Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-08-13

bic rise, there having been a week of heavy
rains in the hill country of the upper river
valley. Five or six times during that sixty
hours voyage the explorers fattered them
selves with the hope of having gained the
broad waters of the main stream. but every
time that hope was bafiad by the discovery
that the supposed river was merely deep
lagoon hemmed in by mud banks ali
around, except at a point where the current
found narrow outlet into the unknown
wilderness of the swamp forests further
east.
One of those lagoons, however. appeared
to have no outlet at all, and an hour be-
fore the sunset of d toilsome day the ex-
plorer could no longer resist a misgiving
that they had got into another trap, and
would have to retrace their way the be st
they could. They camped on dry land
that night, and by the advice of their In
dian hoatmen built large fire to scare off
the panthers that had left their tracks Ia
the sand aC the water edge. Wild beasts
OF some sort or other certainly seemed to
prowl about the camp, for again and
again their dog started up growing and
with all his hair bristling. Stealthy
steps could be heard in the thicket, and
one of the surveyors banged off his rife at
random, but that only made matters
worse, for the echo of the shot was an
swered by the deafening screams of a
monkey troop III the treetops of the
neighboring forest. The unlucky rifle was
put out Of sight, and they all spoke in a
whisper for the next ten minutes, but
those monkeys refused to be Quoted, and
kept up their screams till sleep seemed out
of the question.
As last remedy the travellers tried the
plan of letting their fire 90 out. but an
hour after they had to light it again. for
during the interval of darkness the mos
quito plague had become absolutely intol-
cradle. ''Gnats Of all sizes and shapes
come down like shower of hot ashes, -
says the report of the chlet surveyor, land
they seemed to find their way through
every opening left tor breathing purposes,
and the night was so warm that a person
would have been suffocated in trying to
sleep under a blanket. Ordinary mos
quito screens are of no use at all in
those river swamps, many variety of night
gnats being so small that they would
60 through like rats through a rail
fence"
The incessant screams of the monkeys
had awakened a swarm of water fowls in
the fens of the lagoons, and when the
moon rose thousands of cranes and swamp
geese took wings, screaming till the noise
spoiled the chance of sleep, even for the
natives, whose ideas had become mosqito
proof. Large fire flies lowered about the
bushes; fire beetles wheeled around in
weird circles and altogether it was the
strangest night the travellers had ever
passed In the woods.
Anothers hours exploration confirmed
their suspicion the next morning; the la
COON bad no outlet that could possibly be
passed by boat, and only a days hard
work enabled the explorers to regain a
point where they could at least use their
sail. They had taken the precaution to
fasten their baggage on a separate raft, or
they would have lost all their instruments
for the boat capsized twice and was right
ed only by the skill of the Indian swim
mers. On the following day a long
desired east wind sprang UP, but when
they at last got back to Las Cascadas their
weary boatmen refused food to indulge in
tire more needed luxury of a good, long
sleep, and the surveyors were so complet-
" exhausted that they could hardly get
up the steps at the landing place; and
they all now agree with the storekeeper,
that the scores of the Lower Sumasinta
river will remain unsolved for many years
to come