Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-07

in tie San Juan river, across the line, with
what are reported to be good results. In
the rainy season the Indians by crude
process of washing get some gold from the
river beds. American capitalists a year
or two ago spent some money in exploiting
the copper resources of these mountains.
Their representative in Montevideo told me
they were well satisfied with the expendi-
ture, and when the building of the railroad
was further advanced and the mines were
made more accessible they would develop
the properties.
While stopping over night at the inn at
Humahacua, l heard an unusual hustle,
then saw several sacks carefully unloaded
from mules while frontiersman-lhe indi-
Vidual superintendent the work. In answer
to my question he said it was the European
mail for Bolivia. The European mail has
queer sound in this section, but 1t is a
weekly event except when the streams care
swollen and the mail carrier cannot get
through on time.
Merchandise, a little from the United
States, but mostly from Europe, takes the
same course. In this way Sucre and the
other cities of Bolivia are supplied. The
merchandise is brought by the steamers to
Buenos Ayres, shipped from there to Jujuy
over the railway and then transported by
mules, .burroS and llamaS to Bolivia. Most
of these tropas or animal freight trains
return without cargoeS, as Bolivia only
ships out a little coffee cocoa and hides. The
route is an ancient one through mountain
passes and along the river beds. The Pc
ruvian meas knew it and they showed the
Spanish conquistadores how to reach the
River Plate from upper Peru. In travers-
ing it l have admired more than ever the
pluck and indomitable will of those Span
ish conquistadores. The way is about what
it was three hundred years ago.
At Candor the family was curious as to
the outside world, and before going to sleep
we held a sociable talk. The woman want
ed to know if 1 were Italian. Though
French. Germans and English travel this
route the Italians are better known. When
told / from North America she asked
and is North America as large as Italy?
Is 1t so very far away, farther than Peru?''
The geographical knowledge of these peo-
pie is that Peru is beyond Bolivia and that
there are other countries beyond Peru.
Attack Of Mountain Sickness.
I had only one severe attack of siroche.
mountain seasickness. 1t came one aft
ernoon after we had crossed the cumbre or
summit known as the Three Crosses-13 900
feet above sea 1evel-and were riding
through the sandy plains a thousand feet
lower, whose only vegetation is a kind Of
fir brush. Everything was fretting me, and
my patient mule got many vicious and I'M
deserved thumpS. Though the days travel
had not been particularly fatiguing, the
feeling of physical WEAKNESS was extreme.
The sensation that which comes at
sea after the nausea has spent ITSELF and
yet the collapse continues. The mental de-
preston Was as great as the physical. 1t
" DIS accompanied Dy d curious CONFUSION OI
ideas. had taken the temperature at mid
day-thirty degrees Centgrade-and was
trying to reduce it to Fahrenheit. The rule
was perfectly clear-'Divide by s. multiply
by D. add -" But the result never was the
same. Finally 1 quit the arithmetical cal
culatton and GROSSLY called out to the ar
rlero: What's the matter with me, Lo-
He looked at me curiously and little
anX1ously, and then replied: Its the Wind,
sir, the siroche. It's very bad this after
noon. If you can ride a few hours more
We'll be all right
felt no desire to get off and stop among
those slaring sand hills, and we rode on in
silence. Every morning between and 10
o'clock a wind had come up, and again in
the afternoon. Sometimes it seemed to
cradle Itself, so gentle it was At other
times it was strong and singing. This was
the siroche, or puma, as the Indians usually
call 1t. Its effects had come upon me grad
ually. AT no time had L the slightest
nausea. though with many travellers this
is the most violent symptom. A light diet
may have had something to do with my
freedom from this unpleasant symptom. a
mild neuralgia headache for a couple of days
and a very slight nose bleed had been eX-
perienced, but had not annoyed me. Nights
L was conscious of the faster heart action
Sometimes during the day on dismounting
to spell the riding mule across a hard place
and loosen stiffened knee joints the ex-
haustion which followed reminded me of
the decreased physical energy. But these
incidents made little impression me, and
when the genuine attack of siroche came
with full force there was no resisting it.
That was decidedly an afternoon of low
spirits The feeling passed off with the set
ting of the sun, perhaps because the wind
died down then, and thereafter l felt first
rate. But for the first time 1 was CON
scious OF the intense strain of the nerves,
and began to realize what it was to ride
continuously at altitude of II 600 to
1850 feet The tension is extreme, but
during the nrst days the traveller does not
know it.
For a couple of days after this attack /
jOurneyed in comparative comfort. The
course was on the sides or directly along the
ridges of the mountains, which present the
appearance of a series of gigantic roller
top desks, uniform are they. There are
few volcanic outcroppings to destroy the
regularity and almost no isolated peaks
The dry creek beds are no more than gull
lies For many miles level plains stretch,
on which the sand hills give way to
harder soil and some coarse pasturage
manages to grow. Wherever this occurs
there are herds of sheep. burros and llamas
A salty powder eXudes from the soil This
may suit the sheep, but the wonder is
where the animals find water.
La Quiaca.
There is something of a descent to La
Quiaca, which lies in a rich and pretty val
ley The hamlet consists of a score of adobe
houses with big corrals. The whole coun-
try around is owned by three families. La