The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-06-30
ARGENTINE CAMP DANCE.


Ihe Gauch0 ana Ills Best GlFl-Ddnc-
ing the Gate and the Hota.
The camp dances Of the Argentine
pampas are more or less elaborate af-
fairs, according to the pretensions of
the houses that give them. On entering
the house where the dance is being
held you are ushered at once to the
kitchen-there will often be only two
rooms in a house-where you will find
the rest Of the guests sitting about
drinking mate. If there is a chair
in the house it will be given to you
In difference to the "distinguido" posi-
ton the family believe you to occupy
in the world of affairs, as outlined by
your Argentine friend and sponsor in
soliciting you invitation, says a cores
pondent of the Los Angles Times, If
there Is no chair you get the broadcast
and smoothest horse skull to sit upon,
or, il you pfefsr, a; blanket
The girls present are robustly develo-
ped, straight backed young persons,
who carry themselves with easy grace.
They are dressed neatly in dresses that
corver them from shoulder to shoe top,
and have have a lot of funny fixing on
them that you will not be able to de-
scribe. The men are Of the guacho type,
and brave in all the splendor OF their
best ponchos chirpas and a lot Of
other technical and untranslatable fin
cry, All wear loose, half top boots, a
gaudy handkerchief about the neck, an
extremely broad brimmed felt hat on
the head and, browning feature of all,
around the waist huge foot belt call
ed a tirador. This unique affair may
have anywhere from four to a dozen
pockets or bag sewed in it, as we'll as a
sheath for knife and holster for re-
yolver. The worn at dances are aften
embroidery or silver work.
The dancing is begun on the earthen
floor of the kitchen, which from its ma
ture does not permit of much In the
way of gliding. The two most popular
dances are the cato and the hota' In
this dance you begin working out to
the music of a guitar, the musician
picking away for fire minutes or 50 at
kind Of monotonous strumpity tune,
from which he breaks into snog.
When this snog starts you must, acord-
ing to the rules, stop dancing and your
partner with an appropriate verse of
poetry. She, in turn, must counter
with a similar verse, and then, the song
being you begin dancing again to the
strumpity stump.
The hota is a cross between High
land fling and a Spanish fandago. Dane
ing 1t, you and your partner race,
without touching, you feet, snap you
fingers above your heads in imitation
of castanets, all the time gazing tixedly
into each others eyes, This last is the
principal rule of the game, and If you
let eyes wander for a moment to where
another girl is dancing your partner
stops work instantly. gives her fine
shoulders shrug, her equally tine mead
toss and goes back to her morse
skull' in q huff.
You will always be in danger Of be-
ing favored with an invitation from
Jealous sweetheart to accompany him
off off into the moonshine to fight for
the hand and heart of the lady. In this
event 1t is a hundred to one that you
will be the missing man In whose lack
of interest in the proceedings it is ETH
quette for neither the host nor thef
guests to interest themselves. Should
you chance to be the other man you are
no whit better off, for you will ther
have the girl on you'd hands.
A dance lasts from whenever it begin:
to something after sunrise the mex
morning. You have a supper about mid
night and a breakfast toward daylight
both consist principally Of hot stew
called a gisa. Men and women arr
served separately, though for what res
son l have never been able to deter
mine. Between dances if you do al
the rest do, you suck up mate and drinl
cana, though wisdom advises a tota
avoidance of the latter. Cana is a run
made from sugar cane, and it has thu
peculiar property of swooping dow
upon the faculties of the drinker whel
when he thinks it is not affecting hin
in the least with all the suddenness ant
fury of the explosion of a delayed
charge of dynamite. By the time tn,
hour of breaking up arrives every on
is tired out,