CHAPTER XXVI.The Prado of Sucre—Belzu’s Rotunda—The President’s evening constitutional—Personal politics—Quevedo’s birthday banquet—Dancing with the general—Ball at the Chilian Embassy—Baile caramba!—Environs of Sucre—La Paz not visited on account of revolution in progress—Routes to ocean and home—Santa Cruz, Curumbá, and the Paraguay—Oran and the Vermejo—Tarija and Cinti—Cinti wines and spirits—Cobija and Desert of Atacama—Silver mines of Caracoles, etc.—Encroachments by Chili—Official report on the Desert of Atacama, published by the Government of Chili—Description of the road to Tacna and Arica commenced—Preparations for journey—Servants and their pay—“Postas”—Buying and selling mules—A few requisites for a land journey.
The Prado of Sucre—Belzu’s Rotunda—The President’s evening constitutional—Personal politics—Quevedo’s birthday banquet—Dancing with the general—Ball at the Chilian Embassy—Baile caramba!—Environs of Sucre—La Paz not visited on account of revolution in progress—Routes to ocean and home—Santa Cruz, Curumbá, and the Paraguay—Oran and the Vermejo—Tarija and Cinti—Cinti wines and spirits—Cobija and Desert of Atacama—Silver mines of Caracoles, etc.—Encroachments by Chili—Official report on the Desert of Atacama, published by the Government of Chili—Description of the road to Tacna and Arica commenced—Preparations for journey—Servants and their pay—“Postas”—Buying and selling mules—A few requisites for a land journey.
Before leaving Sucre notice should Be taken of the public gardens here, called the “Prado,” although in other towns the gardens are generally termed “alamédas.” The prado occupies a very fine site on the outskirts of the city, and might, with a slight amount of judicious expenditure, be made an exceedingly beautiful recreation-ground. The site slopes gently downwards from the city to a ravine, and an attempt at hanging gardens has been introduced, but the idea has not been fully developed, the poverty or apathy of the municipality having allowed the whole affair to remain in an unfinished state. Notwithstanding this, I must allow that some little care has been bestowed in the way of beds of flowers, gravel walks, and seats, etc., so that the prado of Sucre hasnot such a melancholy look as the alaméda of Cochabamba, which was entirely deserted and neglected by the authorities of that town. During my stay in Sucre, I, at the request of a friend, designed a plan for completing the prado; and presented the drawings to the municipality, who acknowledged my labours by a courteous letter of thanks. The designs were framed and placed upon the walls of the council chamber, but I soon found that there was not public spirit enough in the august body of councillors to carry out the work, although the cost would have been trifling, considering the improvements that would have been effected. I have no doubt that my plans are still hanging on the wall, a memorial of labour thrown away; but as I was onlyen routethrough the city, I had no intention of making profit out of the execution of the work, and probably as there was no scope for making a job out of it, the apathy of the councillors is easily accounted for.
At the bottom of the prado is a rotunda, erected by General Belzu, to commemorate his escape from the bullet of an assassin, who attacked him at that spot whilst he was enjoying his evening stroll. By the way, this evening stroll, or one may almost call it “parade,” of the president, seems to be an established institution in Sucre, for every evening the venerable Doctor Frias, followed by two aide-de-camps, was accustomed to take his daily constitutional. General Quevedo, who was looked upon as the probable future president, was also in the habit of taking exercise about the same time, but as he was only a candidate for the presidency he was not ableto have a military escort, although he never lacked a goodly following of the younger members of his party; and on Sunday evenings and fiesta days, it was quite amusing to see the parade of the different political sets. On these occasions a visitor had frequent opportunities of observing that the rancour and ill-feeling that existed between the several parties was evidently not caused by differences of political feeling, but rather by personal hatred; for any chance that occurred of offering a slight insult one to the other, such as occupying the centre of the path, or the best seat, was eagerly made use of, and on several occasions I quite expected to see the pocket revolvers drawn and made free use of; certainly, if fierce looks could have wounded opponents, they were freely given and returned. I have mentioned before that politics in Bolivia are purely personal, and in the case of the Quevedistas I can quite understand why they were so, for a more amiable and pleasant man than General Quevedo it has rarely been my lot to meet. I remember well the anniversary of his birthday that occurred on the 31st of October, 1874. His friends then gave him a supper at his lodgings in Sucre, and it was very pleasant to see the zeal with which every one present joined in doing him honour by toasting him in champagne while it lasted, and afterwards in bitter beer. After the banquet a number of speeches followed, some of which were exceedingly eloquent, though, perhaps, a trifle too bombastic in style. This part of the ceremony over, the company could not separate without further testifying its enthusiasm by an impromptu ball; but, as it was a bachelor’sparty, this part of the entertainment promised to become rather slow, until the general got on his feet to acknowledge the good feeling of his entertainers by dancing a “baile suelta,” or Spanish dance, with each one in succession. At home we should, perhaps, fancy it rather a queer proceeding on the part of one of our leading statesmen, if after their whitebait dinner, or other friendly gathering, they were to perform a Highland fling or hornpipe with each of their political supporters, but in Bolivia it is quiteen règle; and as in Rome one must do as the Romans do, I joined with great gusto in the ceremony, and had the honour of specially trotting out the general in a grandpas de deux à l’Anglais. As the company present were all of one political colour, the utmost good humour prevailed, and notwithstanding the absurdity of the affair, I think we all enjoyed the evening thoroughly.
