Connecticut western news., 1888-11-14
RUBBER HUNTERS.
Men Who Dare Everything in
 Search of Milky Sap.
The Yularoes at Work In the
 Costa RiCan Forests.

Costa Rican Forests.
 The Yularoes, or rubber hunters of Costa Rica, writes Philadelphia Rec ord correspondent, arc tho most irre- sponsible and ignorant of creatures, whose first obj ct when out on an cx- petition, is to secure as much caout- chouc as possible, and next to damage the prospects of other Yularoes, re- gardlcss of the future.
 Among the inhabitants of Central America tho Yularoes form a distinct class. by all odds the lowest in the country, unless it may be the Cribs of Guatemala, or the pearl divers of the western coast. They are mostly half breeds for white men seldom engage in it, though the business mi ,ht be made ex- tremely profitable. A Yularo can be distinguished at a glance from natives of other 'professions," as easily as a cowboy in gentecl society, or miller fresh from his mill, not only by his general air of darc- devil d on t. care-it- ivencss, but by the thick coating of caoutchouc that covers his clothing from head to foot. This extra coating accumulates gradually by contact with the rubber trees, withlu intention on the part of tho wearer, and in tim, rem ders his garments absolutely water proof and almost indcstructible.
 The hun ters are fitted out by the shrewd traders of Parismina, much as American miners used to be supplied with ''grub stake" in their search for precious metals. E,ch Yularo is pro- vided with gun, a quantity of ammu- milton, boat and sufficient supply of salt, flour and pork to sustain him from two to six months. All this is charged to his account at the highest market price, and in return ho stipulates to sell to this same accommodating dealer, at some fixed sum per pound, all the caoutchouc he may collect during his trip
 A journey to tho woods may occupy weeks or months, according to the will of the Yularo; after which he returns to the village, not to leave it again until the last cent is spent which he has earned or can beg, steal or borrow, and all the credit exhausted that he can ob. tain by promises upon the next expedi- tion. It is not strange, however, that they arc reluctant to return to such dangerous exiles, for under every leaf of the tropical forest some venomous creature is lurking, and eternal vigi lance is tho pric, of safety. The hua- ter's life is little above that of the wild beasts, whose howls make night hideous around him, and he is constantly ex. posed to thousand perils seen and un- seen. Not only are there hungry jaguars and pumas, wild boars and other powerful animals, but more to be dreaded are the deadly reptiles, some of them no longer than your hand. There are tiny lizards, the exact color of the leaves under which they hide, whose bite is fatal innumerable bugs, beetles and insects, many of them more dangerous than tho rattler of our northern wilds, which d least gives some warning of his inten. tion to strike, while, even more to bt feared than the monstrous crocodiles o the lagoons and the enormous serpents of hugging proclivities, are the levers that nightly stalk abroad with the nox- ious vapor of tho terra callente.
 Aside from the scant rations he brings, the Yularo's food consists main ly of wild hogs, or such other animals as he may bo able to kill, cked out by tortillas, and, as an occasional luxury, dish of red beans stewed in fat. Mon keys are considered tho choicest O. morceaux, particularly the large rec species.
 The Yularo has no other implement than short rope of cactus fibre, of hi. own twisting, and huge machcte the latter ru1e sort of sworo or knife which every Central American who is engaged in any out o!-door oc cupatioa carries upon all occasions The hunter ties ore en l of the rope around his waist, throws the other ovc l the lower branches and scrambles up tht tree, machcte in hand. Having reached a convenient limb he secures himself b1 means of the rope and proceeds to make an incision in tho tree, from which gradually letting himself downward ho cuts deep channel through thu thick bark, around tho trunk to tn, ground. h most cases the careless fcl low cuts much deeper than is necessary, thereby 1uining the futuro usefulness O the tree; for if peaknlfc, or cvon { /; pin, be thrust into thrifty young tr,e tho milk spurts out ia copious flow.
 The yellowish- white juice resemble. good, rich cream more nearly than any thing else. If the tree is fully grow and has never before been tapped, tho sap will flow from tho incision 1T l streams, and, running down the char , nel, is received into a pit dug at tho roots. The fluid is generally coagulated , with tho sap of wild vine somcwha