The Iola register., 1891-05-08
Adventures ON the Amazon,

steamer Forward during her two years
OF exploration in the mouths of the
Amazon, and no other field could have
been selected to furnish daily adven-
tares. We had botanist, a photog-
rapher, naturalist, an artist and two
outside civil engineers who wanted the
experience, and our mission was to
make a thorough exploration. This
meant to enter every channel where
steamer could float to take soundings;
to observe the tides. currents, hoods,
etc.; to record the washing away OF the
banks, changes of channels, and hun
dred other things the knowledge of
which might be useful to the world
We had steam launch and two
yawls for exploration where the steam
er could not go and there were six of us
out in the launch one day making
sOundings in great bend, when mon
ster crocodile rose to the surface close
beside us, lunged forward, and had his
head and one leg over the gunwale be-
fore any one saw him. The engineer
had hatchet within reach, and with
this he gave the reptile such blow as
as made him draw off and sink out of
sight. The launch had scarcely right
ed herself, however, when full dozen
more of the sauarins rose to the attack.
We should have been capsiZed and every
man devoured alive had we been in one
of the yawls. AS it was we drove ahead
at full speed and outran them, though
some of them pursued us for half mile
and we were nearly swamped with the
water splashed into the boat. A few
days later one afternoon as the steamer
came to anchor in channel, the anchor
must have dropped among a bed Of
sleeping crocOdiles, they rose all about
us, Kissing and splashing and this ex-
citement brought up others, until sixty
six enormous big fellows were to be
counted at one time. They attacked
the steamer with the utmost fury. and,
while their efforts were harmless, their
struggles rocked her as il she were at
sea in a gale. A fuse shell was prepar-
ed in keg, together with three pounds
of loose powder, and at the proper time,
the keg was thrown overheard. 1t had
drifted hundred feet astern before
they saw it and made a rush. They
had pulled it about five feet under
water when the explosion came, and a
full dozen of the sauarins must have
been killed by it. 1t was nearly a
month after that before another one
came about the steamer. and it looked
to us as If couriers had been sent up
and down with the news that we were
an enemy to be avoided.
On another occasion one Of these
monsters did US good turn. | had
charge of one OF the yawls, which was
sounding a channel. The men at the
oars were pulling slowly against the
current, while the one handling the
lead was casting and calling out, when
zip came a dart from q blOwgun, pass
ing just over heads. We knew what it
was from the sound it made, but we
could not tell from whence IL came.
Either shore was too far off for dart to
reach us. Over our starboard bow as
we pulled ahead was long, thin
tongue reaching out from the right
hand shore and ,1ding in pile of drift
wood. This tongue had been created
by drifting trees grounded on the bot
tom and the silt collecting to make a
bar. stood up in the boat and took
long look, but could see nothing. |
ought to have been able to detect even
a rabbit anywhere on that tongue or
drift, as there were no bushes, but moth
ing whatever was in sight. was in the
act of sitting down, almost satisfied
that we had been deceived. when a sec
ond arrow whisked so close TO my
cheek that | thought bird had darted
for my eye.
"a close call, sir, and it was pois-
oned dart at that said one OF the men
as dropped back into my seat.
''The internal wretch must be in that
driftwood, though l can't see him. adj
ded the man with the lead line.
We held the boat stationary and pre-
pared to signal to the steamer, which
was mile below, when all of a sudden
a 15-foot crocodile landed on the tongue
of land and begun crawling toward the
dritwood. He had just reached the
pile when native, who had been skill
fully concealed, rose up with cry of
despair. He had a reed, or blow-gun, in
his hand, and he made frantic motions
to us to save him. We were consulting
what to do when the crocodile made a
rush, drove him off the pile, and follow
ed after to catch him in the water. AS
we saw nothing of the man after that
we felt positive of his horrible fate,
though we had no sympathy to waste.
Perhaps no instance of the destruc-
tive power of a six-pOunder can be re-
corded to match the one | am about to
relate. We were about forty miles
above the sea, and had come to anchor
about pistol shot from the shore, which
was here entirely clear OF bushes, when
we were suddenly greeted by flight of
arrows and darts from a grove over our
port quarter We knew from the number
OF missiles that there must be at least
fifty natives punched there. They had
not waited to see who we were or what
we wanted, but had sent out a chal-
lenge to battle before OR anchor was
fairly buried in the mud. AS our mis-
sion Was one of peace, we sheltered our
selEcs ard made no reply for some time.
This simply eInholdened the fellows.
who doubtless comprised some war par
ty passing uD CT Down and thev shot so
many arrows and darts into the steamer
that her port side literally bristled with
them. 1t was at length decided to teach
them lesson. and the captain ordered
the siX-pounder On that side cast loose
and loadedwith shell This was done I'M
der cover OF screen provided for the
purpose, and when it was ready the
gun was aimed at the center of the
grove and fired One loud, long vail
the explosion, and then we
heard no more of the natives An hour
later, when we landed to secure some
wild fruit. we found fourteen dead and
dying natives in the grove-all the
work of that one shell, which had ex-
ploded in tue midst OF the crowd. In
this case, too, the news seemed to