The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-07-06
CARNIVAL SPORTS IN PERU.
THE FRoLICS or MERRY MASK
 .. FRS.
Indian Songs and Danoss-BuryiBg she spirit of ths Season on Ihs Eve of fAsh.w.nnssday.

@ and Courier.)
 Arequipa, Peru. May 20. 1903.
 Should stranger unaequainted with the carnival customs of Peru, chance to arrive in Arequipa during that merriest and maddest carousaI of the year, he would think the whole city had gone stark, staring mad. The railway sta- tion is situated a mile or more from the hotel and--there being neither public nor private carriages-he must walk that distance, or ride up in the horse cars. Either way would be bad enough during carnival time. but the latter pre- sents the advantage Of somewhat short ening his misery. As prisoners among savages are sometimes compelled to run the gauntlet of blows rained upon them with thorns. cudgels. fire or spear-points, those abroad in Peru dur ing the three days preceding Ash Wednesday are peltered with egg-shells hurled from all points of the compass, deluged with buckets of blood-red wa ter thrown from balconies and house tops, covered with flour colored with all the hues of the rainbow: and besides these indignities are liable to have their noses good-naturedly tweaked. their hats damned over their ears, and thousand tricks and jokes perpetua7 ted upon them by a jeering crowd of carnival creatures in strange ottire, many os them with hoofs. horns and forked tails, looking like so many imps direct from the internal regions.
 The hersa-cars, passing at rare inter- vals, are convenient target from eve =ry side. and the luekless passengers cannot take to their heels as pedestri- ans might The drivers, knowing well what to expect. are swathed in oil- cloth from top to toe, and each is addt- tionally protected by an un1brella-like screen rigged up overhead. but though he whip his horses to their utmost speed, those inside the car are sure of rather rough treatment, for the carni- val players have ample time to prepare their batteries and turn them full force into the approaching vehicle
 To have a realizing sense of this all legged "sport''-so like that between the boys and the frogs-the reader may inn agine the principal street of quiet New Haven packed with nnaskers bent on merry mischief-peop on the pave ments, balconies and house tops, all ex- cited to the highest pitch of reckless fun, with precedent and custom to up- hold their widest excesses; while not only the most staid and dignified citi- zens, but mischievous small boys. chill dren, gamin and servants are privileged to sling water, ab libitun1. upon every body. There Is no use in getting angry, however despitefully used, for one can not fight whole city-full; and nothing delights the belligerents more than to get hold of victim who rages and wants to whip the crowd
 As before mentioned, carnival ends with Ash-W Wednesday. and though only two or three days are devoted to street battles, the fun begins the week before. During the whole year every household in the land has been carefully hoarding it's egg shells, with an especial view to casaronas for this occasion; while eve ry senorita has longed irnpatiently for it's promised gaieties, and the gallant dons have mapped out their campaigns and planned their grotesque or stun ming costumes. What golden opportu- mites those mad revels afford for the tabooed lover to boldly enter the home of his sweetheart under the friendly shelter of a domino even to clasp her in his arms in the waltz and whisper honeyed words iIl her ear, right before the eyes of stern pater familias much as those warning households in old Ve- roma, the Montagues and Capulets. be- came so fatally mixed up under similar circumstances! During all that lover encouraging season there are seni-pub- lie balls in every casa, and the "gilded youth gilded age, too. for that mat ter) masked and in fancy dress, go around from house to house. dancing awhile and taking refreshments in each -till the dawning sends them home for a few hours slumber. The naskers generally perambulate in company, headed by leader of known respeeta- bility, who discloses his own identity to the master of each house and vouches for the good conduct of his followers. No doors are closed against them, but on IIl6 4COIlLTdTyyN IHG s1lluTGz EOuoE iS thronged with various companies of n1askers, the more it's inmates plume themselves on being social favorites. Young and old join in the dance. from the father down to the children and 1t is not uncommon to see the gray-haired grandmother swinging around the sala in the arms of some unknown young blood disguised as wild Indian, 8 knight, prince or a devil. Of course efforts are made to discover who the guests really are, and the latter dts giise their voices by all adopting the same high-pitched speaking tone of ae- tors in Chinese theater.
 The rough-and- tumble time begins in earnest on Sunday, when, till the eve of Ash W ednesday, the streets are trans formed into a perfect pandemonum, and no lady dares venture out between the hours of ten a. m. and five iri the afternoon. The people are about evenly divided into besieged and besiegers. Those inside the houses, including all females, have prepared barrels: both- tubs and tanks of water colored ruby red; while the principal weapons of the belligerents are eggs, emptied of their original contents through 8 small hole in one end, refilled with red water, -four or pink powder, and carefully sealed up again with cloth or paper. These are