Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-11-27
THE ISLE OF FEAR.

was the only white man in Patuca,
the chief town of the Honduras waikas.
Ever since my arrival at the Mos
quito shore, the waikas had piqued my
curiosity by wonderful tales of mys-
FERROUS island which stood in the midst
of an inland lagoon and which, they
said, was peopled by hideous demons
who destroyed all who set foot on their
terrible territory.
Years ago the Sukia had once ven
tured into the lagoon on a search for
rare herbs and reptiles with which to
work her spells and lamentations.
As she neared the island huge mon
STEERS having the shape of men and the
eyes of devils, rushed to the waters
edge, and, waving their long, hairy
arms, uttered the most horrible yells,
which SO terrified the Sukia that she
bent to her paddle and never ceased her
frenzied strokes until the pitpan grated
on the pebby beach of the village.
And, rs though this were not in itself
n potent enough sign of the island being
conSecrated to LaSsa and his attendant
evil spirits. Il headstrong waika buckra,
in a moment of bravado, had gone to
DankwarrA to fight LasSa, and from
that day to this had never been heard
of
Old Witatala, the chief of the waikas,
swinging in his hammock within the
semidarkness of his bamboo watta, told
me all this and more.
No, no, buckra, he repeated with
solemn shake of his gray, woody
S,,t- =, 81,
tala crazy: he no take you to Dankwar-
IA, or he no tell You where Dankwarra
is. Make me hunt de manatee instead.
Dat plenty fun. an bimeby you forget
DankwarrG.
Witatala was obdurate, and | was
obliged to content myself with the pros
pect of hunt after the manatee, or
sea COW, that remarkable connecting
link between Quadrupeds and fishes,
which is to tropical waters what the
seal is to those of the frozen zone.
At first sun up we made our start
Witatala, Quila, his son, myself and a
crew of four paddlers.
Eight long hours we padded up
stream until the river took strange
and unfamiliar aspect.
Then, steering for the bush covered
bank, the crew with their sharp ma
chetes Topped off Il number of leafy
branches, which were thrown lightly
over the pitpan, until it resembled a
floating tree.
Casting loose from the bank, we float
ed down the river with the current.
One man stood in the stern to steer.
Witatala cruuched in the bow with
IL.
ing their long, keen lances clear of i'm
pediments, knelt on the bottom.
After an hour of drifting was be-
ginning TO think that perhaps the man
aztec had found the tender shoots of river
grass unpalatable TO his taste, when
suddenly Witatala launched his har-
poon and at the same instant gave an
ear splitting yell of triumph.
The yell was followed by a heavy
plunge, and the pitpan started forward
with sudden jerk, which cost me a
hard tumble into the bottom of the
canoe
Before / had recovered myself the
boughs were all thrown overheard. and
the waikas stood with their long lances
poised for instant use.
The pitpan tore along at incredible
speed, and small wonder, for at the
other end OF the rope fastened to the
boat WAS an enormous creature, whose
black body could be seen sliding beneath
The waters surface like a long black
cloud
When the Inanatee rose for air, the
remaining harpoOns flashed into its
black hippOpotamuslike side.
The only effect the spears seemed tc
have on the maddened creature was tC
spur it on to fresh exertions. for, dart
ing from one side of the river to the
other, he whipped and jerked the frai
craft after him as though il had beer
switch of willow.
The machetes!" cried Witatala.
Catching hold of the taut line which
held us to the sea COW, he gradually
drew the pitpan nearer to it.
The men stood with their swordlikt
machetes poised, waiting for chance Il
hurl them, and when the manatee one,
more arose for air down flashed tn,
machctes.
Some OF them struck and stuck, bu
so thick was the monsters hide that
couple turned their points and glancet
off into the river
Still the manatce kept on in its ma,
zigzag flight, until suddenly it swervet
and made for thick clump of bushe
overhanging the bank. At this new
vancouver Witatala uttered terrific,
shrek of dismay.
Dankwarra! Dankwarra" h
screamed See, the manatee make
for the entrance to the lagoon of Dank
warra!'
The other waikas sprang to their fee
and made an attempt to cast loose tn
ropes at the bow, but the tension rem
dered it impossible.
In vain they fumbled for their ma
chetes and knives; every bladed instrl
ment had already been hurled at Il
manatee.
BY this time the monster had rushe
rs into the bush hidden mouth of
nsrrow creek, whose density of owe
: hanging foliage seemed to turn day I'M
r. night.
The dismayed waikas cast anxiol
, glances at the pitchy waters, throug
which the canoe was plunging, as if
throw themselves in, but the sullC
o splashes at either bank showed whe
uneasy crocodiles had left their mudd
lairs and decided them to risk the III
certain evil that lay ahead rather this
: the probable death that was close
hand
A few seconds more and we emerge
from the narrow passage into the sp
cious lagoon, whose calm surface w
unbroken save by large island whiC
stood in its center.
Straight for this island tore the fra
tic manatee, while with every foot
= lessened distance between us and Il
land the waikas' eyes seemed to bull!
out bigger with terror.
When within about 60 yards of Il