Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-05-16
WITH THE SAURIANS.
Interesting Account Of British
Steamers Exploration Of the
Mouths Of Amazon.
Some Extraordinary Scenes, and
Fightings Of the Huge CrOc0diles
and Deadly Serpents.
VI Attack from the Natives Was
Silenced by a Shell Which Soon
Scattered Them.

| FNNttNiNo AA'ihs
| ] was second mate Of the British steam
| q Forward during her two years Of ex
| IoratiOn in tine mouths of Amazon and
b other field could have been selected to
hrnish more adventures. We had with
| 1 a bOtanisU, a photographer a natural
1t. an artist and two outside civil engi.
ners who wanted tine experience, and
dr. mission was to make thorough ex-
lOratiOn, this meant to enter every
hannCl where a steamer could float to
hike soundings; to observe tides, currents,
Ioods. etc, to record the washing away
i the banks, changes of channels, and d
hundred other things the knowledge of
Ehich might be useful to the world.
II At the time the Forward set ont there
sas strong talk of the British government
Itobbling up big slice of the Brazilian
IloaSt IN payment OF a claim for indemni-
liz, and ! suppose the first object in view
lRas to see whether the white man could
lltand the climate and do business there,
Ind TO get an idea of what he had to con-
iend with.
\ The Forward was a propeller, carried
Two six-pound cannon as her armament,
Ind when loaded drew only FIVE feet Of
water. We had a crew Of fourteen men,
were QUILTED with everything which
tould be possibly used, and were conveyed
from Georgetown, in B. itish Guiana, by a
man-of-war and a brig, the latter loaded
with supplies for US and under orders to
anchor where our captain directed, and
temain as store ship and a haven for
us in case of disaster.
! do not suppose there is geography
or marine chart IN existence which gives
the actual number Of mouths Of the Ema-
lzon. Any attempt TO name them would
Zoe guess work. La the flood season the
lgreat river EN- les it muddy waters over
"a coast several miles long and through
twice as many channels and in the dry season
one may be unable 10 fad more than Eve or
Six channels Islands are formed one
month to be washed away the next Where
there is bluff ten feet high to-day, there
Twill be nothing in sight but water to-mor-
row The world could not raise enough
cash and laborers to strengthe~ che stream
and Condue its outlet to one channel.
From What have read of Equatorial
Africa ! should call it a paradise compar-
ed to what used TO be termed "the spot Of
desolation. The line of the equator
crosses she mouth of the Amazon, and as
for heat no white han could long endure
il. saw the thermometer mark l22 20 III
degrees for days at "a time, and that was
ON the water. with more or less breeze stir
ring The variety of insects which annoy
ed us at night hg biting was something
over a score, At times when we lay at
anchor eff "a Jungle, a putt of wind would
trng such cloud OF mosquitoes that their
bodies would cover every thing A white
man exposed 20 them on shore would not
live an hour There are seven kinds of
poisonous snakes along the Amazon, the
largest crOcodlles IN the world, FIVE or six
species or beasts which will attack man,
and goodness knows how many kinds OF
bugs and ants and worms, which make
life miserable The thj-gs we had most
to dread however, were the JagRar and
serpents the natives and the crocodile.
They seemed leagusd against us from the
very start
We had a steam launch and two yawls
for exploration where the steamer could
not go, and there were SIX of us out in the
launch one day making soundlngs in a
great bend. when a monster crocodile rose
to the surface close beside us. lunged for
ward and had his head and one leg over
the gunWale before any one saw him. The
engineer had d Ratchet within reach and
with lhis he gave the reptile such a blow
as made him draw off and sink out OF sight
The launch had scarcely righted herself
however, when a full dozen more Of the
Saurians rose TO the attack We 81, Md
have been capsized and every man devourad
alive had we been in one Of the yawls. As
10 was. we drove ahead at full speed and
uuIan Them though some of them puT-
sueu us for bali a mile, and we We're nearly
swamped with the water splashed into the
boat. A few days later one afternoon, as
the steamer came TO anchor in a channel
4 the anchor must have dropped among a
/ red of sleeping Crocldlles. They arose all
about US, kissing and splashiug, and tins
excitement brought up others. until sixty
I six enormous big fellows were 10 be count
/ ed at one time. They attacked rne
/ steamer with the utmost fury, and while
I their efforts We're harmless their struggles
rocked her as if she were in q gale A fuse
! she'll was prepared in key, together with
! three pounds of loose powder, aud 40 a
! proper time the key was thrown over board.
! Ii had drifted a hundred feet asttru before
/ tEey saw 1t ana made a rush Ihas had
I pulled IL about hye feet under water when
. the explosion udme, and full dozen OF the
saurians must have been killed by II. Ii
was nearly a month after that before
notbrt one came about the steamers, and
( 90 looked 20 MS rs If courlers had bgen sent
up and down with the news that we wer.
an enemy TO bee avoided.
On another occasion one of these mon.
/ ster- did us a good turn. rad charge Of
one ot the yaw.s which was sounding q
( channel The men at the oars were puI-
lug slowly against tie current. while the
lu handling the Iced was casting and CATS
/ Ing aUt when zap. came a dart from a
b.cWgEl, passing just over oar heads We
suew who's it was trum the sound ii made.
I but We could not tell from whanesi ii came.
Either shore was too far of for a dart 10
reaeh as. over our stag0oarl low as wa
pulled ahead was long thin toagua
reaching out from the right hand shore
: ami ending in pile of dr,itvooi Tui,
tongue ta8 asea erected hy drifting trees
grounding ae bottom and The slit a.-
laa.nE Ia u 4a Is bar stood lp n tha
boa. and oak 4 long look. Int 5a
ne ming I ought "a have letu athletic &
< taet even rHaaitanE where au tGat ,auaaa
81 drift as .htre were na hasa~, d.
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