Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-25
a STRANGE TALE.
Extraordinary Adventures
in q Far-Off Land.
GULLIVER ALMOST OUTD0NE.
A Region Where Plants Lay Eggs
Horses are Tailless, and WO-
men are Rulers.

Rev. Howard Chumley, an English
missionary, left this city for New York
yesterday afternoon, intending to sail
for home to-day on the steamship Etru-
ria, after four years absence. For about
q week he had been living quietly in this
city at cheap boarding house, for he
was sorely in need of cash. Several
clergymen to whom he presented him
self refused him assistance, but philan-
thropic citizen, moved by his story, I'M
dertook to bear the cost of his trapspor-
taton to Bristol, England, of which
place he is native.
He is about AZ years old, exceptionally
tall, of spare form, but very muscular.
In conversation his voice is pleasant, his
features animated and his eyes sparkling.
Certainly the story he tells of his career
in the past two years is a most remark.
able one, though it is to some extent
corroberated by substantial evidence in
the shape of small tablets of stone bear
ing rude Inscriptions, which he says was
circulated as money among barbarous
people, by whom he was held captive.
He intends giving it to the public in
book form, but talks freely on the SUBJ
iect. He permitted stenographer to
make full notes of his statement on Wed.
nesday last for publication in the Daily
Neaos. This is verbatim what he said
sailed from Liverpool for South Am.
erica April %, 1882. in the steamer Ella
West, commissioned as missionary of
the Woman's Presbyterian Foreign Mis-.
sionary Society. We reached Rio Ian.
Janeiro May 28th. after rough voyage,
and after a short rest l entered ON my
labors in Brazil. l did not make much
headway except among the poorer ma
tives, but my success was sufficiently
encouraging. During year and half
1 traversed the entire empire, and with
Gods assistance, made small army of
converts. penetrated to Bolivia, and
at last, going north on the Guapore riv-
er, struck densely wooded country.
The climate is extremely hot all the year
round.
"The minerals are mostly lead and
soft ore resembling iron, of hieh there
is great abundance. The indigenous
plants include one which is truly won.
derful. 1t grows to a height Of about
eighteen inches; the stem is slender and
the foliage is variegated. 1t flowers in
June, and the blossom is of deep Grim
son with six or seven petals, forming a
flower about two inches in diameter.
The blossom is succeeded by yellow
pod, which grows to the size of wal
nut. This pod-or pupa, as it really is
"Opens about the middle of August and
large moth with red and yellow wings
emerges. This moth feeds on the plant
l am speaking of, or others OF its variety,
and deposits eggs in the earth. These
eggs are the seed of the plant, and begin
sprouting in the spring. Here is spe.
cimen of the plant and a half-open pod,
inside of which you will see the insect.
"In September, 1884, l was stricken
with intermittent fever. My two Bra
lillian attendants cared for me faithfully,
but in frenzy left the tent and wan
dered off into the forest. When | be-
came conscious | was extremely weak,
and fonnd myself absolutely naked, ly-
ing on heap of dead leaves in sort of
crate constructed of stout sticks. My
body was thickly covered with yellow
| ointment which had removed every hair
My head was in the same condition.
Looking around to discover where was,
l found myself evidently in the center of
a village. The houses or huts were evi
IDENTIFY of mud, stones and trees. In
few minutes, it having been noticed that
l was moving about, people began to
gather around my cage. They examined
me with great interest, and l had great
interest in examining them. They were
mostly women, tall, well formed, and OF
mutt brown color. The few men l saw
were absolutely dwarfs, and nearly every
one carried female infant in his arms.
The women were armed with clubs with
sharpened points, and were evidently
prepared for some violent outbreak on
my part. Some of them poked me with
sticks, and seemed astonished that L did
not tear around my cage. | addressed
them in Spanish and several OF the patols
had acquired, but they did not under
stand me. and jabbered in gutteral
dialect. l made them understand that
desired something to eat and drink by
pantomime, which they understood, and
l was brought some liquor which de-
rived its strength from chewed maize
and some raw flesh. The latter ] could
not bring myself to eat, but drank the
liquor. A child pushed thick cake
into my cage. 1t was composed OF
pounded maize and water? This l ate
with avidity, and more Of the same kind
was given me.
II was not taken from the cage for
over month, but was fed on the maize
cake and liquor and raw meat, which in
time l became able to eat. The crate
was moved daily, and fresh bed of
leaves given me. l could observe but
little in such a position, except to see
that the females were numerically and
physically superior to the men. was
able to pick up few sentences OF the
language, and it was from my repetition
of the words of child begging that
should be taken from the cage that
was eventually released. suppose, how.
ever, my captors had become convinced
that l was not dangerous, though l
learned that during my fever had been
very violent. | was given to understand
by the wo an who had been placed as
guard in charge of me that l would be
severely dealt with in case attempted
to escape, and such close watch was
left on my movements that I lived for
more than year and a half among these
peculiar people, the Uncapali'zms, as
nearly as l can spell it, before the oppor.
tunity offered to escape. In that time |
learned much that will astonish the sci
entific orld. Briefly stated, the women
are the ruling sex, and the Government
is vested in an elected female triumvir-
ate, whose sway is absolute. The men
are on ratio of one in twelve, and the