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Alexander Wetmore
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AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
AND
ACROSS PANAMA
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By Francis C. :^{icholas, M. Sc, Ph.D.
Iloii'y F.A.M.N.H , Ilon'y Asc. Inst. . ■naica, HoiVy C.M.N.Y.A.Sc.
Around the Caribbean
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Across Panama/
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lll\istra.ted With Maps and Half-Tones | From Rare Photographs
Boston (El New York H. M. Caldwell Company
Publishers
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Copyright^ IQOJ, By H. M. Caldwell Company
Colonial Pregg
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, Mass., U. S. A.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
Acknowledgments of gratitude are due to Dr. Arturo de Brigard, Consul General of Colombia, for valuable plates and illustrations ; and to W. R. Gillespie, Esq., of the American- Honduras Company, for photographs of the Rio Patuca and it's savannahs ; and to Dr. Juan J. UUoa, Consul General of Costa Rica, for interesting photographs.
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PREFACE
Of all the regions adjacent to the United States none are so attractive or present such varied conditions of development, scenic beauty, and commercial opportunity as the countries about the Caribbean Sea. From the islands of the West Indies, with their teeming population, some of them the most densely peopled spots in the world, to the low lands of Central America, where, in the solitude of the wilderness, a human voice is all but unknown, we find a varied coun- try. It is a vast region surrounding the pleas- ant waters of the Caribbean Sea, inhabited by divers people, and presenting for our considera- tion snow-capped mountains, temperate uplands, broad savannahs and grassy plains, open valleys, dense jungles, and mighty rivers pour- ing their torrents of muddy water into the sea. One meets Spaniards, Englishmen, Negroes, and Indians of many different tribes. Of products everything known to the American tropics is
PREFACE
to be had. Commerce is flourishing as yet only in its infancy, but with the opening of work on the Isthmian Canal a great impetus will be given to all this region; and many will turn to the South, some looking for business in the cities, others going to the wilderness on projects of de- velopment, or seeking to gather products.
For my part, I have visited almost every point of the Caribbean regions, and expect to go there again many times. What has hap- pened to me, is similar to what others may expect ; descriptions of a country are all very well, but incidents and adventures of the road give a much clearer idea of the conditions and of the circumstances which one must expect to encounter.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII. XIII.
XIV. XV.
XVI.
XVII. XVIII.
PAGE
Going South 1
Camping on the Coast of Spanish Hon- duras 4
Indians and Mosquitoes ... 17
Wild Animals and a Panther at Night 30
Alone in an Indian Village . . 37 A Startling Proposition and a Heavy
Flood . . . . . .45
A Row IN Camp 51
Alone with the Indians Again . . 66 Over the Mountains with Indian
Murderers 65
Treachery and Poison .... 79 Perplexities and Spanish - American
Hospitality 96
Examining a Mine under Difficulties 107 Over the Mountains on a Race against
Time . 120
A Rough Journey to the Coast . . 130 Honduras to Costa Rica via New
Orleans 138
The Death Dance of the Talamanca
Indians ...... 144
Up the Atrato River in Colombia . 175
The Wilderness op the Choco Country 185
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
XIX. A Canoe Route from the Caribbean
TO THE Pacific .... 197
XX. Across Panama 215
XXI. The Indians and Resources of Panama 226 XXII. Panama and Nicaragua Routes for the
Isthmian Canal .... 235
XXIII. Hunting for Gold in Antioquia . . 242
XXIV. A Canoe Voyage in the Open Sea . 251 XXV. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Mountains 258
■ XXVI. Among the Goajira Indians . . . 294
XXVII. Ramon, a Story of the Goajiras . 307
XXVIII. Across Country to Bogota . . . 336
XXIX. Through the West Indies . . . 351
XXX. A Faithful Guide 371
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Pine lands and savannahs near the Eio Patuca, on the
way to the Indian village {See page 38) Frontispiece
Map of the Caribbean regions v
Map of the Caribbean regions and localities where
adventures occurred vii
The Eio Patuca .26
A river of the tropical low lands .... 52
Mosquito bars prepared for the night near a tropical
river 70
Jungles in the low lands of Central America . . 134 Entrance to the king's house. " A shed protected the entrance from the rains, and formed an open veranda where horses were tied, and the Indians
gathered at times " 146
Josecito. Heir to the kingship among the Talamanca
Indians 150
Josecito 15g
The private house of Antonio, King of the Talamancas 160 Talamanca Indians. Men who are almost wild crea- tures of the woods. The Indian on^he left is the man who prepared the models of the dead as if for
bnrial 166
Model of a dead Talamancan Indian prepared for lay- ing out in the woods. A tambour back of the model, and above it articles of adornment used at the dance for the dead . . . . . . 172
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Cartagena, Colombia. View outside the city wall . 178
Natives catching fish. Men who tell of the quicharo and other strange objects believed to inhabit their rivers 190
Map illustrating the canoe route from the Caribbean
to the Pacific 198
Cartagena, Colombia. View across the harbour, where the principal trading centre will be located when the canoe route from the Caribbean to the Pacific is developed 212
Low tide in the Pacific off Panama .... 216
A Spanish-American country town. Through the American tropics there is great similarity among the towns and villages, and all look very much alike 220
Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal . . . 224
Maps of Nicaragua and Panama Canal routes drawn
on exactly the same scale 236
Crater of Poas, one of the volcanoes of Costa Rica, among the mountains south of the Nicaragua Canal route 238
Crater of Irazu. A silent volcano of Costa Rica over- looking the Nicaragua Canal route . . . 240
City of Barranquilla, Colombia. One of the most
rapidly developing places in South America . 242
Market-place in Madellen, Colombia .... 246
Street in Dibulla, a little town at the back of the Sierra
Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in Colombia . 258
Portrait of an Aurohuaco Indian. The people who deserted their city when our party proposed to visit them 278
An Aurohuaco Indian, one of the men who might have rolled great rocks down on us from the mountains had we remained in their country . . . 284
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
A Goajira Indian woman of high position among her
people 296
Collection of articles used by the Goajira Indians exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History, New York 306
Goajira Indians. A marriageable girl offered by her
uncles 310
Belts used by the Goajira Indians. Their principal
clothing during war and hunting expeditions . 314
Goajira Indians prepared for hunting or war . . 318
Tumas. Beautiful red beads found in ancient graves among the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta moun- tains, used by the Goajira Indians and considered priceless. The bullet-shaped specimens at base of picture are similar to the bead given to Ramon . 332
The road over the Andes to Bogota, Colombia . . 342
Scene in a Spanish-American city of the uplands.
Bolivar Square, Bogota, Colombia . . . 346
Steamboat on the Magdalena River .... 350
A house in the interior of Jamaica. Occupied by one of the independent land-owning negroes of that island 358
The wild mountains of the interior of Jamaica, British
West Indies 364
In tropical America the poor labour under heavy
burdens 372
AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
AND
ACROSS PANAMA
CHAPTER I.
GOING SOUTH
One cannot explore the Caribbean regions in a month or even in a year, and it is some time ago that I found myself with a considerable undertaking in view, the exploration of all that country for the South American Land & Ex- ploration Co., Ltd.
Plans had been carefully considered, and I was to go alone, use my own judgment as to finding companions on the way, and explore the gold regions, the timber lands, the rubber forests, and other resources of the tropics. I crossed
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AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
and recrossed the Caribbean Sea many times, but for convenience in relating all that hap- pened I will crowd the incidents of a long period into a tale as of one continuous journey.
Going south is very easy. Comfortable steamers leave New York at regular intervals ; the traveller at ease on his way watches the waters of the ocean change day by day to the deep blue of the tropical seas, feels the air grow warmer as the breezes come up from the south; a glimpse of green islands in the distance, be- yond them the sweeping trade-winds and tur- bulent blue waters of the Caribbean ; then a line of mountains, gray in the distance, and in a little time the steamer anchors near the shore. A strange odour of swamps and forests fills the air, a damp clinging heat settles oppres- sively about one. Presently a crew of natives comes aboard, some in rough cotton clothes, one or two in gaudy, ill-fitting uniforms, and some dressed in a mixture of both, looking strangely incongruous and not very clean. Now one is to leave the steamer, and the ex- pectant traveller goes ashore with the motley crew of natives, amused perhaps at noticing how they all shout out orders and direct one
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
another. When the boat reaches land, one may find a rough wharf, but at most places only a lot of sheds marks the landing, where there is a stretch of white sand burning hot under the sun of the tropics, a few straggling bushes, some cocoanut-trees, — ragged specimens toss- ing to and fro in the wind, or drooping listlessly if the day is still, — patches of coarse grass, a vault of blue overhead where surely a group of buzzards will be circling about, and every- where intense burning heat. One hurries to the nearest protecting shade, and is glad when per- mission is received from the custom-house au- thorities to leave the landing-place and seek the interior of one of the low, cool houses in the city beyond.
Under such conditions, I arrived at the little seaport of Truxillo, in Spanish Honduras. The details of the scene were not pleasing, but the broad expanse of the blue ocean, the intense sky, the great jungles stretching away below the city, and the lofty mountains toward the interior combined under the flood of glowing sunlight to form a scene of dreamy loveliness.
AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
CHAPTER n.
CAMPING ON THE COAST OF SPANISH HONDURAS
A FEW days in Truxillo, and I started down the coast in a small sailboat with some adven- turous Americans and a goodly company of negro passengers.
These daring Americans were taking me to see property and mines, in which they, with some of my friends in New York, were interested. Their time was passed in praising each other, drinking, telling me of the great things they had done, and in doing me for money. It was all part of a prearranged plan, and had to be tolerated.
As we stood along the coast I saw a succession of low, sandy beaches, a tangled growth of jungle beyond, and then a range of blue moun- tains in the distance.
After three days under a tropical sun, the
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
captain informed us that we had arrived off our destination, the inlet of Brewer's Lagoon, and that he would put about for the shore, remind- ing us that he did not guarantee a safe entrance, and in case of loss the damage was for our ac- count.
Passengers were ordered below, but the cap- tain allowed me to stay on deck, perhaps because I had taken the tiller for part of the time on the way down, and had gotten along fairly well sailing the boat.
" What will happen to us," I asked, " if the boat runs aground? "
" Do you see those big waves ? " the captain replied, in the low, deep voice common to the negroes, but with the most perfect enunciation, and no sign of negro dialect. " There are the shifting sand-banks; the channel is never the same ; it is always changing ; if we ground, the boat will be beaten to pieces; our people will swim ashore, but the sharks will eat white men ; you were not made for these countries. Don't talk to me now."
Surely a pleasant prospect. I had sailed many a small boat in rough water, and was not at all afraid of a swim ; but the sharks, —
5
AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
how awful it would be to feci their great jaws close on a leg, and then be torn to pieces by a company of them attracted by the blood!
" Are there really many sharks ? " I asked, in a whisper.
" Yes ; don't talk," answered the captain.
A big negro called Tom,- a perfect specimen of health and strength, said to me : " See that swirl in the water over there, and see that thing moving just ahead of the boat. They are gath- ering all around us. Here dead animals float out to sea ; that is why they come."
We were approaching the shore now. Great, muddy waves rose up with a threatening comb, rippled into a foaming line along the top, and then settled down again. I could see no sign of an inlet, but still the little boat kept on, the captain now giving orders in his native tongue, a remnant of African memories used all along the coast. The men stood at their places, and then, swinging the sail full to the wind, the cap- tain stood directly for the shore. For a moment we ran quietly before the wind, then a great sigh seemed to rise up among the waves, and with a trembling and dragging the boat went grinding along the bottom. Behind us came a rolling
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
wave, in which, as it rushed toward us, I pic- tured thousands of evilly disposed sharks; in another instant the boat went staggering on, then it came down on its side, and seemed to be endeavouring to bury itself in the sand; waves were now breaking all about us, and we were not more than fifty yards from the shore. Once more the boat rose up and staggered forward, came down with a bang, that sent us all on our backs; the next instant a wave dashed over us, and then, with a grinding and dragging, while the men shouted out to each other, the boat seemed to make a final effort and floated gently into quiet water behind the bar. Here a cur- rent was running out to sea like a mill-race, and it was some time before she could be brought around to the wind and started toward the inlet.
" We disappointed the sharks that time," the captain said, while the men began making vows that they would never come again with such a heavy cargo.
Then all the passengers began talking at once, but I felt little patience to hear them, and, going to the bow of the boat, sat on the guard- rail beside Tom, who gave a kind of sympa- thetic rub up against me, a movement expres-
7
AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
sive of satisfaction, such as a great dog gives at times, and then said, " You needn't look so white and frightened about it; we would have taken care of you, anyway."
A landing was made on the inner side of the sand point at Brewer's Lagoon. I scrambled over the side of the boat, and immediately a painful, smarting sting developed on my face and hands, caused by the sand-flies, tiny ene- mies, too numerous to combat; and soon they converted our hopeful company into as quar- relsome a set of individuals as ever made them- selves disagreeable to one another in a tropical country. The negro sailors did not mind the sand-flies very much, and they soon had the cargo on shore ; then the boat prepared to go away. I wanted Tom to stay with me, but he would not hear of it, and urged that I should return with them, but that could not be. Tom had been a faithful servant, and I felt I should miss him sadly; for continued good nature, strong, steady muscles, and a faithful spirit are rarely found, especially in the tropics. As the boat sailed away, I was lonely and dis- couraged, and determined that when I returned
8
AND ACROSS PANAMA
to Truxillo I would engage Tom for a long cruise; but I never saw him after.
A circumstance not a little to be regretted in a traveller's life, is the parting from faithful people. One meets with many who are compan- ionable and worthy of esteem, — rough Indian guides, courageous and true; vigorous negroes, ready to dare anything in one's service; cour- teous officials, kind friends, and charming host- esses ; and at parting one resolves he will meet them at some future time, but often they are never seen again.
On the sand point at Brewer's Lagoon our camp settled itself to await the pleasure of the Mosquito Indians who were to take us on our way. The days were not pleasant, but after I found that a mixture of kerosene oil, carbolic acid, and vaseline, if smeared thick enough on the hands and face, would keep the sand-flies from bothering, life became tolerable, and the evenings were always charming, for then the sand-flies went away, and the mosquitoes did not come till late.
When one has nothing but corned meat in tins, it is really noticeable with what eagerness one starts on the chase, and, when evening
9
AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
came, I was always ready to take my rifle and follow any guide who might be willing to lead the way. At our camp there was a negro called Big George, who stood six feet four, and knew all the country round about. Frequently, after sunset, he and I would go among the sand-dunes looking for deer. We never got anything. Big George said I talked too much, but I am not so sure about that.
One night we determined to follow the beach looking for turtles. It was a beautiful experi- ence; under the intense moonlight the sand looked like a pathway of silver stretching out in the distance, with the ocean and the jungle, one on either hand, each shrouded with the mys- tery of night; from the ocean the sound of the waves breaking along the shore, and from the jungle the cries of wild animals — weird voices from creatures unseen. Strange surroundings, intensified by the presence of fierce semi-naked Indians, who, following one after the other, went like shadows stealing silently along the sand !
On and on we went, our hopes frequently raised, to be followed only by disappointment. Sometimes it was a log glistening in the moon-
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
light; again a patch of shells would so much resemble a turtle that out steps would quicken impulsively. Finally, Big George said it was of no use; the moon was too clear. But just then something unusually bright in the distance caught my attention, and hurrying on, we saw that this time a really large turtle was just before us, resting quietly on the sand. Now all was excitement. Nearer and nearer we crept. The turtle, all unsuspecting, remained quiet; then suddenly its head was raised for an instant only, and it started clumsily for the water. Immediately the Indians were upon it, and for a moment I could not tell which was Indian and which was turtle. In the general confusion one man was sent rolling over and over at a blow from one of the flippers; in an instant he was on it again, and then the struggle was over; the turtle was turned on its back, hauled to a safe place, and we returned triumphantly to camp.
The next morning four Indians said they would bring the turtle in with ropes if I would loan them. I thought they must be very strong, and rather doubted their- ability, but I gave
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AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
them such things as they wanted, and, taking my rifle, followed, to see what they would do. After a tramp of about three hours, we reached the turtle, finding it unharmed and just as it had been left the night before. The In- dians began at once tying up the turtle for the return to camp. I could not help admiring their ingenuity. A rope was tied to each flip- per, when the turtle was allowed to crawl back to the water, where the Indians, holding the ropes from the shore, could guide it as they wished. We went toward camp with some en- thusiasm at the thought of the supply of fresh meat that was swimming along before us as we walked rapidly over the hard sand.
Presently we came to the mouth of a river, where we all crowded into a small canoe, one man holding the turtle, and three attempting to paddle. But the turtle was too strong for us, and began at once dragging the canoe down the river toward the breakers on the bar. Here was danger; around us an ever-increasing com- pany of sharks came, gathering closer; some even brushed against the canoe, rocking it vio- lently, while the efforts of the turtle threatened to upset us every moment, and once in that water
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
there would have been little chance for us. We were now nearing the breakers, and the canoe began to race ominously. I called to the men to cut the ropes and let the turtle go. One seized the hatchet, but at that instant the turtle turned down the coast instead of crossing the bar, and this gave the Indians a chance to reach the other shore, and we soon had the turtle hauled up close by camp. That night he was made into soup, a whole turtle stewed in a great iron pot, and it was good.
As the days went on, my companions con- tinued to drink freely, and presently the camp ran dry, that is, all the spirits had been con- sumed. This wasn't my fault, and I was rather well satisfied ; but my companions were most unhappy, and the superintendent ordered that I immediately provide the money for a fresh supply. I had all the funds for the expedition, which, in some respects, was fortunate, though I hardly think that expedition would ever have gone to water; yet, except the money had been in my hands, it would never have gone very far.
