The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-28
Fannie B. Ward in Philadelphia
Record.

and guano fields, Iquiquf, Tarapaca
Ataeama and other places familiar to
the world 1t includes the important
city of Taona, forty miles inland, and
AFRICA, it's seaport. Approached by
steamer, the most conspicuous feature
of the shore Is an enormous promon-
tory just south of africa, called the
Zorro, which rises almost perpendic-
ularly out of the Pacific TO a height Of
1900 feet, and then slopes off at a
steep grade to the sandy plain behind
1t. To the north Of the Morror is a
low line of verdure, a cluster of mod
ern built houses, a rather handsome
church, and a long mole--the latter
piled high with bags, bales and boxes,
and crowded with merchants, carga-
dores, soldiers and civilians.
This is africa, the famous port; but
In spite of its mole, steamers must
cast anchor away out in the bay and
passengers be rowed ashore in canoes.
However, they no longer have to be
carried thru the surf on the backs of
Der up the slippery steps Of the pier.
africa has quite changed her COM
plexion since the war which made her
a Gillian instead Of Peruvian city.
That which attracted us to the place
has nothing to do with the fltful gov
ernments Of this burlesque republic,
and has remained unchanged thru the
wars of many centuries.
A Vast Cemetery.
Behind the town, sweeping back
from the MORO, Is great window Of
yellows and which forms q kind of
ampitheater unrelieved by tree or
scrub or blade of grass. All this bar
rem ridge, and the desert for miles
around 1t, Is one vast cemetery of the
ancient inhabitants crowded with the
dried-up bodies of those who once
fished from their balsas in the bay, or
cultivated the narrow valley on whose
seward border they were. buried.
When workmen were digging up the
sand to AL Arica's pier, and were
opening a tract for the railway that
leads to Tacna. they found nummies
everywhere-not only humble fisher
men wrapped intheir nets, and tillers
of the soil In shrouds Of braided
rushes. but now and then the body of
chief, or other great parsonage, en-
Veloyed in thin layer of beaten gold.
These Jared worse than the humber
cadavers, for while the latter were left
comparatively undisturbed, los ricos
how grim and CHASTITY as the poorest
were stripped by rude hands Of
everything valuable, and their
crumbling bones, uncovered, by the
wayside. .".-
Mummy Hunting Fashionable.
1t seems a strange thing to DELHI
erately set out upon a grave-robbing
expedition; but In this part Of the
world 1t is fashionable to go mummy
hunting, and to search the aboriginal
cemeteries for the curious articles they
may contain, besides dead Indians.
The africa burying ground must once
have been of enormous extent for tho
a large portion of it has been washed
away by the restless sea during the
last century or two, many miles of 1t
yet remain. The spades of inquisitive
people have dug up considerable area
In places here and there. Yet the
great bulk of it is entirely undis-
turbed, and will doubtless remain so
until, in the lapse of ages, the slowly
encroaching Pacific shall swallow
1t all.
We went out on horseback about
flVe miles from africa, accompanied by
the American Consul, who sent some
poems ahead with shovels. 1t Is not
quite safe for two or three persons
to go by themselves. for highwaymen
are abroad in the land, and even the
workmen might be tempted to do mis-
chief it anything valuable were un-
earthed, However, people bent on
such gruesome errands as distur bling
the dead are not likely to hunt alone,
but prefer plenty of company to keep
their spirits up. :...
Features Well Preserved.
Arrived at the desert. you may dig
anywhere without going amiss of a
grave. In this rainless region, pro-
tected by the magnetic sand, nothing
can decay, and the contents Of the
tombs look as if they were put there
yesterday, instead of hundreds of years
ago. There Is no consuming insect
and no moisture to produce decay.
Flesh dries without decomposition,
wood and vegetable matter petrifies,
while fabrics and articles Of stone and
clay will keep" forever. The early
Peruvian preserved their dead some
thing after the manner Of the Egyp-
tians, except that these are always In
a sitting posture, knees drawn up to
the chin and hands clasped about the
knees; head and all enveloped first
in dyed cotton cloth, bound around
with braided ropes Of llama wool
much like the ropes made by the
American Indians to-day---the whole
uncanny bundle inclosed within an
other netting of ropes, or sometimes
ina basket-like case of braided rushes.
Remove the cloth and the features are
found we'll preserved, even to their
expression, which Is usually that OF
extreme terror and agony, confirming
the assertion of historians that those
about to die were placed In what was
considered the proper position for
mummifying and firmly bound with
IOD6S DGLOIe LllS VI ScLLli lldu lSlL lliS
body and death stiffened the muscles
The teeth are always perfect, and the
hair sometimes grown unnaturally
long in the grave, has generally turned
g, reddish brown by contact with the
nitrous earth. p.
A clew to the extent Of the aborig.
inal population, and some knowledge
Of their religion, arts and customs may
be obtained from the millions of bodies
that are buried in the drifting sands
AS the soldier going on march takes
his cooking kit, canteen, blanket anC
other portable treasures, SO did the
belief in a future life cause these dead
Peruvians to be we'll equipped for their
tourney from this world to another
One may find in their graves weapon:
for war and for hunting, fishing
tackle, apparatus for cooking ant
weaving, water jugs, copper knives
and other utensils cups and patters O.
gold silver and clay, spoons strings
of beads, idols. combs, rings--in short
everything supposed to be required
by the spirits of the dead to set VI
their primitive housekeeping anew II
the happy country.
Fortified Eyeballs.
Our poems dug down about five fee
in several different places, and un
earthed half dozen well-conditionet
r1ur1lmies--two of which Will bt
shipped to the United States with theil
wrappings undisturbed. The most GU
rious things we found were not thu
rings Of beaten gold encircling bon.
or yUatar~ Ia re nf cI11inf 0aSlPn