Book: Argentina From A British Point Of View

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Locusts have their natural enemies. Many birds greedily devour them, in
fact a migratory swarm is usually followed by myriads of birds,
especially sea gulls; they are often found 150 to 200 miles inland.
Often a flock of gulls will clean up a "manga" of locusts; they devour
them by thousands, and will then go to a neighbouring laguna, take a
little water, and throw up all they have eaten, and at a given signal go
off again to fill up with more locusts, only to repeat the operation
time after time. Predatory insects of other orders also attack them,
especially when in the unwinged state. They have still more deadly foes
in parasites, some of which attack the fully developed locust, but the
greater number adopt the more insidious method of attacking the eggs.

Many inventions have been brought out with the object of exterminating
the locusts, some of which, at least, have doubtless been partly
successful, but determined and combined effort by the nation and land
proprietors is imperative if the remedial and preventive measures
proposed are to reap the success hoped for.

The Agricultural Defence Department reports having spent $10,561,540 mn.
from 1st January, 1909, to 31st May, 1910, in fighting the locusts. The
total area invaded was 135,000,000 hectares (about 337,500,000 acres).

From 1892 to date, and with what is required for the present year,
$54,000,000 have been spent in combating locusts and like plagues to
agriculture.




CONSCRIPT LIFE IN THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.


The life of a conscript is more agreeable than most people in the
Argentine Republic imagine it to be, although it has its disadvantages
as well as its advantages.

Every year all over the Republic a drawing takes place, calling to arms,
for a year in the Army or two in the Navy, Argentines who have attained
the age of twenty-one. At an average 12,000 to 15,000 are called out
every year and distributed in the different regiments, according to
height; from 1.75 metres upwards to Cavalry, middle height to Infantry,
and short men to Artillery.

For eight months the troops are drilled daily, and at the end of this
period a big manoeuvre is held in which every regiment has to take part.
This manoeuvre is divided into two parts: in the month of September all
troops pertaining to the I., II., and IV. Regions are mobilised, and in
November those of the III. and V.

The daily routine is as follows: At 4 a.m. at the call of a bugle all
troops have to rise, and the roll is called over; at 4.30 a.m. coffee is
served; at 5.0 every morning orders are given to saddle-up horses and
arm, and they have to be ready to leave the barracks at 5.30 for morning
drill on horseback or to go to the shooting range, according to the
time-table; the drilling continues till 10 o'clock, at which hour the
troops are due back at the barracks, having to go through a course of
drilling on foot up till 11 o'clock.

At 11 o'clock the troops have to turn out and clean and brush down their
horses until 11.30, at which hour lunch is served out; after which they
are allowed to do as they like (except leave the barracks) till 1.30
p.m.; from 1.30 to 3 p.m. the troops are drilled on foot, and at 3 p.m.
"Mate-cocido" is served out; at 3.30 they have to attend class until
4.30 p.m., either on "Campaign Service," "Military Duties or Laws," or
on the "Carabine or Sword"; every other day class is given on the
different parts of a horse, and on how to look after and clean same.
From 4.30 to 5.30 p.m. there is revision and cleaning of arms. At 5.30
dinner is served out, after which those who have leave are allowed out
until 10 p.m., or in some cases until 4 a.m. next morning.

Those drawn for the Navy have to go through a preliminary course of
training on shore before being sent on board the training ship
"Sarmiento," which every two years leaves Buenos Aires for a trip round
the world, occupying, on an average, eighteen months.

There are certain allowances made for students, who at the age of
nineteen are allowed to enlist in the 8th Cavalry, where they have to
serve for three months. At the end of this period they are put through a
very severe examination, and should they pass, are promoted to the grade
of Sub-Lieutenant of the Reserve, having to serve for a month every year
in a regiment allotted to them.

The advantages of conscription are many. It brings half-breeds from all
parts of the Republic in touch with civilization, it teaches them
obedience, respect for their superiors, and, above all, how to shoot.
After their year's service they leave the barracks knowing a good deal
more about things in general than when they entered them.

There is also the better class of lads to be considered. Conscription
teaches them a few things also, viz., to knuckle down (which is a great
failing of the Anglo-Argentines), and be made to do things which they
have not been accustomed to, clean out stable, etc., and look after
their equipment properly, as anything they may happen to lose is
deducted from their wages, which are very small, $5 per month.

