The morning times., 1896-05-31
Ascent of The Rapids Into an Almost Unknown Land
Swinging With Ropes From Rock to Rock
aE WAY THE PlcEB ARE WORKED FOR THE PRECIOUS GOLD

camp had been sta rsled by the appearance
of jaguar (?).
After i cup of tea and a chunk OF bread
We made a start at $50 and padded
steadily till 10 O'Clock. at which time we
reached the foot OF the first fall, where
there is a house Or two. The place is
called bethany. There we had breakfast and
got things ready for going up the first
rdpid-lJaca Falls, it is called. There the
river is about three miles wide.
Everything being IN readiness, we pad
died toward the rapid until our men could
make no more headway againstit, and then
the Whole lot OF blacks Went overheard
onto a rock. The Indian bowman led the
way with Z light line attached To the main
rope. A black man took the bow line off
to the right, and another black took u
similar line from the stern. These two
men Steered the boat. The captain stood
at The stern with an enormous paddle,
much larger than himself, while the man
ayers aud myself kept our places on the
baggage in charge of the life line which
: the law requires in case any of the pullers
get swept down. From the rock where
oar men landed In the next was aboutten
yards. Between the two the water was
sweeping as only the water or a rapid can
sweep, but there was about three feet of
sti!l water below the next rock. The bow
man took tie light line in his teeth and
dove into the water, striking out almost
before he struck it-swimmlng hand over
hand. though instead OF turning on his side
I ne kept his breast to the current. This
wds that ins hands would touch any
concealed rocks there might be and give
him a chance to save his head. For the
first few strokes he made fine headway
and covered more than half the distance.
Then he BEGAN to go slower and slower.
! 1H he got wi1liu aD0It three feet of the
Il Ta.al,
for five strokes, and l Thought that he
WOUlI be swept down, but with a final ef-
! fort, almost jumping out of the water, he
J gained it. and with another stroke was on
! the rock. He waited half a minute to re-
! gain hiS breath, and then pulled in the big
! rope. When he got hold Of that our men
! held fast to it and were pulled through
! tie current to the rock, and they pulled
/ up the boat.
This rapid was about fifty yards long
and fifteen yards wide, full of rocks with
the water sweeping over them. For
short distance the rocks will be close
enough for the men to jump from one TO
another, but in this one short stretch the
/ bowman had To make at least four Ges-
] pcrate swinls. The danger is that
! man pulug on the rope may find himself
! over his head in the swift current, and
i'll tis excitement let go the rope of have
! IL jerked out of his hand.
On ne third morning we went over the
| Hahaih Fails-a succession of rapids, Que
| close To the other, Tor three miles. The
/ aspect Of She country here is decidedly
| mountainous, the big mills TO wcrlng up liz
| the air OH ali sides, but especially to the
! west ward. The scenery is similar to that
| OF the Hudson.
CuInacca Hole, which we reached next
! day, consists OF about ten store-houses,
| owned by the mining companies, but Us
only about two neu live there, the Coun-
try is as wild as one would want Crab
Fails are just above the Hole, and the
sill water below them is full of fish.
/ Being told this, | induced the captain to
20 out fishing with me before dinner
IL was almost dusk when we started, and
was dark before we bad caught half u
dozen.
a quarter of q mile away our camp fires
were burning brightly, so l decided 10
keep at il till they called us to dinner.
Suddenly | saw q red and green light
coming up the river toward us. There's S
4 boat coming up / said 20 the captain;
wed better shout, or they'll run us
down" The captain made q noise ike
a young alligator, and the thing came
close enough for me TO make out a huge
reptile, which had come 10 the Hole on
a fishing expedition. He was about eleven
feet long. / let drive at him with some
buchshot, but the eyes blinkcd a me and
disappeared.
When we went ashore the captain said
that we had been attacked by u twenty
nine-foot alligator, and that | had Killed
it or we should have been eaten. The
I black men were so scared that nothing
could induce them 10 90 near the boat
that night, and they insisted upon leav,
ing enormous fires built. The two In
dians were equally frightened. II was
customary for them to sleep in the boat
TO keep the blacks from stealing proyi-
sions, but no amount of swearing could
make them stay i'll it that night.
One of the managers had brought little
dog with him-a cross between a barn
yard poodle and back-aliey yellow cur
When got into my hammock noticed hin
sleeping under it. 1 think it was about 4
O'Clock in the morning tbatI was awakened