New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-05
THE TRAVELLERS CLUB.
"A SOCIAL ORGANIZATION WHERE BIG sTe-
RIES ARE TOLD.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
MEETINGS AT THE SUPPER TABLE

The organization OF the Travellers Club was COM
pleted recently. 1t agreed a month ago that
no reports OF the meetings should be ailo"en W
creep into print and the archivist was placed uHuer
heavy bonds to keep the records secret rom Oil INC
world but this restriction has been removed, In
measure and such narratives are desirable for
publication Will in the future be given to the papers
that care TO use them. vast amount Oh
information is floating around at these meet
ings between who have been all over u'e
earth and have used their and ears to some pu
pose The qualifications for membership require that
man shall have travelled, in the proper sense OF the
word at least 5000 miles beyond the borders OF the
United States and must be able to talk intelhgen'V
about what he has seen and heard.
The byIaws of the Travellers expressly forbid all
formally and in keeping with this the constitution
provides that there shall be no permanent president
vice president treasurer or secretary inc OILY
officer is the archivst He is an expert stenographer,
whose duty IL Is to catch with the point of his pencil
every remark uttered from the moment the club comes
10 order till the hour OF adjournment. general
meeting Is held weok-Sunday night Inc
hour is usually 8 30 or O'Clock In the centre OF
the assembly is round table seating efght per
sons and smaller tables radiate from 1t, each with
chairs for two Supper Is ready as soon as the mem
hers arrive Under the constitution a guide Is
chosen whose duty II Is to preside during the evening
He takes the largest chair nj the round table, wHe
the rest Of the members seat themselves wherever they
But little taletellE Is DcloIt ""
coffee Travellers are generally hungry and devote
attention 10 their meal. But when the debris Is
cleared away tongues Oosened. If there is an IN
ved guest and II seldom happens that there Is not g.
least one distinguished stranger, the guide an
nounces as much and invites him to narrate bit OF
hs experience. lie is not expected to get up ana de-
liver speech. Some friend has already Informed MIN
on that point and has probably suggested that the
nrOper thing for him is 70 throw his leg over the
arm Of the chair curl himself up into the easiest pos
sibIe attitude and talk Just he would at home HIS
tale calls forth another from a member whose en-
perence has been similar Then third takes up the
cue and fourth and eth. and so on TIL with much
talking the greater part Of the night has slipped away
Each member orders what he pleases 10 cat drink
and smoke, and when the hour for adjournment ar
rves a bill covering the entire amount Is mhueu 10
the "eudeo who divides II into equal parts among
the members present. All paw the same. Guests OF
course are not permitted to expcnd cent. If there
shonld happen to he any incidental expenses the
gudep makes IL known. and a collection is taken up
No debts are incurred.
The archvist has had the "grp" and unable
70 transcribe fully the notes OF the last meeting con-
sequcnty but an abbreviated report is forthcoming
These Of the things that were said on sunday
night:
The MOSQUITO remarked the misogynist Of the
club "carrles out my theory that all our Ills como
from the female portion OF creation The male mos
outo is simply armed with few antcnnae, and though
the latter that makes life miserable in the tropics
OF course there are mosquitoes and mosquitoes. The
vilest of this breed. leaving ont the New-Jcrsey
species, is the Calin.ppcr. lie is tropical breed
and is essentially a business insect There Is no DnH
zing about a gallnipper. lie sweeps down on his
victim with a proboscis that will pierce an ordinary
boot. and gets his meal in hurry. Some men nave
met however appeared utterly callOus to the attacks
of these insects. 1 remember one amusing story
Two sugar planters in Dcmerara, Sc0tclmen believe
were boasng about their indifference 10 the bites Of
mosquitoes. The dispute got warm that Mac bet
Allster that he was the better man. 1t was great
day for mosquitoes Both agreed to lie down on the
veranda. in puris naturaibus. Smoking and drinking
were permissible, but the first who complained Of
the bites was 10 lose a case Of whskey. For long
time each endured the onslaught Of the bloodsuckers.
bnt at last Allister could stand il no longer. He
turned over preparatory to capitulatng and noticed
that Macs back was toward him. A1iser was smok-
ing cigar, and carefully removing the ash, applied
the butt TO Macs back
En- mOnl That a hull Of a gallnipper'
Z" Yen send me the case Of whskcy in the morn
ing the only remark of AlEster, who umbed INTO
his clothes as quickly as possible
"The worst place for these pests is, l believe,
Northern Russia, but from personal experience never
travelled in a miserable country than Hon
iuras From the mangrOve swamps that fringe the
coast myrads Of mosquitoes and the tiny sandfy enter
every house. The mosquito follows one inland, and
Is there Joined by the doctor boOtlcss and other
singing flies. The sport however is splendid In
big animals there are the jaguar puma, foxes, pos
sums, coitos, bears and now and then sloth and
armadllO both the latter most excellent eating. For
snpe shooting there IS no better country. With
one other gun have got a hundred
couple in day. The wlsps often number q hundred.
Parrots plentiful and the pigeon shooting Is as good
as any man wants In the forests wild turkeys make
their home and also the curassow, the latter very
handsome black bird with yellow crest"
awe seen those IN Dcmerara" remarked another
member and shall forget my first introduction
10 them Two Of were making our way 10 the In
land island Roraima. We were awfully hard up for
food having only little cassava. We made our camp
on the bank of the river and at dawn wandered OIL
into the forest, accompanied by an Ackowai Indian,
who was armed with blowppc and his small case OF
darts, each tipped with urall poison
"wer that is what no man but Guiana Indian
knows WharburtOn got some OF IT, but no lndial
There is little doubt however that the f9rmc acia
Of large nG %e sd ant Vailed for G over an
when the Indian suddenly stopped, and IN an opening
Cock e curassows were battling for dear life. while or
branch nearby dingy plumaged hen looked on, ap
the Contestants Ns and let the Indian blow
Ills small dart about half the ieneth OF a pencil
matter at the other struck its mark making the birt
more angry than before; A second dart was EN-. EN-
Sghting The female was thinking Of seeking more
Valiant lovers, but charge Of No shot added he
10 the uraI poison and that is that It does not render
the meat OF the killed game UNBEATABLE by men, Ia,
We came back happy men. i can tell you VIII
nearly thirty pounds OF good food and we trndget
hack l. al least could admire the many orchids anG
sgaves that would drive the botanst half wild witt
delight" H., l.. - ,,,o,
"You mentioned Roraima; and called II an inlan'
Island What do mean ?" asked the Doctor:
We'll I'll tell you. Close TO the boundaries 0
British Guiana and Brazil there rise mp two island
ont OF the savannah called ROraima and Keikeman
Al their base is wonderful forest, filed with Tn
rarest OF orchids and other rare plants Bro AM
insect life is more varied beautiful and abundant her
than in any other spot ever saw From the cehtr
OF This forest q mean the around Roraimal ther
rises mountain II You like 70 call II so. 1000 lee
high and some miles in diameter, with perfectly per
pendicular walls. The top is almost nat but w
noticed when We were there two waterfalls that now
ever only reach the ground beneath as fine as rain
we were very hard up for provisions; so only wen