After thinking for a few moments, I declined to provide more drink, and prepared to face a
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AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
storm, which came on in good earnest, — a wind of words before which I finally weakened. I was still very young then, and had frequently read of the necessity of spirits on an exploring ex- pedition, especially for snake-bites, exhaustion, etc.
I decided to go myself to a trading-station some miles away, and bring to camp six bottles of cheap liquor, — a mixture of alcohol and other things, called brandy, which ought to have been more fatal than a snake-bite.
Taking two Indians, I started for a long tramp to the trading-station. There was little of incident, but much that was beautiful, the influence of which was probably enhanced by the sense of harmony and the satisfaction I had left behind among the members of the expe- dition. Through dense jungles, the trail led on and on, the Indians never hesitating for an instant, till finally we reached an open savannah, where we stopped to rest, with a beautiful ex- panse of green before us, containing some square miles of grass, dotted with groups of fine trees, through which the distant mountains could be seen, a bold outline in beautiful pro- spective.
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
Starting on again, we presently came to the traders' camp, where I bought six bottles of brandy, and, after resting my men and giving them a feed, started back for camp, each Indian carrying three bottles of the brandy and look- ing the picture of misery while they trudged along in front of me, endeavouring to get away by themselves. Finally they became worked up into such a state of excitement that, for safety, I promised to give them each a drink when we got to camp, and after that I could not go fast enough for them.
At sunset we reached camp, and all came crowding around eager for brandy. One bottle was given to the superintendent, who immedi- ately partook liberally himself; and then he began treating all hands, and soon came back for a fresh supply. But I had placed the five remaining bottles in a suitable box, nailed down the lid, and put my seal over the cracks, as one does when shipping bullion; then I announced that that brandy was mine, and threatened all the law and prosecution of the courts on any one who dared to break my seal. Then there was a racket, before which I winced and trem- bled, but would not give in ; for, though I was
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AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
afraid all through, I was mad also, and that helped me out.
It was amusing to see the superintendent look at the impression of my crest on the box, and then turn away doubtfully and consult with the Spaniards ; but they seemed to consider that I had the law on my side, and it is remarkable what a little thing will hold men in check. Finally the camp quieted down, and after a cold supper I went to bed. Before I turned in, the cook, a rough fellow named Brown, slapped me on the back and said, " Wal, now, for a kid, that war purty well done," and then he went away laughing. I was very indignant that any one should call me kid, and went to sleep plan- ning how it should be stopped.
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
CHAPTER III.
INDIANS AND MOSQUITOES
Now the days dragged and time was heavy on our hands, and it appeared as though the Indians never would be ready to take us on. but one morning a whole fleet of canoes ap- peared, brought by a goodly company of In- dians who had come to take us to their village.
Under the direction of their chief, our goods were shortly distributed among the canoes, and in a long procession we started across the la- goon, a sheet of water formed quite the same as the shallow lagoons along our Atlantic coast, but surrounded with vegetation of bewildering density. The water was very shallow, and the canoes made good progress. After some hours we saw in the distance a collection of cocoanut- trees floating as it were above the water. They mark one of the principal towns of the Mos-
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AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
quito Indians, a place where dark stories linger, tales of the Indians and their cruelty. Arriv- ing at this place in the late afternoon, I saw only a low, muddy shore, and groups of huts clustered together among the trees.
As we came up to the landing, women and children crowded about, talking eagerly, and anxious to see everything we had. Climbing over the side of a great canoe, I stood for the first time on the native land of the Indians, and it would have been hard to tell which were the more interested, I or the Indians crowding about me. The girls were graceful ; the younger ones beautiful. The children were bright and pretty, like little fairies, almost ; but the older women were worn and bent by labour. The men showed all too clearly the signs of unrestricted dissipa- tion. They were of rather dark skin, and among some there were marked traces of negro blood. Their huts were oblong, rounded at the ends ; they were made by driving palmetto- trunks into the ground and covered with a thatched roof of palm-leaves. The children wore but little clothing; the women used a short skirt and little shawl, and the men wore pantaloons and a short coat, only partially cov-
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
ering the abdomen. All were friendly, and in a very short time willing hands took our sup- plies from the canoes, and then made us welcome, with presents of fruits and game. All our things were stored in one of the larger huts, and we were given a place near by, in which we were to live, — a very comfortable hut, with mahog- any boards for the floor.
Soon people grew tired of looking at us, and went about their own affairs. The women busied themselves preparing food, and presently seated before the huts were groups of people, eating, talking, and laughing, evidently secure in the abundance of the present and the promises of the future, with no care at all.
In a little time the family groups began to disappear, and laughing and talking could be heard from under heavy canopies; and from the surrounding jungles a distant hum, rising up and dying away, could be heard constantly growing louder, and apparently drawing nearer. Most of the people had disappeared by this time, and the chief now shouted to us, " Get under the mosquito canopies; don't you hear them coming? "
We had been provided with canopies before
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AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
leaving the settlements, and, finding that the Indians had been careful to hang them in our hut, we hurried under cover. For a time I lay awake, listening in wonder to the myriads of mosquitoes that came swarming about. This was the Mosquito Coast, and I began to under- stand how, at night, the mosquitoes are a real danger, and to sleep without a heavy canopy would truly mean death.
A day or two later, in the early morning, when the fog was thick among the marshes, and the mist hung low over the water, I left the little Indian village under the cocoanut-trees on Brewer's Lagoon, and began a long journey, canoeing up the Rio Patuca of Spanish Hon- duras. I had been pleasantly entertained at the village, but my late friends were apparently so indifferent at my going that I began to lose faith in the Indians, while stories that I had heard of their cruelty and treachery were con- stantly suggesting themselves to my thoughts. My white companions were rough, boasting, quarrelsome men, not pleasant travelling com- panions; and from them I separated myself, and found a comfortable place in one of the smaller canoes alone with three Indians, about
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AND ACROSS PANAMA
whom I really knew nothing. Soon the Indian village was lost, in the gray light of the morn- ing, and then we were surrounded by fog and desolation. Along the shores of the lagoon were dead or dying trees, gaunt and naked; about us were quantities of water-fowl, and in the water were many watchful alligators. Our progress was slow, for the shallow water was choked with plants and decaying vegetation. About noon we made a branch of the Patuca River, where a volume of muddy water came pouring out of a narrow channel, surrounded by great stretches of marsh land covered with tall reeds and extending for miles. Progress was slow, and the clumsy boat designed by the superintendent of the expedition could scarcely be held against the current.
By nightfall we had made perhaps one or two miles, and then, the mosquitoes appearing, we were forced to prepare a hasty camp on a mud-bank. Such a night ! Before my mosquito bar was up, I had caught a net full of them, and as the hours wore away held a boxing- match with myself, and perhaps killed some mosquitoes, but I am not sure; in that country mosquitoes are different from the harmless little
SI
AROUND THE CARIBBEAN
insects at home. They are Hke rubber; to kill them one must use force enough to cause some inconvenience, and that night I punished my- self severely. Next morning came with fog and light rain, just the weather for mosquitoes; and the Indians predicted that we would have a bad time. We didn't stop to eat much, and were soon under way again, making better prog- ress than on the day before. I travelled with my three Indians, who were working vigorously to keep up with the larger boat. They were almost naked, and the quantities of mosquitoes made their flesh quiver; yet they bent deter- minedly to their work. Presently we passed under a group of willow-trees, and I picked a bunch of soft withes to keep the mosquitoes from my hands and face. One of the withes was very long, and I found that by using a little energy I could send it gently over the backs and shoul- ders of my suff^ering men, and at the same time protect my own face and hands. Presently my white companions noticed my efforts, and from the larger boat set up a derisive shouting, say- ing, with many unpleasant words, that it was no use to do anything for an Indian, I would learn quickly enough. The Indians said noth-
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ing; neither did they make any sign of thanks, though at each derisive shout and taunting re- mark I noticed an ugly light flash in their eyes, but there was no other change of expression. Then we fell behind the big boat, and I was alone with them. Dinner-time came; the big boat was far in advance of us, and my men had nothing to eat. Their leader asked me, " You eat now.? " and on being told that I would, stopped the canoe at a convenient point and spread out the bountiful lunch that had been provided for me. Then they went back to the canoe and sat in stolid dejection, waiting for me to finish. I immediately called them, pro- posing to divide what food I had equally. They came with some hesitation ; each took the offered food, but made no sign of thanks, not even an expression of gratitude on their faces. My dog received a share of the food, and it laid its head affectionately on my knee and wagged its tail in appreciation; but the Indians simply ate, and made no sign. I was disgusted. Truly there was reason in all the derision of my white companions. We started on presently, but there was a sort of misunderstanding among us. I sat in the canoe, brushing the mosquitoes from 23
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my hands and face, and let the men shift for themselves, thinking that there was no use do- ing anything for an Indian; but common hu- manity could not bear the sight of their quiver- ing, naked flesh, and the next moment I was brushing the mosquitoes from them, as before, wondering at their strange, unfeeling natures. Late in the afternoon we overtook the large boat, and found that preparations were being made to camp on a high, wooded bank, that promised well for the night. I got out my mosquito bar, meaning to arrange it early, be- fore the mosquitoes came; but no sooner had I started for the shore than the leader of my men gave the youngest a savage cuff across the ear and pointed to the bundle, which the young man immediately ran to take from me. I was well tired, and only too pleased to give it up, and scarcely noticed that my men were busily at work arranging it for me — and they did it well, too. When supper was ready and we sat around eating as best we could hardtack and canned corned beef, with strong coffee, one of my men came softly behind me and put a fine piece of roasted turtle on my plate, and went away, not even waiting for thanks. Of course,
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I shared it with my white companions, and we all found it a welcome addition to our limited supply. Then the mosquitoes drove us under our nets, and we tried to sleep; but a fierce storm, now rapidly approaching, made us anx- ious, and we lay awake waiting. The perspira- tion was trickling down my face; then for a moment a breath of cool air came, blowing through the net, followed by a crashing and roaring as the storm closed in around us, — wind, thunder, lightning, and torrents of rain. No tent could turn such a volume of water, and presently it was coming through in streams. All the place was drenched, and pools of water formed where my companions had made their beds; but where I lay the ground had been banked up, and no water collected, and for some unaccountable reason no water came through my part of the tent, though long, bitter curses, coming from my companions, showed how they were faring; yet I was cool and comfortable and presently fell asleep.
Morning came bright and clear after the storm, and, on scrambling out from under the tent, I saw that my Indians had left their beds, and in all that storm had collected quantities of
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big leaves and arranged them on the tent over my bed, that I might sleep unharmed. Truly their ways are not as our ways, and it is of some use to show kindness to the Indians. I understood them after that, and we were the best of friends. Through all that journey I had but to express a wish, and eager hands were ready to serve me. Of course I shared my provisions, and kept the mosquitoes off them; but that was not much to do, and they gave in return of fruits, game, and all that they had; nor were they ever contented till I had taken the best of everything that they secured; yet never an expression of thanks in their silent faces, only now and then a light in their eyes that shone for an instant and then disappeared. Through all that trip up the river the water was at full flood, the rainy season on in force, and all nature at its best. Each turn of the river opened to new delights of tropical luxuri- ance, a wall of green on either hand, a torrent of muddy water crowding, chafing, and filling the air with a subdued, but ominous, murmur- ing; bands of dark, forbidding clouds, beating showers, with alternate periods of bright sun- shine, and everywhere the fragrance of count-
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less blossoms. Of all that was beautiful, the most striking were the masses of yellow jessa- mine flowers that in some places, where the vines had mounted to the tops of great trees, were seen in bold outline above the forest, a crown of glory and fragrance. It was beautiful, but no place for a white man. Below the dense luxuriance of the jungle were swamps and poi- soned air, and all that region was solitude, given over to wild animals and primeval forests.
Camping in such places was not pleasant, and each night we made the best convenience we could on a mud-bank, and, though my Indians did everything possible for me, I was beginning to be quite miserable, when my head Indian said, " Don't sick ; we sleep dry to-night, and to-morrow reach houses ! "
Our camp that night promised to be the most unpleasant of all, and, to my surprise, the In- dians did not arrange my bed and mosquito bar as usual. I soon found they had not forgotten, for after supper they came to carry me on their strong backs two miles through the swamp to a village of their people. My white companions objected, saying, " You are a pretty fellow, going to leave the expedition, making up to the
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Indians, and deserting your friends. Suppose the river rises, and everything exposed to it." I stopped, not that I cared much about my " friends," but I felt some responsibility for the goods we carried. The Indians were dis- appointed, and the youngest of my three men was told to stay with me. Of this there was no need, and I sent him, to be comfortable, with the others. Then night settled down about camp, and the sorrows of darkness began, — rain above, mosquitoes around, and mud below us.
At last morning came, and the Indians re- turned from the village looking fresh and rested; but we, who had stopped on the mud- bank, were a sorry appearing lot. That day it did not rain so much, and the Indians worked with a will, so that by noontime we reached an open savannah, where a collection of board houses and a ruined sawmill were lonely evi- dences of an enterprise of some kind that was a failure. Here we were to stop for a few days, until arrangements had been made with other Indians to take us further on. Our supplies were soon unloaded, and then the Indians turned away and left us, my own men going without
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a word or a look. I hurried after them to say good-bye; and when I called they stopped, took my proffered hand with a surprised ex- pression, and then went on again. A moment or two later the boats disappeared around a bend in the river, and I never saw any of them again.
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CHAPTER IV.
WILD ANIMALS AND A PANTHER AT NIGHT
After the Indians had gone, we settled down to camp again, this time at an open savannah surrounded by jungles. The superintendent of the expedition soon found himself in difficulties. He carried a heavy equipment, which Indians living near, and on whom we were depending, said could not be taken up the river to our destination; and thereupon a contest of wills set up, the Indians offering to take us on with a light equipment selected from among our things, and the superintendent vowing that all the material should go forward. I liked the plan proposed by the Indians, but could do noth- ing except advise, as my instructions were to follow the superintendent for a time at least.
Our camp was not altogether harmonious, yet there was much of real interest in our surround- ings, with occasionally an exciting incident.
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Every night jaguars, panthers, and tiger-cats came prowling about the camp, filling the air at intervals with their strange cries. The tiger- cats were not dangerous, but the jaguars and panthers caused us some alarm. Of all the sounds in the tropical forests, the cry of the jaguar is the most awe-inspiring. From all the tangled growth of the jungle, a myriad of minor voices constantly fills the early hours of the night; then a volume of sound breaks in on the harmony of sound; a roar ending in a sudden choking, and all is still; from the forest no sound arises, the jaguar has cried out on his pathway, and all nature pauses as if in fear, then, reassured, the voices of the minor animals begin again, and presently are heard as before.
One night I heard the voice of an unusually large jaguar coming nearer and nearer to camp ; then presently its deep cry was heard close by the houses, and all was still. It was probably coming in, but where.? Of course not from the place where it had last cried out; perhaps it would sneak along the river-front, or come crawling in through the long grass of the sa- vannah. While I waited listening a soft foot-
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fall was heard just by the house, and then a stealthy step coming through an open room or piazza. It is preparing to attack, was my first thought. My bed was most exposed — in fact, nothing but a door, covered with cheese- cloth to keep out the mosquitoes, separated me from the piazza. I sat up listening, and fancied I heard a deep breathing. I called softly to my companion, got up, found my pistol, and stood waiting. Everything was still. Then I whis- pered, " Let's go out and try for a shot."
My companion whispered assent, and then said he would open the door, and cautioned me to be ready if the jaguar should spring through it. Then he whispered, " Ready ? " opened the door, and — got behind it. A breath of fresh air blew in my face, a shiver went down my back. That was all. An instant I stood waiting, and then stepped out. But the animal had gone as stealthily as it had come. Then out came my companion, all big words and flourish. To- gether we went about the camp for a time, hop- ing for a shot. Then the mosquitoes drove us in, and we went to bed again.
As time passed, wild animals became more troublesome. One night we were awakened by
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a great outcrying and cursing coming from the cook's quarters, and on hurrying out found the cook with a big club in his hand, and two or three frightened Indians standing behind him.
" Them animals beats everything I did see," he said, as we came running up. " But the cheek of the brute! It sneaked right past my mosquito-net and went to eating at the meat I had saving for breakfast. I drove at it with this club, and it got away, through a hole, I take it."
" What was it ? " we all asked.
" Panther — yellow and big enough for me, anyway," and the cook looked at us as if to say, " Those animals are not dangerous ; it's all Indian talk." We advised him not to attack panthers with a club at night, but if the thing came again to call us. Then, after talking a little, we hurried to our mosquito bars, not hav- ing noticed till then how the insects were swarm- ing around us.
Next morning the cook said to me : " Mr. Frank, I thought it was a lot of rats or I wouldn't have done it, but I ain't telling that to them men," pointing to my companions.
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The next night, shortly after we went to bed, we heard the cook caUing again, and hurried from our quarters to his aid. As we came run- ning up, his voice greeted us from under the mosquito bar, saying, " That panther has come again, bigger this time, and it's gone in the cook-house."
We went cautiously and stood looking in at the open door, where there was quite a large room, now perfectly dark. We stood there a moment; then I told the engineer to hold a torch over my head, and I would go in the room and try for a shot at the panther. There was but one door, and I felt sure of a shot this time.
The engineer called me a blank, blank fool, a kid, a tenderfoot, and said he would hold no light at that door.
" Well," I said, " I'm not going to miss this chance. I'll go in without a light."
" Yes," sneered the engineer, " tenderfoot, fool, kid. Don't you know better than that, going in a room with a panther.? You never saw one before, that's plain. Any mother's baby would know better."
