Costa Rica-Panama Arbitration Volume 4; Documents Annexed to the Argument of Costa Rica Before the Arbitrator, Hon. Edward Douglass White, Chief Justice of the United States (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1913 Excerpt: ...the chicha holds out. Sometimes the work is continued for two or three days, but always ends early in the day, the afternoon and evening being devoted to eating and especially to drinking. No labor can be accomplished without liberal allowances of chicha, and the man who is the most profuse in this respect is the best fellow. A man will sometimes undertake to make his own clearing, unassisted, but it is very slow work, and drags on at the rate of two or three hours' work a day, with many days of rest. The trees once cut down, the man will burn off the brush, assisted by his sons, or sons-in-law, if he has any, and then plants his crop; usually corn for making more chicha. After that it has to take care of itself. He goes out occasionally to hunt, fish, or sometimes to bring a bunch of plantains. When the corn is nearly ripe, the boys have to watch it to scare off the parrots and pigs. If there are no boys in the family, then all hands usually go and occupy a little shed in, or on, the edge of the cornfield. They feast on the green and ripening corn until it is too hard to boil, and then collect what has been left to ripen. The labor of the women is to bring plantains and water, and to cook and wash. They are never required to do work in the plantation, unless it be perhaps, to help gather and to help carry home the corn. All the sewing is done by the men, even of the little shirts or jackets worn by the women. In carrying loads, the women rival the men in power and endurance. It is nothing uncommon to see a woman, with a big load on her back, and her year-old baby seated on top, with his little legs dangling over the front edge of the load. The little monkeys ride securely there through the bush and dodge the overhanging vines and branches as expertly as co...