Talking of dancing reminds me of a very different affair that took place whilst I was in Sucre, when the Chilian minister gave a splendid ball at his residence to celebrate the treaty of boundaries that by skilful diplomacy he had obtained from the Bolivian Congress. The house tenanted by the minister was the property of the Melgarejo family, and, as is usual in the best buildings throughout not only Bolivia, but most Spanish South American countries, was built in the form of a square enclosing a handsome “patio,” or court, which was roofed in with awnings for the occasion; while the side walls being decorated with flags and a profusion of lamps, the effect of the whole was very charming when “the lights shone o’er fair women,” for theéliteofSucre were present, the fair Chuquisaqueñas coming out very strong both in numbers and in quality. The rest of the quotation as to the “brave men,” is perhaps best omitted, although the Bolivian race bears a high reputation for courage amongst South American people; indeed, there is a story current, that after a battle in Peru in which the Bolivians succeeded in capturing the entire Peruvian army, the Bolivian commander had the Peruvians formed up in line, when, placing his own band of music in the front, he ordered the unfortunate prisoners to dance to the tune, exclaiming “Baile caramba!” and the story goes that the Peruvians obeyed the strange order rather than be shot down by their conquerors. I could never obtain exact information as to the date or place of this occurrence, but every Bolivian firmly believes it to have happened, so much so that the words “Baile, etc.!” accompanied with an offensive expression, are universally used in depreciation of the Peruvians; but a traveller’s idea of Bolivian bravery would, I think, be that it is rather of a Falstaffian order, “much cry and little wool.”
To return however to our particular “baile,” altogether about 500 people were present, and the evening was a great success, although at one time it ran great risk of coming to an untimely end, owing to the imprudence of the chief of the embassy, who, possibly elated by his diplomatic victory, aided, perhaps, by the exhilarating effects of Clicquot and Mumm, so far lost his balance as to inform one of his fair partners, a lady of one of the best families of the town, that she was an angel, but that she had married a brute of ahusband. This pleasant remark was unfortunately overheard by the happy “brute,” who very pluckily at once reclaimed his bride, and having placed her under the protection of her mother, he sought the Chilian, and challenged him to immediate mortal combat out in the street. Mutual friends intervened to prevent the further progress of a dispute that looked ugly enough, and dancing being kept up with vigour matters quieted down. The next day the Chilian apologized, and although the gossips of Sucre kept the squabble alive as long as possible, nothing more came of it.
Beyond the public buildings and conventual establishments to which I have already referred, Sucre offers nothing of interest to a traveller, who, unless he has business to transact or friends to visit, is likely to make his stay in the town as brief as possible, for although the climate of Sucre is almost as good as that of Cochabamba, its environs do not offer any special attractions for short excursions. The only places near that are worthy of notice, are Huata, which has already been described, and where the thermal spring repays the visitor’s trouble with a grateful and welcome bath. On the road to Potosí, a ride of about a couple of hours brings one to a village called Nutshucc, where the wealthier inhabitants of Sucre have built their “quintas,” or country residences. The road goes out on the south side of the town, and, as usual, is taken up a ravine, which at the time I rode up it had a good deal of water, in places reaching to the horse’s girths.
