The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-26
Among the Ayn1aras Of Bo6uia

eiener who may pay them good Tages. They make .heir masters grievances their own, and are ready to engage Ill any battle if instigated by them. ms often causes feuds between the indians of neighboring farms. and gun nsnts and store fights ire common tne stone fights are usually by means or the sling, whicn is the natural weapon of the Aymara. He uses it to keep ms sheep from straying from the flock lie hunts with it and from behind his hut watches for his eneny and sends rock crashing through his brain.
 Not long age there was a big stone fight between the Indians of two plan tations. one belonging to a foreigner and the other to q native Bolivian. The foreigner had bought the estate and the Bolivian wanted to force him to sell 1t cheap. It adioined his property and was especially desirable on other accounts. He asked the foreigner his price and was told that it was sl5,eoo. He wanted it much cheaper and in order to make him sick of his bargain he melted his Indians to stone those of the foreigner. They did so but the foreigner made such a brave fight that the Bolivian came to him and offered to take the place at his original price The foreigner replied q will sell you the farm, but the price has risen. I offered 1t to you a month ago for S16000. but after what you have done you cannot have it for less than s2o, 1000 q will take it" was the reply. T have had enough trouble about this already and rather than have more I will pay what you ask"
 The huts of the Aymara Indians are scattered over the plateau, and also high up on the slopes of the Andes. They are usually in villages, put Sometimes far apart on the plains. But few houses are more than 15 or 20 feet square, and some only eight or ten. Sometimes a family may have a half dozen houses inclosed by a mud wall but the most of the buildings ake for the stock and as a ruIo the family uses out one. It Is not easy to enter such homes
 The Indians do not like strangers, and in making my investigations l have had them show fight and warn me to leave. Such huts as l have seen into are little better than pig pens. They have walls so low that you can reach the thatched roof without effort. and the single door is so small that you have to stoop to go in. The floor is the ground, and the furniture is only few skins and a nstle mud stove or oven. built up in one corner. The fuel is the manure of llamas and sheep and the cooking Is done in earthenware pots, which are used not only for boiling and stewing, but for cups, saucers and plates. There is no outlet for the smoke but the door. and it blaclxens the roof and the walls.
 The Aymaras sleep m llama skins laid on the floor. They have no night clothes and wear the same garments ct night as during the day. They usually sleep sitting. backinx themselves up against the wall and drawing as closely together as possible, in order that all may get under the blanket and so that the heat of their bodies may aid in keeping them warm
 Where there are several huts the cook ing Is done outside the homes and sometimes an oven is built against the wall, having a coyer perhaps to pro tect it from the wind and the snow.
 The food of these Indians Is simple. A favorite dish is a stew known as challona, made of dried mutton The sheep is killed and skinned The body is then split open and laid out flat and left out of doors to be frozen. The next night it is sprinkled with water and frozen again. It is then hung up to dry It does so without spelling and soon be comes so tough and hard that 1t will keep for months When used 1t is cut into bits and boiled a long time. Vege- ts bles are cooked with it and often some chuno. The latter is frozen potatoes which are prepared in such a way thai they will keep quite as long as the dried mutton. This is done by soaking the raw potatoes in water and then allow ing them to freeze. They are soaked anc frozen again The skins become So loos' that they can be rubbed or trodden ofl