The food in the Army is good and plentiful: there is coffee in the
morning on rising, a mid-day meal and dinner, which are usually similar,
consisting of soup and "puchero" (a national dish made of beef and
vegetables boiled), and an occasional dish of "pulenta" (boiled maize).

The general treatment in the barracks is good. There are cases of
miscarriage of justice and ill-treatment, but these are rare. A
conscript may have to suffer punishment although in the right, and is
not allowed to protest his innocence against an officer until after he
has completed his punishment.




ACROSS THE BOLIVIAN ANDES IN 1901.


Recollections of a journey from the Peruvian port of Mollendo to the
Bolivian interior, which the writer made in the year stated, are here
transcribed. No rhetorical merit is claimed, facts only are related, and
the compiler of the manuscript only hopes that his efforts may, in part
at least, justify a cursory perusal, without exhausting the patience of
the readers, or overtaxing their indulgence. These notes are transcribed
nearly ten years after the trip was made, and any readers who may have
visited Bolivia at a more recent date are requested to make allowance
for such modifications or change of conditions of which they can be the
only judges.

I have crossed the Andes Chain in other places farther south, in Chile;
but on this occasion I will confine my observations to the trip as
headed.

Mollendo is one of the worst ports on the Pacific coast, but is of some
importance on account of the fact that the railway through Peru to Lake
Titicaca starts here. All vessels have to lie at least half a mile from
the land on account of the constant heavy swell, and the landing is
always attended by a certain amount of danger, so much so that not
infrequently passengers have to be "slung" on to the landing stage in
baskets made for the purpose. Like most of the South American coast from
Valparaiso northwards there is little or no vegetation, and the scenery
is not of the kind generally associated with tropical climes, of which
one reads so much. Sand dunes and waste meet the eye on all sides, and
the traveller for the interior is generally glad when the railway
journey commences.

Of the country through which the railway takes one there is not much to
be said, but the attention of the traveller is at once called to the
marvellous ingenuity of the famous engineer Meiggs, who built the
railway. Gradually rising as the coast recedes, the train reaches
Arequipa, at an elevation of 7,500 feet, and distant from Mollendo about
200 miles. Arequipa has about 45,000 inhabitants, and, while rather
prettily situated in a small valley surrounded by high volcanoes, it
does not have anything of particular interest to attract one. Moreover,
it suffers frequently from earthquakes, which does not surprise one when
you look at the giant volcano "El Misti," towering up to 18,000 feet, at
no great distance off. The houses are all built with "vaulted"
foundations, the better to resist the "earth-tremblings," but on this
occasion I did not experience any shocks.

Leaving Arequipa behind, the ascent continues until the highest point is
reached at Crucero Alto, where a notice board indicates that we are now
14,666 feet above sea level. It is before reaching this altitude that
the wonderful enterprise of the engineer shows up. The line goes on
winding and climbing, twisting back again but always ascending, for
hours, until a point is reached where passengers, looking down from the
carriage windows, may see right below them, only a few feet down, the
actual railway track over which they have passed an hour before. At one
place there are actually _three tracks visible,_ one right below the
other, just like steps and stairs, and I believe there is nothing quite
like it in Argentina. Leaving Crucero Alto the descent is very gradual
until Puno is reached, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, but still at an
altitude of 12,000 feet or more. I did not actually see the town, which
is a short distance from the station, but went straight on board the
"Coya," the steamer which was to ferry us across to Chililaya or Puerto
Perez, on the Bolivian side of the immense lake.[F] The distance in this
direction is about 110 miles, and the passage was made in ten hours,
during the night, so that I had not on this occasion an opportunity of
seeing the surrounding scenery.

On another occasion I saw too much of it, as the steamer missed the
canalized strip which extends several miles out from Puno, and we
remained hard aground for thirty hours. We had over a hundred Japanese
passengers--immigrants going to the rubber country--and all armed with
huge revolvers; but as the food lasted out until we were relieved by
another small steamer belonging to the railway company they were kept in
good humour, and they gave no trouble at all. Before floating again
about 100 tons of cargo had to be transhipped to the other steamer, and
when we again got into the deep channel it was again transferred to the
s.s. "Coya." This latter boat was about 150 feet long; it was quite a
comfortable boat, and the food and bedding were decent, when you
consider the part of the world you were in. The bill of fare and wine
list contained many quaint delicacies, and I shall never forget how the
printer of same spelt the word indicating Scotch wine (commonly known as
whisky). He was quite phonetic from the Spanish point of view, and the
word read "Gueiscki," but it tasted all right.