But this being on my way to the Pacific, and my business in Bolivia being completed with theclose of the Congress, I may continue the description of my journey, first premising that at Sucre a homeward-bound traveller will probably determine which route he will take towards ocean and home. My business engagements rendering it of the greatest urgency that I should arrive in England with as little delay as possible, I chose the shortest land journeyviâPotosí, Oruro, and Tacna to Arica on the Pacific coast. I greatly regretted having to leave Bolivia without visiting La Paz (which is the first city of the republic in regard to commerce and population, although politically second to Sucre), but owing to the revolution having made its head-quarters there, it was impossible to find “muleteros” that would expose their animals to the risk of being taken either for the service of the revolution or of the government, so that I was forced to give up the idea of visiting La Paz, and must therefore refer intending travellers to other writers for a description of that city.
In deciding upon the route, the first consideration will be whether the traveller wishes to reach the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Should he desire to avoid either the land transit over the Panamá railway, or the bad weather so prevalent in the Straits of Magellan, his course will be directed to the Atlantic. As I have before stated, the best route to this ocean is down the Madeira and Amazon Rivers, but if our traveller has arrived in Bolivia by ascending those rivers, he will be anxious to see new worlds, and will steer his course either for the Paraguay or the Vermejo.
Should the former river be chosen, the travellermust, from Sucre, make his way to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, from which town there is a track running through the villages of the Cordillera to Curumbá, a Brazilian town on the western bank of the Paraguay. From this place there are occasional steamers trading up and down the river, by which Asuncion can be reached, and from thence to Buenos Ayres there is a regular service. This route involves a land journey of about 850 miles, being about 300 from Sucre to Santa Cruz and 550 from thence to Curumbá. A straight line from Sucre to Curumbá would be under 500 miles, but there is no known road running direct between the two places; and in 1875 a Bolivian Commission, sent for the purpose of opening up a track, returned without success, having been unable to attempt to cross the lagoons and swamps of Izozo. The roadviâSanta Cruz is a well-known one, and in fairly dry weather presents no obstacles that a good mule cannot overcome, the principal difficulties being those presented by a journey through sparsely inhabited districts almost entirely destitute of resources for a traveller, who must therefore depend upon his own animals and what he can carry with him in provisions, bedding, and other requisites. Arrived at Curumbá the rest of the journey to Buenos Ayres would probably be a very pleasant one, navigating down the magnificent river known above Corrientes as the Paraguay and below as the Paraná and Rio de la Plata.
If the Vermejo route be attempted, a land journey of about 400 miles to Oran,viâPotosí, Cinti, and Tarija, must be undertaken, and fromOran, I have been informed, canoes can be obtained for Corrientes, a distance by river of about 900 miles. The land journey is a rough one, as it passes over a very mountainous country, but probably a traveller would find more resourcesen routethan by the Santa Cruz and Curumbá line. Both Cinti and Tarija are places of considerable trade, and the former is specially noted for its wines and spirits, which find their way, not only all over Bolivia, but into the neighbouring republics of Peru and Chili. The Cinti wines are very excellent in character, and compare very favourably with ordinary wines of Portugal or Spain, whilst the “aguadiente de ubas,” or “strong waters of the grape,” of Cinti is far preferable to the greater part of such spirits as gin or common whiskey and brandy, and is quite equal to the best white rum of the West Indies or the best “Pisco” of Peru. In Sucre and Cochabamba this spirit is called “cingani,” and costs ten reales, or 4s.2d.per bottle, whilst the Cinti wine of fairly good quality costs half that price for the same quantity.
There is a route to the port of Cobija, the only Bolivian seaport on the Pacific coast, but the entire journey from Porco to Cobija, being through a perfectly deserted country of most mountainous and barren character, should not be undertaken unless the traveller has special reasons for visiting the desert of Atacama with its silver mines and “salitreros,” or nitrate deposits.
