pans In This
connection IL seems a curious d:SDen-
sat.0n Of Providence that the Hama
has one place for making his fu,,
deposits. lie uses the same place every
day when possible. and the manure is thus
easily saved
Liamas have curious habits as 20 Their
love affairs. The female. am told. picks
out the mae whom she especially loves.
and makes all the advances The males
are bigger than the females, and | have
seen It stated that the latter are not used
TO carry burdens. THIS is a mistake for
the freight trains of llamas whica have
seen, often numbering hundreds. seemed
70 have almost ia many females as males.
About La Paz l told that the females
are used as much as the males for carry
ing burdens, but that the sexes are al
ways kept separate in the freight cara
vans.
The flesh Of the llama is spongy ana NOT
or agreeable flavor. Still. Ii is eaten by
the Indians. and llama stew forms a favor
lie dish. There are other animals If rho
same class as the llama which live on
'hese h!Shiands. such as the vicuna fpro-
houhced Vlcunya). which. runs wild ana
winch is not so large but more beaut,fpI
man lha llama, and the alpaca grown
CHIEFLY for its wool and which ia oer5eI
IN Hooks as we herd our sheep.
FRANK G. CARPENTER