The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-08-25

still more curious place indeed than the
bat islands. Socolme is a circular lake
being one league in circumference-in
the midst of the great Lake of Bay from
which it is separated by Gordon or rib
bon of land, or, to express myself better
by a mountain which rises to an elevation
of from 1 200 to 500 feet; the center of the
mountain at the summit is occupied by
| the lake of SocOlme, and is evidently the
crater of an extinct volcano. Both sides
| are completely covered with large trees of
| luxuriant growth It is on the border of
the small lakc-where the Indians never
| go, through fear of the caymanS-that al
most all the aquatic birds of the grand
] lake resort to lay their eggs. Every tree,
white with the guano which they deposit
there, is covered with BIRDS nests full of
eggs and birds of every size and age.
One day, in company OF my brother and
Mr.. Hamilton Lindsay. an Englishman,
VINO was as fearless an explorer as our
selves, started from the plantation, with
the intention of having some light canoes
carried across the high ground which
separates the SocOlme Lake from the Lake
OF Bay, and of using them on the lake:
and, after overcoming many difficulties,
we, by the assistance OF our Indians, car
ried out this project
We were the first tourists that ever
ventured to expose our lives on this SOcol-
me Lake. The Indians who had come
with us refused most decidedly to enter
the boats, and exerted all their eloquence
to prevent us from going on the water.
They spoke to us thus
You are going, for no good purpose, to
expose yourselves to very great dangers,
against which you have no means of de-
tense, for before you have gone far you
Will see thousands of caymans rising out
OF the deep water. They will come to at
tack you, and what can you oppose to
those 10
sters' Your guns and bullets cannot
wound them. And as for escape by row.
ing quickly, that is not possible. In their
own element they swim much faster than
your canoes, and when they come up to
you they will turn your boats upside
drive it along, and then the frightful
scene will begin, from which you cannot
escape"
DANGEROUS TRIP.
There was much good sense in what
tney sad, and there can be no doubt that
1T was most Imprudent of us to embark in
little trail canoe, and to make trip over
a lake inhabited by such numbers of cay
mans, and especially since it was to be
feared that the lake did not supply fish
enough to satisfy their vOracity, and of
course when enragcd by hunger thew
were more to be dreaded
But we were never deferred by dangers
or difficulties. So, taking no account of
the prOSnoStlcS of my prudent Indians
we, while they were delivering their long
speeches, had lashed together two canoes
Tor greater security.
we had not proceeded many yards from
the bank when we all experienced feel
Ings OF alarm, attributable, no doubt, to
the aspect OF the place which presented it
self to our view
We were down in the deepest part of a
gull, surrounded by lofty and precipitous
mountains, which were externally COW
cred with very thick vegetation. They,
on all sides, presented barrier through
which 1T was impossible to pass. The
shadows which they cast over the water
at the extreme point of the lake produced
the effect of half-darkness, which in con-
junction with the silence prevailing in
that dismal solitude gave it an aspect so
dreary aud saddening as to produce in us
most painful feelings. Each of us as it
were, struck with terror, kept his thoughts
to himself, and no one spoke.
Our canoes went on, moving farther
and farther from the brink from which we
had embarked, and glided easily over
the CLASSY sheet of water, which is never
agitated by even the toughest gales, and
does not receive the rays of the sun ex-
cept when that luminary is at the zenith
The silence in which we were absorbed
was suddenly broken by the appearance
of cayman, which raised it's hideous
head and opened it's enormous Jaws as il
about to swallow the canoes as it darted
after us.
The moment was come. The grand |
drama announced by the Indians was
about to be realized, or all our fears would |
be dissipated without any delay. There |
vas not one instant to be spared, and we
1ad no choice but to try and escape as |
asst as we could, for the enemy was gain
ng on us, and il would be madness to |
await his attack.
AN EXCITING MOMENT.
] was steering, and / exerted myself to |
hA ufmnSf To from tho Il r,nor