The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-26
Its Curious SURROUNDINGS;
The Traffic OF the Lake
and the Trip to Bolivia.

public warehouses i, sanctifed ard pre-
served al other grains, and i VAS also
sad t&at man who could have as much
as one grain % Titcaca island corn in
his storehouse would not lack for food
during his lifetime. There are today
many ruins or T.,icaca Island. and the
very rock on which Nance Cspac and his
stster-wite stepped when they nrSt landed
from the sun Is shown This rock, says
the same chronlc.er, was once plated ": n
gold and kept covered with a veil The
inaa hitants Of the island are now chiefly
Ay-nara Indians. who are said 10 be de-
scendants % the tribes who were so nu-
uerous about Lake Titicae4 years ago.
They live in little huts Of mud or stone
matched with straw, and show TO signs
OF having had gorgeous temples or the
more extensive civilization which they pos
sessed when the Incas were their masters.
They are Catholics, and are superstitious
In the extreme.
Boats of Straw.
How would you like 10 sal ove- Lake
Erie in boat made OF straw l can see
dozen straw boats from where l am
writing. Some of them are nlled with
peop.e. and one has mule, a donkey and
Hama in ii in addition TO its human
freight. The captain OF each boat is an
Aymara Indian. who stands up as ne
poles the boat along. There is q beat
over there WHICH has a straw sal and
which Is Swimming along over the waves.
Those boats are Of the curious craft
known as balsas. They have been in use
upon this lake for more than 400 years,
and were found here when the Spaniards
came. Until the steamers We're brought
in they carried all the freight on the
lake, and they do a large business today.
l can hardly imagine anything which
looks more insecure. tried a ride on
~ n 49, Il i
TO find that l was not turned out into the
water. These balsas are made OF reeds,
which grow n great quantities on the
banks of the lake. and they are. in fact
RATS formed of rolls Of reeds so tied and
woven together that they keep out the
water. Only 4 roll Of reeds about the top
Of the balsa keeps the passengers in, and
hey must sit fiat on the floor. These reeds
ere also used for making bridges, ropes
and baskets. The people roof their houses
WIZ them. and they are almost as i'm
I;ortant plants to them as the bamboo is
to the Chinese.
The Llamax OF the Andes.
Much Of the freight that is brought to
Lake Titicaca Is on ilamas The word is
pronounced 'yahmah." These animals are
10 a great extent the freight wagons OF
the Andes. You see them by the hun
dreds everywhere on this Titicaca pla-
testu Iouilu tUefu t0a0c1 WITH silver ore
4 the mines In the mountains Of central
Peru, and saw thousands OF them feeding
upon the pampas over which I crossed on
NY way here. They are the most grace
full beasts l have ever seen. They walk
along the road with their little heads high
UP in the air, and seem TO tread as though
they owned the earth. They have heads
like camel bodies like a sheep and feet
and legs much like a deer. They are not
sulky looking, like a camel and are far
more aristocradc In their actions When
you load camel he cries like a baby
The tears roll down his cheeks, aud as he
marches off he pouts and pouts and
groans and groans. The Hama carries his
burden with proud air, and pricks up
his ears for all the world IKE skye ter
rier at every new thing he sees He will
carry only SO much. and the usual load
for Hama IS 100 pounds If you put on
more he does not cry or groan. but calmly
kneels down and viii not move until the
load il nghtened. II you make him angry
he does not bite. as does the camel
He merely shows his contempt by spit
ting upon you. l would rather ba kicked
by a government mule than be spat upon