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I stepped up to the door, saying, " Are you going to hold that light ? "
" Here," he said, " give me a torch. Now go in and let the panther maul you; it will serve you right."
He held the torch at the door, and I stepped cautiously into the dimly lighted room. At first I saw nothing, and stood for what seemed a long time, the engineer telling me to come back while I could, and that the brute was only hiding. I didn't like it very much, and had just determined to back cautiously out when I heard something stir, and then over in the corner above a pile of flour-bags two burning eyes appeared, glared at me, and were motionless. There was the game. My chance had come. I raised my big .44-calibre revolver, took careful aim, shot, and then repeated, aiming at the same place. Something fell heavily to the ground, the en- gineer gave a sort of gasp, and exclaimed, "The tenderfoot kid, he did kill it." Then everybody crowded into the room.
We searched with great care, but could not find the animal. The general opinion was that it had been badly wounded, and had crawled in behind some of the stores, and we could get it
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in the morning. I moved a barrel and caught sight of a tawny fur, and made a grab for it, but one of the men caught my arm and held me back, saying, " Those animals have more lives than a cat; better be careful." However, the beast lay perfectly still, and I wanted to see it that night, and I put my hand down, feeling it carefully for a moment, then took hold with both hands, braced myself, laid my strength on for a big lift, and went over backward as if I had lost my hold. But I hadn't. My grip was good enough, and so had been my aim; but in my hands I held an unfortunate opossum, and not a very large one at that, except its eyes, and they were too big for its face.
I didn't mean to hurt that opossum. It wasn't fit to eat. I had nothing against it. Why couldn't it have gotten out of a hole in the roof before I shot, and have made big noise getting away.? Then I would have had a thrill- ing tale to tell of adventure with a panther. As it is, I only killed a night-prowling opossum, of the kind that smell badly when one gets too near them.
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CHAPTER V.
AliONE IN AN INDIAN VILLAGE
As the days passed one after another, I made friends with the neighbouring Indians, and found them a kindly disposed people, but they were positive that the river was too rough for our heavy equipment and clumsy boats, so the deadlock continued. In camp, when troubles come, life is a serious problem. The superin- tendent went to look for men, insisting that his boats and heavy equipment should go up the river, wildly declaiming as he left us that the world contained no torrent strong enough to turn him aside or check his plans.
We were alone now; for days the neigh- bouring Indians had refused to come near our camp. The engineer was dangerously sick, and the cook objecting violently to the burden of work. That morning he said to me : " Mr.
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Frank, it ain't no ways reasonable, me to be cooking and cleaning, cutting wood and fixing stores; and with him sick and kicking mor'n enough, there won't be no getting along with it." Then he sent the axe crashing into the log he was chopping, and, shouldering a quantity of wood, marched away to the kitchen. Just then I heard the engineer asking for water, which I hurried to give him. Something had to be done. Salt provisions and heavy work promised to make us all sick. It was still early in the morning. I knew that seven to nine miles across the jungles and savannahs there was an Indian village, and I resolved that I would go there and find help. I took my rifle, gave some directions to the cook, and hinted to a little Spaniard who hung around camp that if he would mind his own business it would be appre- ciated. Then I hurried out on the trail to look for help. I had never been alone in the tropical jungles, and was all excitement with a sort of fear because of the unknown in the wilderness about me. Gradually this feeling wore off, and, as the day passed, my only anxiety was that night might come before I could find the Indian village. I knew that it was a long way before
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I started, but now as the narrow trail led me on and on, sometimes through a dense jungle, again in and out and among the great trees of an open forest, or through tangled bushes along the edge of the savannah, it seemed as though I would never reach the end, and now anxiety and fears of a lonely night in the jun- gles were my constant companions. I was alone, and, perhaps, like a lost man, becoming panic- stricken ; yet I hurried on, and late in the after- noon saw a group of trees and little houses some distance ahead across the savannah. Urging my steps, I presently reached the village, tired and hungry, only to find the place deserted. Sometimes the Indians go away for days, and I looked anxiously for signs of life. Then from one of the houses I heard voices, and on hurry- ing to the door and looking in, I saw one of the most beautiful examples of Indian life that I have ever known. The house was full of chil- dren, little and big, all perfectly contented, talk- ing together and laughing pleasantly. The boys were mending bows and arrows, or swing- ing in hammocks. The girls were busy at min- iature housekeeping, and the very little ones were either asleep or staring contentedly at the 39
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others. Outside it was all burning sun, but in the hut there was subdued light and cool air, like that of the deep woodlands.
For an instant, I watched the half-naked chil- dren, as healthy and graceful as little wild ani- mals; then they saw me. The bigger boys caught up their knives, their bows, and their arrows, and stood defiantly in front of the girls ; but just for an instant; the next moment some of the boys who had been at our camp recog- nized me, weapons were thrown aside, and I was receiving a welcome such as can be had only in the boisterous good- will of healthy children. Then some got a hammock for me, others took off my boots, while still others ran to bring fruits and cool water. In a very short time I was most comfortable, and had quite for- gotten the burning sun and long tramp. Pres- ently some of the children came, bringing an old woman — the grandmother of all the vil- lage. She could speak a little English, and on learning that I wanted some men, said that they had all gone hunting, but would come back at night. Then she had the children gather up my things, and we all went to her house, where
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she and some younger women immediately be- gan preparing a good dinner for me.
When all was ready I was brought a large wooden plate, and the food was placed around my hammock in gourds, each presided over by a bright little Indian child, armed with a forked stick, with which to pick up the food and trans- fer it to my plate as I might want it. I had boiled chicken, rice, yams, plantain, smoked wild pork, yucca, and various fruits. The children were eager in their service, and it was a beau- tiful dinner. Before me was the intense sun- light and deep blue sky over the open savannah, around me a pleasant shade and soft breeze blowing in at the wide-open door, and the children, pretty little creatures, laughed and chatted together, each eagerly pressing me to eat of what he or she had to offer; while the old Indian woman sat looking on, all smiles at my enjoyment of her things, her satisfaction increasing every moment, and I must confess that I did eat a lot, but then there was plenty. After dinner I amused the people showing them my watch, compass, and the few other things I had with me, and presently evening came, and with it the people of the village : men laden
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with game from their hunting, and women bear- ing fruits and vegetables from their gardens and cultivations among the woodlands.
So soon as my Indian friends learned that the superintendent had left camp, they were all quite ready to go with me, but I wanted only two men, and, having picked out a pair of sturdy -looking fellows, we all went to the chief's house to sit around and have a talk. The chil- dren came, too, but now they were quite subdued in the presence of the men, and sat meekly looking on. From time to time women came in to look at the white stranger; each carried a torch, and generally an armful of gourd dishes, all very much alike, which probably they had been washing; these were all laid on the ground in front of the house, while the Indian women came in to satisfy their curiosity. Pres- ently one came along with her torch and a good supply of gourds in her arms. She placed them on the ground with care, laying the torch beside them, and came stalking in with a savage look at the boys. Evidently she was no fa- vourite with them; there was a whispered con- sultation, then the little scamps sneaked cau- tiously out of the door, went to her torch, and
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carefully made two torches of it, putting each in a separate place a little distance apart; then they divided her gourds, placing some by each torch ; after that they hid behind some 'bushes and waited. Presently the woman, having sat- isfied her curiosity, went out, and walked up to the nearest pile of gourds with a puzzled expression; she had brought eight, now there were only three, with a small torch, and hers had been a big one ; then she went to the others, then she came back to the first, and went angrily toward the others again. Evidently she wished to be careful about touching what might not belong to her, and now stood looking about her with an angry, puzzled expression. Then a stifled laugh came from behind the bushes; in- stantly she seemed to grasp the situation; with one sweep of her long arm she gathered up her gourds and made a dash for the boys, but they were too quick for her, and, scattering in all directions, the half -naked little scamps went dancing about among the houses, screaming with laughter and delight at her efforts to catch them. For some time she kept up an angry, determined chase, but finally gave in and went to her hut, with loud expressions of opinion that 43
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sounded like very bad words. The men laughed heartily, and, encouraged by this, the boys came with doubtful steps into the house, but the chief made a sign to the young men, and the boys made a wild dash for the door. It was no use this time; they were soon caught, their ears were soundly boxed, and for a time lamentations filled the village.
I talked with the Indians late into the night, and then slept on a mahogany board under a good mosquito-net, and would have been com- fortable if only I could have found one soft spot on that board. In the morning I and my two men tramped back to our camp, where the Indians soon made us comfortable.
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CHAPTER VI.
A STARTLING PEOPOSITION AND A HEAVY FLOOD
Foe, a time the days went on pleasantly enough, but after awhile we began to feel some- what anxious about the superintendent, and as the days lengthened into weeks we talked of sending out a searching party. Then word came to us that yellow fever was raging all along the coast, and that the superintendent was dead. At this we decided that our plans must be changed, yet to go back to the coast seemed unwise; and finally it was agreed that I should go on alone to the interior, and that our two remaining companions should stay with our supplies till men and proper equipment could be sent down the river to take them all to our destination.
Arrangements were easily made with the Indians, for they were all eager to serve me.
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and a few days later I left camp in company with a number of them, who had come to take me to their village, the first stopping-point on my journey to the interior. A moment of mu- tual parting, instructions, a hurried good-bye, and I turned away with my Indian friends. As we went, they talked continually of the rich beauty and resources of their country ; for what reason I did not know till I arrived at their village, where I found a number of lead- ing men, who, after extending salutations of welcome, made me a rather startling proposi- tion. It appeared that four villages in that country were constantly at strife, each with the other, and they wanted a new chief to pre- side over all four, a dignity to which I had been duly appointed, and they proposed to build me a new village, or, rather, a collection of huts, where it was proposed that I should marry and settle down, but the marrying was serious because each of the four villages ex- pected to be represented in my establishment. First I was to marry a daughter of each of the village chiefs, — that made four as princi- pal wives; then I was to marry a relative of each chief's principal wife, one from each vil-
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lage, — that made eight ; then, after marrying eight Indian girls selected for me by others, I was to select a wife from each village as I might fancy; a total of twelve wives offered all at once.
The Indians could not understand why I did not accept at once an offer so liberal in all its conditions, and I was anxious enough to find some excuse for declining without giving them offence. After we had consulted together for a long time, I told them that, according to the laws of my fathers, which were of course bind- ing on me, a man could have but one wife, and that I could by no means become the common bond through which the contending villages might be united. Yet I was fearful of offend- ing their women, for they were proud of their attractions.
There was a beautiful little Indian baby girl about four years old in that village, named Dropm, and just at that time she happened to be sitting on my knee looking at me intently with grave, wondering eyes. So I told the peo- ple that I could not be contented with any one but Dropin, and as she was so young, I would have to wait for her to grow. The people were
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disappointed, but accepted the excuse, and little Dropm became a personage of importance. Then I gave her a lot of things, such as I had, a bright silk handkerchief, metal buttons, safety-pins, etc. ; and her delight was beyond her ability to express. Then I nominated a boy to take care of her, which was equivalent to providing a husband, gave the chief some money to buy her a cow, and I had done suffi- cient. No doubt I have long since been for- gotten, though, for myself, I often think of the pretty Indian baby and wonder what has become of her.
In the same village I met a boy who some days before had come to camp, asking that I would give him some medicine for ugly sores and a skin disease on his legs and feet; and I was pleased to find that he was now quite well. He could not speak my language, but as a means of expressing his thanks he came to show me the places where the sores had been, and then stood by my side till late in the evening.
That night it rained, and in the morning the river was up and a mighty flood was on; all around, where yesterday there had been green savannahs, was one expanse of water,
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and the higher ground on which the village stood was an island, with the water still rising around it.
Even the Indians looked on in amazement. Then a rumour started that my friends at camp were being washed away, and that most prob- ably all would be killed.
I called my men, and told them to go back to camp, which was within easy reach now by canoe across the flooded savannah, and help could be sent quickly; but the men said they would not go; it was too dangerous. In vain I scolded and entreated, they would not go. Their engagement to go up the river they ac- knowledged, and were prepared to obey any or- ders for that trip I might give at any time. Then I determined to gain my point with strong words. So calling them to the canoes, I said, " Get your things, we will start now."
The chief translated, and dismay filled their faces. I took my place in the canoe and re- peated my order. " But we will certainly be killed," said the chief, " no canoe can live in the rapids just above here with such a flood."
"Good," I said, "we wiU all be killed; so will my friends unless you go to their aid, and
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why should I not die with them? Now take your choice, go down the river to help my friends or start up the river with me at once, and we will all go to ' Hell ' together."
They looked at me, and I looked at them. Then the chief said, " Me go," and after that they all assented.
It was easy for them to push a light canoe across the flooded meadows, and that evening they all came back, the chief bringing a letter from my friends assuring me that they were all well at camp.
Later, I heard that the chief had expressed a rather strong opinion in regard to my char- acter, saying to my friends at camp, " Yes, he a good man, he a much good man, but, oh, God. he a devil."
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CHAPTER VII.
A ROW IN CAMP
The next day word came to me that the superintendent had returned, and was most anxious that I should come back to camp, which I naturally prepared to do at once.
The river was still at flood, though the savannah was now free from water. Two fine young Indians were directed to take me, a canoe was prepared, and we were shortly on our way, the swift current carrying us down the river with almost appalling force. It was a long way, for the river made numerous windings, and it was late in the afternoon when we ar- rived in camp. I was surprised to find that a number of my Indian friends had also come to our camp, having made their way, through all the dangerous wind, across the lately flooded savannah. As I went toward the house, one of
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them whispered, " If he fights, come out to us." Then they all sat about indifferently, and one would have thought they had no concern in me at all.
My meeting with the superintendent was strained. He had failed utterly in his search for men, and there was little to be said, at least I had nothing to say, and simply waited to hear him.
We were all sitting in front of one of the huts, I watching the sun set, and wondering at the volume of water in the flooded river just before us; then from the other side I saw a great animal come out of the woods, where for an instant it stood in bold outline against the sunset. " What is that.? " I cried, " a tapir or what.? " An Indian sitting near said, " Tiger," and in an instant there was commotion in camp. Supremely quiet, the great jaguar stood look- ing across the water; then with a slow move- ment, his eyes fixed on us, he walked to the river and began to swim as if intent on reaching where we stood and beginning the attack. He must have been well hungry to attack so many people, but a hungry jaguar will do anything. We rushed for our rifles, and before the jaguar
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could cross the broad river all were prepared for him. " You saw it, your shot," whispered one of the Indians, as we stood waiting. Then I stepped ahead of the others, feeling sure of my game this time. I wanted the skin, and had just determined to let the beast reach shallow water on our side of the river, feeling sure I could kill before it sprang on us, when one of my companions fired over my shoulder, taking my shot, and killing the game while it was yet in deep water. For a moment or two it strug- gled, making a magnificent effort to reach shore, then sinking below, the surface, disap- peared for ever, carried down by the swift current.
This incident put us in a bad humour, and the superintendent began demanding money, asking that I should make heavy drafts on New York, though how he expected to obtain money on them in the wild jungles was past my com- prehension. I agreed, however, that I would give him the drafts, provided he would take a light cargo and go on with the Indians to our destination. He refused, and after consulting my Indian friends, I decided that no more money could be given him unless he agreed to
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go on, make such progress as he could, and give up his schemes in regard to navigating the Patuca River, in which I had no interest what- ever. Then there was a scene, threats and wild language; the superintendent had been drink- ing, and was little better than a madman. Presently his thoughts centred on an idea that he would go back to the settlements, and up the road to the interior, and there revoke certain transfers of property before I could have them registered. This registry was one of the most important matters that had been entrusted to me. The question was rather serious, and I consulted with others before answering him; while he, all complacent, thought I was cornered. I was assured that if he went back to the coast he could not get through the dead-line, because yellow fever was raging in the settlements. The dead-line is a rather peculiar though effective quarantine; a line is drawn across the road from an infected place, and a notice is posted up ; a guard stationed to protect the line, and whoever attempts to cross from the infected side is immediately shot. I hardly believed this statement, but I was convinced that there was some impediment to travel, and that to reach
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the interior from the infected coast would be difficult, and probably slow work. Fortunately we were above the dead-line, and I determined to make my way across the wilderness to the capital ; if my companion came with me I could claim the right of registry, and if he went by way of the coast I could probably beat him in.
Once more I tried to persuade him that our best interests were to go on, but words were use- less, and a race for the mines was in order.
I arranged as best I could. Of the money we had, I took one hundred and fifty dollars in silver, and gave the balance, several hundred dollars, to the engineer of our expedition, tell- ing him to remain at camp till I could send help from the capital. Then, with the few things packed which were to be my outfit, I waited anxiously for an opportunity to begin my journey.
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CHAPTER VHI.
ALONE WITH THE INDIANS AGAIN
In a few days a crew of Sumu Indians came up the river and stopped for the night at our camp. They agreed to take me with them as far as they were going, but did not think I could succeed in getting over the mountains. They said that there were plenty of men at their village, a place called Gualpatante, and as I felt sure I could arrange with some of them, I determined to push on.
I got my things together and next morning we started. Their canoe was unusually large, made from a single mahogany log, and capable of carrying six or seven tons.
Eight men made up the crew, rough-looking fellows, such as I had never seen before, and I wondered what was to be my fate with them. The captain of the crew was old and bent, look-
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ing almost like a hunchback; his arms reached down below his knees ; his neck was long, skinny, and protruding; he had only one tooth, which had grown up to the length of a boar's tusk; one eye was knocked out, his nose and chin almost met, his long, unkempt hair hung about his naked shoulders ; and to make his appear- ance more frightful, one-half his face was painted black, which brought his protruding cheek-bones into peculiar prominence.
