The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-24

between European or American methods OF
fishing. and such primitive means as are
adopted by remote and unadulteTated saw
ages on the Orinoco, Rio Negro, or any OF
the great streams belonging to this sys-
TEN.
A man employing tackle that would
secure Norway salmon or North American
picEerel might as well be provided with a
child's bent pin and piece of string, for he
is not likely To catch anything. Many OF
these species belong to orders eXtant in
the earth's earlier times. The cninchor-
ros (sesns) bring out armored and toothed
forms whose counterparts lived in ancient
Silurian days-cTcatures that look like
aliens lingering in an altered world.
Others are OF immense size and strength I;
as, for example, the Nagre rayado, a mon
str0us catfi sh sometimes seven feet long,
with broad black stripes, which provides
the best and principal substitute for beef
during Lent. Large quantities OF this fish
are sailed, together with the Cherna, cleo
tric eel, and Engordo-mayordomo
other catfish. but smaller.
Various allies Of the salmon, pike and
perch found in our waters exist here also,
but there is nothing that swimS which
can match the ferOciOus and cannibal
caribe- If a man fell overheard into a
passing school Of these fishes, they would
tear the flesh of his bones in less time
than one could describe it in and the
that had been wounded, and could not get
out of their way.
Blood seems TO set these fierce creatures
mad. When d net is drawn, and the
fisherman plunge vicheros-hookS fastened
to long wooden handles-into their glitter
ing, splashin3 burden, if any caribes be
caught, they bite at whatever is 'Smeared
with blood, even while they themselves
are dying.
Should one throw pieces of bloody meat
into u place whereas the Spanish saying
goes-thc-e are more caribes than water,
in their riot about these. they invariably
infiict mutual injuries, and then while tn 2
crimson deepens around them, the raven
Gus caribes rend one another TO pieces.
Only an orange-spotted species with red
rlnged, fierce eyes, and projecting laws,
acts in this way for some varieties Of the
genus exhibit no signs of bioodthirStiness
whatever
Any second-claSs river, ford inlet, or
little lake into which Il stream oyerfiows at
Hood rs sure to contain alligators. They
are not so dangerous as cdimanS-living in
these same waters and do not inhabit
great rivers 10 the same extent as their
affiuents; but every now and then one Of
them drags down an Indian, and the place
where this occurs is said TO be haunted by
malevolent ghost forever after.
Singularly enough, tigers and reptiles
such as the large Saurians change places
in America and Asia. Every person killed
by the latter becomes an evil spirit bear
ing an implacable hatred To human kind
and as for tiger victims, Hindus believe
that they sit on his head and point out
means by which he may destroy others.
Here, however, despite those actual and
imaginary dangers attending sucn an
enterprise. natives frequently capture ALI
gators in the water.
These fishermen are more or less am
phiblous. like certain Polynesians African
Kroomen, West Indian Negroes, and Ma
dras boatmen. They perform feats in the
water that are truly wonderful, among
others that OF laSsoing alligators. As This
IS done below the surface, however. one
can sec only part az what goes on and il
appears TO be somewhat doubtful whether
all details related by those who do these
deeds are reliable.
Anyone may witness the fact that an
Indian having located some big alligator
quietly slips into a stream and disappears
with coiled RATA in his hand.
Also, that shortly afterwards he shoots
zap To the surface and gets ashore as fast
a. possible, carrying with MIN the loose
END. That n immediately seized by sev-
efal men, and forthwith there - not the
slightest ioubt about where its moose II.
Tor a las>oed alligator goes through much
itt same KIND 81 gymnastics a. har-
pooncd hip9Dpo;amus. The prineipat
difference between lhrm is that. when
biicf rushing here and there. wing and
aiil.-l turning fs.lrf-ets. this reptile rsfs
tir icff HFtinsf fl1H liauk Is ri5rps q
Conss u1f siirF.ls hIuEsssafafai r.fat f..rsh
.nif 'f1 gladly tsinE inepfr8 = fh flsf
49, a aFs tafn usslI r. l.fnr
Many men are needed in order a. a.siug
On 81 THESE tiE lizards ou shore ara rher
s"eIs. ~ iaSs aud TAI faaAe puiiing a ~