322 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



The train stopped at numerous little stations, and at 

 each of them gayly dressed Quechua squaws sold fried eggs, 

 boiled corn, and bread. Occasionally they also had stew 

 or meat pies, but these were always to be regarded with sus- 

 picion. Our boy told us that cavies are ordinarily used in 

 preparing the meat foods; but a woman tried substituting 

 toads on one occasion, with the result that those who par- 

 took of the delicacy became violently ill. 



Crowds of Indians boarded and left the train at each 

 station. The accommodations at their disposal resemble 

 cattle-cars from the outside, but have two long benches 

 running through the centre. The fare is very low, and the 

 Indians are fond of travelling, so the cars were invariably 

 crowded to suffocation. In addition to the mass of human- 

 ity each person carried a huge parcel, pail, or basket, that 

 filled the few interstices. The Quechuas and Cholos are 

 a good-natured lot among themselves, and do not in the 

 least mind being placed in such close proximity with one 

 another. 



We reached Tarata in two hours. It is a town of con- 

 siderable size; the elevation is nine thousand eight hundred 

 feet, and it is desolate beyond description. The inhabi- 

 tants are largely Indians of an independent temperament, 

 though living in abject poverty. We found it almost im- 

 possible to secure lodging, or to find help to carry our lug- 

 gage up from the station, so appealed to the chief of police, 

 who rounded up a number of men and placed them at our 

 disposal. Perhaps our difficulty was due partly to the fact 

 that the Indians were celebrating a religious holiday. 

 They had taken an image of a saint from the church and 

 were carrying it back and forth through the streets. A 

 group of them preceded the procession and set off pin- 

 wheels and cannon crackers, while those following also em- 

 ployed explosives of various kinds with which to add to the 

 din. The people are so fond of this sort of pastime that it 

 is difficult to persuade them to desist long enough to per- 

 form any service, no matter how slight; and the guise of 