I looked at him in astonishment, not unmixed with fear, and he was in truth a strange, for- bidding-looking object. The Indians quickly put my things in the canoe, the old Indian motioned me to a seat, and my journey had be- gun, my companion sneeringly remarking that he would wait for me at the capital, where I would find the property made away with, and all because of my headstrong folly in refusing his orders. The time for words was past; I invited him to go with me, but he would not; and then the men pushed out in the stream, and began a vigorous paddling which soon took us around a bend in the river, and I was alone with these strange, half -naked Indians, per-
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plexed and doubting the wisdom of the course I was pursuing.
I was not long in finding out that I was in good company, and the strange old Indian was as careful of me as if I had been his child. I soon forgot my fears in the novelty of my sur- roundings, and then anxiety gave place to thorough enjoyment.
As we ascended the river the scene gradually changed, and presently we were among the first undulations of the mountains, and after two days, had reached the lower foot-hills, and were surrounded by all that one could dream of in a tropical paradise. At night we camped on the sand-bars, and in a few minutes the Indians would have game and fish in abundance. Then we would eat, and it seemed as if I could not get enough, and fortunately there was no end to the supply.
Two days more, and we reached the Indian village, a place called Gualpatante; the men took my things to one of the larger houses, and the people crowded around to see me.
I immediately began negotiations for men to take me on my way, and was meeting with some success when all my hopes were ruined at
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a sign from the old Indian, whose name, I learned, was Tusa. He was a most remarkable person; the oldest people in the village said that when they were children he was just as I found him — old, temperate in all things, and powerfully strong. While we were coming up the river the men had on several occasions been unable to make headway against the current, which at times was very swift. Old Tusa carried a great paddle, bigger than himself, and at these times he would give one long sweep with it deep in the water, and the great canoe would tremble at the force; then another sweep of his broad paddle, and the canoe would move ahead slowly; then the men would get it in control again, and we would creep steadily on to quieter water; the old Indian making himself comfortable in a lazy attitude in the stem of the canoe. And this was the man who had me in his power, and I began to be anxious again, and wonder why he was unwilling that I should go on.
I was well treated, and if I could have spoken to them fluently or understood what they said, I felt sure that all would soon be arranged ; but my few words of the Indian language seemed to
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be lost on old Tusa, who spoke only a very little English and Spanish. Conversation was not brilliant. Each morning old Tusa would come down to see me and say : " Where going to- day?"
" Up the river," I would reply.
" No, can't go."
" But I want to — I must," I would protest.
" No, can't go."
" But I will," I would say, angrily, at times.
" No, can't go. Where going to-day ? Stone tings; flower tings; butterfly tings; hunt?"
I was interested in collecting specimens, and would generally choose one or another excur- sion proposed. The old man would give a satisfied grunt, and then, after a brief direction to one of the young men, who apparently never thought of disobeying him, I would be taken out in the woods; and game, insects, botanical or geological specimens would be found to my fullest satisfaction.
But as the days accumulated, I gave up going out, and all my thoughts were concentrated on getting away from that old Indian. He would have taken me back to the camp down the river at any time, but he would not take me on, nor
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would he let me go, and I began to fear that he had an understanding with the superintendent to detain me. Twice I nearly succeeded, but he stopped me each time, and I grew more and more anxious.
What he meant to do I could not tell, and I was in despair, even expecting that later he in- tended to have me killed.
The Indians were drinking a good part of the time, and how I learned to hate those drunken feasts. Tusa never went to them, but the other men would soon become hopelessly intoxicated, and then would promise to take me anywhere, and that would be the end of it, only promises. They drank fermented sugar-cane juice which was prepared by women who sat around a big trough chewing cane and spitting the juice till they had filled the trough; then it was allowed to ferment. When properly fermented, the boys would gather with their reed pipes and the men would drink to the accompaniment of their droning music, just the same thing over and over again, all in disorder, yet not unpleas- ing in its effect ; and finally the men would fall into a helpless drunken stupor, though at times angry quarrels would take place, and the In-
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dians, wild with drink, would threaten all sorts of violence. At such times old Tusa would hurry over to my house, and forbid my going out. Usually he stayed with me until the row was over, and I could not understand why he was so careful of me, and yet kept me so closely guarded.
A few days later I learned why this was. I had lost three weeks when a large canoe came up the river filled with Indians, but among them there was a white man, a fine fellow who was building up a trade in rubber with the Indians. I had been living in his house, and old Tusa proposed to deliver me safe and sound to my host. This he did with but little ceremony, and as he went out of the door he said to me : " Now can go," and walked off entirely satisfied.
My new friend said that the old Indian had done me a great service, as I would certainly have been killed if I had gone on without being properly prepared; and as it was he did not think it would be possible for me to get through, and advised me most seriously to go back, and give up the idea; it was no trip for a white man not accustomed to the most trying expo- sures. Then, if one did not die from the ex-
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posure, there were the wild animals ; and if not these, then the Indians, almost as dangerous, and altogether he thought it would be impossi- ble for me. But when I explained the situation, he said he thought it was taking big risks, but he would do the best he could for me.
He told me I might take my choice of evils. He could give me Mosquito men who would take me up the rapids safely, but might lose their way in the woods, which would mean death; then he could give me men from his village, but though they knew the trail well, they would perhaps have an accident in the rapids ; which, if it did not kill me, would certainly mean the loss of all my things ; or he could give me the wild men, who would be coming down with their rubber the next day. These were perfect river hands and sure woodmen; but they were mur- derous, and not to be depended on, yet if I was careful with them they would probably take me through safely. I determined to cast in my lot with the wild men, and then my friend gave me careful directions how to treat them. Their last murder had been to secure forty dollars sil- ver, quite a fortune to them. I now had only one hundred dollars silver, little enough with the
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journey ahead of me. This I was not to show on any account. Then I was not to give them directions, but simply allow them to take me. I would fall in with a tribe called the Piyu Indians, some of whom were very dangerous, and, though cowardly, would sneak up to one at night, cut one's throat, and run; and on no account was I to sleep in their houses till I got to the interior valleys; where they were per- fectly reliable, and I would be safe.
Then I gave my friend the money to pay the men, and he proposed to tell them he was ad- vancing it to me, and that I had none. He said he would engage three men and two women as my guides and pack-bearers, because the men rarely murdered a person when the women were near.
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CHAPTER IX.
OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH INDIAN MURDEREES
The following day preparations were made, and, true to their appointment, the men came down that morning, a whole lot of them, with several canoe-loads of rubber. I was glad to see that a number of women were with them, and was overjoyed to learn that they proposed to go back to their mountains the next morning. They looked as wild as monkeys, but their stout muscles spoke well for their ability as wood and river men.
A bargain was quickly made ; my friend gave them their money, and, after making some presents, in which old Tusa was especially re- membered, I set out again with a fair prospect of reaching the interior settlements. The first day the men did excellent work, and the next reached the Wampoo River, and continued on
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the way to their village at a junction with it and the Po River. It had been a long, hard day's work for them, and just as I was con- gratulating myself on our quick time they an- nounced that they must rest one day before starting out again.
There was no help for it, and so I determined to amuse myself as best I could, and when night came I began to think the time had not been a loss, for these were a strange people, and it is seldom the lot of a traveller to faU in with them.
That night the etiquette of the woods re- quired that I should hand my firearms to my host, to prove my confidence in him; usually they are handed back at once, but this Indian kept them, and I began to wish I had not been so particular, and I missed my good friend, as I call my pistol, sorely that night, though I didn't have any occasion to use it; yet there is some- thing companionable about a pistol, and I would have slept more soundly if it had been by my side.
The following day the men continued resting, but in the afternoon I was delighted to see them making preparations to start the next mornings
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A little later I threw the town into a state of excitement because of some paper pinwheels that I made to amuse the children. The men wanted them at once, and I used up numerous pins and nearly all my paper before they were satisfied. When all were supplied, it was an amusing sight as these fully-grown men pranced and ran about among the houses, shouting and kicking up their heels like a lot of children ; the women following around after them equally deHghted, and full of excitement. The fun lasted for about an hour, and then the pin- wheels were worn out, and the village settled down again.
The next morning the chief said they were ready to go on, but to my surprise and alarm I found that five men were to be my companions, and that the women were not going at all. There was no help for it, now; to return was impossible, and if they intended to murder me I could not escape them by going back; so I made the best of the situation and we started. The men made good progress, and about noon we reached a little Indian village called Po. Here my chief and the chief of Po sat down tp have a talk together.
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After a time the chief of Po said to my chief, " Well, are you going to kill this one ? " To which my chief replied, " I don't know, yet ; I must get him up in the woods first and see if he has any money, and besides, the trader takes care of him and perhaps he will only die in the woods." I could understand some words of their language, but they fell to talking about other things, which I could not understand, and I went to sit alone and consider my prospects. It did not seem very encouraging, but the road led on, not back.
We soon were under way again, following the river as it wound ever on up, and still up among the mountains.
Sometimes the rapids were really dangerous, and it was wonderful to see the way in which those Indians managed the shallow dugout or pit pan, as they called it. One stood in front with a long pole to keep it off the rocks, two paddled, one bailed the water out, and one stood behind, steering with a long pole. When we came to a rapid they would shout to me to sit still, which was all I could do; I was so fright- ened I scarcely dared to breath, while those men, shouting with excitement, made their way along
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the sides of rapids which to me seemed impass- able.
At times we would come to long stretches of quiet water, and then to other rapids, and so on up and up, the men shooting iguanas and catching turtles and fish as we went.
Iguana is said to be very fine eating, but after a time I could not bear the sight of it, though it seemed good at first. There was plenty of turtle at all times, however, and so I got along very well.
It was strange to see the Indians catch turtles and fish. A turtle would slip off a log into the water, and at the same time an Indian would dive lightly from the boat, and it was rarely indeed that they missed them. A certain In- dian named Wee Wee was particularly expert, and if he saw a frightened fish hide itself as we passed on up the river, he would slip quietly over the side of the canoe, and nearly always succeeded in catching it.
At one part of the journey we found our- selves in a deep ravine, which was so high up among the mountains that we could look back out of it over a great stretch of country and lower mountains, and as we sat in the cool shade
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of the canon, where the water was still and deep, and where the rocks were all covered with or- chids, ferns, and mosses, it seemed, looking out over the distant country, as if something was about to overwhelm us or that we were soon to be swept over a cataract, it was all so strange and unearthly.
One morning, after sleeping by the river bank, I noticed two little red spots on my arm, considerably above the elbow ; at times they were very painful, and after a day or two became almost unbearable and had grown quite large. I tried to press them out, thinking they were boils, and that the sun made them hurt so se- verely. I was sure something was in there, so, getting a bunch of flesh up between my fingers, I pressed with considerable force, and to my astonishment a white, threadlike worm began to appear, and as I pressed harder a large grub popped out and fell in my hand. It looked like a bottle with a long neck tapering to a thread, and had black hair at the folds of its skin. Then I took another out of the smaller sore, and thought I would have no more trouble with them; but in this I was mistaken, and my arm began to swell rapidly, aching miserably, while
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green matter collected in the openings left where the grubs had been. After a time these condi- tions became so alarming that I showed my arm to the chief, who said it was very bad, that it was the mosquito grub, and that I should have told him sooner. Then he went to the woods and brought back a root, which he masticated with some chewing tobacco, and placed the mass in the sores, after which they healed with what I thought unusual rapidity. I am told that I made a lucky escape, as the sores following the expulsion of these grubs are at times danger- ous ; rarely so, however, if taken out while they are yet small, and only those who are ignorant in respect to them suffer any damage.
It is said that a long black mosquito lays the eggs that produce these grubs; how, nobody has any idea, and at times they are very annoy- ing. After that experience I was careful to sleep under my mosquito bar, and have been careful to do so ever since while travelling in the tropics.
After we had gone a short distance further, the Indians stopped, saying that we had reached the limit of canoe navigation, and must now make our way across the mountains on foot.
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Our things were soon landed, the canoe drawn well up on the bank, and then the men said they would have to rest for three days. Here was more trouble. We had been unusually slow as- cending the river, we had rested a day and a half at Wampoo, and I had lost three weeks at Gualpatante. With such progress as this it seemed only reasonable to expect that my rival would gain the victory and destroy the com- pany's titles before I could succeed in having them registered.
I was anxious enough, and tried every pos- sible means to start the men on, but it was of no use, and we lost the balance of that day, and there seemed no prospect of moving for all the week.
Next morning I tried again, and offered to throw away a lot of my things and make their packs lighter, but it was of no avail. Then I thought of a bottle of brandy in one of my cases, and offered it to them for the evening if they would go on.
This suited their fancy. They will do any- thing for whiskey or brandy, and arrangements were soon made. I threw away a lot of my things, and gave a woollen shirt to one of the
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young men, who was really sick from cold and exposure, and I threw away all the things in his pack, so he had nothing to carry. Among my clothes was a canvas hunting-coat, having the usual brass buttons with animals' heads. The chief took a great fancy to it, saying, " Give me this," a number of times. I was not well pleased, and told him I would see him fur- ther first, yet he took such a fancy to it, going back time after time to look at it, all the while regarding me with glittering, envious eyes, that I thought if this man would murder to secure forty dollars from a person who trusted him as guide, he would probably do as much to secure the coat that he fancied so avariciously, consequently I gave it to him, and then all were contented.
It was a pity to throw away so many useful things, but regrets were unavailing, so shoulder- ing my rifle, which I had been told never to trust out of my hands, we started, the chief leading the way.
At first the trail was easy, and I began to think that reports were exaggerated, but pres- ently we came to a stream that must be forded. I started to undress, as it was deep, but the
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chief said, " No use ; can't stop ; must walk river," which was Kterally true. We had to scramble along its rough banks, in and out of the water, make thirty-three deep fordings and climb up and down all sorts of places.
The novelty kept up my enthusiasm, but about the middle of the day I became very tired, and once slipped over quite a precipice, and would have fallen headlong if one of the young men, who was just below me, had not caught me in his arms. I fell right into them, and though I am pretty heavy, his strength did not yield to my weight. It seemed as if I had fallen against a well-braced pair of posts, and then the way he lifted me to a safe place, as though I weighed nothing, made me regard him with unusual respect, and there was something about the care with which he handled me that made me feel much more secure with these wild men.
After struggling on for a short distance, we fell in with a number of wild hogs. I was too tired to shoot, but, telling the chief how to use the sights, I handed him my rifle, knowing that in the excitement of the moment he would think only of the wild hogs. He took careful aim, and to my surprise his first shot with a rifle was
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a success, and we had a large wild hog that would give plenty of meat. We now pushed on higher up among the mountains, and finally made camp in a grove of giant mahogany- trees.
The men built a rancho of broad vijao leaves, and then asked about the whiskey I had prom- ised them. I told them we would have it as soon as I put on some dry clothes.
Then they went to work preparing the pig, and presently I called them to me, holding up a bottle covered with a neat straw case, so that they could all see it. They came at once crowd- ing around me, and I stood there holding the bottle, still covered with its straw case. It was a scene that I will never forget, and even now I can fancy, almost, that their wild, excited faces are pressing close about me. It was a repulsive sight, with the cords of their necks rigid, their bloody hands clutching their great knives, their eyes protruding, indicating the intense strain of beastly anticipation; the In- dians stood with their whole beings rooted hun- grily on that covered bottle.
I held it up for an instant, and then with a
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flourish drew off the straw case — and found that the bottle was empty.
The dark rage of disappointment that came over those faces sent my frightened wits to the winds. For an instant my life was not worth a cry to save it, nor could I realize what was happening. In his rage, the chief standing next me raised his knife, but, as he was bringing it down on me, the instinct of self-preservation caused me to start back, and to accuse the man at my side of stealing the whiskey ; then the knife that was intended for me was turned and thrust at him, and but for my interposing my hand he would have been killed. He had carried the pack containing the whiskey, and now the mad- dened Indians turned on him, giving no heed to his protests; he had carried the whiskey, and it was gone. His face changed with fright to a brownish gray, and then, my wits coming back, I threw myself between him and the threatening knives. Now I saw what had hap- pened; the top of the bottle was broken, and I led the men over to my pack ; they followed, probably expecting a fresh bottle. Then I showed them my clothes soaked with brandy.
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and their rage turned to despair; they almost wept, and the five sat on a log together, a piti- ful sight in their disappointment.
Taking advantage of the lull in the storm, I promised them that, on reaching the settle- ments, they should have as fine a drunk as the law would allow. They were quieted at this promise, and with a sort of mournful acquies- cence went dejectedly to work again preparing the pig and getting dinner. We had roast pig and a kind of biscuit that they made out of flour, salt, and water; the dough rolled up in thin strips, protected by leaves, and roasted over the fire.
The dinner was good, and we ate nearly the whole of that pig and all the biscuit. I was soon ready for bed, and on turning in took the precaution of getting under my mosquito-net and keeping my pistol in my hand.
The men were holding a consultation together in subdued voices, but I did not notice this, and presently they all went to bed. I fell asleep holding my pistol in my hand, and I can re- member indistinctly that a torch was held near the net so as to light up the inside for a time.
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and, half -awakened, I seemed to see ugly faces peering through at me. Perhaps they saw the pistol, and so kept off, but it might have been that I was only dreaming.
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CHAPTER X.
TREACHERY AND POISON
We did not make a very early start next morning, and the men were slow getting break- fast, but at last it was brought to me, biscuit and some tinned meat, with a choice piece of wild pig, apparently saved especially for my benefit. I ate heartily, and then we started on, the trail now leading us up a steep moun- tain.
