Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-05-24

time the mush, with some water added, has
turned to beer that will make the drunk
come. am told this is the best form of
chicha yet known, and that its manufacture
dates back to the days of the Incas.
The use of the coca leaf which contains
the active principal of cocaine, is universal
1t is chewed every day and there are certain
fixed times during the laboring hours when
all stop for recess, during which they chew
corn. The farmer gives his Indians hand
full of coca leaves every morning, and this
mine owner has to supply fixed amount of
coca in addition to the ordinary wages. The
coca takes away hunger and it keeps out the
cold. 1t enables one to breathe better in
the high attitudes of the Andes and it is
claimed that its use enables the Indians to
work longer and endure more fatigue 1t
also deadens the brain, destroys the will
power and takes away all forms of intellec-
tual activity.
The Indian not only chews the coca but
he makes tea of it. 1t is said to be good
for the stomach and the chewing of it keeps
the teeth white, and am told it preserves
them. Nearly all Of the Indians l see have
white teeth, ad it is said they seldom have
toothache, this fact being attributed to coca.
Coca leaves are sold in all of the stores
here in Cuzco They come from a shrub
which is cultivated and which grows from
four to six feet in height. The leaves are
much like a rose leaf or like our winter
green. They are picked green, dried and
put up in packages of Is pounds each. Such
package sells for So bought 10 cents
worth today and took it home in order to try
it. The senorita who managed the store
brought out pair of old brass scales, bal
anced on the end Of beam, and weighed
me out full pound. l chewed some. but it
had no perceptble effect, probably because
/ had not the ashes or lime to go with it. |
then made some into tea. 1t tasted like
concoction of hay, and made me feel good.
AS see how the Indians live and work on
these cold highlands of the Andes, do not
wonder that they are driven to coca and al
cohol to keep off the blues. Let me describe
some of their houses, scattered over the
pampas. They are huts made of mud, SO
rude and squalid that they would hardly be
fit for hog or as stable for good Ameri-
can cow The typical dwelling is about
eight or ten feet in width and perhaps 10 or
Is feet long 1t is so low that as you stand
outside it your head reaches above where
the matched roof begins. This building has
walls made Of sod or mud and its roof is of
windows and the only door is hole in the
wall, SO low that you have to stoop down to
go in In some of the huts there is frame
work at the back, upon which the family
sleep at night, but in the most of them both
grown-ups and children lie down on the
ground and huddle together to keep them
selves warm. There is no furniture to be
seen except a few llama skins, which are
spread on the floor The people sleep in the
same clothing that they wear in the day
time, and they cover themselves with their
women weave for the purpose.
The cooking is done on little clay stove
in one corner of the hut, and the fuel is tn,
droppings of llamas and cattle, which are
gathered up and dried for the purpose.
Sometimes kind of peat is used, and some
times the stunted vegetation of the pampas
is chopped out and burnt The stove has no
chimney and the smoke blackens the roof of
the hut and gets out through the door.
There is no sign of comfort about such a
home. There are no tables or chairs. 1t is,
in fact, about as bad as any dog kennel or
pi. eer ctable we have in America
Indeed it is difficult to believe that hun
dreds of thousands of human beings are
born, live and die in these squalid huts of