Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-12
SEEN BY A MISSIONARY
Slant Eyed Folks and Insects Found In
South America.
Pesfferous Things Are Plentiful, hut
the Comforts Of Life Are
Few.
Written for The Evening Star.

written Tor Inc Evening star.
II the travel and adventure that were
experienced by the Rev. Emilio OLSON I'm
the fifteen years that ne spent as a mis-
sionary to the Indian tribes on the conti-
nent of South America were put into book
form IT would make a story equal to that
Of the explorers OF Darkest Africa"
Mr.. olsson kept a journal He crossed
the continent of South America six times,
travelled 5000 miles on muleback. 2eoo in
canoes and small craft on the rivers, and
has made the perilous chute OF the Madeira
Falls many times. He was born in Gutten-
burg, Sweden. about forty years ago. When
he was a youth he shipped as a sailor.
Twice he was shiDwrecked. the last time
being cast up on the shores OF the Falk-
land Islands. Then he made his arrange
merits to travel into the interior of South
America with a stock of Bibles I'm the
dialect of the people TO whom he was going.
Those deep woods are infested with fero-
cious wild beasts, reptiles poisonous insects,
to say nothing Of the less dangerous thieves
and murderers that are encountered here
and there. For greater safety. he Joined n
caravan Of traders bound for Chile. These
traders are called gauchos. Every man
was armed with wicked looking knives and
guns, but Mr.. OLSON carried nothing but
a few Bibles. For days the gauchos eyed
him askance, evidently comparing notes
as TO the intents and purposes Of the Euro
pean. Judging by the way they treated
him. the verdict must have been in his
favor, for at night when the caravan
stopped a great fire made, around
which the men sat in a circle. Upon bed
OF live Goals they threw their meat to roast
or broil. When it was done they speared
il out and with their belt knives cut OF
great chunks. which they ate out of hand,
and not clean hands at that.
From the ''yerba mate they brewed a
sort OF beverage, which was poured into
"A quart bowl
The irst man in the circle drank what he
wanted OF the 'yerba mate tea. passed IL
to his neiRhLor on the left. who. in turn.
kept the good drink going. after he had
satisfied his own thirst. Mr.. OLSON ac-
cepted the overture OF friendship I'm the
spirit in which 1t was intended. The filthy
gauchos" cut on a generous piece of meat
with their knives and gave IL to him to eat
He also drank the bitter. sour "ysrba
mate" tea
Mr.. olsson says that physician told him
that he tthe DOCTOR was sure there is a
great future for the ''yerha mate as a cure
for The drink habit.
Among the many disadvantsg es OF trav-
cling with tbs ''.auchos" was the fact that
they went so slow. So Mr.. OLSON separated
from them and struck out sIone. Fortune
was more than kind, for before the first
day was done Mr.. Olsson overlook Euro
pean scientist. He threw his sheepskins on
the ground TO sleep. The next morning
when Mr.. OLSON shook his out three scor-
ptons that had been his bedfellows in the
night fell to the ground. The scientist
swept them into his bottle and carried them
along with him. Those scorpions are now
in his collection in Europe.
Converted and Married Her
Mr.. Olsson's first convert after he be-
came a missionary was the woman who
afterward became his wife. Mrs OLSON is
French woman; Mr.. OLSON is a Swede:
their children were born in South America.
so that three nations are represented in
that family. More II an half of the mis-
q RVS arrf..1 4,
from his wife and three children the hus-
band ana father travelling into the heart
OF South America and preaching to the ma
ives In Spanish, Swedish, French, English
or one or two of the native dialects with
which he is familiar. and when none of
these can be understood, using an inter-
prefer
Mr.. Olsscn says that there are mora
than forty nations, or tribes i'm South
America One of these. the Seronos tribe.
In the northeastern portion of Bolivia. are
a siant-eyed race. They are a wild fero-
cfous tribe. Forced for many hundred wears
TO expect the venomous serpent to attack
them from the overhanging bows or at
their feet, fearing the spring of the tiger
from behind or at the side. each eve has
been so strained and forced into an unnat-
ural focus that 1t looks out TO the right or
LETT. But If looking a man square in the
race were the test of honesty every man
of them would have to go to jail for thew
could not look straight ahead of them il
their lives depended upon it. In spite of
than white man can see in a week and
their hearing is acute. The tribe of the
slant-eyed men numbers about 10000.
shutting Madeira Falls.
In shutting the dangerous Madeira Falls
knowledge of the current of the stream
Is indispensable. The sands Of the river
bed shift and change. There are times
when il is impossible - make the shute
with any other result than the death of
every soul on board.
slave was lent by his master to guide
MI OLSON trough well-nigh impenetra-
bic forest. The only road is a single-rIe
pathway that is kept open by the natives
in their wanderings across the country
On either side there are mighty trees They
are Of finest mahogany or valuable hard
WOOD, but are worth nothing in those for
ests; so there they stand century after
century until they get heart disease dry
rot that creeps out and out toward the
bark. When at last the support that has
for so many years sustained the weighty
top Is weakened sufficiently with the first
fierce storm down the tree goes III ID falls
across one of these footpaths the traveller
must get around it in some way ID will
no doubt be hours before he finds his road
again, and when he energies his face will
be torn and bleeding by the thorny UNDER
brush.