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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



HEAPING SCREENED GUANO FOR TRANSFER TO THE MAINLAND 



the rocky shore, the peculiar resounding 

 crash of a great swell breaking on a bit 

 of shingle beach of the island just oppo- 

 site, or the fierce boom of a wave that 

 ended a thundering course through a long 

 cavern deep into the heart of the island 

 beneath us. 



A short distance away the other, loftier 

 islands of the group were outlined against 

 the sky, while the light of guano camps 

 shone from the tops or from some scant 

 perch on the precipitous sides. The 

 situation was picturesque enough, and 

 measurably isolated, but the dim beacon 

 light of Pisco, ten miles away, and the 

 Danish vessel, rolling near by. gave a 

 sense of contact with the rest of the 

 world. 



With the peons engaged in extracting 

 guano it was, perhaps, another story. 

 The camps of the workers were simple 

 indeed. Skeleton frames of wood with 

 covering and walls of burlap or old guano 

 sacks constituted the barracks. They 

 seemed adequate, however, for the cli- 

 matic conditions. 



The foreman's camp was often only a 

 somewhat larger tent of the same con- 

 struction, though the exporting company 

 usuallv made some better provision for 

 an officer 



The workers were practically all Peru- 

 vians of the ancient stock, and many of 

 them came down from the mountains to 

 engage in this work. Often there were 

 few in the camp who could speak Spanish 

 and the foreman could communicate with 

 the employees only by signs or through 

 an interpreter. 



THE GATHERING OF GUANO IS A SIMPLE 

 PROCESS 



The extraction of guano, as observed, 

 was a very simple process. Where the 

 material was comparatively recent, the 

 only implements required were the pick 

 and the shovel, a screen, and a few sacks. 

 The surface cake was first broken up 

 and thrown into small heaps. Where 

 several contractors had a concession from 

 the government covering the same island, 

 there was much rivalry in getting the 

 best guano mounded, for this was the 

 only recognized method of establishing a 

 claim to a particular field. 



The guano was subsequently pitched 

 through slanting wire screens to remove 

 the gravel, and then sacked for embarka- 

 tion by lanchas, which are strongly con- 

 structed lighters in the form of rowboats, 

 adapted for use in the heavy swell liable 

 to prevail about the islands. 