Presently I began to feel sick, and then to grow dizzy, and after a time could only strug- gle along. The chief saw it, was indifferent, and went on ; then two other men followed him, and the two younger men, who were a little behind, came up and were passing on with the others. Apparently they were all leaving me alone in the woods. I ordered the two young men to stop, but they would not. I made a
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motion with my hand, reaching for my pistol. This checked them, and we all sat down. Then I sent one of them for water, which he was a long time bringing, and after drinking a quan- tity I felt better. I do not think they intended to kill me with poison, but only gave me some- thing that would make me sick, and then it would be an easy thing to let me lose my way.
I rested awhile, and, having drunk a quantity of water, was ready to go on again. After a time we overtook the others sitting by the road- side, and the boys got a fine blowing up from the chief in words which I could not understand. I made poor progress that day, and it was hard work to keep up at all. We fell in with a flock of wild turkeys ; I handed my rifle to the chief, and he killed an unusually large one, which gave us plenty of fresh meat again. We did not go much farther, and at night made camp in a beautiful ravine among the mountains, where there was a stream so cold that I could scarcely bathe in it. On one side was a high precipice, and a sloping mountain on the other, with a little open place of fresh, green grass by the stream. It was an enchanting place, and I be- gan to feel better at once.
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Keeping my pistol ready at my side, I took no special notice of the Indians. They were hold- ing a whispered conversation, and after a time seemed to agree on some point, and began pre- paring the camp for the night. Presently the chief came to me, and said in Spanish : " A bad place for tigers [jaguars] here; two men have been eaten, and we are afraid."
" Never mind," I said, " I have my rifle and pistol, and will kill them if they come."
" But jou are under your mosquito-net and in no danger." Which was true; a jaguar, or tiger, as they call them, will walk around a mosquito bar all night, often forming a beaten track about it, but it has never been known to make an attack. " Yes," the chief continued, " for you no danger, but for us, we have no guns; give me your rifle and I will take good care of you."
Not wishing to refuse at once, I said he could have it when I went to bed, and with a look of triumph and delight he went back to tell the others.
Here was a predicament, and I began to con- sider earnestly how I was to get out of it. The Indians were now in another mysterious consul-
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tation, and presently they came to me, and the chief said, " The tigers are so bad here we are afraid with only the rifle ; give this man your pistol, and we will sleep each side of you and keep you very safe; no harm will come, not anything."
I replied, " When I go to bed you can have it." They were delighted, and went off to^ gether, but they soon came back, asking if I had anything else that would shoot. On being told that I had not, they asked if I would not let them have my big knife, because the tigers were so dangerous, and they would be afraid even with the pistol and the rifle. Evidently the plan was to disarm me entirely, and I told them to wait till I went to bed, and they could then have what they wanted. I kept my firearms carefully in my hand, and was glad to find that they did not demand them at once, and so I re- mained, considering.
The men were now in high spirits, and went to work getting supper, and making up a very comfortable bed for me.
As soon as the turkey was ready, they all sat around, picking out choice pieces for me, and urging me to eat all that I could. Then they
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had their supper, and after that went down to the stream to clean up the dishes, chattering like a lot of children. The mosquito-net was hanging conveniently, and lifting up one cor- ner, I slipped my rifle, pistol, and hunting-knife under it, crawled in myself, and with my pistol in my hand sat up waiting for developments.
I could see out very well, but, as the net was made of unbleached muslin, no one could tell exactly where I was, and, if there should be any attempt to cut through at me, I could shoot before the knife could find me out. The In- dians seemed to know this. When they came back, they walked around the net, talked, con- sidered, and finally gave it up, and each one went to bed. Then I felt relieved and was soon asleep, well assured that I was perfectly safe till the morning.
I was up early, and met a rather ugly crowd of Indians. No breakfast was prepared, and I had to get along with the remains of the turkey and some crackers. The men said very little, but shouldered their packs, and marched off^, I following them. We had not gone far when the men put down their packs by a brook, and stood talking together; their faces indicated trouble,
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and I thought to myself, " Now it is really coming." I took little notice of them, however, and pretended to be examining some rocks, and presently pretending that I was deeply inter- ested, I climbed up on one, which kept me well out of the way of their knives. The men stood and watched me for awhile, and then the chief came to the rock, and looking up at me said:
" We have been considering. You have given one of us a shirt, and that is good ; and you have given one of us a coat, and that is very good; but now the three other boys are so dis- couraged they can't get over this high moun- tain unless you take out your money and give them each another dollar."
I replied that I was sorry, but I had no money; that the trader had paid them for me, as they knew, and then I went on examining the rock, I am sure not with great attention, except in appearance, because I have never been able to remember what kind of rock it was.
" We can't go on unless we see the money."
" Very well," I replied, " stay here. I have no money."
Then the chief went back to the men, and they talked awhile longer. Then he came back
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again and said : " But you must have money. All Americans have money; only Indians are poor. The boys can't go on unless you show them your money and give them each another dollar."
" I have money," I said, " but not here ; I must go to bring it, and you must take good care of me when I come back, because I will have a thousand dollars with me ; more than you ever saw before, and I will sleep at your house so that you can take good care of me."
He opened his eyes and went back, and they talked some more. Then he came again, and was a little more threatening in his appearance: " We know you have got money," he said, " and we want to see it, and the boys won't go on."
" I have only a little," I said, showing a few loose dollars that I carried in my pocket ; " but I will do this. When we get to the settlements, let the people know that I have very little money, and that they must take me on cheap; then, if I have any money left, I will give each of the boys another dollar." He went back, and in a few moments came to me again and said : "It is this way : we are thinking of the drink you promised us ; perhaps we can go on.
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Will you surely give it to us ? " and there was an anxious look in his face.
" Yes," I said, " you can depend on it."
"All we want.?"
" Yes, all you want."
" But we can drink a lot."
" Never mind, go on ; you shall have it."
" Senor," said the chief, " that will cost a lot of money. You have got money; we want to see it," and an ugly look came in his face, while the men crowded up to the rock. They certainly had me, but they saw that my pistol was ready, and I sat there facing them. Sud- denly a thought came to me, and I said, hastily, " I have credit. I can get all the things I want ; you shall have the rum, even though I have no money here to pay for it." Then I showed the chief my wallet, with passport, and some docu- ments with big seals on them. He looked at it and said: "This credit?"
" Yes, but only when I sign the bill."
They traded on credit themselves, and after a moment the chief said : " He hasn't any money ; let's go on."
" But he has lots of things," said one of the young men, looking at the packs.
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I heard nothing more, and presently they took up their packs and marched on.
I had no more trouble with them for two or three days, but one morning we came to a Piyu village, and the men said that they must stop there for the night. I protested, and said I would not, that they must go on ; but it was of no use, and my men went off with the Piyu men, and all talked together at the edge of the jungle.
I felt miserably. My men were evidently unwilling to kill me themselves, because they feared my friend the trader; but if the Piyu men killed me, that was a different thing.
The wife of the chief in that village was part Spanish, and I began to talk to her, and pres- ently asked if I was to be her guest. She re- plied that she supposed so.
" But will I be safe here to-night.? " She made no answer.
" Had I better go on to the settlements ? "
" Yes," she said, " you had better go on ; there is plenty of time."
" But the men won't go."
" Make them," she said.
I went out, and angrily commanded the men
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to go on, but they would not even answer me. Here was fresh trouble — to get all through the wilderness on my wits and then to be killed by these miserable Piyu men. I was turning over various plans, and presently went back to the house and saw the woman again, and said to her, " The men won't go. Will I be safe here to- night? "
She made no answer.
" Am I your guest .^^ "
" Yes."
" And will any harm come to a guest in your house? "
She looked away.
" A guest, and not safe in your house ? " I protested.
She looked at me and then at my pistol. " Can you shoot? " she asked. " Then do this: hang your hammock across that corner; I will bring my mats and sleep just outside it. If I touch your foot in the night, be ready and shoot quickly."
We fixed the things, and then she said: " Now, you will be safe." She was evidently a determined woman. The Piyu chief objected to the arrangements, but that is all the good
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it did him, and when night came I was soon asleep, and had a thoroughly good night's rest. Next morning, grateful to my good hostess, I started on and reached Coulme, the chief city of the civilized Piyu Indians, about three in the afternoon.
It was a great relief. I had now reached the settlements and was on the main road to the capital, which I could reasonably hope to reach in three or four days. At Coulme the civilized Piyu men did everything for me, so soon as they found I had not come from an infected district, and all they had was at my disposition. The chief of their village called a council, and he and the alcalde examined my papers, and, with all the men of the place crowding about, made polite speeches of welcome.
My men said I had no money as they had promised, and the alcalde asked me about it; but I said I had plenty, and a tired look came over the faces of my guides. They could not get any rum, because there was none to be had, but I was safe now, and did not care. I gave them each the extra dollar; they seemed to be content, and that was the last I ever saw of them. I have travelled very far since then,
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but I have never had guides that were so diffi- cult to manage.
Urged by the necessity of my mission, I asked the Piyu Indians to send me on at once, though I would have gladly remained a few days with them. Two sturdy little men shouldered all my things, and in a short time delivered me safely to the regular authorities at the nearest Spanish town. Here arrangements were made for sending me to the capital. Nothing had been heard of my opponent, and I began to feel secure.
Without waiting for breakfast, I started on next morning, riding a stout mule, a young Spanish-American peon for my attendant, and every prospect of reaching the end of my jour- ney without further trouble. I had expected to buy something to eat on the road, but had not succeeded very well, which was inconvenient. About noon we came to a broad, circular de- pression in the valley, surrounded by green grass-grown hills that looked like great waves just ready to break and sweep all before them; beyond were the mountains, looming up with startling effect, distant, yet seeming to hang, as it were, just over those picturesque green
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hills, like clouds hanging over the waves of the ocean. As we crossed this strange place, I noticed what appeared to be fine mushrooms growing abundantly, and asked my guide what they were.
" Fruit of the earth," he replied.
"Are they good to eat.?" I asked, feeling decidedly hungry.
" Yes," he said, after a moment's hesitation, and then added, eagerly, " Shall I get some for you?"
" Yes, I would like to try them."
He brought two almost as large as dessert plates, and then rode on with one in his hand. By all appearances they were the finest of mush- rooms. I tasted cautiously, and then ate one and part of another; but just then I noticed that my man was not eating his, and I thought to myself, " Now you have been a fool." But on waiting a moment, and not feeling any ill effects except a sort of acid coppery taste in the mouth, I did not take any action, and rode on, my man watching me intently. It was an extremely hot day, and some hours later, at about three p. m., while riding across a treeless plain, my stomach suddenly felt as if some one
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had stuck a knife into it, and then had poured hot oil in after the knife. I struggled to the ground, and by tickling the palate caused a period of vomiting, and relieved my stomach of a quantity of hard yellow matter, though I had eaten very little. For a moment or two I felt better, and then the pains came on again, and the burning, which now extended all up my throat and to my nose and mouth, was almost unendurable. I threw myself down in the shade and asked my man to get me water. He looked at me indifferently and said, " There is none nearer than a mile, and I have nothing to carry it in."
The pain increased, and still he sat watching, making no effort to help me. Now the burning had extended to all my body, my mouth seemed perfectly dry, and a sort of delirium was ever increasing in my brain, till, almost beside myself with pain, I got on my feet, clutched the mane of my mule, and guided him on, seeking the river, though it was some distance before me. I had taken only a few steps when further prog- ress became impossible; I could scarcely see, and had lost all control over my legs. If any- thing was to be done, it must be quickly. I
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had all sorts of remedies for fevers and sick- ness, but had never thought of being poisoned. Suddenly I remembered a can of vaseline in my saddle-bags. I got it out I don't know how; the day was so hot it had turned to oil, but any- thing to drink would have been acceptable, and so I swallowed a quantity of the liquid vaseline. I will never forget the sensation of that swallow- ing ; it seemed to touch every point in my burn- ing throat and stomach, and to set them at rest. I saw again, and my first thought was for water. By keeping one hand on my mule I staggered on, followed by my indifferent peon, and just as the pains were coming on again I reached the river and fell to drinking water, and when I could drink no more I thrust my arms deep into the cool stream, and the very pores of the skin seemed to lick up the water. At intervals I would drink all I could, stopping only when it was physically impossible to take more; yet in two or three minutes I would be drinking again as eagerly as ever. Where the water went to I have no idea; it seems as though the human body could not hold the amount I drank.
After a time there came a lull in the pain, and the desire for water left me, and then there
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was a delicious sensation of languor and rest all over my body. I lay there exhausted, and feeling a numbness and chill come over me, I believed that I was dying, and did not care. Then thoughts of my defeated mission, the triumph of my rival, the grief at my home far awa}^ in the North ; all came vividly to my mind, and I determined that I would not die. I stag- gered to my feet, mounted after several attempts and started on a wild ride for help to the little city of El Real, about three miles away. As I went I made the mule jounce and shake me on the saddle, which seemed to keep up the circu- lation. As I drew near the city I got a little boy, whom I overtook, to run ahead and buy some raw eggs. Presently he met me with them, and the whites of these gave considerable relief. Then I got a big gourd of water; there must have been about three quarts. It had a sweet- ish taste, but I drank it all, and in an instant I was vomiting with almost incredible violence, and was nearly suffocated by it. I relieved my- self of more of the hard yellow matter and quantities of water, and was thoroughly sat- isfied that there was nothing more in my stom- ach. My servant now became all attention.
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took me to a good house and did for me every- thing that was possible. After resting a short time I took some rum and black coffee, went to bed and fell into a sort of stupor, in which I knew nothing, but was dimly conscious that at intervals all through the night my man came and rubbed my arms and legs vigorously.
The next morning I was better, and rode on to Jutigalpa, the capital of the Department of Olancho, the point toward which I had been struggling so long.
I inquired anxiously for my rival; nothing had been heard of him. I had arrived first.
Without losing any time, I went to the gov- ernment offices and registered my titles, and then drew a long breath. My rival could come as soon as he wished; the registry was com- plete.
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CHAPTER XI.
PERPLEXITIES AND SPANISH - AMERICAN HOSPI- TALITY
Next day my first care was to arrange for an expedition down the river with sufficient equipment to relieve my companions and bring up all our things. I went to a merchant on whom I had letters of credit, to be sure that funds were available, and, on being assured that money was there at my disposal, felt that I could safely send after my companions, and started the expedition at once. Then I rented a small house, hotels being unknown in Juti- galpa, and made myself comfortable.
I was far from the beaten track in a quaint old Spanish-American city, the principal place in the great interior valley of the Olancho; a region shut in by lofty mountain ranges, iso- lated, almost, from the outer world. Shortly
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I found myself in need of more money, having reduced my funds to two dollars and fifty cents, and went to the merchant on whom my letters of credit were drawn.
He was quite ready to supply funds, but when I presented a draft, he said : " There is some mistake here, my instructions are that your superintendent must countersign all drafts."
" No," I said, " I deposited the n. >ney per- sonally, and the credit is secured against my own deposit." Explanations were of no avail, however, some mistake had 'been made ; I could have no money, was alone in a strange city with only two dollars and fifty cents between myself and starvation, the mail comunications uncer- tain, and no possibility that a letter could reach New York under six weeks. Here was a diffi- culty, and, to make matters more complicated, a polite constable came that afternoon to arrest me because of some matters relating to unpaid debts contracted some years earlier by my super- intendent. The prospect was not altogether charming, but, remembering that if I were ar- rested they would at least have to feed me, a consideration I was not in a position to despise^ I submitted willingly; and then the constable
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decided that he would not arrest me, went his way, and left me to wonder why he had come and what I should do. Fortunately, I had paid for my house in advance, so I was sure of a place in which to sleep, and, as bananas were three for a cent, I would not starve; but the diet was not the most exhilarating. I lived on bananas for three days, kept my own counsel and waited. I was an object of curiosity, the boys of the town wandered in and out of my house at will, and all the fruit venders came to offer me bananas. The third day, in the afternoon, I was delighted to receive a visit from a gentle- man who spoke perfect English, and who in- quired minutely about my affairs.
With many apologies he assured me that I was most welcome to their city, and that he hoped I understood their difficulty in accepting drafts from strangers, in fact, almost every American who had visited their city had sold drafts which on being presented had proved worthless ; and so, with many profuse apologies, he protested it was not lack of hospitality, but only that they had lost so frequently. I assured him I understood, and did not expect any one to take an unsecured draft. Still he protested,
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apologizing and regretting my three days' in- convenience, and finally ended by saying that he had been selling cattle, and, having a bal- ance of three thousand dollars on hand, begged that I would accept it until my funds arrived, and hoped that I would excuse his neglect in not offering sooner. This was indeed Spanish hospitality, and I told him if he would lend me enough money to cable home, my funds would arrive immediately. We went to the telegraph office without delay, and next morn- ing a reply came, bringing ample funds, my credit was established, and every door was opened wide for me.
To become a part of the daily life in a re- mote Spanish-American city was a charming experience, and I have the most pleasant recol- lections of my brief visit to Jutigalpa ; so pleas- ant indeed that I am often planning to return. There is a legend of an enchantment pertaining to a group of rocks overhanging a deep pool in the Olancho River, and it is related that who- ever dives from those rocks to the deep, clear water below them must return to Olancho, and die there; though the venturesome person who dares the enchantment may wander far over the
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face of the earth, and return to and leave the valley many times, yet in the end he will die in Olancho. Each morning a goodly company of men and boys would visit the deep pool for a bath; it was the regular morning exercise, and I rarely failed to find a place in the party. I am not a believer in charms, and have taken a header from that enchanted ledge of rocks many times. Since then I have wandered very far, yet I have never found a place so beautiful as the valley of the Olancho, and some day I hope to return to it once again.
