The Portland daily press., 1867-09-21

ed with deep roar that started me sfoot. I'd |
never heard cangos howl before. but I'd no |
lear Of that sound; the consciousness OF being |
iost nao come back on me. Straight on l |
crashed through the bush. torn, bruised, an
tallin through marsh an creek, an bamboo
thicket, until exhaustion pulled me down
once more. You see was very young In
years, an had never before been in o forest
bigger than corn-patch. I'd Just sense
enough to know that one must die In hebush,
an die an awful death If left there; but how
to find a way out, had mo- idee than any
. From time to time shouted a. thrill AZ I
could, but the deep hot alleys Of the forast
sucked In the sound; an before sunSnvn
was too hoarse for calling. As nicht came
on, sank down stupid, AM 10 Law. not asleep
gu. ssenseiess. ia puma had found me then,
H. naVs naa nis supper cheap, but, thank
an,, a,", never met one Of them sneaking
usyis Wnen morning broke, was faint an
SICK with hunger, but for hours was aieard
70 lake tne few fruits that lay round. To-
wards midday, always wandering, I found
Duncn OF yellow pig-apples growing on vine I'll
they looked SO nice that, poison or no poison,
l. gathered them all, an chawed them up.
They're not bad eating, aren't pig apples, any
where, to starving man they do seem right
| down good, | tell you. Ws1E
"On the second day, began to feel hunger
right badly. At first, it was gnawing, weak
| ly sense. less hard to bear because one felt
helpless an tired; but after twenty-four hours
hot fever came on, an seemed too wild and
strong to die. OF drink there was plenty Of
course, for the ground was all swamp, an
| besides, the water-vineS was common enough
There's greater medicine, sir, in those water
vines than all the doctors can make for Won.
There's wonderful secrets in the woods. an
we have them pretty much 10 ourselves as vet
we who know them. >
| The third day was dreadful bad for hum
| ger. L had tearing an reftinp inside. NV
slght was flaming an dim by turns, an pains
twisted up every joint. My head was curious
y Gear all the while, except tina. sometimes
! saw things in the wood as ne ser was there
put mat was mostly after the fourth day
wnen the pains left me for q time guess
hunger takes men very different. Some Pye
known give in with forty-eight hours, an lie
down to die with no great suffering-ay, an
good-hearted ones too. .,-..,,...>, = .
1t would take week to 60 through all the
fancies i had, an the strange figures that
came before me in the time kept sort Of
consciousness, for was light-headed mostly
l seem TO recclltct meeting big tiger, an
looking MN straight between his flaming eyes
without morsel of fear; but he skunk off like
astarved cat and yeu may guess was anele
CANT extract SO to scare a San Juan iaguar
MY dreams awake and asleep were Always fui
OF murder and death somehow Now there's
cause for that l take it, somewhere in ones
inside, Tor there's folks who dream happy
when they're starving.
Il suppose l gathered apples when they
could be found, an chewed pinneIas eyer
when mad, for kept on living. That wan.
dered about, never resting longer In one place
tnan just to get strength for moving on again
know, forit was one of the fancies that
must wander ever an ever through the green
dlmness O. the bush, under the endless trees
until died. Ahlit was an awful time. Some
times 1t seemed as had been lost for wears
an then my mem'ry was racked with old
soofles men tinding their way out of a wood
| oy some clever craft or other but the tales wa,
all muddled up with murders, an old times
an ghosts. 'Twould have been easy enough
ior good woodsman to track out an mayb,
might have done it myself, it I'd hidden m,
mead at the f1rst moment an thought il owe
quiefly as you did to-day sir; hut badn'
the exper ence--that's where it is! Expert
ence Is better than compass any day. TIL,
creeks at winch L drank-most likely all o
where I'd have been saved and in the DAYS
had some strength an reason, / might have
followed them up an down. For al those
seventeen days Ineoer acre three miles from
Castillo, an they found me at last within two
hundl ed yards O the fort That would seem
aqueer story to home-stayin ing folk, wouldn't
1t? But green hand might Almost starve tt
peati 10 patch OF San Juan forest three
hundred yards square,. ,ai 10 81 II = !
vi the last ten days in the bush, recollec
nothing at all, an Pm thankful for it. For thu
ants found out my helplessness, am the beet
les, an the lilies; only, thank God. The turkey.
buzzards didn't come nigh me until the las,
minute, But when my body was found by
one soldiers IN gong for grass, there was hall
dozen OF the horrid wretches, waddling
round with their leathery heads aside. and
hopping each moment closer, An anotha,
queer sign they found, which had maybr
scared the birds; all round my body were the
tracks OF pumas, AZ thick as IL they'd been
uanclhg Il considerable sight of hndanqo
among themselves Why they hadn't eat me-
1 can't think; for he's cowardly brute. vel
hon, an it's sweet cake to him to find = man
asleep or dying. % -ii1 lf ~
wen don't want to make yer Ill, so
W1llt aescri6e the state my poor body was in
when they found IT. know Pye afways
thought better of areasers' pluck since them
SOLDIERS yentured to carry my carcass to the
tort. The Lord have mercy on all sick men
In the jungle! You heard the ants had eat
en- my nose Off 1t weren't quite a. bad al
cnat out IN an hour or two they'd done ii
II tne turkey buzzards had let them. NY fin
ger-ends was eaten by them, an my ears; an
Ior the flies, a man might shudder at that tale
l mink, even though he were bred for a CITY
lawyer, and married young. It's ghsstly
thing to be eaten alive by insects, but never 4
man living was nearer to that end than To /
All said Frazer, ''the pumas'd finished
| you OH kerslash If you'd been fit to eat; am
| us wonder them sneakiug varmin didn't
track You out long since. / mind once, on
the Serebpiqui, being hunted by a puma for
TWO days and nights. knew he was trailing
me, ready for a chance, but couldn't get a
sight OF him all that time. hut ], squared it
off in theend-I did SO. How came the SOL
diers to find you, Vansten?"
"They were prospecting for sacat for the
| commandant,s mule, and came across me in
the swamp. It's midnight, past, bows. an Pm
| right-down sleepy. Good-nightp'
The Americans call all lianas "yines" MANY Of