Landing at the Bolivian side of Puerto Perez, the immense plateau which
covers all the centre of Bolivia stretches out on all sides landwards,
until it meets the inner and higher range of the Cordilleras.

La Paz, the then capital of Bolivia, on account of the fact that the
President, General Pando, lived there, was our next objective point,
and we found the old "Diligence Coach," drawn by eight horses, awaiting
to convey us the forty-two miles across the plain. This part of the
journey is most uninteresting, and the road was only fair. All along it
is the same level, stony ground, entirely devoid of trees, and covered
completely with large, round stones. These latter the Indians have to
gather in heaps, and thus make some open patches for growing their
potatoes and grain, which, with their "Chalona," or sheep dried in the
sun, are their principal foodstuffs throughout the year. Besides, the
surplus produce is conveyed to the larger towns on llamas, and there
realised to the best advantage. It is a very interesting sight every
Sunday morning to see the "market," and the curio hunter would just be
in his element, as not only do the Indians bring in vegetables and
fruits, but all sorts of native silver in quaint shapes, and ornaments
made by the Indians themselves can be picked up very cheaply. The
dresses of the Indian squaws are also very picturesque, and, as far as I
can remember, red, green, and bright yellow were the dominating colours.
But I am getting away from the main subject.

Right ahead of us there is the gigantic Illimani, silent and majestic,
with its perpetually white crown rising 22,000 feet above sea-level. One
begins to wonder where La Paz can be, as the plain seems to extend right
to the foot of the mountain. Keeping steadily on, however, the coach
eventually arrives at the brink of a hitherto unnoticed hollow, and the
scene that here awaits the traveller is magnificent in the extreme. To
describe the view baffles my limited vocabulary. There you are looking
down on the roofs of the houses in La Paz, which lies snugly 1,200 feet
below you. It just seems that you could drop a stone on to them, so
precipitate are the cliffs; but it is the enormous drop that deceives
the eye, because, of the route over which the coach passes, six miles
have yet to be traversed before getting into the town. I have seen La
Paz from the top of the "Cuesta" both by day and night, and the latter
effect, while losing much of its grandeur and magnificence, on account
of the darkness, almost surpasses in beauty that of the daylight vision.
The whole city is lit up by electricity, and it just seems as if one
were gazing _down_ on another firmament, if such a thing can be
imagined. I repeat, that to fully appreciate this special scenery words
fail me.

Allow me to transgress once more. On the first occasion that I reached
the top of the entrance to La Paz it was under rather "sporting"
circumstances, which, I think, I may be excused for interpolating here.
I had come on horseback and _alone_ from the mining town of Coro Coro,
sixty-six miles off, and it is a very hard and tiring journey. The
elevation above the sea varies from about 14,000 feet to 12,000 feet at
the La Paz end, and therefore great speed is impossible on account of
the rarity of the air. Apparently I had journeyed too fast for my horse,
as the poor animal died when I was still eighteen miles from La Paz.
Here was a nice "kettle of fish." It was all right enough as long as
daylight lasted, but when darkness overtook me I was fairly "in the
soup." Not knowing the road, and there being nothing to guide me and no
one to consult, I simply walked along slowly, hoping to strike up
against some Indian settlement, and pass the night somehow or other. I
trudged along for goodness knows how long until I eventually did hear
some sounds indicating that at any rate I was nearing some encampment or
habitation. I could hear what was supposed to be music, and in the dark
made my way, as near as I could judge, in the direction of the sound,
and in about half an hour my efforts were rewarded, as I had overtaken a
band of roving Indians, all in fancy dress, playing funny reed
instruments and dancing continuously as they travelled. They could not
speak Spanish, but at that time I knew sufficient of their
language--"Aymara," as it is called--and soon explained to them my
position. I was allowed to accompany them, as I found they also were
bound for La Paz, and soon became a lifelong friend of theirs when I
produced a small bottle of whisky which I had with me. The experience
was of a unique nature for a white man, but I must confess I rather
appreciated the novelty than otherwise, and when I reached La Paz about
1 a.m. I felt that I had had quite an adventure, which might easily have
had a more sinister termination, had my Indian escort shown the other
side of their nature. Well, to come back to our old coach, which I think
I left at the top of the La Paz entrance, I resumed my seat and got into
the city at mid-day. I put up at an excellent hotel, of which there were
several, and at once bethought me of looking for work, as the balance in
my bank (otherwise my pocket) did not warrant my looking upon my visit
to La Paz as one of pleasure only. At the time I write of there was one
solitary Britisher resident in La Paz, and he was a Scotchman like
myself. This was before the railway from Oruro was built, and he was
proprietor of the coaches that ran, once a week, from La Paz to the
south; and I understood had quite a remunerative business. La Paz is a
peculiarly situated city, as the reader may imagine from my description
of its position. The streets are mostly hilly and steep, with the
exception of one or two which run parallel to each other on both sides
of the valley, at the foot of, and in the centre of which flows, the La
Paz river. This it bridged in about half a dozen places for horse
traffic, and while, for most of the year, there is scarcely any water in
the river, when the snow melts it is converted into a veritable roaring
torrent; and I happened to be present during one of the most serious
accidents that had ever occurred from this cause.

