The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-01-04
European minerals.

NSbNS Oh tuC L
send Indians to meet the travellers her
and take their luggage on to the place Q
embarcation. July 30-the Indians cam
shouting into the farm-yard, thirteen il
number. They were young, slight bu
muscular-looking fellows, and wanted t.
shoulder the trunks and be off at once
The lieutenant, however, gave :hem som,
breakfast, and then the party set forward
and after walk Of six miles, reached
the river, and embarked in the canoe
Two Indian laborers, called poems, pad
died the canoe, and managed it very well
The poems cooked their dinner of cheese
and rice, aud made them a good cup o.
coffee. They arc lively, good-tempered
fellows, and properly treated make good
and serviceable travelling companions
The canoe was only available in parts oi
the river where the stream was free from
rapids. Where these occur, the cargo
must be landed and carried round. Lieu
tenant Fl. and bis party were compelled
to walk good part of the distance to Tin
60 Maria, which was thirty six mile.
from where they first took the canoe.
Il saw here, says our traveller, the luc-
er1aago or fre-Hy of this country. 1t is a
species of beetle, carrying two white lights
in its eyes, or rather in the places where
the eyes ofinsects generally are, and a red
light between the scalesof the belly,so that
it reminded me something of the ocean
steamers. They aresomctimes carried to
Lima enclosed in an apartment cut into a
sugar-caneG, where the ladies at balls or
theatres putthem in their hair for ornament.
At lingo Maria their arrival was Gel
ebrated with much festivity. The gov.
ernor got up ball for them, where there
was more bilarity than ceremony. The
next morning the governor and bis wife
accompanied our friends to the port
The governor made short address to
the canoe men, telling them that their
passengers were "no common persons:
that they were to have special care of
them; to be very obedieDt," etc. They
then embarked and stood of; the boat
men blowing their horns, and the party
on shore waving their hats, and shout
ing their adieus.
The party had two canoes, about forty
feet long by two and ahalf broad, each
followed out of single log. The row.
ers stand up to paddle, having one foot
in the bottom of the boat and the other
on the gunwale. There is man at the
bow of the boat toI look out for rocks or
sunken trees ahead, and steersman who
stands on little platform at the stern of the
boat, and guides her motions. When the
river was smooth and free fromobstruc-
ton, they drifted with the current, the men
sitting on the trunks and boxes, chatting
and laughing with each other, but when
they approached "bad place." their Sc
rious looks, and firm position in which
each one planted himself at his post, show
ed that work was to be done. When the
bark bad fairly entered the pass, the rap
id gestures of the bowman indicated the
channel, the graceful position of the
steersman holding his long paddle, and
the desperate exertions of the rowers, the
railroad rush of the canoes, and the wild
screaming laugh of the Indians, as the
boat shot past the danger, made q scene
so exciting as to Danish the sense of
danger.
After this specimen of their travel, let
US take a glimpse of their lodging. "At
balf-past FIVE we camped on the beach
The first business Of the boatmen, when
the canoe is secured, is to go off to the
woods and cut stakes and palm branches
to make house for the "commander."
BY sticking long poles in the sand, chop
ping them hslf-a-way in two about FIVE
feet above the ground, and blending the
upper parts together, they make in few
minutes the frame of little sbanty, which
thickly thatched with palm leaves will
keep off the dew or an ordinary rain
Some bring the drift wood that is lying
about the beach, and make fre.-The
provisions are cooked and eaten, the bed.
ding laid down upon the leaves that COW
er the floor of the shanty, the mosquito
Dettings spread, and after cup of coffee,
a glass of grog, and cigar (if they are
to be had), everybody retires for the
night by elght o CLOCK ne lnolans sleep
around the hut, each under his narrow
mosquito curtain, which glisten in the
moonlight like so many tombstones."
The Indians have very keen senses,
and see and hear things that would es-
cape more civilized travellers. One morn
ing they commenced padding with great
vigor, for they said they heard monkeys
ahead. 1t was not till after padding
mile that they reached the place. "When
we came up to them, says the lieuten.
ant, "we found gang of large red mon
keys in some tall trees by the river. side,
making a noise like the grunting of
herd of hogs. We landed, and in few
moments found myself beating my way
through the thick underground, ard hunt
ing monkeys with as much excitment as
bad ever felt in bunting squirrels when
a boy" They found the game hard to
kill, and only got three, the lieutenant,
with his rife, one, and the Indians with
their blow-guns, two. The Indians roast
ed and eat theirs, and Lieutenant H. tri-
L. Al 4 . L