Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-05-14

Perhaps no instance or thf obstructive
power of a six-pounder can be recorded
to match The one am aput to relate.
We were about forty miles Above the sea,
and had come to anchor about pistol shot
| from the shore, which wss here entirely
clear of bushes, when We were suddenly
greeted by a flight of arrows and darts
from over our port quarter We knew
from the number of missiles that there
must at le~sst hfty natives punched
there. They had not waited to see who
we were or what we wanted. but had sent
out a challenge to battle before our anchor
was fairly buried in the mud. As our
mission was one of peace, we sheltered
ourselves and made no reply for some
time. This simply emboldened the fell
lows, who doubtless comprised some war
party passing up or down, and they 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 a lessen, and the captain ordered the
six FOUNDER on that side cast loose and
loaded with shell. This was done under
cover of a screen provided for the purpose,
and when all was ready the gun was AIM
| ed at the center of the grove and fired
One loud long wall followed the explos
ion, and then we heard no more of the
natives. An hour later when we landed
to secure some wild fruit, we found four
teen dead and dying natives in the grove
all the work Of that one shell, which had
exploded III the midst Of the crowd. in
this case, too, the news seemed to spread
with great rapidity, for we were not an
noyed again for months.
The lagvar of the Amazon is also called a
cougar, puma and a panther, and he
| seems to be one of the same beasts, no mat
ter what the name. He is 1.-the, fierce
and vigilant, and an enemy to be dreaded
| by even the best armed man. We often
| saw pumas on the shores or crouched in
trees, and now and then floating past us
on drifting logs, and their preaching
cries were always to be heard at night, if
we lay within a mile of a Jungle. The
only man we had killed in two years met
his fate at the hands of a jaguar and un
der singular circumstances. We haC
landed ON the right-hand shore, and then
paid out our rope cable, by which we were
fast to tree. to be safe from "a fcave-iI
during the night. The anchor watch fol
the night consisted of only one man, re
lieved at intervals of four hours.
The men who went on at midnight had
been on duty only half an hour when a
cave-in took place A strip of the bank,
which was 4 feet above the water when
we turned in, dropped into the river, and
with it the tree to which we were fast
The trees fell directly over the bows of
the boat, but only its top coming aboard
and that without doing any damage.
We heard the mans shout for alarm, but
before any one turned out it was all over
with him. A jaguar had been hidden in
the tree-top, and as the tree fell he came
aboard with it and at once sprang upon
the Waterman. He had the man by the
throat and was sucking his blood, as we
turned out and finished him.
We dreaded the snakes more tran all
the rest, as they were to be met with on
the water as we'll on the shore. Go
where you would, you could not run
amiss of them and every species seemed
more inclined to fight than run. On one
occasion we came to beautiful stretch of
shore, and the naturalist and the botanist
were landed by boat. We lay for
them at the bank, under the shade of a
great tree and as soon as the boat was Sc
cure the men stretched themselves out on
the thwarts to Sleep had brought along
a fish line and doubIe-barreled shotgun.
Not caring to accompany the gentlemen on
their walk ashore, | proceeded to cast in
my hook and await results. Ten minutes
had passed and we were all very quiet,
when | felt sudden thump, followed by a
over our heads boa constructor had been
lying. He selected the man lying on the
forward thwart for his victim, and had
made dart for him. That serpent had
never seen a yawl boat before, and he
made a very natural mistake. In trying
to fling a coil around the sailor he includ-
ed the thwart in his grip. 1t was mo-
ment of excitement. You can Judge the
power he possessed when | tell you that
he almost lifted boat and all clear Of the
water, and the only reason he didn't pull
US up to the limb was because the thwart
gave way under the strain and flew from us
as if sent from a springboard. The sailor
didn't get caught. but he felt the folds of
the serpent, heard hiss In his ear and
rolled overheard into the water. The
others leaped ashore and | was left alone
in the stern of the boat with the snake al
most above me.
When the serpent discovered that he
had a piece of board in his coil instead of
a live sailor he let it drop, and began look
ing about for another victim. The sailors
called to me to hurry ashore, but l knew
that he would drop on me if l made I,
movement TO do So cooked the gun and
held it ready to fire, wLile the men ashore
who could see him better than | could,
kept me informed of the serpent's move
ments He crawled from branch to branch,
seemingly confused, but at length he came
back to the former spot and made ready
for dart at me. | got sight on his head
as he waved it to and fro, and by a lucky
shot blew it to pieces with the heavy
charge. Nest Of his body at once fell to
the earth, but his tail had such grip on
the limb that four of US could not pull it
loose. He measured % feet long, and
evidently had the muscular power to crush
the largest OK.