Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-23
THE WHITE DEATH"

Tho ranch Of Senior Diaz was on charm
sron.. overlooking the broad, smooth
,,srs Of one of the tributaries of the Pa
ns an whose opposite shore the rank
-. ,,rpw ten and twelve feet high.
The house itself had tropical charac-
-, II was Spanish-American, with cool,
| adv vrranda. long, low front, painted
IN. and latticed windows, spacious
.,,rr and a HAT roof, provided with para
/ which cave the whole structure the
f,rsr-.,nce NJ "a fort. Many acres Of cult
- land showed long lines of sugar cane
|,rd tall trees laden with bananas, in sur
Using contrast to the dark, impenetrable
H.. of Wild husband which in the dis.
|,lnre surrounded the settlement.
/ sonora Diaz was one of the tropical beau
/ NJ, of whom Murillo dreamed.
lam going to test your gallantry, She
.,J coming out on the veranda where /
/ 81, byasking you to help me to water my
bowers. for with my lame hand IL Is not
,s,y for me to lift the heavy watering pot.
lam at your service, but allow mean
|Iwong>--to remind you that You prom
led 90 tell me the story of how your mana
|vas Mmed.'
Certainly. As soon As the flowers are
vatyred we will have coffee ON the veranda
and YOU will hear all about il.
Accordingly | was shortly aftcrward sip
ring coffee with the little Lolita, my host $
mly daughter. and my pet, beside me, while
her mother rolled cigarette, lighted 1t
and began AS follows.
When we first came here. years ago, it
VAS very different looking place. The
|1ld husband reached to the edge of the
| z,er and was such a dark wilderness of
| vvns. hrumbles, palms. wild fig trees and
/ tE tropical vegetation that | did not
. t- venture into it, depths. But my hus-
band and his workmen went manfully to
rra. felled trees, uprooted stumps. made
hedges and bitches all day long, except in
70. ,evprrst heat, and | often saw them
oue home so wearied that they would fall
asleep where they stood, and first think of
hod three or four hours later when they
IEose
After awhile they got portion of the
-rurl under subsection, but after the
srs were cleared and We began to plant
We had "a thrUug of foes to combat. The
v,rs, were the ants, which being watched
III On account of their depredations on
plantation, have a way Of making under
ground passages till they undermine the
whole surface Of a field, and it falls in like
he crust of "a cake.
Just north of Us is a great gap in the
ground lUIi OF bushes and wild grass. with
-sre and there some rotten timber. where
whole settlement sank in consequence of
De ants undermining the foundations From
this comes the saying we have in Para
quay that oUr worst enemies are the Indian
/ Graves and the Indian ants.
luckily, the only Indians in our vicinity
TsT- friendly ones, who exchanged all
A.J.' o.. provisions, especially dried meats,
l.' A1Te, and brandy. We poisoned the
ans dug up their nests, flooded their pas
A1aWay> with boiling water. and so. in a
-.ra, measure, were free from them, al
lle4-- even now they sometimes come
Rom .la woods TO attack the plantation.
La. after them came another plague
'-lae,. For Il long time | thought it was
/ -.itr>s 10 contend against them. Ny
husband used 10 call them the tax collect
o., ana they did come just as regularly
" l-y passed without our finding one or
l0'e 10 The house. And ouce-oh, heaven!
VIA, fright had!
Wien Lolita was baby. my husband
al bis men went OFT one morning to work.
., usual and the child lay asleep on a mat
% 'Le elN OF the room. Suddenly saw on
.-s -go. tue skin Of Il mouse, from which
'-s'AIle body had been sucked, as from an
'1-.s knew at once that Il snake must
L5''' Tor they feed on mice and eat them
= - fashion; but, carefully as looked
-. D'g' could see no snake, till all at
49,. a. occurred TO me that it might be I'M
'-s IAJy mat. | snatched the child
ls@ --' paced her in safety. Then lifted
r''! part of the mat, and there it was,
go ms sunny green and gold reptile,
~ up and fast asleep. All, how l
sTs" j ran out into the courtyard to
%. -. Ns.l Luckily our man. Jose. was
H.. -''' At Ai.led the reptile But rs we
-, - '''oI acres the snakes left us to hide
.''e' 10 The forest. | began to hope
Id. I''5' Were ended, but they were only
-a -''' "..l beasts now first appeared
M morning while we were ut breakfast
M, our hcrrtSmen brought the news
o., ''' cattle which Craze in the tall
.-,r ,..... .'s other side of the river, had
ra,| II, "rA 15 jaguar that had killed
M. .'s buds. The man who told us
.7r'.',' .lH.d with his life, vet he would
,aI ...t done so if he had not mfsled
ls- 'N,' 9' had there not been a fat OK
| Vel PASSED without a new alarm. and
| y5i.,,. ''i'r TO think less about it. when
| n,.r.! -Afne Or four Indians rushed in
| .lio,r..- % great jaguar had broken
| Ca.rs.l ''.'P and killed woman and
| a5,'I-.. my husband heard the story he
| 80 .Aat 90 was the same animal thu
81, '.S,.'-Aed our bull. for the Indians de
| hrH,t.--''N creature of singular color,
rere ..., 'HNu any they had seen about
Usa,f % "'. .hey named it The White
a1gg al o- sloasht it high time to do some
gg,aar rI ''s husband called his people to
r.,,... ~ ''- and hunt the animal.
Iley ~. That morning. distinctly.
| han ,,.' ''. away cheerfully enough, each
Nom ,-. .'.7 gun and hunting knife. and
tQsb,rI bloodhound, was with them. Nv
Tie vo..f . .,I,a around just as he entered
team H. .'"- Kissed his hand to me; then
81 1oMpanions vanished in the for
d DE h., '.ULu myself with Lolita alone
-appea ~ m and thought of what might
Ea s,a I ..'ey met that terrible wild ami
.sygr ,f... ANXIETY seized me (although |
could r- -l / could be in danger), that
1ssy do 't contented till had locked