It had rained very copiously for some days, and the river had risen
enormously--in fact higher than ever before recorded--and many were the
predictions as to how the bridges would stand the weight of water. The
usual sightseers were about, and, unfortunately, a large number of them
paid the penalty with their lives. They had been duly warned that a
certain bridge was dangerous and threatened to give way, but this
evidently excited their curiosity all the more; at any rate, a crowd
tried to cross, with the result that the bridge tumbled into the raging
stream, carrying with it over 200 people, and many of them were
drowned--the exact number was never known.

Quite an important city is La Paz, and a large number of wealthy
mine-owners reside there, drawing their incomes from rich tin mines in
the neighbourhood. There are also numerous stores from which the wants
of the distant population that reside in the rubber country are
supplied. The larger proportion of the inhabitants are Indians, and I
cannot help remarking that the Bolivian Indians, men and women, are
about the ugliest type of human creatures I have yet seen. Besides, they
are very illiterate, and it is estimated that, of the total population
of Bolivia, only about 30 per cent. can read or write. In the south,
Aymara is chiefly spoken; but further north, Quechua is the commoner
language. I saw several bull fights in the bullring of which the town
boasts, but they were so very disgusting that I refrain from nauseating
my readers with details.

The Cathedral was only half completed when I was there, and I understand
is still in the same condition. I was forgetting to mention that there
was no British Minister or Consul in La Paz, and the story goes that, at
some previous period, a Bolivian President compelled the British
official representative to ride round the plaza seated on a donkey, but
with his face to the tail; the consequence being that the Prime Minister
of Great Britain figuratively wiped Bolivia off the map. Anything which
we required from the Diplomatic Service had to be obtained through the
medium of the British Minister resident in Lima, in Peru. This may now
be altered, but I am not aware of the fact. I remained several months in
La Paz in the employment of a Bolivian magnate, but the remuneration not
being commensurate with my ambitions, I eventually arranged to accompany
the proprietor of a very large rubber forest on a trip to his properties
on the higher reaches of the River Amazon, and hence my privilege of
being able to offer you a perusal of my experiences across the inner
ranges of the Cordillera mountains. His daughter also accompanied him,
and, although the journey is a most uncomfortable one in more ways than
one, she stood the fatigue of many days' riding on mule-back, over
trails which did not deserve the name of roads, just about as well as
any of the rest of us.

For a trip of this kind many provisions have to be made, as very little
indeed can be procured on the journey in the way of good food or
lodging. We accordingly had to carry our beds and bedding, and in fact
everything we could think of in the form of clothes, food, firearms,
and, of course, the necessary accompaniment in liquid form. Most of our
baggage and what we might not require at a moment's notice we sent on
ahead with a day's anticipation, and eventually on the 20th May, 1901,
our caravan departed from the then capital of Bolivia, at 8 a.m. Our
conveyance, to start with, consisted of a coach drawn by four mules, and
it took much longer to climb the steep "Cuesta" than it had taken us to
descend on previous occasions already mentioned. However, our animals
were good and in about an hour and a-half we reached the top of the
hill, and I took what proved to be my last view of La Paz City.

