Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-12

gold in the hills about the city. The
cathedral is said to stand over a gold lode
and on the edge of the town there are
mines which are still worked by the Portu-
Suese. | have met several Americans who
have been mining gold in this part of
Brazil, but so far none of them have struck
it very rich. 1t does not need very sharp
eyes to see that gold exists, for after a heavy
tropical rain the boys go out and search
for grains of gold in the street. 1t is said
that they are often well paid for their
trouble. There are also diamond mines not
far off in the interior, but / am told that
the best diamonds have so far been found
much further north.
The ChacO.
In going to Matte Crosse you skirt one
Of the least known parts of South America.
This is the vast region known as the Chaco,
lying west of the Paraguay river and south
of Bolivia. The northern part of 1t belongs
to Paraguay and the rest to the Argentine
Republic. The part belonging to the Argen-
tine lies south of the PilcOmayO river and
comprises a territory bigger than California
and Massachusetts combined, and enough
to make three states as big as Ohio.
The only settlements in this vast region
are along the Paraguay. They consist Of
here and there an estancia or farm and a
few scattering villages. The chief town in
the Paraguayan Chaco is Villa Hayes,
which is in sight from Asuncion and which
has now about ninety-one families of
foreigners. They are chiefly Swiss, French
and Italians, who are engaged in raising
sugar cane and sweet potatoes and in manu-
featuring brandy.
There are two large rivers which run
through the Chaco. The Pilcomayo winds
about like a corksCrew from the Bolivian
Andes to the Paraguay river. 1t is full OF
rapids and can never be navigable. The
Vermejo or the Vermillion river enters the
Paraguay further south. 1t is at just about
the bottom OF the country. It's waters are
so red that they discolor those OF the Para
quay for some miles. The Vermejo is about
200 miles long and is navigable for only
a short distance.
Just what these countries contain In the
way of resources is yet to be discovered.
have met men who have travelled over parts
OF them. They tell me that the forests have
much fine timber, and that there are good
pastures scattered among them. The lane
will hardly be developed before railroads
are built, and today there are not, I venture
so, 900 white people in the whole territory.
Hairless Humnns of the Chnco.
The inhabitants Of the Chaco are thus
almost altogether Indians. There are sale
to be more than 100, 600 or tneln' lney are
among the most curious of the Indians o
the world, and some tribes are PRACTICAL!
unknown to our ethnologists. Some Of the
Chaco Indians go naked from one year
end to the other, and some are so opposed
to any covering that they will not ever
allow their hair to grow. They pull on
every hair on their bodies except those OF
their heads. Their faces, arms, bosoms
legs, and in fact all parts of their bodies
are kept as hairless as they were whel
4 they were born. | have heard 1t Otter
5 stated that the people of a certain tribe ar
naturally hairless. 1t is said they are borl
so, and the hairs never grow except o.
their heads. This has been often reported
but until ! see an Indian grown to order u
, test the matter | shall continue TO douD
a whether the reports are correct.
Some Of these Indians are hne looking
Take the TOBIAS, for instance, / have seel
Q many of them during my travels on IN
Paraguay river. They are as fine lookln'
as any OF the Indians Of North America
4 They are as straight as our pine trees an
n as proud in their bearing as any INDIA
u chief Of the west. They have high chez.
bones, copper-colored skins and straight
black hair.
The TOBIAS commonly wear no clothes e1