Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-20
A TRIP UP THE ORIN0CO
Fully as Interesting as an EXpedi-
ton Into Darkest Africa.
MANNERS OF SOUTHERN NATIVES.
A Great Simplicity of Toilets and Matri-
monial Customs.
THE GREAT LAKE OF BURNING PITCH

dred miles from the mouth of the Orinoct
river was as far as I extended my e1plora
tions toward the sources of that grea
stream" said Ensign Roger Welles, whit
has just returned from the region men
toned. He is the only white man that hal
penetrated these wilds, at all events sine,
the days of the early Spaniards.
"The Orinoco is one of the biggest river,
in the world, as you may see by glancing al
map of South America 1t is dotted all
along its course with numerous small isl.
ands, and its upper waters are obstructed
by many cataracts. During my long journey
toward the sources my canoe had often been
carried overland around impossible falls
By the time one reaches the Rio Meta,
which is the largest tributary of the
Orinoco, navigation is further interfered
with by the wild and savage Indians, who
use poison and arrows, so that traders who
buy and sell goods along the stream anchor
the sailing scows out in the middle of it at
night. keeping guard with rifles against
possible surprise.
Toilets Not Very Elaborate.
'Tn that part of the country and beyond
toward the interior, whittier penetrated,
nakedness is the rule among the natives,
neither men nor women wearing an ything
besides a loin cloth of the most restricted
dimensions Here is one of the loin cloths,
which represents the height of fashion as to
dress among those people. You see it is
but rectangular scrap of beadwork fas-
tened by string. The beadwork, however,
is very beautiful, being done in an exquis-
lite pattern. Two hundred miles beyond
the mouth of the Rio Meta the Infrids
river enters the Orinoco. started up that
stream with my canoe loaded with trinkets
for exchange with the natives, who live in
a condition of extreme savagery, although
they are amiably disposed and usually
harmless. They go entirely nude, save for
the loin cloths, as have described, and get
their subsistence by hunting and fishing,
chiefly the latter.
81 was much interested in their method
of taking fish by the use of the bow and
arrow. For this purpose they employ ar
rows six feet in length, made of reeds tipped
with iron. While canoe is padded gently
along in the shadows a marksman stands
ready with his arrow on the string of the
bow. As soon as large fish is seen, if the
approach can be made within range, the ar
row is let fly, and rarely fails to strike the
prey. These Indians hunt with blowguns
made out of the young stalks of certain
kind of palm, from which the pith is re-
moved The arrows employed as projectiles
are simply splinters of reed, sharpened at
one end, the other end being wrapped with
enough silk cotton obtained from another
kind OF palm to fill up the bore of the blow
gun. The arrows are about ten inches long
and very light. They are tipped with the
famous and deadly 'woorari' poison. Used
by one of these naked savages, the blowgun
is weapon of great accuracy and effective
ness, even a small bird on a tree being
brought down by the skilled sharpsheoter
with reasonable certainty at the first try.
Manners OF the AborigInes
These primitive aborigines dwell in huts
built of palm leaves mostly. Each family
has its little garden patch, which is chiefly
devoted to raising the root from which
cassava is made. They depend upon this
root almost entirely for food, apart from
what they get by hunting and fishing. It
is prepared by grating to begin with. The
Crater employed is Of the most primitive
possible description, being simply plank
with perforations, small, sharp pieces of
flint being inserted in tine holes. Being re-
duced to a sort of meal by rubbing on this
crater, the cassava is pressed IA. get the
water out of it, because the root is as watery
as the potato Then it is sitted and formed
for cooking into what looks like an enor-
nous griddle cake two or three feet in
diameter. The cake is baked on fiat piece
of earthenware of corresponding size.
"An Ind ian will 60 off for weeks hunt
ing with no other food than q quantity of
cassava prepared in this fashion. 1 myself
was obi iged to live upon it almost wholly
fnr h.. . G~rS 4 g. -
atable, but after while acquired the taste
and became quite fond of 1t. The chief
trouble was that it was cooked on the bare
ground, and always contained q considers
BILE percentage of dirt However, one must
not be too particular about ones diet when
travelling in the wilds. These savages are
quite cleanly, so far as bathing is concerned,
but their habits of living, otherwise are not
such as to promote the virtue which is next
to godliness. So far as the virtue of the |
women is concerned. 1 should say that it
was of high order Some of them are fairly |
good looking and have excellent figures, but |
their comeliness is nearly always spoiled by |
badly decayed teeth
Simplicity of Matrimonial Methods.
81 assisted unintentionally in quite a ro-
nance on one occasion. When my canoe
as on the point of leaving a native village,
where We had been soJournine, a young In |
dian girl seemed to be considerably agitated,
and manifested an evident desire to ac- |
me. Ny pilot, against my wish,
permitted her to get aboard. and she came
with us down the stream to our next halt
ing place. Shortly after our next landing
the mother of the girl made her appearance |
In canoe, having followed us to get back
her daughter, whom she took awav with
her. The pilot was very melancholy after
his occurrence, and subsequently, confessed
70 me that he had brought the young lady
away for the purpose of making her his
wife.
Matrimonial methods are extremely
'imple among these natives. When young
man and young woman wish to marry they
20 to housekeeping together, and that is all
here is of it Often q youth Of one village
will WOO and win . maiden of village
of miles distant along the river
rule they seem to enjoy as uninter-
'upted a domestic felicity as civilized
couples obtain. The Indians are gradually
'etiring toward the higher sources of the
)rinoco because of the harsh and dishonest
reatment which they receive at the hands
# the white men and half-castes of Vene-
uela They can never get fair prices for the
assava which they produce and sell to
he Venezuelans Cassava is an important
God of the poorer classes all through Vene-
uela, being ground by machines in facto-
les. Among the curiosities which OBJ
aimed from these savages are a number of
interesting musical instruments, such as
eed flutes and drums made out of kind of
intended to speak of the re-
pattern in which the headwork of
be loin cloths is always made. This pat
ern, as you will observe, is in q geometric
orm peculiarly Greek, and the mystery is