The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-04-07

again to listen to a new ruStI1ng sound,
and saw that the ground was covered
with fishes, all moving slowly down the
dry bed Of the stream, standing erect
npon their fins i'll search Of water. They
came by hundreds. climbed over me.
falling upon my face, and | caught
them. ate them and piled them up about
me.
"Hope was raised again; yet ! could
not move. and my only chance was that
some one would find me. Days passed,
and l fingered on. had dug hole
with my free hand, and enough water
oozed through to sustain me, while the
fishes that still crawled by me provided
ME with feed. How long it was know
not; but one day saw above the trees
smoke, and knew that my people were
near. | Was too weak to cry aloud, so |
lay and watched. The fishes still went
on and passed the hours by counting
them and watching their curious ways.
They used the two fins like arms or legs.
sometimes topping over upon their
sides: now entering the little pools to
refresh themselves. but soon leaving the
water to crawl along again.
While ! watched them it came to
,ne that they were going to the mouth
Of the river to avoid the drought, and
could not send a message to my peo-
pie? 1t was an easy matter to tear my
shirt, and with my teeth | shaped bits
Of white cloth until had a hundred
or more. Then | began to catch the
fish, Every one that passed me left
with bit of white cloth pushed upon
the spine of it's upper fin. The next day |
did the same. and for three days sent
these messengers to my people. The
fish were black. senior. and the white
cloth could be seen quite distance
1.-The days went by, how many | know
not, when one night dreamed that !
saw my friends. awoke to see great
light and in the center the one | loved
best: then must have died of joy. But
lived. senor." and here the tall Indian
threw his arm about a young girl whose
dark eyes CLEANED with terror at the
memories aroused. 'She. my wife, found
mo and the message was carried to her
by the hassars. So. senior. the fish saved
my life, brought me my wife. What
would you have me do? Forget them?
think not.
Such was the romance and almost
tragedy of Salvadea. He had been crush
ed by the tree for nearly two weeks.
His people had searched far and near
without success. and when the canoe
was found it was supposed he had fallen
overheard and was lost. But there was
one who did not give up. She wandered
farther down the stream than the others,
and one day pushed her canoe up little
stream, rapidly growing dry, to catch
turtle Here she was attracted by the
hassars that were coming down over
land and escaping into the main water.
While she watched them she noticed
one with white object upon its fin, then
another. Catching the fish, she saw
that it was no accident, but an inten-
tional decoration. Following up 81
saw others. and soon recognized IT,
fact that it was a message from some
one-possibly the lost one.
Up the stream she went, sinking in
kIlc luuAA Wv 81 "ulCu O11C A1SACO ASku
safely passed: crossing quicksands, leap
ing from trunk to trunk until she finally
found her lover apparently dead-so
near it that it was months before he
walked. With her hands she dug the
sand and mud away. and then bore his
emaciated form breaking a passage
through the lianes) to the camp. No
wonder he looked at her with loving
eyes. and no wonder he protected the
hassars.
Salvadea's story might seem fiction
of the Amazon, but the habit Of the
hassars and other catfishes Of leaving
the water and crawling overland is a
common one, and is equally well known
in India in the climbing perch. The fish
do not carry water in their gills during
these overland journeys, as is generally
supposed, but breathe air and for the
time are true amphibians. - Charles
Frederick Holder in New York Evening