Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-12

oor rico on all sides of you and you can
within a few minutes pick up enough ~
half fill your boat. Here and tnere you
mass farm houses cut out OF the "oous'
AT. some of these the boat stops fr 1resn
meat taking the beeves on board and Kill
ing them there. There are frequent forests
Of palms scattered along the river.
About two days ride from Asunclon' just
over the Brazilian line, a forest-coEereu
island, 1900 feet high, springs up aheau Vi
Won and seems to stop your progress. AS
YOU approach it you see that there IS d
| channel at the west side wide enough for the
boat to go through. This island is known
as the Mountain Gate. The land about 1t Is
| said TO be so unhealthy that, as one OF the
! authorities states, even the trees are pot
bellied and dropsical. Some OF the human
| beings In the neighborhood certainly are
AS YOU proceed further the animal life in
creases. Deer are frequently seen ana
among them some most pure white. Inc
birds are of the most gorgeous plumage' the
toucans being Respondent in the brightest
reds and blues. The alligators now become
more numerous and you are frequently
approached by Indians who have tiger skins
for sale. A good skin will bring from 80 TO
SO. In addition to this there is sometimes
n bounty paid for such skins. There Is
one man on the river who has made quite a
little fortune by killing tigers, He has
killed 1913 and has received in the neighbor-
hood of s 5000 for them. He got $40 apiece
for the skins and the cattle owners paid
him a bounty of S. per tiger.
other things offered for sale are parrots
and monkeys. The prices are low and you
can have them almost for the asking, You
can also buy bows and arrows, Indian
-. - ..,.l-, TkA hapny,npla
are expensive. Some are made of the bril-
liant feathers OF tropical birds and cost as
high as 5000 apiece.
From Asuncion 10 Matte Crosse.
The province of Matte Crosse is one OF
the largest in Brazil, 1t is as large as one
sixth of the whole United States, not in
Guiding our outlying possessions. 1t forms
the southern central half of the country
The greater part Of 1t has never been eX-
plored and it is as wild today as it was
when Sebastian Cabot made his way up the
Paraguay river only a few years after
America was discovered.
Matte Crosse is a land of gold and dia-
monds, of vast pastures, of impenetrablC
forests, OF rubber and cacao, and, in fact, in
its possibilities, one of the richest lands OF
the globe.
Inns ltllllNlS Is 10 ne Teltleu only Dy
the Parana and Paraguay river systems. 1t
has 40 railroads connecting it with the rest
of Brazil, and its people rely for their sup
plies upon the steamers of the PaTana sys-
TEN. Every bit OF imports is brought over
200 miles by river boats, and the officials
who as a rule come from Rio Janeiro, mus
travel a thousand miles further.
Leaving Asuncion on your way to Matte
Crosse, you first pass villa Conception, Tho
biggest city Of north Paraguay. There is q
white custom house on the banks, and bach
OF this the town. Conception contains
about 5000 people. 1t is made up OF stuc,
coed buildings and tHatched huts. It is
business center, exporting large quantities
OF Mate or Paraguayan tea, and hides, Their,
are more Indians and negroes there than II
Asuncion, and you find that the Indians ant
negroes increase as you 80 north.
At Coimbra, Brazil, $50 miles from
Buenos Ayres, you see upon the west bank o
/ the Paraguay the first village of any siz
} for a distance Of 700 miles on that side o
: the river. So far all the settlements hav
; been on the east bank Of the river, IN
country to the west being almost %entirel
; Wild. At Coimbra there is a Brazilian fort
l Further on you come to the little yillag