Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-26

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 were brought in they carried all
the freight on the lake, and they do a large
business today. 1 can hardly imagine any
thing which looks more insecure. 1 tried
a ride in one of them yesterday and was
surprised to find that was not turned out
into the water. These balsas are made of
reeds which grow in 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 a roll of reeds about the top of the
balsas keeps the passengers in, and they
must sit fiat on the floor. These reeds are
also used fer making bridges, ropes and
baskets. The people roof their houses with
them, and they are almost as important
plants to them as the bamboo is to the
Chinese.
The LInmns of the Andes.
Much OF the freight that is brought to
Lake Titicaca is on llamas. The word is
pronounced "yahmah." These animals are
to a great extent the freight wagons of
the Andes. You see them by the hundreds
everywhere on this Titicaca plateau. l
found them loaded with silver ore at the
mines in the mountains of central Peru and
saw thousands of them feeding upon the
pampas over which / crossed on my way
here. They are the most graceful beasts
| 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 a
camel, bodies like a sheep and feet and
legs like a deer. They are not sulky look
ing, like the camel, and are far more aris-
tocratic in their actions. When you load a
camel he cries like a baby. The tears roll
down his cheeks, and as he marches off he
pouts and groans and groans. The llama
carries his burden with a proud air and
pricks up his ears for all the world like
a skye terrier at every new thing he sees
He will carry only so much, and the usual
load for lama is 100 pounds. If you put or
more he does not cry or groan, but calmly
kneels down and will not move until the
load is lightened. If you make him angry
he does not bite you, as does the camel.
He merely shows his contempt by spit.
ting upon you. / would rather be kicked
by a government mule than be spat upon by
a llama, He chews his cud like a COW anC
has a special reservoir somewhere in hii
anatomy we'll stored for such an occasion
A llama's spittle smells worse than tn,
weapon OF the polecat. II once hit, it Il
almost impossible to get the scent out o
your clothes, and no one wants TO be neaI
you until you nave had a bath and a change
| find, however, that most OF the llamas
have handled are gentle, and l have ha'
good opportunities to study them. The,
are everywhere about me on this plateau
Some are almost snow white, some are sea
brown and a few black and spotted. Thei
wool is very long and beautiful rugs ar
made of II. The Indians are very fond 0
their llamas, They pet them and talk t
them. They sometimes dye their WOO
and often they tie bright eolored ribbon
; through their ears. They always walk be
side them when on a journey, stopping fror
time TO time to let the animals Craze upo
the way, The wool of most OF the poncho
5 which form the overcoats and shawls OF tn
a people OF this plateau is from llamas. II
l spun by the women, who, whether tendin
the hocks or walking along the road, al