Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-07
DAYS IN VENEZUELA.
SIGHTS AND EXPERIENCES OF .
TRIP UP THE oRINoco.


The Three ways OF "e'' a>o
,...-rne Doma'" O Oil.
s.s.~-A cao.. D'"'e :" ., a. attire.
-Natives
sew York SUM
>,.,,1sbeth Bisand - at the head OF
,h". tn, bolivar he las biy river Not |
Ciuu'.a ON yeneT" ,h,s no,nt Its
navigation Oh negins at this po'n'' ~
that the river ss in the mountains nun
fountain sp pr away. among the SHOWS
dreds OF p pcan ranges; but after passing
OF the ,he bed Of the Orinoco Is 50
BOLIVIA Great bouders and the water so
fun a. the dry season that regular steam
.osaic ends at this point and only oc-
.asional trips at high water are niaue
into the regions beyond This TACT Is
cludad Bollvars ralson d'etre. the cat
ne hides. and sugar Of the great IN
tor5 tableIands have all to centre at TINS
nolnt TO find an outlet TO the rest OF the
world.
There are two. or, rather three,
I of reaching )tAlfAAs CtNN
Mt one OF the Caribbean ports ana go
first through the mountain passes on
mule and then across an hundreo %
] two miles OF rolling mesas, as Deautliul
as an English park, the lana coVereu
With n short. gray-green heritage tna'
loolrs like beach-grass. and dotted WIN
| clup,ns Of saman-treeS that look llol"
| tho distance extremely like giant OAKS.
| THESE plains have very little Waler' 10
! tbe rains mostly break on the other siue
~ the mountains and not until reachii,s
| the Orinoco is any conslderaoie 49,
! of water found. II the journey - ,ia.iS
IN the dry season, when the niue
dreams are dead. then water VIII De
Too precious for bathing purposes ana
| the faetldlous traveller viii nave TO MAKE
| bfs ablutions with sponge ana a botue
| ~ the clear. white native rum-cheapef
| ord easier come by than the other huld'
| ,rbis is for some reason the most interest
ing way Of making the Journey Out 1t
is tediously long. ,o,.,
Another method requires that one nav e
no ENGAGEMENTS ana perfect patience.
=, demands strict sitting down 1t
come mort and waiting until the GOES
end a tramp trader OF light drausht'
whose CAPTAIN has no objections 10 SNUG
gling. and can find "A cargo worth
,,,nrir, into some blind alley OF the
| Orinoco delta. after which, II II so please
him. he will 90 boldly and innocehuy
mn 10 Ciudad Bolivar and demand re-
turn cargo Of struggling, frightened lohs-
horned cattle. ,.,.s -.,,,,re
! confidence I'm chance and the gods. The
third is duller, and more certain ana
has a schedule The large. rickety' I'M
painted. light-draught screW-prop -liei
| steor,h,at pcffvar lravos Porf or -"'
in the Island of Trinidad, once week.
for Cuidad Bolivar, ana is toFeis-f ~
10 sail al IN the afternoon. The htefai-
minded foreigner will 90 grilling down 20
the waters edge about half an hour De-
fore that time. and truse himset 10
small rowboat. propelled by a Dlach' "uo
comedies to the prejudices or clNiil]aloi'
only a straw-hat and one other garment
,rbe island of Trinidad turns rs back
and its mountains upon the stormy Al
tautic and into its bosom pOurs, through
twenty mouths, the steamins brown noou
of IN. Orinoco, which gives 1t an orchld-
house climate. and sits up It's haipot I,
"a that even the Bolivar has TO lie half
a mile from shore. The literal traveller
arrives hurriedly at ), bearing In mihu
th. language OF the advertis meht' an.
, then takes his first lesson in the art OF
| not getting OIN SCI itNeNNNN
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
81 the hour Of sunset, the Gulf Of Paria
speaking without prejudice Is tn- inoS
beatr.iful place in the world, ana lh'
y Bolivar remains to enjoy the view About
I the hour when those big, ghostly-Diu'
outlines I'm the West, which, the captain
9 saws. is the Spanish main, vanish, an'
! the quick twilight is giving place TO DUSK
the water is strewn with ragged tial
- of boats putting out 10 the boHEai
r These are the wiser natives VINO uhaer
o stand the real meaning OF trOpical scheu
. ules. and OF the threatening ya"ps INA
y the whistle has REMEMBERED 10 let u
. from time TO time ever since ciocn
+ There are six priests, half dozen sol
j. diers. a bunch Of women, children cats
! dogs birds. plants, monkeys, parrots
y hammocks. lounging chairs, a fearful col
: lection of eccentric parcels, sprinklh
II OF negroes. and half a dozen lhdlahs
Il dumped on deck from the rowboats, an
$ a nolvglot rumpus that would make
= peacock-hou sound melodious.
IA The soldiers are Nenezuelans and &C
, company the Bolivar on her trips. IN
10 brfnes down gold from the mines gene
Is rally. and has been known 10 be held u
a In the sWamps with lamentable cons'
l. ouences. Everybody could show bullet
I, holes through hats and coat sleeves an
u the gold was missing, which seemed II
n | refraglbe proof OF something-hence u
~ soldiers. Bullet-holss in the coat sleeve
N Of soldiers are not held in military courl
n, TO be proof Of sufficient intimidation
p Justify the REIMBURSEMENT OF gold bricf
De consigned to the Trinidad banks
n At some time previous to midnight Il
g. Bolivar sails, when is not clear. Betol
II | 81. a me had their chi
~ choras on deck and made feints at dl
robing. which promptly dispersed q
"a softer sex to the state-rOoms, whose pa
10 ttions are mostly Of Venetian blind
he and whose beds have no furnishings sa'
IS a pillow and a lower sheet. Before ia
r. light the following morning the Bolivi
e. crosses the Gulf and enters the rive
The main mouth Of the Orinoco, who
"a left bank. Punta Barima, Is now in di
TO pute, has so furious and heady cure
10 that no one deliberately climbs up again
IL unless he Is looking for trouble.
", stead he enters one OF the tangle Of on
~ let's that lace the delta. The one neare
in to Port Of Spain IS the Morocco. Some
lly the natives call II Morocoy. which is al
ed the local name for a terrapin. Perha
geographers know which Is right
"i Venezuelan does. Nothing Wearles nj
i, more than an appetite for accurate info
I'm nation on the part Of strangers. He h
sr- a fixed formula-"No sabe''-and sta
zee OF contemptuous amazement for all u
ITS easy frettings after geographical, histo
cal. ethnological botanical. or sociolo,
- knowledge The thing is. Why wor
ng over details? Have you not chincho
ad and a cigarette? In Heavens name, WI
'ed do you want2
SIS At daylight the BollvaTs passeng'
zen zen arise and partake Of coffee and bread
llO In, Jfrhaiilia which