The department of Atacama has been a constant cause of envy to Chilian adventurers, and consequently, for many years past, frequent disputes as tothe boundary line have occurred; but these have now been settled for a time by the treaty made in 1874, to which I have already referred, and by which the astute Chilian minister Don Carlos Walker y Martinez succeeded in transferring about sixty miles of coast-line from Bolivia to Chili. This was a most serious loss to Bolivia, already almost land-locked, but doubtless the Chilians will not be content until they have gained all the Pacific seaboard available, and have united their territory to that of Peru at the river Loa, thus entirely isolating Bolivia from free communication with the Pacific. The unfortunate internal dissensions of the Bolivians assist the Chilians greatly in their efforts to absorb the whole of this rich mineral district of Atacama, but as the Chilians are a far more enterprising people than the Bolivians, one can scarcely regret that such a rich territory should become the property of a people capable of developing its resources. For information upon this part of Bolivia an inquirer should procure a work entitled “Ten Years in South America,” written by Benjamin S. Dingman, an American engineer, and published by Messrs. Trübner and Co. The following remarks on the desert of Atacama are therein found, and as I had no opportunity of visiting the district I may perhaps be excused for making the following quotation, as being the best testimony available to me of the richness of this part of Bolivia. The volume devoted to Bolivia opens with an account of “the Caracoles silver mines which were discovered in 1870 in the desert of Atacama, by Don José Diaz Gana, whose innumerable explorations have been the means ofopening an extensive horizon to the capital and industry of Bolivia and Chili. It appears that Diaz Gana, not being satisfied with the result of his explorations on the borders of the desert, sent a part of his company to the interior to explore some mountains where he had reason to believe some rich veins of ore would be found. His envoys, Saavedra, Mendez, Porras, and Reyes, arrived at the table-land which serves as the base of those beautiful grey mountains. Reyes, climbing up the easy slope, picked up loose pieces of silver where now are the Merceditas and Deseada mines, and continued picking them up in different directions, not knowing their value, but thinking possibly they might be of service. Later on he joined his companions, who had also found loose pieces of ore, and had made marks in the lead with their knives. Two of them immediately started to the coast to inform their patron. They had been to Diaz Gana what Sancho Mundo was to Columbus. The discovery was made, and that dry and solitary desert a short time after was the centre of an active population. Diaz Gana baptized that emporium of riches ‘Caracoles,’ for the fossils characterizing the lias were abundant, and as a matter-of-fact man he fixed upon this notable geological formation to give a name to his discovery. The young Chilian Francisco Bascunan Alvarez is another of those untiring explorers who have helped to convert the desert into a field of industry and labour. After long and laborious explorations in Copiapo, Bolivia, and Catamarca in 1857, he returned to the desert in 1870 and discovered in Caracoles the group called Isla on account of its topographicalposition. The mines are from 10,000 to 15,000 feet above the level of the sea, and among the richest may be noted the Deseada, Merceditas, Flor del Desierto, Esperanza, San José and Esmeralda. Then there are the Federico Errasurig, Sud America, Salvadora, and a host of others, some of great promise, others worth little or nothing. The experiments made by men of science resulted in the encouragement of all kinds of enterprises, and Caracoles soon became an immense field of speculators disposing of large capitals. The merchants of Chili, both native and foreign, were the founders of these companies, the stock of which was sold at fabulous premiums. In Caracoles fortunes were made in a day, and not insignificant ones either, but of millions. But in this, as well as in other pursuits of life, all cannot have the same luck, and thousands went there only to bury their fortunes and their bones also in their vain search for the hidden treasures.”
After the celebration of the treaty whereby the boundary line between Bolivia and Chili was fixed at the 24th parallel of latitude, the government of the latter republic lost little time in commencing to utilize the treasures of the desert which would probably remain undeveloped as long as they were in Bolivian hands. A commission of exploration was sent under the auspices of the government, and the results obtained are given to the world in a pamphlet whose objects are therein thus set forth: “The Chilian government, desirous of rendering aid to private enterprise, has sent thither two commissioners, one for the purpose of discovering thenatural sources of wealth existing in this desert and now hidden from view, and the other to study the means of affording ready access for those who may be engaged in the work of bringing its produce within reach of the markets of the world.” The pamphlet is entitled “Nitrate and Guano Deposits in the desert of Atacama; an account of the measures taken by the government of Chili to facilitate the development thereof,” and was published by the Chilian Consulate in London.
