Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-10-27
THE WHITE DEATH. j"

rama, on whose opposite shore the rank
grass grew ten and twelve feet high.
Inc mousse itself had tropical charac.
Ter; It was Spanish-American, with a cooi
shady veranda, long, low front painted
walls and latticed windows, spacious
court and fiat roof, provided with para
pet, which gave the whole structure tbo
appearance Of fort. Many acres Of culti-
waited land showed long lines Of sugar cane
and tall trees laden with bananas. in sur.
prisiDg contrast to the dark, impenetrable
mass OF wild husband which ia the dis
lance surrounded the settlement.
sonora Diaz was one of the tropical beau
ties OF whom Murillo dreamed.
am going to test your gallantry," she
said, coming out on the veranda where l
sat, by asking you to help me to water nv
flowers, for with my lame hand it is not
easy for me to lift the heavy watering pot. !"
Il am at your service, but allow mean
l wrong?--to remind you that you prom
ised to tell me the story Of how your hand
was lamed."
Certainly. As soon as the flowers are
watered we will have coffee on the veranda
and you will hear all about it."
Accordingly was shortly afterward sin
ping coffee with the little Lolita, nv hosts
only 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
was very different looking place. The
wild husband reached to the edge of the
water, and was such a dark wilderness of
tnorns, brambles, palms, wild fig trees and
other tropical vegetation that did moi
dare venture into its depths. But my hus.
oahu ana ms workmen went manfully to
"o,A' ieiied Trees, uprooted stumps, made
nedges ana bitches all day long, except in
Ine seSerest neat, and l often saw them
come nome 30 wearled that they would fall
asleep where they stood, and first think of
iocu chree OF -FOUR hours later when they
awoke.
A"niie tney go1 portion OF the
sIouilu unoer saDJection, but after the
"cf1s were cleared ana we began to plant
We nau tnrong OF foes to combat. The
~o''e were 'lie anus wnich being watched
~. ~ accouh' oi their depredatlons on
p."n'A.'ons nave way OF making under
stounu passages I'LL they undermine the
W. nole surface OF heid' and 1t tails in like
'he CRUST Oh a cake.
ue. nor.h vi US Is great gap in the
siounu' iuii ol bushes ana Wild grass, with
nelS anu .nrre some rotten timber, where
" q "noie see'ienieiiI SANK In consequence OF
~. W. anus uhuer'iiihe the Ioundations. From
.nis comes the saying we have in Para
suay .na' our worsc enemies are the Indian
"@,eS anu Iiie iuuiah anus.
uoh.y' Tue ohiy lnolahs IN our vicinity
49,, me Liehuis ones' VINO exchanged all
ninus Vi PROVISIONS especially DRIED meats,
~. Ah,ses ana nranuy. we poisoned the
anus, Jug up .heir nests, Hooded their pas
saeeways WIN ooiilhg water, and SO, IN a
srea' measure were Tree from them, al
snouen even now they sometimes come
rum 'ue "ooos 10 a.tack the plantation.
nu' "i'er the,i came announcer plague
SNAKES. Ior iohg Time thought 1t was
hopeiess W contend against them. MY
nosoanu ueeu 70 call oheH tne TAX coiiect-
o " anu .hey aid come just as regularly.
w uay p,,sseu "i.houo our hnolng one or
more Ia tee mouse; ANA once-oh' heaven!
W ,rign. nao!
wneh Lolita was u oapy' my husband
"nu uie men weh' VI! one morning 10 WORK,
.. ueuai, anu .ne chiio iay asleep on mat
~ 'ne emu Oh Inc room. suddenly saw on
the moor the SKIN OF mouse, from which
tne whoie pody mad peen sucked, as from an
orange kne" at once that snake must
oe near LOT they iced on mice and eat them
III TINS Iasnlon' put carefully as looked
ABOUT me- could see no snake, till all at
once ~ occurred 10 me ohat IL mlght De I'M
oer ohe paoy mat snatched the child
up ana placed her IN safety. Ihen lifted
soi'iy part Oh .he mat' ana there IL was
the iohg' SHINY, green ana gold reptile,
coiied up ana iast asleep. An, how
jumped l ran out into the courtyard to
call for help. Luckily our man, Jose, was
there, and he killed the reptile. But as we
cleared more acres the snakes left us to hide
themselves in the forest. ! began to hope
our cares were ended. but they were only
just begun. Wild beasts new first appeared
on the scene.
One morning while we were at breakfast
one OF our herdsmen brought the news
that our cattle, which Craze in the tall
grass on the other side of the river, had
been attacked by n jaguar that had killed
one Of the bulls. The man who told us
this had escaped with his life, yet he would
have scarcely done so if he had not misled
the beast, or had there not been fat OK
there.
A week passed without new alarm, and
we had come to think less about it, when
suddenly three or four Indians rushed in
to tell us how great jaguar had broken
Into their camp and killed woman and
one OF their dogs.
When my husband heard the story he
judged that it was the same animal that
had attacked our bull, for the Indians de
soriueu ~ % d oie"eu,e vi eihsut'f ooioi,
-. Ia .n"n "n' WY he. .,T, %uouo
.neie, 81 'n"' 'ne' 'i''i'ie' ~ Ane ni'e
De wv .,.. ;. LII.
80 e.u,L