After our bath we would go back to the city for breakfast, and then the morning's work would be taken up, and by noon-time much would have been accomplished. Then came the dreamy rest through the heat of the day, when one simply sat at ease and did not care even to think. Usually some friends would come to my house, and pleasant hours were spent smoking, idling, and discussing affairs of local interest; then in the afternoon work again, and at even- ing a walk about the city, visiting friends or stopping to talk with young ladies seated in their low, open, but heavily guarded windows.
One beautiful moonlight night, as I strolled
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about alone, I passed the shop of a humble shoemaker, who was seated before his door. As I passed he politely invited me to a seat; such an invitation did seem a little strange from my shoemaker, yet, not wishing to appear rude, I accepted his invitation, and found him well informed about the valley and its history. Pres- ently the Governor of Olancho came passing by, and the shoemaker invited him to a seat, which he accepted at once; then a Senator for the district, and one of the richest men in the city, came that way, and he, too, took a seat at the shoemaker's door. Surely we were a mixed company, yet no differences were made; a shoe- maker, a stranger who had come among them, one of the city's richest men, and the Governor of the Province, all on a pleasant footing to- gether, without any pretension; yet the shoe- maker never failed in due respect, nor was there anything in his manner from which one might infer that he did not think himself good enough to pay his respects where respect was due.
Among such surroundings the days went pleasantly, and my brief rest was thoroughly enjoyed. It was in the month of December, the time of festivities, and there were bull-fights,
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parades, and on Christmas Eve dances and fam- ily reunions ; to all of which I was invited, and I have never had the pleasure of more kindly entertainment. The principal reunion was given by Governor Zalaya's family, and there all the best people of the city were gath- ered together. Etiquette was somewhat differ- ent from our customs. The company was in- vited at eight o'clock in the evening, and it was polite to arrive on the minute. Guests did not go directly to the house, but as the hour ap- proached stood near, and when the great clock in the church chimed eight we all filed in to- gether, and were received by our host and host- ess ; then the gentlemen went to one room, the ladies to another, and the sounds of pleasant conversation filled the house. Everywhere were preparations for merrymaking; at the doors and in the yard servants, peons, and estate tenants were gathered, enjoying themselves at the expense of their masters, and a great com- pany they all made; but within the house were only the guests, not so very many, merely the family and their most particular friends. A good time, a period of thorough enjoyment, has an effect on one's spirits, and all this scene
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was most exhilarating. After we had talked together for awhile, a lively polka was started, and the ladies came from their room in single file and stood with their backs to the wall in the main saloon, and then the men filed out of their room and stood looking on. The young ladies were pretty, modest, and becomingly dressed; some of the jewels were truly magnifi- cent. I was told later that many of them had been handed down from generation to genera- tion since the days of the Spanish conquest.
A friend whispered to me that I should not seek a partner at once, that there were more men than ladies, and it would be polite for the men to give place to each other; so after a moment of forbearance, and mutual urgings among the gentlemen, a dance was arranged, and to meas- ured music now grown slower we danced about the great saloon, while the servants, peons, and their friends stood looking in at the door. I was dancing with a charming little Sefiorita, but found myself no match among my Spanish- American friends, who were going through a series of graceful figures and a great variety of steps, a sort of quadrille-polka and stately ceremony combined. I could take no part in
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this, so devoted myself to my partner, and found the dance very pleasant. When it was over, I took her to a comfortable seat in the great saloon, and, drawing a smaller chair to her side, sat in it myself, expecting a pleasant conversation till the next dance; but she sim- ply gave me an appealing look, and said noth- ing. Then I noticed my hostess standing near the ladies' room as if petrified with dismay, a look of horror on her face, while all the young ladies were staring as if their eyes would pop out.
There was an instant of bewildered looks, then the Senorita's Duenna came anxiously to the rescue, and hurried her to safety in the ladies' room, but as she went she looked back at me with a merry laugh, and I knew the Senorita had enjoyed the adventure. Then some of the men told me that I had committed the greatest in- decorum, that no man could sit by a young lady under any circumstances. That I was a stranger was sufficient explanation, and when I told my hostess of our customs at home during a dance, she was deeply interested, and I was entirely forgiven.
We danced till midnight and then went to
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mass, a beautiful custom and ceremony; the church was filled to overflowing, all the dancers and merrymakers in the city having come, re- membering their religious duties as the first act of Christmas morning. Then each party went again to their festivities, and we who were the Governor's guests returned to a bountiful sup- per, where there were many different kinds of meats and rich dishes, but very little in the way of sweets. The ladies all sat at a long table, and the men attended them, standing respectfully behind their chairs ; then when the ladies had finished, they went back to their room, and the men had supper. After this, dancing was con- tinued till sunrise, the men going about the city, visiting other dances to which they had been invited, and returning to the Governor's dance at pleasure, for after supper everything became quite informal. It was broad daylight when we went home, all agreeing that we had enjoyed a most delightful entertainment; for myself, I have never since attended a dance where thor- ough enjoyment, friendship, and courtesy were so charmingly blended.
I was fortunate to have been in Jutigalpa during Christmas week, and shall always re-
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member it as one of the most pleasant experi- ences in all my travels, yet I was not sorry when the festivities were over and I could take up my work again.
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CHAPTER XII.
EXAMINING A MINE UNDER DIFFICULTIES
My first effort was to seek the mines that I had come so far to investigate, and a few days later I left the hospitable city of Juti- galpa, and with a comfortable outfit made my way up the Olancho valley to the valley of Lapa- guera, — a place beautiful almost beyond de- scription. The broad valley, level like a prairie, covered with green grass, extended east and west almost as far as the eye could reach ; thou- sands of cattle were quietly feeding, a few trees in groups were seen at places, and on either side, rising abruptly, were great ranges of moun- tains.
Our trail led over the mountains to the north, and we were presently making our way among groves of tall pine-trees, where from the branches gigantic festoons of gray moss hung
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drooping. As we began to climb the moun- tains one of our mules commenced a series of unreasonable capers. She was a strong young animal, and evidently preferred the green valley of the Lapaguera to the lonely mountainsides, and she now apparently proposed to rove at her fancy. Sometimes her fancy took her along the high places above the road, sometimes she went down below it, then she seemed to have lost something, and acted as though she expected to find it in the woods, but she had decided objec- tions to walking on the road, and so gave the peons a great deal of trouble. Finally there came to one a brilliant thought. I had a steady old horse, and they caught the ambitious mule and tied her securely to my horse's tail; it wasn't considerate to the horse, but it did fix the mule. She couldn't stop conveniently, and she couldn't get past the horse, neither could she wander up to the hilltops or climb down among the gulleys without taking the horse along, too, but that was inconvenient. For a time all went well, but after awhile we came to a place where the road went down between rather steep banks till it reached a stream of considerable volume. My horse went down the
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trail in a resigned sort of way, but the mule started along the bank and wouldn't come into the trail; the result was that presently she could go no further, and then came a tug of war, to see whether the horse in the gully could pull the mule down from the high bank or whether the mule could pull the horse's tail out. I scrambled from the saddle as fast as possible, and then the animals seemed to come to an understanding; the horse backed up as far as he could, and the mule braced her fore feet and hung her head over the bank as far as possible, and so they stood. Presently the peons came and untied them, and I declined to have them done up again; and so for the rest of the way that mule followed its own sweet will, " and a ' mule's ' will is the wind's will," and the thoughts of a mule are long, long thoughts, incomprehensibly long.
The trail led on over green rolling moun- tain ridges and down the little level valleys. and after two days' riding I reached a village called La Union, a beautiful place at the head of a valley of low hills between mountain ranges.
Next morning I made an early start for the mines. I had made a boasting agreement in
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New York that I would examine every portion of the property; reports stated that fabulous wealth lay exposed along a precipice where a stream had cut a deep gorge through the moun- tains. I found the place just as described, except that there was very little mineral, yet enough to make me anxious to see all the preci- pice.
I went to the upper part of the gorge, where a good view could be had down the river, but could see no signs of any mineral deposits. Then I said to my guide that we would go on down the river, but he told me it was impossible, that no person had ever been down the gorge, nor could they possibly go. However, we went on as far as we could, and presently came to a place where the river cut its way through solid walls of rock. I then proposed to go around to the other side and come up the gorge, but my guide said that was equally impossible, and that at this place there were about two miles of rock which no man or animal could pass. I quoted the description of the mine, at which the guide laughed, and told me that such a report was the exaggeration of an impossibility. I had no thought of giving up, however, and
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asked the guide if I could not swim down the river, at which he looked at me in astonishment. " Impossible ; the place is full of snakes, and there must be a big waterfall in there, because the river is much lower on the other side of the mountain."
I wasn't going home without seeing every inch of that gorge ; the precipice had been noted in a former report and I proposed to examine it. So I threw off my clothes, telling my guide I intended to take a bath. I found the water cool and pleasant, and presently let the current carry me slowly down, then swam to one side and came back again, as if I meant nothing, fearing that the guide might restrain me by force, for by this time he, too, had entered the water. Then I let the current take me down again. This time I went a little further, and when well beyond his reach, while he shouted to recall me, I let the current carry me into the gorge, then around a bend, and I was alone, rocks and water all about me, and a line of blue sky overhead. I was frightened, but hav- ing started, I meant to keep on.
The river was low, and for a time I floated lazily along, watching out for signs of exposed
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mineral deposits ; but there was nothing, only dark rocks of even texture. Presently I no- ticed that the current was becoming swifter, and so I caught hold of a convenient ledge, and held myself back to see what was ahead of me. There were some rapids, a little cascade, and further on more rapids, and I floated carefully down to them, keeping well against the rocks. There was not much difficulty about getting over the cascade, just a tumble into a deep basin of water, where I was washed up to one side and found a convenient seat on a gravel bed under a rock, where I stopped to rest and con- sider. The rapids were a little threatening, but I decided to try them, and soon had the pleasure of finding that, though the water was rough, it was deep and easy to swim in, with plenty of eddies along the sides, where I could avoid the heaviest currents. Going on down, I came to a place where the rocks of the precipice sud- denly changed, and above the dark, intrusive rocks a contact with sedimentary types could be distinctly seen; but there were no signs of mineral, and I floated on down, and presently came to the end of the gorge, about a mile or more from the place where I had left my clothes.
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I rested for a time, and then started to swim back, but it was fatiguing work, and presently the current became too strong for me. Here was a predicament; it was some miles around the base of the mountain to where I left my clothes ; to walk that distance naked in all the burning sun could not be even thought of, and to clamber along the rocks where, because of the dry season, hundreds of snakes had gathered, seemed madness. I was well perplexed as to what I should do, and not a little frightened. After considering, I determined to climb along the rocks, and started out on a really perilous journey. I saw snakes from time to time, but these were accommodating, and got out of the way, though I was constantly in dread of the next step. Scorpions and black tarantulas were numerous, and as I climbed along the cliffs among the black rocks I saw poisonous snakes and dreaded insects ; with deep shadows about me and here and there a radiant beam of sunlight, I was constantly reminded of Dore's illustra- tions of the Inferno. Weird and dangerous as it was, I soon became accustomed to it all, and then deeply interested in the strange, wild beauty of my surroundings. When I came to
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the place where I had noted the sedimentary rocks, I climbed up to them, selected a few small specimens to take back with me, and then tying them in a leaf, with a bit of inner bark from a convenient trumpet-tree, I started on again, carrying the little package with my teeth. So I made my way on, swimming at times and at others climbing along steep rocks. A fall, the sting of a poisonous insect or snake bite would probably be fatal, and I was thoroughly tired out with excitement, as well as from the exertion, when I finally got over the little cascade, forced my way along the side of the swift water above it, and came to the open river with an easy swim ahead of me to reach my clothes. One can rest beautifull}' in the water, and by the time I reached my guide I was feeling quite rested again. A number of people had gathered there, all supposing I was dead, and they hardly knew what to say when I told them where I had been, and I think that none of them believed me. A searching party had gone around the mountain to look for my body, and at the little town of La Union work had been commenced on my coffin, — a matter of some concern to me because
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I had to pay for it, and coffins are expensive in that country.
After this I set out on my way, returning to Jutigalpa, and on the road had an experience with eniguas, a species of small flea. Probably all who travel in Spanish America will suffer to some extent from these annoying insects. The female fastens herself to any protected place on one's skin, particularly under the toe nails; and then working her way through the outer skin, forms a little nest and lays a multi- tude of eggs; these increase in size, and grad- ually develop till numerous little grubs are formed, which immediately begin to feed on the living flesh of the person who is so unfortunate as to harbour them. Then serious results may be expected, the pain is most severe, and not infrequently the loss of one's feet follows, or, perhaps, blood-poisoning sets in, to end in a most miserable death. This, however, is only among those who, from ignorance or other cause, allow the eniguas's eggs to remain under the skin till they develop the living grubs. For- tunately, some days pass before the grubs de- velop, while an intense itching gives early warn- ing that something is wrong, and to remove
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the eggs is a very simple matter; usually after removing them an unpleasant sore is left, re- quiring some days to heal. I found a number of sores on my feet looking like little boils with a black spot in the centre of each. I thought they were nothing but boils, and was surprised to find a tough skin covering them, but by prick- ing this open I cleaned them out rather indiffer- ently, and, finding the pain relieved, thought no more about it. Later my feet began to pain again, presently swelling set in, till one morning I could not put on my shoes, and then I became rather alarmed.
I called one of the natives and learned that eniguas had g,ttacked my feet, that I had al- lowed some of the eggs to hatch, and that now the grubs were eating into the living flesh, which might cause the loss of both my feet. This was serious, and the remedy they proposed was a thing that the bravest might shrink from. I was told that the only way to save my feet was to let the natives strap me down on a table so that I could not move, while they scraped the sores with bits of glass till they had taken out all the grubs, and they might be obliged to even scrape the bones.
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I consented, of course, but the preparations sent cold perspiration trickling down my back. Fortunately, I was spared the suffering; an old medicine-woman happened to be in camp, who said that if I would give her a dollar she would cure my feet in a day without cutting them. A dollar was no consideration, and she had it at once, though I must confess I doubted her. She seemed to know just what she was about, and went at once to the woods to get some herbs. Within an hour she was back again, carrying a lot of bruised leaves crushed together in one hand. These she roasted over the fire and squeezed a black liquor out of them, which she dropped into the sores on my feet. It seemed as though she was using liquid fire, but the sting was only for an instant; then as soon as the smarting had passed, the pain in my feet became easier. I had a number of other sores on my feet and legs which she treated, and then told me that all would be well in the morning. They certainly were feeling much better, and I was decidedly relieved. She would not take any more money, but ordered me to keep quiet and she would come back to see me next day.
When morning came, I was surpised to find
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that my feet were perfectly cool and natural, that all the swelling had gone down, and that the sores were beginning to heal.
They never gave me any more trouble, and when the medicine-woman came back I deter- mined to learn her secret. It was hard work, and money would not buy it; but finally she consented to tell me because I assured her it would be useful to a great many people.
I found that what she had used was a common weed, called locally Soto Caballo, which grows all over Olancho in Honduras ; yet I have never met with it in any other country.
I took samples, but, when later I showed them to doctors and manufacturing chemists, I was met with a smile of incredulity for my story, and informed that the profession was abun- dantly supplied with antiseptics.
After my feet were better, I went on again, and, reaching Jutigalpa, found that my late companions were determined to continue in their chase after delusive hopes, and believing that I had seen enough of their affairs and aspirations, separated myself from them, and turned my attention to other affairs. I had about deter- mined to leave Honduras when I received an
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offer from a party of " capitalists," who had come to the country for the purpose of develop- ing mining interests, and now wanted me to or- ganize part of their working force. I was reluctant to leave Honduras so soon, and con- sidering their offer advantageous both for my- self and my principals, I accepted and went dili- gently to work on their affairs.
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CHAPTER XIII.
OVEE THE MOUNTAINS ON A RACE AGAINST TIME
I SOON found that for reckless extravagance and almost idiotic proceedings this outfit was beyond anything I had ever known. One morn- ing responsibility for transactions of which I knew nothing, and for money which I had never seen, were charged up against my department, and I promptly offered my resignation, feeling well assured that I had seen quite enough of those people. Then there was a row, and finally they complained that my course was dishonourable; that they had spent money to bring me to their camp, and that they had thought I was to be depended on. This touched me in a tender spot, and I agreed to be at their service until they were sufficiently compensated for expenses in- curred in my behalf, but I refused absolutely to handle any money for them.
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One Sunday morning, shortly after our dis- agreement, the manager and the capitalists who had come out with him were in a state of excite- ment; perhaps they were tired of telling each other how great they were, or perhaps they had become angry as to their respective greatness; from where I was I could not tell. Presently one of the servants came hurrying over to me, and asked that I should go immediately to the manager. I went, and was told that he might be able to use me in a little matter that had come up. I made no answer, and presently learned that some important papers had been entirely neglected, and that unless by some means or other these papers could be deposited in the bank at Tagucigalpa, the capital, before sunrise Tuesday morning, serious loss would re- sult, and the proposition was that I should go and deposit the papers on time, a difficult under- taking. I would have to reach Tagucigalpa from the lower Olancho valley before Tuesday morning, over a rough trail of one hundred and twenty miles across two mountain ranges — a trip that usually took from five to seven days. After considering a moment, I said : " If you give me a mule that can do the work, I can sit
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on its back till we arrive; it is only a question of long hours in the saddle, and the endurance of the mule."
I was assured of a good mule, and knowing that there were several high-priced animals at camp well able to do the work, I made hurried preparations, anticipating a novel and perhaps pleasant experience. My preparations were soon made; a pair of saddle-bags, a change of underclothing, an ounce of quinine, a two-ounce package of condensed soup — that was all.