With these few remarks upon the routes from Bolivia to the ocean, I will take up the description of the roadviâPotosí and Oruro to Tacna and Arica. In preparing for this journey a traveller should engage a servant who knows the road well; and there are plenty of handy fellows always on the look out for such service. I was to be accompanied to England by the son of an old English resident in Bolivia, a young lad who was being sent to England to complete his education, so that we required two servant boys, as we had, what with baggage and saddle mules, too many animals for one boy to look after properly. My companion’s father sent with us as his son’s factotum, a very handy Argentine gaucho who was most useful on the road, as he thoroughly understood the management of the mules and their pack apparatus, which, if not kept in good order, is sure to give the travellers endless trouble. I selected one “Juan de la Cruz Peña,” a man from the province of Valle Grande, who had made the journey several times, and turned out a very fair servant, although he was not nearly so handy with the animals as the Argentine “Marco.” A fairsum to pay one of these men for the journey from Sucre to Tacna is forty-five pesos, about £7, and he will want his food, or a payment of two reales (9d.) per day in lieu thereof. A mule must be provided for him, and he will generally find his own saddle, bridle, and sleeping-blankets.
Occasionally arrieros, who are going down to Tacna with minerals from Potosí or Oruro, and returning to Sucre with European goods, will undertake the carriage of a traveller’s baggage on some of their spare animals; but it is scarcely safe to trust any of these gentry, as they are quite likely to leave your baggage anywhere on the road wherever their animals may break down; and as they always require pay before they start, it is not a very safe proceeding to trust one’s belongings to them.
“The Posta” is an institution that I have only met with in Bolivia, and if it were properly worked, it would be a great assistance to travellers in a country where there are scarcely any roads; but the government in this, as in every other branch of the public service, seems to look only to the one end of making as much as possible out of it. As soon as a revolution is over, the ministers who have installed themselves in Government House, call for tenders for farming the “postas” between the principal towns of the republic. The successful contractor having paid to the government the purchase price of the contract, is supposed to supply a sufficient number of mules for the post-houses on the route he has contracted for. These postas are generally about four to six leagues apart, and a few Indian huts are found in their neighbourhood. The contractor sellsto these Indians the right of carrying the travellers and their baggage; and screws as much as he can out of them for the transfer of the monopoly of the work between each station. The tolls are fixed by the government, and the corregidor of any town will furnish the traveller with a “guia,” or list of the postas and the tolls to be paid per mile between each of them. The rates vary slightly, according to the situation of the posta, but are generally from two to two and a half reales per mule per league, which would be about 3d.to 3½d.per mile; and this price includes the services of an Indian in charge of the animals. Of course, the Indians, who have to pay heavily for the privilege of working the posta, provide wretched animals, whilst the government contractor, who rarely, if ever, visits the route, but lives either at La Paz or Sucre, never troubles himself as to whether the post-houses are kept in good condition, and supplied with sufficient and proper animals.
Between Potosí and Oruro there are very fair post-houses, in which, in times of peace, baggage mules can be depended upon from post to post; and if one can be sure that everything connected with the posta is in good working order, and that there is no probability of a revolution coming on, this becomes a very good plan of getting over the road quickly and economically; but you must take your own saddle animal, for it is simply impossible to ride the rough posta mules.