The journey for the first forty miles is over the same ground as I have
already referred to, in the direction of Lake Titicaca, and there is
nothing more to be said about it, beyond that we changed animals at a
place called Ocomisto, this being simply a few Indian huts where there
is always a supply of grain and water for the animals, and the ordinary
country fare for the passing traveller. There was a long journey ahead
of us, so we only remained during the time that was occupied in
outspanning the tired mules and inspanning the fresh lot. At 1 o'clock
we reached Machacamarca, another "tambo" or resting-place, and were very
disgusted to find that our pack animals, which we had dispatched the day
before, had got no farther than this point. Our desired destination for
the night was the Indian town of Achicachi, twelve leagues off, but as
it was now quite out of the question to think of travelling our baggage
animals so far before night should overtake us, we had to change our
plans and therefore directed our coach towards Guarina, another Indian
town on the shores of Lake Titicaca, but much nearer than Achicachi, and
we eventually arrived there at 5 p.m., having covered, more or less,
fifty miles since morning. The journey seemed longer, as the country is
so much alike all along the route; but as the roads were fair,
travelling was quite comfortable.

Guarina is purely an Indian fishing village, and the only white people
are the Bolivian half-caste authorities. As I have already stated, there
are no hotels or even lodging-houses in these Indian towns, and ordinary
travellers have just to hunt about until they find a place suitable to
put beds for the night. However, as my friend was a "personage" in
Bolivia, in other words, a man of position and power in political
circles, we of course fared considerably better than we should otherwise
have done had he not been with us; and we were invited to put up in the
house of one of these men in authority. He did his best for us in their
frugal way of living, and gave us a meal consisting of "Chairo," which
is soup as black as coal, and made from frozen potatoes which are called
"chuno." These are about the size of walnuts, hard and black, and have
to be well soaked before cooking, and then they are not a savoury bite.
The next plate consisted of "Chalona," already described as lean sheep
dried in the sun, and which, generally speaking, is very repugnant in
appearance, smell, and taste. Never mind, we were hungry and partook of
whatever was brought along, until the "inner man" cried content! The
meal, I may add, was washed down with a cheap "wine" distilled from
cheaper raisins, but it was something wet, and for the time sufficed.

Our pack animals arrived at Guarina about 7 p.m., and we very soon had
our things unpacked and occupied our beds, knowing that a pretty early
start would be made in the morning. The night passed uneventfully, and
at daybreak we got under way, bound for Achicachi, about five leagues
off. There is still a road for vehicles to this town, and keeping along
the shores of Lake Titicaca, we reached this larger Indian town about 9
a.m. The population was about 5,000 Indians, but it is a very
uninteresting, bleak spot, and we only remained long enough to have a
square meal, which we were again fortunate enough to have provided for
us by the reigning magistrate. That over, we then dispatched our coach
on its return journey to La Paz, and thought of our other means of
transport for the forward journey. Good mules we had sent ahead, and
were now awaiting us saddled and ready, and we at last got started on
this the more arduous part of our journey inland. Our destination for
the night was Gualata, a small holding belonging to my fellow-traveller,
and we reached it at about 1 o'clock, having climbed probably 2,000 feet
higher up the mountains. Cultivation of cereals and potatoes is carried
on on a limited scale, owing to the altitude, and taking it all round,
the house, although comfortable enough, was situated in about as bleak
and bare a spot as it is pretty well possible to imagine.

Nevertheless, it was peopled by about sixty Indians, who turned out in
true Indian style in their beautifully coloured robes and making
horrible discordant noises which were intended for music--all, of
course, to show their appreciation of their "patron." Here, of course,
we got all we required, and as there were any amount of fowls to be had,
our bill-of-fare improved in accordance. There was nothing to do
specially, and we did not feel inclined to move about much at this
elevation above the sea, so we were quite pleased when bed-time came
round, and without any ceremony each retired to their respective couches
_on the floor_. Owing to excessive cold, however, sleep was out of the
question, and it was a relief when day dawned on May 22nd. After
refreshing ourselves with a cup of tea we set out for Sorata, distant
about six leagues. Travelling was now much slower as the roads were very
bad, and in some places very steep and covered with loose stones. This
made the foothold bad for the mules, but we trusted to the useful
animals entirely, letting them go along on a loose rein to choose their
own footing, which they did very successfully. We passed the Indian
village of Illabaya, perched on the side of a hill, and all plotted out
in small squares for the cultivation of vegetables, etc., of which we
bought a supply for our own use. The highest point we passed was over
14,000 feet, and then began the gradual descent into the pretty little
town of Sorata, 6,000 feet lower down. The path was not of the best, and
the pace was very slow; but the scenery was quite refreshing compared
with what we had already passed through.

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