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The National Geographic Magazine 



GATHERING FUEL FOR THE HOME 



and untanned hides covered the door- 

 ways ; within there were no furnishings 

 save the few crude cooking utensils. The 

 head of the household evidently "slept on 

 the mat with the dog and the cat, the 

 rest of the family close by," no better 

 cared for than his llamas in the nearby 

 corral. 



The graceful llamas, little cousins to 

 the camel, are closely associated with my 

 remembrance of the Andean highlanders. 

 Domesticated long ago, they are the best 

 friends of the mountaineers, furnishing 

 wool for clothing, fuel, bearing burdens 

 patiently, calling for little or no care, 

 as they graze by the wayside and re- 

 quire little water. As in the days of Ata- 

 hulpa, so today a train of laden llamas 

 slowly journeys toward Cuzco ; in the 

 rear a Quichua boy and girl, both spin- 

 ning as they walk, using primitive imple- 

 ments, a baby strapped to the young 

 mother's back. The llamas turn their 



heads quickly to right and left, their 

 curious eyes ever shifting; the young 

 man and woman constantly chew the 

 dried coca leaf, which deadens hunger, 

 cold, and fatigue, and watch for the flag 

 which cheers, which waves triumphant 

 on this ancient highway — the little, white 

 flag which marks a hut where chicha is 

 sold. 



Chicha is the Peruvian drink made 

 from fermented corn. It is highly intox- 

 icating and its victims are legion on 

 fiesta days. There are, as I remember, 

 about seventy feast days of the Church 

 celebrated annually in Peru, and the 

 cholos and Quichuas mark these days less 

 by religious fervor than by an all con- 

 suming passion for chicha. We decided 

 that chicha was an acquired taste ; it is 

 as bitter as the Mexican pulque. Another 

 Peruvian drink is aguadiente, a strong 

 native brandy. 



The fare of the highlanders is meager, 



