The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-12-11
sroRIEs b. - oRlNooo.
Great Waterfall Eerocious Fishes
and Black Ants.

Great WATERFALL FerOctous Ffnheg
and black Ants.
s. o. Thompson, who went to vene-
Euela last year IN company with j.. d.
Dent and others to investigate the orin-
oco country for the Faribault syndi-
cate, returned recently. To Messrs.
Thompson and Dart belongs the honor
of discovering the highest cascade in
the world. The most exhaustive search
in all records has failed to disclose any
record OF the cascade heretofore.
The exploring party consisted OF MI.
Thompson, Mr.. Dart and six or eight ma
tive carriers. The party struck out at
right angles from the 0rinoco through
the dense jungles. Mr.. Thompson said
it was impossible to make more than
three or four miles per day through
these forests, as the vines, trees and
underbrush were so closely inter-
twined. The party were compelled to
use machetes to cut their way through.
At night each man slung his hammock
a stout mosquito netting, and slept
soundly. During the day parrots and
gayly plumed birds were seen by the
millions. Only seven snakes were seen,
which rather disproves the story that
the jungles of Venezuela are inhabited
by reptiles.
The party continued through the jun-
giles for 100 miles, and one day the sound
of a mighty cataract came to their ears.
The exploring party was then in the
Imataca mountains. The sound Of the
| F~a1lfnn x-ofar MOI ,[,ye,roI ga - -,
hour OF two the party came in full view
of n of the most beautiful sights ever
seen by man. Coming from a height,
which they could only guess, was
a mighty torrent. It was following
the precipitous sides of the mountain,
which rose at an angle of about IS de-
grees. The water followed a multi
tude of channels, and its rush churned it
into white foam. Thompson says the
cascade looked like a great sheet of an
imated white lace with intricately
woven meshes. After standing SPELL
bound the party advanced to explore
the cascade. They climbed up the side
to a height of 600 feet, but still the wa
terfall lowered an equal distance above
them. Mr.. Thompson believes the wa
ter falls a distance of LOO of 1920 feet.
The. cascade was named the water
fall OF Manoa, after the mythical city
of gold, for which Raleigh and other ex-
plorers so vainly searched.
Mr.. Thompson tells of many wonder
full freaks of nature. The party several
times came in contact with the caTib
fish, which are the most ferocious in-
habitants of the water known. The
fish are not over l. inches long, but they
travel in schools. Their teeth are three
cornered. Any living object which at
tracts their attention is attacked with
a fury. Mr.. Thompson tells of an In-
dian woman who entered the water to
fill a bucket. She was attacked by the
fish, and reached shore, only to die in
Is minutes. The flesh was literally
tern from her body. MI. Dart, who was
with Mr.. Thompson, caught one of the
fish and pulled it upon the bank, He
held the carib under his foot while he
pointed at the peculiar teeth with his
finger. With a quick movement the
carib Topped out from under Mr.. Darts
foot and seized him by the finger, cut
ting that member to the bone. The
fish frequently have been known to
bite ordinary fish hooks in two. An
other fish, which the party often came
across, was the morocoto, the flavor of
which is like Lake Superior whitefsh,
only more delicate. The morocoto is
provided with molar teeth, and SUBJ
sists on vegetable matter, which it
thoroughly masticates before swallow
ing. Another peculiar creature found
was the morocoy, a species of land tur-
tie, which at night utters a cry of won
derful sweetness, plaintive and clear.
The bugs and black ants, Mr.. Thomp-
son said, are the bane of the country.
The black ants reach the length of an
inch and a half.-St. Paul. Globe.