Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-08-18
In A LOCKWOOD FOREST.
A ROMANTIC TRIP UP THE
RIVER BELIZE.
A Tropic Wilderness-The Denizens
of Primeval Solitudes and
Their Surroundings.

miles up the river, We conceived a burn
ing desire to visit it. But that was not so
easy Of accomplishment as may be imag-
ined, though the zstima thule OF our am
bition was located not more than two
hours row from the city. OF course two
lorn females cogid not make the journey
alone, nor woUld we go with only party
Of negro Belezans-and [ regret to add
that respectable Americans are extremely
rare in this vicinity; however, "where
there's a Will, there's way" you knox,
every time. By dint of considerable
maneuvering, we succeeded in persuading
the resident Consul that his duties de-
manded the immediate investigation Of
that particular camp; and with his good
old wife as chaperone, a ''near" sighted
naturalist who happens to be prowling
around this section in search of birds and
butterflies and the hale hearty Captain of
a Yankee vessel at anchor in the harbor,
the party was completed.
In the twilight of an early morning
packed in mahogany pit-pan, three on a
seat (all but the bulky Captain, whose go
pounds served as ballast), the negro boat
men grooming their customary wild chant
we shot up the tranquil Rio Belize, whose
glossy surface reflected the changing hues
of the sky.
Soon the sun came up, dispelling the
GOODNESS of night, and by Z o'clock the
heat was excessive. Even at this latitude,
and during the hottest months of the year,
the nights are sometimes uncomfortable
chilly. The great fiat surface of coral
rock which underlies all this peninsula.
exposed by day to the rays of powerful
sun, is subject to such rapid radiation at
night that the contrast is almost equal to
freezing.
With the rising sun appeared millions
of gnats and sand-hies, and strange birds
fitted out of the dense woods that skirt
the river on either hand huttering close
overhead, with shrill cries as ii protesting
against this intrusion into the solitudes OF
nature
Among the birds Of Belize are orioles,
fy-catchers, doves, peeps, plover, snipe,
tirn, blackbirds, sand-pipers, trogons, cor
morants, herons, blue and white pelicans,
sea gulls, spoonbills, ibis, egrets, parrots
flamingoes, and many whose names are
unknown to me. A mile or two up the
river | noticed a man-of-war bird (1dcbu
petes agItila), showing that the sea was
near; and another singular creature, called
by the boatmen 4 marinerO (sailor), which
uttered necessarily one harsh, discordanI
note.
Arrived at the landing-place, though
not more than ten miles beyond the town
we found ourselves at once in primeva
forest, so wild and deep that it seemed the
foot of man could never have trodden it
Sweet, cool and inviting, the trackles
woods stretched out before us, leading
none knows whither-the moist eartl
thickly carpeted with moss and faller
leaves. Deeper and deeper grew the 81
lence, with scarcely sign of animal life
even the birds seeming unwilling to pene
trate the gloomy recesses.
Suddenly great hub-bub broke the Cd
pressive stiffness, in which vigorous car
rGmbas, and other Spanish "swear words
could be plainly distinguished pres
emily a mule-train came into view. edgins
its way between the trees. Each poor lit.
tie donkey had board dashed on either
side of him, fully fifteen feet long by two
broad-one end projecting beyond his ears
the other dragging on the ground. This
is the way that most of the timber is
hauled to the riverside for shipment, the
larger logs being pulled by ropes and
toated down the streams.
A few moments more and the lockwood
rancho was reached probably not half a
mile from the waters edge, but seeming
much farther to pedestrians through the
wilderness. The camp consisted of half a
dozen palmetto huts, with open sides and
ends-merely roofs set up on four poles to
afford a slight protection from sun and
rain. Close by was a mule-shed, behind
which some goats were tethered, and the
establishment was completed by row of
rustic bee-hives-hollow logs, the ends
plastered with mud, and roof over them.
In the open huts hammocks were
stretched from pole to pole, serving for
seats as well as beds-and the presence of
sundry mosquito-bars told their own tale
Of nocturnal pests. Several brawny and
shlrtless Indians lounged about, clad only
IN white cotton trousers rolled to the
knee, each with a nlechate heavy enough to
kill man or beast at single blow; while
three or four women, kneeling on plank,
were grinding corn as though their lives
depended on it, preparatory to making
tortilias
According to rules of local etiquette.
the first thing to be done was to eniov a
retreSe Belize, furnished by the master of
the camp. Into huge calabash (gourd) of
fresh spring water was put round ball
of something that looked like a boys big
gest "alley." 1t was mixture of crushed
corn, sugar and spices, rolled up by the
women, ready for USE This rapidly dis
solved in the water, assisted by our host,
who stirred it awhile with his fingers: and
then the gourd was handed around, fort
unately, $50 we thought, being presented
first to the ladies and last to the negro
boatmen, each drinking in turn. The
beverage, which is called atole, is really
pleasant and refreshing, and universally
used all over Central America.
Close by the camp lay piles of logwood.
ready for shipment, trimmed of the bark
and white outer covering, each heap
matched with leaves A steel-yard hung
from tree, and the wood which the cut
tiers had just brought in was piled on a
suspended platform and duly weighed, four
arrebaS, 200 pounds each time. This
was noted down, with the name of the man
who had cut it, and added to the other
heap-ready for transportation to the
landing.
Hereabouts they call the logwood tree
pato tinte fred wood) or palo de CdmpecAe
To science it is known as HGmdtorylon
Cdmpedchiaaliu'. Though found throughout
all the seacoast portions of Mexico and
Central America, the State of Campeachy
exports by far the largest quantity, and
therefore has attached its name to the
valuable commodity. 1t grows also in
some portions of South america and the
West Indies, having been introduced
into Jamaica about the beginning of
the previous century, and is now ma
turalised there. 1t is a rather small
tree, of peculiar temperance, eeldom attain
ing hight of more than % feet, its gnarled
trunk full of holes and crevioes and al
ways separated short distance
above the grouad. The leaves are
pari-pinnated, ard the snail yell
lowish flowers hang in clusters from
the tips of the branches. The bark is
a dark brown, the sapwooa pale
y elbow, and the heart-the only valuable
portion-blood red, becoming almost black
from long exposure. The heartwood is