I hurried over to the offices, where we all waited anxiously for the mule. While waiting I was told that if I succeeded in depositing the papers on time my associates would be amply compensated for having brought me to their camp. About nine o'clock the manager's serv- ant came, bringing a mule — a little animal not half grown, and which had never been ridden before. The men employed about the mines had come to see me start, and when the manager said, proudly : " Now, there is as fine an animal as you could want; it will take you easily in two days," the whole crowd began to laugh derisively, which made him furious.
I said to the capitalist : " Mr. Blank, that
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mule can never take me in two days ; you must give me one of the better animals."
The manager protested angrily, and the cap- italist, now thoroughly anxious, said : " Oh, go, go on. The manager is an expert and knows his business; he says the animal can take you; don't object so much, but do something for us."
I said : " Mr. Blank, that mule can never cross the first range of mountains, but I will get your papers in the bank on time."
Then I mounted the little animal, and had considerable difficulty in getting it to start, but finally it did go, and I was soon out of sight over the hills.
It was a gallant little mule, and took me fifteen miles in three hours, and then it broke down, and not another step could I get out of it. I had expected one day's work from it, and the situation was serious.
It looked as though I was stuck, but fortu- nately some soldiers came along just then, and I made a bargain with them to have my saddle carried on to the next place where I hoped to secure an animal. I left the little mule at a house near by, and then we started. It was
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an eighteen-mile tramp, but we got in safely about four o'clock.
I went at once to the Alcalde, and applied for an animal, but here I was in worse luck: the city was in " fiesta," and all the men who were not drunk were trying to become so as fast as possible. Animals? Was that all I wanted? I could have all Honduras, but to-morrow. This would have been too late. Fortunately, I found two men who were not quite so drunk as the others, and I offered to pay them five dollars each if they would walk with me all night and carry my saddle and other things till I could find an animal. They readily agreed, and we started on our hard tramp. Rough work, in- deed, but I determined to keep on. About mid- night we came to a little tavern, and my men were so tired that they begged me to let them find substitutes, and they would not take any of the money. I told them I had no objections to new men, and said that they might make the best bargain they could and save the difference. They tried from house to house, but It was of no use; none would undertake the journey.
Then I said : " I am sorry, but my necessities require that you carry out your agreement; we
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must go on." They went obediently, the law and custom of that country compelling them.
At intervals I let them sleep for twenty min- utes, mounting guard myself, then we would push on. I was excited, and made the most fearful exertions. Once we lost the trail, and went some miles out of our way, but by sunrise we had crossed the largest range of mountains. We pushed on, and about 11 a. m. Monday morning I reached Talanga, hardly able to stand. I felt sure of success now. I had made seventy-five miles on foot in nineteen hours, and I was within twelve leagues of my journey's end, requiring only an animal that could do an ordinary day's work. But misfortunes were everywhere; not an animal could be had, and I was too exhausted to think of walking further. However, I felt compelled to do the best I could ; so I telegraphed to Major Burke, of New Or- leans, to whom I was consigned, telling him the condition I was in, and stating that I would come on as far as I could, and when I gave out I would lie down across the road, and if I was not In by midnight to send a courier out to get the papers, as they must be deposited before sunrise Tuesday morning.
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Then I prepared to push on. As I was about to start, a man came and said he owned a horse which had never been ridden yet, but if I thought I could ride him I could try.
It was a chance, but I determined to risk it, and with a good peon at my side started on again. The horse was a little troublesome at first, but he took to work naturally, and I made good progress.
About four o'clock we came to a group of great orange-trees, loaded down with fruit, and because of my exhaustion I never had anything that tasted so good in my life; the fruit was perfect, and for ten cents I bought more than I could possibly carry.
Everything went well till I came to a little place called Cofradia, four leagues from the capital. I felt that I had almost succeeded when sudden pains shot through my body, followed by a violent chill, and then my legs became par- alyzed. I lost all control over myself, and it seemed as though my teeth would rattle out of my head. I managed to get my feet out of the stirrups, and half fell to the ground, then I staggered to a house and sank down by the door.
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As soon as I found my voice, I asked for some hot water, but was informed that the women had all gone to a dance, and the men did not consider it their business to boil water. I might have died — that was nothing; they would not touch a woman's work.
Then I asked for rum, which fortunately they had, and more fortunate still was the tin of quinine powder in my saddle-bags. I drank some rum and then tried to take some quinine, but my hands were shaking so much that I could not measure it, and I shook out a quantity, almost as much as my hand could hold. I looked at it, and then I thought, well, I am dying anyway, and it may as well be from the quinine as anything; so, without considering, I took it all. It must have been nearly a quarter of an ounce ; after that I drank a little more rum, then I waited for a moment, and my strength came back. It seemed to be exactly what I wanted.
It was then about seven o'clock in the evening, and I started on at once, but it was cruel work, and I fell asleep continually on the saddle; and presently the peon began to walk by my side to prevent my falling. This continued for a time,
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and finally, about 11 o'clock, I reached the cap- ital.
I had succeeded; this kept me awake till I arrived at the hotel and delivered the papers to Major Burke, who was sitting up, waiting anx- iously for them.
He opened the package, looked at the letters and papers, and then said : " Can you tell me what they mean by this absurdity? I have attended to all these matters." I tried to answer, but could not speak, and the major got me into bed as soon as possible, two men helping me undress. I was asleep long before they put me in bed, and I am told that the best doctor in the capital was called to see me two or three times, and that he said the only thing was to let me sleep, though my condi- tion was very serious. He didn't know about the quantity of quinine I had taken, and while I slept this certainly did me good service, and when I awoke, after sleeping all the next day and the night following, I was as fresh and felt as well as when I started.
I said I was ready to go back to camp at once, but Major Burke told me he proposed that I should rest for a week at least, and said
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I must amuse myself as I pleased ; or, if I liked, I could do some light work for him.
I chose to do the work, of course, and saw a great deal of the major. He was full of enthu- siasm over the development of his different min- ing interests, and spoke eagerly of the day when he would walk in to New Orleans and pay back certain money which the city officials claimed from him, though they had no right to it; and from day to day he worked enthusiastically on. and I have never known a more considerate em- ployer or a more thorough business man.
At the end of the week I started on my way back to camp, taking five days where I had come in less than two. I expected that now I would find my associates more reasonable; but in this I was mistaken ; folly and extravagance were unrestrained, and after a few weeks I went away, very glad that my connection with such an enterprise could be terminated.
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CHAPTER XIV.
A ROUGH JOURNEY TO THE COAST
After this experience, I prepared to leave Honduras. It was time now to investigate the rubber forests of Southern Costa Rica and Northern Panama. At Jutigalpa I tarried a few days, exchanging visits of farewell with numerous friends, and then set out for the coast, hoping to find some means of transporta- tion to Costa Rica.
On the way to the coast, I came to a place where all the road had been washed out by unusual rains, and my only way to go on was over a little used trail, well known to be rough and dangerous. I preferred this, however, to turning back, and gave little heed to tales of accidents and death told by my guides.
At first the trail was only rough, not danger- ous, but presently we came to a steep mountain-
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side, where a fall would mean destruction. A little further on, the trail became so steep that I determined to walk down and drive the mule ahead of me; but she would not go, and I had to mount and ride before she would undertake it. This was rather a novel ride; the mule could not take a step, it was so slippery; she simply set her feet and slid from one bend in the trail to the next, and then turned carefully, and slid on down ; it was coasting on mule-back, interesting, but rather hard on the mule, and when we reached better ground she was so frightened that to manage her was difficult. Further on, the trail became soft, a sticky red clay, in which the mules sank almost to their knees, as they struggled on down the mountain. The trail was very imperfect, only a narrow strip trodden out by passing animals, and the first thing I knew my mule was standing on a small log that had been placed to mend about twelve to fifteen feet of the track where it had broken away. Here two or three animals had been killed, and the mule was hesitating, while the log moved uncertainly. To turn back or dismount was impossible; there was nothing to do but force the animal on over and take the 131
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chances, so drawing the reins tight and throw- ing my feet out of the stirrups, that I might have a better chance if we fell, I forced the mule across, though it was a good deal like riding on a tight rope.
By good fortune I got over safely, and when the frightened peon — my guide — found his voice, he said, " I should have told you to dis- mount before you reached it, but if you can ride like that you had better keep your saddle, it will be safer for you and for the mule, too." So we struggled on down, but the dangers were not over. At a turn where the trail was very steep, I could see the track made in the tall grass where two mules had gone rolling down to destruction. Just at this point my mule seemed to lose control of herself and began to slip toward this fatal spot, and there seemed no way to check her; she tried to pull back, but the soft mud afforded no foothold, and we were just slipping over when she braced her forefeet, and then managed to turn herself, hesitated between falling and going on for an instant, and then we headed on down for the next turn.
So it went, and all the while there was a heavy strain on the crupper of my saddle; finally,
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at a critical moment, it broke, the saddle slipped forward, and I found myself hanging over space with nothing but a mule's neck between me and destruction. My first feeling was to jump and try to catch the tall grass as I fell; then I shouted to my peon, who, just a few feet from me, was frightened into uselessness, and he simply stood and looked. I kept liaul- ing on the reins to make the mule keep her head up ; she was slipping, and I could feel the bank giving way, as she trampled on it to get a foot- hold. Far below me I could see a river rushing along, and it seemed only a matter of an instant, but here the path was very narrow, and I found that by reaching back over my head with one hand I could grasp the roots of the grass above me, and so soon as the mule was relieved of my weight she regained the path, and we were both safe.
The peon repaired the crupper and I rode on down, but when I got to the bottom of that mountain the strain and fright had been so great I was absolutely played out, and had to rest for an hour before I could sit on my saddle.
I had now reached the low lands again, and stopped for the night at a group of rude huts.
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I was making a small collection of orcliids, and saw what I thought a desirable specimen near the top of a tall tree. I bargained with a bright little Spanish boy, who agreed to climb after the orchid and bring it to me for ten cents. He went up lightly enough, then as he cut the plant from the tree, it suddenly swarmed with black insects. The people who were looking on shouted, " Golgas ! golgas ! " and called to the boy to come down. He knocked the plant off first, and then slid rapidly down the slender tree to the ground, blood dripping from one hand. As he reached the ground, he said, proudly, " I got it, and only one bit me." He had a deep cut in the fleshy part of his hand below the thumb, which we bound up carefully, the men explaining to me that the golga is a big ant capable of inflicting such a deep wound that a person could be killed by them in a short time if a number should get under the clothes. Later, when I began to look over the plants, one of these fellows ran up my sleeve and started vigorous work at once. I caught him on the third bite, and I think his jaws must have been red-hot, and were developing rapidly to a white heat by the time I killed him. From my own
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experience I shall always feel pretty well sat- isfied that a number of these ants could do seri- ous damage if they all got at it at once.
On the following day the trail took us through a jungle of giant palms, and, to enjoy the novel scene undisturbed, I left my pack- animals and servants, rode on alone for some distance, and then, letting my mule take her course, gave myself up to the enjoyment of the scene. The giant palms of Central America grow from near the ground like great ferns, and rise in graceful curves twenty-five to forty feet. All other vegetation is shut out, and as one passes on great archways of green open in all directions, like the aisles of an enormous cathe- dral, only these have no end, and blend into one another till they form, in the distance, one solid wall of green, with the long archways leading out to it. In the deep shade of such forests many varieties of ferns and wood flowers grow in profusion. I rode on, lost in wonder, till, suddenly, there came a rustling among the ferns, a moment of silence, a rustling a little before me ; and then a large animal stepped cautiously out on the road perhaps one hundred yards or more ahead of me.
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I could see that it was what the Indians call a black tiger. It looked at me over its shoulders, hesitated for a moment, then faced about sud- denly, took a few steps forward, and squatted down in the road, its eyes glowing, and its great tail beating vigorously from side to side. The Indians say if one meets a black tiger, it is kill or be killed, and it is said that if one of these animals appears near an Indian village the peo- ple will desert their houses, and that the Indians will never camp for the night where it is sup- posed the animals are about.
On the other hand, professors of zoology in- sist that there is no such animal, but as far as I am concerned I think I saw one. It was squat- ting in the road just in front of me, had a coal- black skin, a thin, loose-jointed body, a rather heavy tail with a tendency to bush toward the end, a square head, small ears, and large, clear, yellow eyes. It looked to me more like a pan- ther than a jaguar, and yet it was too heavy about the shoulders, neck, and head for a pan- ther.
Naturally, I wanted that animal, and there it was, all ready for fight. I drew my pistol, the only firearm I had with me, and tried to
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drive the mule nearer, but she didn't appear to like it, and began to act silly. I kept her head on the animal, which was crouching there jerk- ing its tail from side to side with savage vehe- mence ; and from time to time seemed to gather itself as if for a spring, and then settled back again. I was just getting near enough to con- sider risking a shot, and was trying to quiet the mule, when, suddenly, around the corner my pack-train appeared on a full run, the gold pans clattering, the peons swearing, a tumult gen- erally.
The animal raised its head, looked for an in- stant, and then with a graceful bound disap- peared among the ferns and palm-trees. I was disappointed, but I never did have particular luck in shooting.
A day or two more and I reached the little city of Truxillo again, having travelled over the greater part of Spanish Honduras.
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CHAPTER XV.
HONDURAS TO COSTA RICA VIA NEW ORLEANS
I AT once began inquiring for a means of transportation to Costa Rica, but, alas, there was none! The Spanish- American republics, though neighbours, are isolated from each other for want of steamships, and in many places the only route of communication is via the United States; and there was now nothing for me to do except take a steamer for New Orleans, and from there return south to Costa Rica.
In this trip there was little worth recording. On the way to New Orleans the gulf was so calm that numerous varieties of marine life could be seen darting about, or floating idly as the steamer made its way among them; but going south again it was rough, and I made a bitter enemy of the steward on the little
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steamer by becoming uproariously seasick, and spoiling four breakfasts one morning before I could retain food comfortably. I have always contended that the best remedy for seasickness is to eat, and keep on eating until one gets the better of it, but it is rough on the steward.
There were no incidents on this voyage, and after four days we were landed at a well-con- structed pier at Port Lemon, and I found my- self surrounded by civilization and progress worthy of any country.
Costa Rica is so well governed that I found scarcely an adventure worth recording. It is more an agricultural than a mining country. The lands are fertile and well cultivated; there are numerous mountains, among them several extinct volcanoes, which add to their interest, and in the interior there are a number of charm- ing cities. San Jose, the capital, is a little metropolis, situated in a beautiful upland val- ley surrounded by rich coffee estates, and flanked by high mountains. The air of the uplands is cool and bracing, and the climate of San Jose is delightful. The city is scrupu- lously clean, and, though there are only about twenty-five thousand inhabitants, it is equal to
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any American city of its size, and superior to most of them. The people of Costa Rica are perhaps not as hospitable as in other Spanish- American countries, but their republic is well governed, and its resources are under careful development ; the people know they have done well, and, indeed, are rather proud of themselves and their country. As in all well-developed countries, the opportunities for business enter- prises are not so good as in the rougher por- tions of Spanish America, but there is stability and security, items of considerable importance when figuring up the advantages of a locality. Portions of Costa Rica are still inhabited by Indian tribes, and I was anxious to visit them; particularly so at this time because the mails had brought me a commission from the Ameri- can Museum of Natural History, and I was anxious to secure a series of specimens ; so it was with keen interest that I prepared for an excursion to the southern jungles of Costa Rica, where I hoped to explore the territory of the Talamanca Indians. From Port Lemon I put out to sea in a little sloop crowded most uncomfortably with negro passengers. There was scarcely standing-room, but the voyage
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would not be long, so I forced myself to be patient. Unfortunately the wind went down, and we were a day and a night on that mis- erable little boat, at one time tormented by the hot sun, at another cowering under a beating tropical rain; yet the negroes were always cheerful. A negro can adapt himself to any surroundings, and be happy, provided he does not have to work. For me the voyage was a time of sorrows, and I was heartily thankful when we at last reached a place called Old Har- bour, and I could place my feet on terra firma once again. From here I tramped overland a few miles to the Silsola River, the boundary between Costa Rica and Panama, and from there took a canoe, travelling up the river for two days to a place called Sipurio, where, tired,^ dirty, and rather forlorn-looking, I knocked at the gate of a mission station maintained by a company of German Paulist Fathers. For- tunately one of the fathers was at home, and I was immediately made welcome, and for the next few days was one of their household; and I learned to thoroughly respect the missioners who were giving up their lives to serve the In-
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dians, doing their own housework, and main- taining themselves as best they could.
At Sipurio there were two or three rough houses besides the mission, all built on a small, open savannah surrounded by dense jungles, through which a network of streams made their way to unite and form the Silsola. Not far away were the mountains where many of the Indians were living. Their king, I was told, lived in the low lands, not far from the mis- sion, and I was most anxious to see him. From time to time companies of Indians came to see me, and then went away again, but the king did not come. After I had made the acquaint- ance and questionable friendship of a number, I told them I wanted to see their king and hold conversation with him, and a day or two later a tall, fine-looking Indian visited the mission; this was Antonio, King of the Talamancas, come himself to bid me welcome to his country.
That he was more than an average man, I saw at once. His dress was conventional: a suit of blue serge, stout boots, a clean white shirt, and a gray felt hat, which he held in his hand as he stood there gravely. A man who was born to rule, to his people a law, and
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yet on his face an expression of sadness but not of dejection; his bearing was that of command.
