Evening star., 1928-05-06
RY Carl. LIDnIE.

TN all things Spanish there is curl
ouS conarningling of the grim with
a passion for the superb. the volup-
4 tuous, The bleak house fronts of
the old Spanish dwellings, in Ecua-
cor are usually broken by a heavy door
with two insignificant barred windows,
But this solemn prison-like front is
only part Of the picture. When the
traveller passes through the door. he
steps INTO a courtyard OF surprising
lovelineSs.
The luxury is all within. The library,
the drawing roonS, the parlorS, the Tea
gardens, the flowered walks, speak OF
the proud Spanish grandee. nving
sumptuouSly, as Princes i've IN oio
Spa3f-but back Of gloomy ADOBE
wall
had started my travels In Ecuador
by visiting the capital city, Quito; ro-
mantle. enchanting isolated, barred on
from the world by mountains, 6arri-
csded hy volcanoes, and dominated IN
the northeast BY Mount PinchiEcha,
known IN the Indian tongue as CuTour-
Guachana--the ConGor'S Nest In quito
= had met the descendants of the con-
cQista6oTes III their forbidoing- ng-ano
graciouS-homeS There, and IN other
cities of the Andes, had been en-
tranced by the glory that was SPAN
Now as I travelled on the tra3! 10
the lost Spanish city of MacaS, I kept
thinking Of il in terms of Quito--a sur
vivai OF the grim and magnificent days
Of the. conQuerors-
But before the days of the conquer
ors, Ecuador had had another era OF
imperial grandeur-in the days d the
IncaS-and / had learned some months
before in dramatic fashion what the
Incas stiIi mean TO the Indian natives.
At that time had planned trip to
the summit Of Pinchincha. In the city
Of Quito. had hired Quichua Indian
as guide. a sad-faced man, who had the
lofty vet diTapidated air of a condor A
red and yellow po1cllo covered his pow
erful chest. 1t fioated down his short
stature as far as the hips. His legs
seemed 70 have been shot through
pair Of white pants-shot too far, ieav-
ing the calves of his brown, dusty legs
bare. On his feet he wore alpargataS,
which are sandals made Of hemp.
When had hired him gave him %
ceptavos, days salary. As the coins
clillked IN his dusty palm he cried out,
Blessed be the altar Of God and Of
Atahuallrai" and ran of. His airar-
gaStaS made low scuffling noise as he
hoped along the cobble-stone street,
alone with the horse.
/ could not tell whether my guide
would came back Immediately. 1t might
be some Tuesday Of the following
month. / sat down on q woodpile Of
eucalyptus logs near my hotel and tried
TO think of human conduct in terms Of
an Andean Indian. His customs and
ways Of thinking were foreign to mine:
he might as wen have been from Mars
rs from the Andes.
But eventually m guide returned
With him. under his right arm, saw
Q large bottle Of aguardiente. the potent
whisky Of the Andes. resembling pure
alcohol
Besides the aguardiente he had q
bundle Of fresh-cut alfalfa. which he
carried on his back AT first the aguar-
oiente and the alfalfa did not appear to
60 together But was wrong.
My guide walked straight 10 the horse
and put the bundle Of alfalfa IN front
Of the detected looking animal Then
be spYinkIed half the bottle of aguardi-l
erte over the green leaves Of the alfalfa.
The aguardiente was for the horse!
<
THE brute waited for this fragrant
= finish TO the meal. Then. bending
Ae began 70 eat the alfalfa with salts