The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-31

with the Bolivian mails. 1t seemed to me
when thought of it rather strange that
the postal officials should consent to take
my heavy trunks, but through MY news
paper connections have sometimes been
favored officially, and accepted it as a fact.
/ fear visions of a glorious red Concord
vehicle, with postmen in Bolivian livery
may have come before my innocent souls
eye, and I know it was with conscious
pride that told my friends at La Paz that
1 was going to travel with the mails. /
noticed that some of them rather smiled
at the idea, and that others seemed to pity
rather than admire. This at the time at
tributed to jealousy, envy or ignorance. I
know better now know what the Bolv-
ian mail coach is had my first sight of
it at o'clock of the morning CT my start
ing. 1t was the baggage wagon of the
stage, and the only seat on it was the one
with the driver. 1t was, in fact, skeleton
wagon on springs. The bed was SO far up
in the air that you could almost walk under
1T without STOPPING. The wagon box was
not over six inches high, and how it was
supposed that a ton and a half of mail and
trunks could be put into it could not see.
/ had my baggage hurried out and it
went in at the bottom. The other pieces
were piled on top until there was a noun
tain of stuff on the wagon 1t now looked
more like hay wagon coming to the barn
in harvest time than the royal mail.
rawhide rope was bound round and round
the baggage, being run through hooks in
the sides of the wagonbed, and the bag
gage was covered with canvas to shield it
from the rain. BY this time the mules were
in their places, and l was told to climb to
my seat beside the driver 1t was at least
seven or eight feet above the ground and
the soft side of the board was the only
cushion until I improvised another of some
blankets. The coach rode, however very
comfortably, and the springs were as good
as any 1 have ever tried. A great discom-
fort was the lack of cover when it rained
and showed, as it did several times during
the journey. At such times / could only
put on my waterproof and my Bolivian cap.
This last is a knitted affair, covering the
head and face, with holes for the eyes, nose
and mouth. 1t makes one look actually dew
ilish, but it is such comfort that it should
be adopted for winter travelling and sleigh
riding in our country
COACHMEN AND THE MULE
My coachman in livery were in fact Bo-
livian Cholos. They were half breeds. a
dian, and as cruel a mixture as you will
find among the races. They had no sympa-
thy whatever for the mules and their treat
ment of them was so cruel that l several
times protested against it. In the first place,
the harness was twisted out of all shape
There was not tug that was straight and
not a collar that fit AS a result the necks
Of the animals were raw and sore, and this
became worse as we went on the gallop
over the road. I remember one little yell
low mule who had lost two patches of skin,
each as big as the palm of your hand, from
the front of his shoulders before he was put
into the harness. / objected to him; as
there were other and better mules in the
corral, but he was hitched up all the same
and was given one of the hardest places
in the team. This was just below me, next
to the wagon and right under the driver.
We started off on the gallop, but the little
fellow soon began to lag behind. Then the
torture began. The driver cut at him with
a whip which brought the blood to the
hide at almost every place it touched. and
the helper, who ran along with the coach
and whipped up the lazy mules picked out
the little yellow fellow as his special work.
We had not gone five miles before the back
of the mules legs were bleeding in a half
dozen different places, and / could see that
his collar was red with blood from the
sores on his neck. From time to time /
noticed that the driver when he found his
whipping and whistling failed to stir up the
mules took up heavy tug with an iron
chain and ring at the end of it and ratified
It. This never failed to brighten the mules
into increased speed. AS the little yellow
fellow again fell behind 1 found the secret
- hi, Of 1o tue nd ohoin
The driver swung the tug about his head
upon the little mules back. 1t is a wonder
it did not break the bones, for the heavy
iron chain hit him on the spine, and the
pain must have been intense. The blow in
this case did not break the skin, though I
saw subsequent ones given to other mules
which made bloody gashes in their backs.
We changed mules every fifteen or twenty
miles and rarely had team that was not
more or less SCARED and bloody when we
got through.
THE COUNTRY HOTELS.
During the trip l had some chance to get
a taste of the country hotels Of Bolivia.
The stations where we stopped to eat and
sleep were more like cow stables than
hotels. AS rule the mules were housed
in the courts on which the one-story huts
forming the hotel faced. None of the
rooms had windows, and the floors were
of mud or stone In some cases the beds
were lodges of sun-dried bricks upon which
a mattress had been laid. The only light
L had was tine candle L brought with me,
and my candlestick was spot of melt
ed grease which I dropped on the table or
a chair before setting the candle down.
There were always several beds in a room.
and I had roommates in the shape of ma
tive Bolivians every night Before going
to bed the woman who kept the hotel al
ways came in and collected a dollar for the
of the bed and dollar for dinner. We
started at every morning, and at 4:30 1
was usually up and ready for the cup of
tea which was made for me before leaving.
This, with couple of biscuits, constitutes
the breakfast of all the hotels of Bolivia.
Our regular breakfast, which we had at IL
or II o'clock, was more like dinner than
a breakfast. 1t began with a vegetable
soup and followed with two or three stewed
dishes, all of which fairly swan in
grease. The dinner was of the same order.
Before leaving La Paz had taken the pre-
caution to have a lunch put up for use
on the road. This cost me ten Bolivian dol
lars. but it seemed cheap enough when
found it was about all / had that l could
eat on the road. Slich were fhe accommo-