We were friends at once. All have met with some whom they understood at a glance, and whom it would seem had so understood them, and so it was between myself and the Indian. Gravely Antonio gave me his hand, and said he had come to invite me to visit his houses, and next day would send men and horses. " But," he said, " ours are not like your houses. I have been in the cities ; it is better there for those who are white men, and here in the woods it is better for us who are Indians." I had learned not to be eager with the Indians, and when I had told him about myself and my coun- try, we sat for a time together in silence. Then he called his attendant, and, mounting his horse, went away, riding slowly over a meadow, and then disappeared in the jungles. What a grand man, I thought. Yet Antonio, King of the Talamancas, has a reputation for un- reasoning deviltry and uncontrolled passions throughout all Costa Rica.
That day I could do little; preparations were made for my visit, and then nothing re- mained but to wait.
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CHAPTER XVI.
THE DEATH DANCE OF THE TALAMANCA INDIANS
When the sun of the next afternoon hung heavy, and from the jungle long shadows began reaching over the meadows, three Indians came riding to the mission. A few words of wel- come, a little advice from the fathers, who were somewhat disturbed at my going, and I was ready. My guides were fine men, but not nearly so large or so strong as Antonio; perhaps he was of a more ancient blood, or descended from those who in centuries past had conquered the men of the woodlands, and, ruling, had kept themselves somewhat apart from those who served; the difference was marked, and must have had causes other than climate or conditions of living.
After travelling an hour or -more through the jungles, we came to a clearing and saw a number
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of huts, and further on a great conical building like a round tent, but thatched from the ground to the peak with palm leaves and straw. Here Antonio was waiting with a grave welcome; seats were brought for my guides, a hammock for me. In the house it was twilight ; at the door the bright rays of the sunset ; above us the roof was so high it was dark, like a cave ; a fire burned low at one side of the house, great earthen jars standing near it; many Indians were sitting about talking softly or resting in silence; yet the house was so large I could dis- tinguish only their forms. A shed protected the entrance from the rains, and formed an open veranda where horses were tied, and the Indians gathered at times, though for the greater part they sought the deep twilight within their strange house.
For a time we were silent. Antonio, holding a staff, his insignia of office, was listening to low, earnest voices from men grouped about him. They presently finished, and then, at a sign from Antonio, women and boys came, passing large gourds of chicha. The Indians drank eagerly, but for me I would much have preferred to de- cline; I knew better, however, and drank about
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a pint or two of the sour stuff, said it was good, and asked them for more, and it did me not the least bit of good to wish that I hadn't. We sat for awhile, then Antonio said we would go to a dance for the dead which that night would be most impressive. Horses were ordered, and I found that my eagerness need not be concealed; even the King became animated, and expectant Indians were awaiting a signal that they might proceed on their way ; rather strange it all seemed, a funeral, yet so much expectation of pleasure. While we were waiting, I stopped to speak to a group of boys who were looking at me intently. Among them was a lad of some sixteen years who was taller and better appear- ing; his face indicated a sensitive nature and intelligence of a high order. I asked him his name. He looked surprised, and then replied: " Me? I am Josecito." This was the heir to the King, and no prince could have shown greater pride in his rank. Then immediately all was forgotten in his eager desire to see the few things that I carried, and to hear of the great world beyond the deep jungles; and this boy would be king, but a ruler of what? Of tribal legends and of the influence they brought —
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that is all. Now Antonio came and he and his household were ready, a goodly company, who conducted me to another large house, where we arrived at that time in the tropics when, after sunset, night seems to rise out of the jungles. Here I found a great number of Indians gath- ered together. We were welcomed, but most of the people looked strangely at me, and then turned to the King with expressions of wonder, and soon the leading men had gathered about him, all earnestly talking. Then Antonio, rais- ing the staff of his office, entered the house, the other men following. I went in too, for I wished to see all that was done, and my action met with approval; a hammock was brought, in which I sat watching with interest while Antonio, his principal men gathered around him, held consultation the same as he had done be- fore. The King said little, though he listened with care to those who wished to speak with him, and then, when all had finished, he raised his staff, and in a few words gave his decision. Then some of the men came to me with a wel- come; the decision had been in my favour, and I should see all, and, waiting, made myself pa- tient. 147
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It was now grown dark, but in the large house a fire and numerous torches sent a bright, waver- ing light through the midst of the Indians and high up above them, till the roof could be seen through the masses of smoke which, in the damp air, hung heavily drooping.
Men and boys now came serving out chicha, great gourds full, giving me more than enough. Then all sat around laughing and talking while the night grew about them, and the air became heavy with dampness. After some time had passed, a deep-toned drum, a musical, resonant sound, called for attention; then, to the slow measured beatings, four men went to the back of the house and stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the people and keeping measured time with their feet. Then two others joined them; these wore crowns of white feathers and carried gourd rattles. After a time one other came, in his hand a small implement made of hard wood which, on being struck, gave a sharp click- ing sound; then immediately men and boys came to the line, each with a drum — or tambor, in the Indian tongue, a word in a measure ex- pressive of the sound made when they are beaten with the palm of one's hand. In line with the
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dancers, I saw Josecito standing expectant, on his head a crown of white feathers, under the left arm a tambor; he looked brave and most strikingly handsome.
When the line had been formed, the men who first took their places began a weird chant in low voices, taken up one after the other, and then in unison chanting together; a sound not unmusical and something like that of a wind sighing among many trees and their branches. Then a tremulous sound rose up with the chant- ing, as the men with gourd rattles now gave them a circular motion, then a sharp clicking came, as the Indian who carried the small wooden object beat a time on it; with that the long line of dancers swayed for a moment and then, in a slow, measured step, began to move forward and backward, with the tambors stead- ily beating, the continued tremulous sound of the rattling gourds, the sharp clicking time- beat, the drawn-out chant of the singers rising and falling in rhythmic, monotonous cadence ; a long line of Indians, impressive because they were deeply in earnest, parading and chanting farewell to their dead. In perfect unison the Indians went through the performance, while
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the fire burned low, and the torches, unattended, now flickered dimly; but the Indians continued steadily forward a step ; a pause ; a step ; back- ward a step, a step; gradually gaining a little ground forward toward the eastern side of the house to which the line was now turned, where high above them, rudely fashioned and made fast to the thatched side of the house, were three packages, bound securely with leaves, the bones of their dead awaiting final interment. A long time the dance was continued till a place just under the dead had been reached. Then the chanting became more subdued, the wailing notes long drawn out, the tambors, touched lightly, gave a soft, mournful sound, and the ratthng fell to a whispering murmur, then the balancing steps were scarce more than a sway- ing, till gradually all became still, stood silent an instant, and then, without anything further, went quietly back to their various places ; and in a few moments boys and young men came bringing gourds full of chicha, while in all parts of the house subdued voices were heard. A long interval, during which some fell asleep, then a dance was formed as before, this time the King taking the central position, his staff
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in his hand, on his head a crown of white feath- ers surmounted by long, brilhant plumes. In this dance the motion was slower, the singing subdued, but in other respects it was quite the same as the first.
Now it was late, and when this dance had been finished I found my eyes heavy; my thought was to sit up all night, but the chicha, the smoke, the slow, droning music, brought sleep to my eyes ; I could not keep awake. The King came to me and said in a voice of concern: " What, are you sleeping ? My house would be better." I roused myself, but presently na- ture would claim her due, and as most of the Indians were now sleeping soundly, I gave up the struggle, and the next thing I knew it was morning. A chilly gray light and a damp, clinging fog came in through the door, of the Indians, some were still sleeping and some moving about at various duties. The King came to ask me how I had rested, and to say that there would be still other dances after the morn- ing had grown a little. Then we went to a stream near the house, where we washed and pre- pared for the day, the King taking charge of me with a care almost tender; on his face a
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serious, unmoved expression. Then back to the house, more chicha, and with it gourds of boiled chocolate, which I was glad to receive, for I was now well hungry.
A deep red glow began rising over the fog; the sun would soon come, and the Indians began to form for a dance which clearly would be something much more elaborate. As before, the singers, rattlers, and principal men first took their places in a row at the back of the house; then at either end of the row other Indians placed themselves in line at right angles. Now the wailing chant was begun, then the tremulous rattling, and after that the sharp, clicking sound, and when this commenced three Indians bearing a light staff between them came with slow steps and stood back of the singers. On the staff I noticed three rings tied together and made of bark rudely plaited, and I fell to won- dering what they might mean ; then a soft beat- ing was made on the tambors, and an Indian came, in his hand a brilliant red feather, its base wrapped in a green leaf, and he took a place facing the singers. The Indians holding the tambors increased the force of their slow, meas- ured beating, till the whole house was full of the
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deep reverberations, mingled with the weird chant of the singers, the tremulous rattling, and the sharp, clicking sound. Then slowly forward and back, as before, went the line of singers, musicians, and principal men, but those at the sides remained still; the Indian bearing the feather went through the same steps in front of the singers, moving backward or forward as they advanced or retreated, and in the same manner and on the same step the three Indians bearing the staff came following after. This movement for a time was continued ; the tam- bors, beating slowly at first, were now touched more rapidly, and gradually increased till, with sudden energy, the men at the sides broke the lines in which they were standing, and in groups of four, with shoulder pressed against shoulder, began a movement with a long step forward, a step to the side, and another step back, all in the most perfect order, circling round and round the ceremonious dancers, who continued steadily on as before. Faster and faster the outer dancers beat on their tambors, keeping time with their steps, not any one faltering, but in companies swept on around and around, till the time was set at so rapid a pace that all 153
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could not keep it; and now each company bent every effort to run into and break up the party who danced just before them. A game of rare skill, the step must never be broken, each group pressed on to the next, and in turn was beset by the group following after, while in the centre the ceremonious dancers, continuing on with wailing chant, and its accompaniment of weird sounds, were not once disturbed. This required real skill from those dancing around them. Now all was excitement ; the young men forced the dance to their utmost, the women with praise or reproach sat eagerly watching. Josecito, the young prince, was leading one party, and a better dancer could scarce be imagined. As the dance continued, one group, then another, was run down and forced to one side, till, finally, Josecito with his men, and a group of much stronger Indians were all who remained, and it now became a race of endurance. For a time the honours were even, but Josecito was only sixteen, those with him nothing but boys ; their opponents were older and stronger. The younger party grew tired, faltered, lost the step, tried to recover, made a bad start, lost the step once again, and then, sweeping on, the
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older men passed among them, their line was destroyed, and Josecito, red in the face, ran out of the house to hide his confusion. The re- maining group circled round the ceremonious dancers, going gradually slower, till they stopped and stood at one side, beating softly on their tambors. Then the ceremonious dan- cers turned to the remains of their dead, and the chant died away in a wailing farewell which could not be misunderstood. Then, after stand- ing a moment in silence, all returned to their places. Josecito looked in at the door, and then ran away, as if ashamed of his failure. For a time the Indians all rested, then a new dance was formed, different again from the others in that the women prepared to dance with the men. The singers, musicians, and principal men stood as they had done before, the chant and the step were the same, the accompaniment in no way different; but, as the beating of the tambors came quicker, the women began to dance round and round, as the boys had done, except that they danced hand in hand, while the boys held their lines by pressing shoulder to shoul- der, and keeping the most perfect time in their steps. The women gave little attention to time 155
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and the step, but they danced with an abandon of motion which was most attractive. As the dance progressed, it became much confused, and was pushed rapidly on to its end; then came the waiHng farewell, and the Indians returned to their seats or stood about talking together.
More chicha was served, and then the King said that, as I had seen all the dances, we would go to his house and sit for a time, if I wished. Taking leave was of very small moment, the same as I had found it among other tribes, and even the King was not noticed; we simply walked out of the house ; that was all. Shortly we arrived at the King's home, and in the deep shadowy interior sat at ease resting. Then I said : " Don Antonio, why do you dance for the dead? I have seen, but I want to know what it all means." With an expression of real regret on his face, the King shook his head, saying : " No, my white visitor, I love you much, but the dances they are of the Sukias and the Singers. I, as King, know all, truly, but to tell or not that belongs only to them. And yet why should we keep these secrets? I am not a king; as the government commands, so I do; our secrets mean little now. For myself I wish
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you to know. A Sukia will come; be patient and wait." So we waited and the Sukia came, and when he had talked with the King he said, gravely, to me : " Why do you want to know of our dead, you of a far distant country ; what is it to you.^^ "
I answered, explaining that I was sent by the American Museum of Natural History, a great palace as big almost as a mountain, where records of all the Indians were kept that none might be lost or forgotten — a record that should be for them, their children, and all peo- ple for ever. Then I told of the museum and the work it had done; this caught their fancy, and when I had talked a long time and answered their questions, the King said : " It is good. I no longer am King; those who command and send soldiers care not at all, and lest everything should be forgotten we will tell you. Our word is, we will tell you ; your word is, you will keep the record for us, for our children and for all who may care to know. Were I a king we would keep for ourselves our remembrances ; to-day our power is gone; to-morrow we may not be at all.
" I, Antonio, am King, the oldest son first
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born of the other King's oldest sister ; so it has been always. Not the son of the King, but the son of the King's oldest sister, for who knows that a son born to the King's women might be not of his blood. The people obey the King, and next to the King are the Sukias — wise men who charm away evil, keep the Bugaru (chief evil spirit) from destroying the people, and who, with their charms, save the sick from the influence of the spirits of evil which for ever are seeking to injure the living, and all believe in and follow the word of the Sukias. The chief Sukia is wise beyond the others ; him all fear ; he lives deep in the moun- tains and seldom is seen. Even the King has fear of him, and before him the Bugaru never can stand.
" After the Sukias are the Becockaras, who watch over the food, the fields, and the cattle; with them all people consult and find wisdom for their planting, their hunting, their going away, and their coming again.
" Apart from all are the Singers, who com- mune with the dead, and watch over those who have been taken from us. When a man dies he is gone, and wants no more of the things
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which were here; and, as he wants them not, we in due time make a feast, eating and drink- ing. We do not give what he had to his sons and his women; in the woods there is plenty, and the fields yield enough; if they work, they have no want of things which belonged to the dead. Let them work and take from the earth that which is fresh and good for their lives ; but if they care not to work, they are not worthy to have. The people who rule tell us this is wrong; we do not hold it a wrong.
" When one is dead, those who are appointed to handle the body take it away to the woods ; there, bound securely with cloth and with leaves, and placed in a house made of poles, the body remains for a year, till the sun rises again on the day of that life's departure; and if the bones are found cleaned by the wind and the rain, it is well ; the body is freed from the flesh, and can then be taken high in the mountains to be buried in the great vaults which were made in days so long gone past that none remember their making, only we know that there all are gathered together ; but before the bones are taken away, we dance and rejoice, bcause now they are safe, and this we do dancing, drinking, and
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eating till all that belonged to the dead is con- sumed. Then the family take up the bones and go by themselves to the safe place high in the mountains, and when they have laid the dead in the vault which is theirs, for each fam- ily has one, they leave a few things, that the dead may not be in want, or be sent away empty- handed; not that we think the things will be needed, but only because it has been so always ; then the family come home again to the low- lands.
" The dances you saw were in farewell and rejoicing, because those departed were safe. The first dance was held for a woman. You saw it. She had served the men well, and they danced for her who had left them. The second dance was for a man, and his companions danced in his memory ; you saw the singers in farewell, as at first, but with others joining to aid and remember. The young men about the singers represented the struggles of the life which had been and which for them would still be. Behind those who sang were three bearing a staff, and on the staff was a snake of the lowlands, a type of the evil which the dead were now leaving behind them for ever; and before those who
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danced and sang in farewell was one bearing a feather from a bird of the mountains; and dancing he was a spirit, a bird leading and calling on to the mountains where the dead were to rest and would be safe for ever.
" The last dance was for a child only ; the farewell was the same, but the women to whom is confided the care of the children danced round about hand in hand in token of life and its struggles ; but not in order ; they danced in and out among those who sang, for the child's life had been broken, and so was their dance. '
" This is all ; it is little ; only farewell to the dead. Not that they need it, but only that it has been so always; it is our custom and it is nothing more."
Then Antonio, the King, stopped talking. Beyond the deep shade of his cave-like house was the intense burning heat of the tropics ; a shimmering of light over the green of the jungles ; a wavering of intense heat over the grass in the clearing in front of his houses. Quietly the cattle and horses were feeding; scarce a breath stirred. Antonio the King looked over the scene a long time in silence, and then said, as if thinking aloud : " For the white
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men the cities, plantations, the ships; for the Indians only the forests. Why will they not leave us our own? "
There was much that I wanted to know beside what had been told, and I asked the King how the dead were finally buried, to which he replied : '* There is little ceremony ; the package of bones is placed in a hammock and carried to the bury- ing-ground in the mountains ; the top of the vault is removed, and the dead laid away with those who had gone before them; the vault is covered again, and by its side we leave a stool to sit on, a clay jar for chicha, a cup for drink- ing, a gourd, and for each man a bow, arrows, hunting-bag, and his walking-staff; for each woman a basket. We do not think the dead need these things; it is only a custom."
Would they show me the burying-ground .^^ Decidedly they would not, because they knew the white men would dig open the vaults and take the bones of their dead, an act they all feared, the King saying : " That is a curious custom of yours. Your people want our dead, yet never think of disturbing your own. Why do you this? We cannot tell, and do not hear your words of excuse."
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Then I said: "Don Antonio, ask them to sell me all the things they use in a dance of farewell, that I may make a dance for myself."
"Without the dead? That would be foul," and the face of the King wore a grave, anxious look.
" But," I urged, " one will die ; let me have these things, for the dance is good."
Then Antonio said : " What harm can it do ? " and to the men standing near : " Get the things for him, that, knowing all, he may even dance for himself if he will."
Agreements were quickly