The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-04-14
THE WHITE DEATH.
Thrilling Tale of Plantation Life in
 Paraguay.

 Translated from sss German fog ,Ae San
 Fraae4see Afgonaa,.
 The ranch of Senof Diaz was on charming slope. overlooking the broad. smooth waters of the tributaries to the Parana. on whose opposite shore the Tank grass grew ten and twelve fec; high. The house itself had tropical character; |, was Spanish with a cool, shady veranda, long, low front. painted walls and latticed windows, a spacious court. and fla, roof, provided with 2 parapo; which gave the whole structure the ap- pearance of to:,. Many acres of -st.s;;ll.. va;ed landeshoweG long lines of sugar cane and tall trees laden with bananas> n surprising ooniras, 10 the dark. Impen- etrable mass of w:ld bush-land which saF- rounded the settlement IT the further distance
 Sonora Dia1 vas one of the tropical beauties of whonl slaTi.lo dreaned
 am goins ;o test your gall4n,y. she said. coming ou, ofihe verAnda where sat, by asking you to help me water my flowers, for with my lame hand It is no, easy for me 10 If, me heavy watering pot
 am at your service. but allow me am wrong:-, remind you ,ha, you promised me the orl of how your hand was famed"
 Certainly. As soon as the flowers are watered, we will have coffee on Inc ve- randa, and you shall heas all aoou; t.
 Accordingly. was shortly slipping coffee with the l.i;le Lolita. my hosts only daughter and my pet. beside me. Nhile her mother rolie. cigarette, lighted Il. and began as follows:
 When we frs: came here. years ago. i: was very d,fIe.en, looking place. The wiid brush-land reached ,o the edge of the water. and was such a dark wilderness of ,horns, brambles. palms. wild ig trees. and other tropical vegetation, that did not dare venture n i;s depths. Bu, my husband and his worxmen went rnanfully 10 work. felled trees, cproo,ed s,umps, made hedges and ditches all day long, eacep, in the severes; heat, and often saw them come home So wearied ,ha, they would fall asleep where they stood. and first think of food three or four hours later when they awoke
 After while they got portion of,he ground under sublection, but, after the acres were cleared and we began to plant we had a throns of foes 10 combat. The worst were the ants, which, watched for on accoun; O! their depreda,ions on plan tations, have way of making under ground passages. i'll they undermine the whole surface of field and !, falls in like the crust of cake. Jus, north of as Is grea, gap ID the ground. full of bushes and wild grass wI,h here and there some rotten timber, where a whole settlement sank from the ants undermining the foun- datiaas- From this comes the saving we have n Paraguay that our worst enemies are the Indian braves and the lad.an ans.
 Luckily. the only Indians were friendly ones. xho exchaage1 al kinds O. previs- ions, especially dfied meats. for knlYes and brandy. Ne poisoned the ants dug up heir nests. flooded ,heir passage-weys with boiling water, and so in a grea, measure, were free from them ea.a.ae-5i. they now sometimes come .rozl tEe CO.'S to attack the plantation
 But, af,er them. came another plague snakes For long t.me though; Il was hopeless. My husband used ,o call them the tax-coliec,ors, and they did come just as regularly. No day passed without OUT finding one or more ia the house And ouce-O. Heaven wha, a frigh, had When Lolita was a baby. my husband and his men had gone OF one morning 10 work as usual. and the child was asleep on ma, a; the end of the rocm- Suddenly saw on the foo. the skin of mouse. from which the whole body had been sucked $ from a2 orange. knew al once tkz, 3 snake mus oe near. for they feed or me and .-ar tne-- in this fashion bu.. much as locked around. could see TO snake, LII al 2. orce !. occurred 10 ne-perhars ], gas under the baby's mai Then sos.y lIke6