The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-31

Lodges Of sun-dried bricks upon which a
mattress had been laid. The only light l
had was the candle brought with me and
my Candlcstick was a spot 81 melted
grease which dropped on the table or a
chair before setting The candle down.
There were always several beds in a room
and had roon,maIes in the shape Of ma
tive Bolv!ans every night Before going
10 bed the woman wao kept the hotel AL
ways came in and collected dollar FOR the
Use OF the he'd and a dollar for dinner We
started al every morning. and at 40 !
was usually up and ready for the cup Of
tea which was made for ne before leaving
This. with a couple of biscuits constitutes
the breakfast OF all the hotels OF Bolivia.
Our regular breakfast, which We had ~ II
or i O'Clock, was more ike dinner than
breakfast. II began with a vegetable
soup and followed with two or three stew
ed dishes. all Of which fairy swan in
grease. The dinner vas OF the same order.
Before leaving La Paz | had taken the pre-
caution 10 have lunch put Up for my use
on the read. This cost ne ten Bolivian dol
lars. but II seemed cheap enough when
found IL was about ali I had that I could
eat on the road. Such Were the acconmo-
dations on ore OF the most Travelled roads
OF this country. The fare on the mule
trails is far worse. As TO prospec;ors and
those who get away from the beaten
anything. The only places where you can
sleep are in the huts OF the Indians, and
they will not allow you 10 come in 10 they
can possibly prevent IL. They do not like
strangers. and money seems to be no in
ducement 10 them. The only way TO get
a nights shelter In such cases is 10 tell
your muleteer TO unssddle and TO so in
and take possession OF the best part Of the
hut. II there is anything at hand which
iS RAJ lie u{ ba JpH Ia n
some money for it. IL you ask TO buy Ii
he will refuse. and even II he has plenty
will say he has nothing. The chances are
that when you leave in the morning hav-
ing paid him for Your nights lodging he
viii be pleased. but he will offer you moth
ing and will give as little as he can. A. a
rule they are towards. and they will SUBJ
nit 10 great deal OF abuse without
lighting.
Poorer Than China.
/ have never seen country where the
people have to work 50 hard for bare liv-
ing as on this Bolivian plateau. IL is bad
enough In China and India. where the
poorer classes live in mud huts and till 10
the utmost their little patches Of land.
But In those countries the land will pro-
dslce three crops year and the laborers
get something for their work. Here Il Ii
so high that only potatoes, barley and a
grain called guinea, which is much like
bird seed. and which makes very fair
rnush, will grow. The barley does not ripen
and 1t is raised chiefly for fodder for the
mules. donkeys. or cattle. The potatoes
are very small and few In a ALL and the
soil Is such that II is only here and there
that you 'nd patch that can be farmed.
The effort to get land that can be cultivat-
ed at all is so evident as to be almost pain
fui. The stones have been picked from a
great part of the plateau. We passed long
stretches OF country where there were vast
piles OF stones scattered over the fields
and in several places I saw Indian women
going along bent double picking up stones
In the gathered up skirts OF their dresaes,
and thus carrying them 10 the piles. Much
Of the plateau is covered with a scanty
growth OF grass. Upon such places there
ara herds OF sheep and llamas feeding