The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1898-03-08
HUNT WITH BLOTGUNS,
rHE WAY INDIANS OF COLOMBIA
Si-AY MOUNTAIN GAME.

Ihe blowgun would hardly appeal
10 the most courageous hunter as an
effective weapon of offense or defense. 4"
said mining engineer, who has spent
many years in South America, ''yet.
armed with it, the Indians of Ell
Choco, Colombia, pursue with equal
indifference to danger the gaudy.
timid toucau, whose discordant notes
OF 'Dios to de (God gives thee) fills
the woods, or the stealthy puma, or
mountain lion, which can fell a man,
or even COW, to the ground with a
single blow.
Some years ago was prospecting
for gold on the headwaters of the Con.
doto River, near The base of the Cerro
Iro, one of the highest peaks Of the
coast range of the Colombian Cordil-
leras. Our party included my assis-
tant, an old California miner, six black
poems, an Indian guide and myself.
we had carried, as L calculated, pro-
visions 10 last us month, but owing
to the gluttony of the poems, or more
probably their desire to return home.
our plantains were almost exhausted
by the fifteenth day.
The next day my men stopped q
balsa as it was floating down the river.
A balsa in Ell Choco is the pith of the
palm called barrigona, meaning big
belly, so named because it swells out
at height of twenty to thirty feet.
Its diameter at that height is twice
that at the base. The Indians drive
a stout peg into it to hold on by and
astride of it shoot the rapids in fine
style. 1t is the only sport in which
they ever indulge. The balso brought
to me was freshly cut, proving that
there were Indians above us, and. ac-
companied by the guide and a couple
OF the poems, [ started out to find
them. We found four families all en-
gagged in celebrating the harvesting of
their maize by drinking chicha, which
was offered us.
"Chicha can be prepared very de-
Gently by grinding the corn in NOR
tar, but, according to common report.
the Indian women prepare it by chew
ing the corn and placing it in an
earthenware crock to ferment. | was
about to refuse the proffercd bowl
when one of my men told me that if I
refused the hospitality the Indians
would refuse to sell anything, so I
drank. Chicha is not very intoxica-
ting, and one must drink a good deal
of it TO feel even mildly exhilarated.
The Indians excited their thirst for it
by rubbing on the tongue a powder
comp osed of red pepper ground in
salt.
Among the things talked about
during the evening was large lion
that had been prowling about the tam
DO. / suggested that we hunt for him
on the morrow, which was agreed to,
and by dawn aparty of seven of us. &C
companied by as many dogs, were on
the trail. The Indians were armed
with machetes and blowguns. The
blowgun, or broquera as it is called by
the Indians, is made of straight piece
OF the dwarf black palm from seven to
nine feet long, with diameter of II
inches at the butt, tapering to three
fourths of an inch. 1t is split care
fully into two equal pieces by q ma
chete and stone hammer. After re-
moving the pith comes the difficult
work of charging and smoothing the
bore. This is accomplished with the
cid of homemade iron knives and part
Iy decayed teeth of the lion, agouti
and peccary. The two pieces are then
put together and wrapped with strips
Of the smooth birch-like bark of the
divina tree, a pitch made from the
way of the comejeu ant being used to
cement the bark on and make the tube
alright.
The arrows are made from splints
OF the same BLACK palm. They are ten
inches long, one-eighth of an inch
thick in the middle, tapering to fine
point at each end. The butt is wrapped
with the soft silky iibre of the wool
tree (arbol de lana), while the point,
which is notched so as to break off
easily, ia dipped in poison. The poison
- obtained from small yellow and
red toad that is found only on Cerro
Torra, the highest peak of the coast
range. The toads are spitted upon
one of the arrows while the belly is
tickled with another. An orange col
ored viscous liquid exudes, and in this
the serrated points of the arrows are
dipped.
Taking up the broadly marked
trail in the plantain patch back Of the
house we followed it up hill and down
dale, through tortuous ravines, oc-
casionally cutting our way through the
dense underground until we struck
what finally proved to be one of the
main spurs of Mount Iro. The dogs
were then set free to bring the lion 10
n halt, if possible, while was hastened
on in single file. The ridge rapidly
became more and more narrow. until
Mt times | was glad to creep, but the
Indians appeared Indifferent 20 the
danger Of falling or dizziness. After
an hours bard work we heard the
dogs and she angry growls of the lion,
and soon we caught sight of them
about seventy yards away The top
pied down trunk of n great lechero
tree partially obscured our vision. but
afforded us convenient means of mp
preaching unseen. We moved forward
until we we're not more than fifteen
yards away
at the place where the lion stood
the ridge had broadened out. making
a plateau some sixty feet long by
twenty feet wide. Around this were