The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-10
Gil hbout the Queer Indians Who
Live on ths High Plateau IN ln-
terror Bolivia: 4 kAtfo1 Of
Co1teDted Slaves.

BY
Frank 6. Carpenter.

They replied that II he wouii allow them
the keys Of the house and church and
gise them forty pounds Of cocoa leaves
and six gaiIpas OF alcohol. they would soon
settle the difficulty. They toll him that
the Bolivian WAS trying 10 N Ike him z.ck
% his bargain. and that he vas doing this
50 that re would gladly sell out for iitEle
or nothing. But" said the foreigner 10
the chief Of the Indians. what can you
do? You have only forty nlen, and tho
Bolivian has 20" The chief said lie
wouia get The Indians Of other small farms
near BY 10 uGit@ with them. tbs they
did. They concealed these Indians in The
church on the estate, and when the ma
rsuding Indians came again and began 70
pa;i up the crops all sailed forth. There
vas a pitched battle. and about thirty OF
me BGliYl8n's Indians were killed The re-
suit was that the Bolivian caEne a day or
So later TO the foreigner and asked him
TO sell him his place. Said the foreigner:
''Yes. / will sell 10 you. but my price is
now s9e.o 60. Offered you the farm month
ago for $1,000. bat after what you have
done you cannot have il for Jess than ST..
CO."
II Will take g." was the reply. 81 have
had enough or you, and a. / want the
farm I VIII pay what you ask And he
did
The POnxC.
All the dishwashing. fire making and
water carrying al Well the dirty work
of the household generally IN La paz is
done by men called Pongoe. The Pongo OF
moot houses ~ changed every week and
many families have fifty~two different
Pongos in a year. This is diie to one Of
the customs which prevails here between
the Indians and their masters. In add
ton to the three days week without pay.
which the Indians must give, they have to
furnish also without pay 50 many men
week 20 do the dirty work about the house.
On a large farm five OF six more such men
are furnished than are needed by the fam
lily OF the planter and they are then hired
out TO others. As the Pongo works only
for week at 4 time, the contract Is made
30 furnish one "A year for from $50 to 500
Bolivian or from SIS TO s;5 American. The
Pongo when he comes at the first Of the
week brings with him five bags OF llarna
manure for the fuel OF the household and
also two or three native brocms He gets
nothing for these and receives in short no
pay whatever At night he sleeps on the
cold stones inside the door leading TO the
street and must get up aud open to any
ore wEo knocks The work done by him
VII not ba done By any OF the other ser
wants, 80 that if you should have twenty
other servants you must still have your
Pongn. The Pongo alone viii go 10 the
public fountain for the water, the Pongo
carries the vegetables and meats which the
cook buys. hcme frosn the market. and the
Pongo alone cmpties the slops and cleans
the pota and pans.
How Children Are Sold In Bolivia.
These Indians often give their children
over TO the whites tC be brought up by
them as servants. There is money cor
siGeratfon and though the Bolivian law
provides for the education Of q child so
bought this Is practically limited By tha
caprice Of the buyer. The contract usual
" provides that the parents may have
the child back If they pay % cents a day
for the time he has been iu the hands of
the buyer. but az the Indians never have
any money ahead such sales are usually
absolute and they are in force until the
child is Of age. II the master don't Ike
the child. however. he can send Il back
claiming that II has some fault Many of
the house servants OF la paz are gotten III,
this way. especially In the case OF the
girls. As rule. large number of SER
wants are needed one usually being al
iotted to each child OF a weil-to-tlo family
The servants are lazy and Inefficient. II
requiring about four Indians TO do the
work Of one good American hired girl. The
Wages ate frcrn SI.2p 70 SO Il month IN this
money. which is equal TO from la cents to
s. 81 American money