About buying mules for a journey in Bolivia many opinions prevail; for some people think it best to buy low-priced animals, so that the loss inselling upon arrival at one’s destination may not be great; but I think that loss is better avoided by purchasing good animals, which, although costly, are more likely to find a buyer at a good price. There is, however, great difficulty in selling animals in Tacna, for after such a long journey it is almost impossible to avoid their arriving in poor condition; and then the arrieros of Tacna, knowing that the traveller is obliged to leave for Arica and the ocean steamer, conspire together and refuse to give anything at all like a proper price for the animals, alleging their condition as rendering them valueless. Good mules are, however, certain to pass through the trials of the road better than low-priced and weedy animals; they therefore are likely to find a buyer, as there are generally travellers for Bolivia looking out for a good mount for their journey. For ours we had to provide eight animals, namely, four good saddle mules, three for baggage, and one spare one that could take its turn either under saddle or pack, as required. This last we found a very useful assistant, as, when a sore back or lameness occurred, we thus had means of freeing the injured animal from its burden until recovery. The saddle mules cost from 150 Bolivianos, or pesos fuertes (4s.2d.each), up to 400, the highest price being for a very fine “macho,” or he-mule, belonging to the father of my youngcompagnon de voyage, Don Alfredo. This macho, a beautifully marked grey, standing perhaps fourteen hands in height and proportionately well built, would always command a high price, as, on account of his great strength, he was capable of becoming a “pianera,” or carrier ofpianos over the Andes. This task appears to be the highest test of strength for a mule; but I have been told that an animal seldom makes more than three journeys under the burden, as the third essay of the herculean feat appears to break down the poor beast’s constitution entirely. The profits to an arriero on the transport of a piano from Tacna to Bolivia are so great that he could almost afford to slaughter his mule at the termination of a successful journey, and thus spare the poor brute a repetition of the dreadful ordeal; for the weight of a piano is fully equal to two ordinary mule burdens. Our baggage mules were bought in Oruro, costing from 80 to 120 Bolivianos each, and whilst all the saddle mules arrived in Tacna in fair condition, we found notwithstanding our having a spare animal, and all the care that we could exercise, the trials of the road were so great, that the four cheaper-priced animals finished their journey in such a bad state that we found ourselves only able to realize but a small portion of their cost. The saddle mules could, however, have been easily and well sold had we not been under engagement to send them back to Bolivia with the servants; and, after the double journey, those that had to be sold realized very nearly their cost price. Certainly my experience is, that it is cheaper in the long run to buy first-class animals only.
For a journey over the Andes, a traveller must provide himself with a good poncho as well as a good overcoat, for the early mornings and the nights are sometimes very sharp and cold. A waterproof sheet, that will come well over the shoulders andfall over the pommel of the saddle, is also not at all to be despised, as nothing is more objectionable than to get one’s knees thoroughly soaked in some of the heavy rain storms that are frequently encountered at all seasons of the year. It is a good plan to carry a cot that will fold up into a small compass and lay between the two packs of a baggage mule; a mattress and blankets are also necessary; whilst it is as well to have a mosquito bar with one, as, in case of being obliged to pass a night in the open, it will be found very useful in keeping off the heavy dew.
For eatables, a sheep can be purchased on many parts of the route for about a dollar; so that, with mutton or a fowl, a good chupe can be made at the postas, if one’s servant has any idea of cooking it. A few tins of green peas or carrots help one to do without the dreadful “chuño,” which is the only vegetable obtainable; and, above all, some Liebig’s extract of meat should be carried, as it is a most welcome addition to the cuisine. A little coffee, tea, and sugar should also be taken, and then one is independent of the keepers of the “pulperias” attached to the postas. At these shops bad bottled ale can be bought at prices varying from four to eight reales (1s.8d.to 2s.2d.) the small bottle; but it is well to avoid this as much as possible, and carry with one some of the best Cinti cingani, which is a safe and wholesome beverage when used moderately. I have found it excellent when taken with a dash of Angostura bitters, a bottle of which forms a very acceptable addition to one’s baggage. The following are some of the retail prices in Bolivia of thingsuseful for the journey. Tea, three pesos, say 9s.4d.per pound; coffee six reales, 2s.3d.per pound; brandy (Martel’s) two pesos and a half (7s.10d.) per bottle; tinned meats, such as paté de foie gras, etc., three pesos (9s.4d.) each; tins of sardines, four pesos (12s.6d.) per dozen.
Before starting, a traveller should be very careful to see that all the pack saddles of his mules are complete and in good working order, otherwise he will suffer endless annoyances on the road. An “aparejo,” or pack-saddle, with “reatas” (hide ropes), “cinchas” (belly-bands), “sogas,” (head-ropes), “caronas,” skins for placing under the saddle to preserve the mules’ backs from injury, and every necessary, costs from fifteen pesos to twenty, say £2 6s.8d.to £3 1s.8d.A good “tapa-carga,” or cover for the baggage, costs about nine pesos, or, say £1 10s.The best made in Oruro are an entire hide, roughly dressed, with the hair on, cut square and bound with white leather curiously pinked out into quaint patterns. A small handy set of shoeing tools, a few shoes, and a supply of nails should be carried; and attention to these minor details of a journey will save much trouble, as, when all appliances are in good order, the stages of the road pass by pleasantly enough, and the travellers arrive at the posta which marks the end of the day’s work in good temper, inclined to do good justice to whatever is forthcoming for the nightly repast, after which the thoroughly earned rest is heartily enjoyed both by masters, men, and animals.