The Republican journal., 1903-01-22

accept a substitute which has none OF
these cures to its credit
If you are looking for a perfect laxa-
tive try DR.. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets.
dant clusters of rose pink peppercorns.
Such conglomeration of dogs and don
keys, pigs and babies, fieas and fowls,
all revelling in dirt together, can be
found nowhere outside Of Santander
1t is the general stopping place for all
who travel this way, and companies of
muleteers with their loaded animals
filled the courtyard OF the posada;
while in the streets were farmers on
horseback, each man with enormous
spurs on his heels, wide sombrero on
his head and a poncho enveloping the
rest of his figure. The poncho is an
other South American institution which
should by no means be neglected. 1t is
nothing but very large, square blanket,
of varying degrees of coarseness or
elegance, with short slit exactly in the
middle of it, through which the wearer
thrusts his head 1t fits close around
the neck, of course falling down equal
ly on all sides, so that a man on horse
back is well protected from dust, rain
or cold. The commoner ponchos are of
sleeps wool, woven by the Indians
in their hand looms. Others are very
fine, heavy and expensive, made of
the long, silky fleece of the llama. or
alpaca. | have seen a few from Chilli
that are really works of art-the out
side of dark-blue cloth, very thick and
woody like the heaviest and finest chin
chilla, lined throughout with the same
texture in brilliant scarlet. Nothing
could be better adapted for ocean or
railway travelling and nobody need be
ashamed of the odd fashion of a gar
ment that plainly shows its value. The
cheaper varieties are generally gaily
striped after the manner of Mexican
zarapes; or are dingy yellowish brown,
the natural color of llama wool.
Close behind Santander the steep and
IukScu Vi 1plt't Jbb Wv W II ~
the roadside, covered with low shrubs
and scant grass, where lean cattle are
feeding That accounts for the eXis-
tence of the village which would other
wise have no excuse for occupying the
barren spot Wherever even this poor
apology for grass grows among Colom-
\, ,,, L.; 10 no raiCnI tlc
city markets; and of course there must
be people. to take care of the cattle.
The way grew wilder as the distance
from Bogota increased Tall ferns
fringed the wayside, and no end of wild
flowers hourished among the boulders,
gray and messy, that were pitched
about helter skelter, as if the mountain
brownies had been playing football
with them. Little brown birds, in
shape and size like English sparrows,
twittered overhead; larks We're heard in
the meadows, and an occasional
"phoebe" uttered his CHEEKY call. And,
most welcome sight of all, because so
familiar at home-we saw dandelions,
yellow as gold though with quite a
different scent from those of the
North), of which we gathered hand
fulls, in memory of far-away days and
places.
| The famous salt mines are located in
the desolate looking hills behind Zipa-
| auira. Nobody knows how old the
mines may be. nor how many millions
of tons of salt have been taken out of
them. 1t is recorded that in the year
1926 the Spaniards found them ''old and
well established, having been worked
by the aboriginal tribes since before
the memory of the oldest inhabitants.
And ever since, they have been contin-
uously worked by the changing govern
ments, to this day furnishing the Re-
public of Colombia with about one
eighth of its total revenue.
Walking up steep hill to the most
extensive workings, we witnessed both
the English and American systems of
condensing salt; the former is in one
big iron tank, and the latter in numer-
GUS small tanks. In other large build
ings the crude salt is condensed into
solid blocks, and all the moisture
squeezed out of it by rude machinery,
with a lever at one end, forced down by
men with ropes. Tub-shaped blocks of
salt are thus made perfectly solid, and
these, we were told are sold on the spot
at cinco reals each, or about fifty cents
American money. Sometimes thou
sand arrobas of salt are sold in a single
forenoon-an arroba being twenty-five
pounds. In another shed a row Of
earthenware kettles are fixed over
furnaces, and the salt is thus evaporat-
ed into cakes, the kettles having to be
Aog l.,