The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-20
N BRAZIL 5 JUNGES
Frank Greenfield Writes Most
Entertainingly
OF THE BEASTS AND BIRDS
Which Inhabit the TangIe of a
Tropical Forest.
OF THE BEASTS AND BIRDS

of Frank Greenield's interesting letters
from South America The letter seems
to be of a date previous to the one last
published in the Eagle, reproduced, as
the one below, from the Triangle, since
in the present letter ne seems to be still
hopeful of finding alive his brother. to
seek whom in the wilds Of Brazil was the
object of his journey, while in the letter
last previously published he had appar-
emily given his up for dead-murdered by
Indians Following is the letter:
st. Rio Verda, Rio San Lorenza,
Estada de Matte Grasso, Brazil,
sept. Z, 1899
Dear Brother and ALL last wrote to
YOU in Assuncion, but when 1 reached
Curumba I wrote home and told them to
send my letter down to you. 1 was c5m-
PEELED to stay in Curumba for seven OF
eight days waiting for this steamer, Rio
Verda. which is a small side wheel boat
and makes about four miles an hour
against the current. After leaving Gu"
runba we ran up the Paraguay river for
a day and a half and then came into
branch stream, the San Lorenza, upon
which we now are. All this country Is
loW-lving and oveu1ows during the wet
season. The. scenery is not of the choicest
sort from a landscape point of view, but
the vegetation is something immense. The
trees are not tall, or even very large
but the underground is one vast tangled
mass. all sorts of vines and creepers IN
terWoven in indiscriminate confusion. AT
this time of the year the flowers are not
so abundant, but even is it is they are
in such profusion as to give the woods
very bright and pleasing aspect.
And the birds! 1 can't begin to tell you
ANYTHING near so beautiful as some OF
them are. and in such numbers, too.
They are not so given to song as some
of our home birds. It's more of chat
ter than anything else. but that is more
than counter-balanced by the volume.
And their plumage is something lnde-
scribable. This is the home Of the diff
ferent sorts of water fowls, the Wflte
heron, or garcies. from which come those
egrets. the delight of q woman and the
plague of man. They are Of two or three
different kinds The most valuable are
a pure white with a tuft Of feathers grow
ing ont of the neck. One bird will yield
about forty feathers, which are sold mere
at about $175 a kilogram q 1-5 pounds),
and as it takes more than 10000 feathers
n make kilogram, hunter is some time
in getting that amount. Then the thous-
and and one other sorts, famingoes'
storks. cranes, fish-hawks and KIND OF
aamingo called ooryuyin. Don't thlnK
you can find the name as it is spelled IN
The dictionary This is the largest water
bird that have ever seen. 1t IS great
white bird with black, or dark, head, and
a very long beak with pocket underneath
ike the pelican, and then there Is another
curiosity in the shape of red duck, not
to say blood red, but of peculiar shade
ike the petal of rose.
7 suppose now next IN order would be
the animals. We don't see any great
variety, the most common are the capa-
wares. a sort of water hog, or cross pc
tween muskrat and a grizzly bear and
Of about a hundred weight. 1t / ssald
that they are not good to eat, but 1 don't
doubt but what they would be equally
as good as the beef we get on board. |
Next comes the monks" and I'll let you
draw upon your imagination about them
There Is no difference in the monkey
He's ode monk wherever you find him.
We see immense numbers of alligators,
IF which there are thousands on all these |
rivers. The shores are lined with them,
wing with their mouths open painting In
the sun.
We are out of meat and they have just
stopped the steamer to put off a charge
IF dynamite so we may get a supply Of !
fish. On, these people! I wonder some !
times that my hair is not white. Time
IS no object to them. Why, here is a sam
Pile After doing our fishing Q we ran |
lp the river 4 short distance and stopped !
The rest of the day, so that the priest, |
who was on board, could so and baptize |
4 lot of children. We all had a very en- !
ioyable time, can assure you, lying there |
n the hot sun. The worst OF it was, /
couple came to get married, negroes, the /
bride with a chaplet of flowers and ber- /
RES on her head; but the priest wouldn't /
perform the ceremony. I suppose he had /
had enough of babies that day and didn't /
care to encourage their propagation. The I
priest is a power in the land. some (
lines wish I had been a priest
Later: I was compelled through stress /
IF circumstances to delay this letter IN /
III now. I am in Cuyaba at last and ger /
ing here would De history in itself After /
Z day or more running NJ the Cuyaba /
river we ran onto a snag in the river and /
stove hole in the boat Then there was /
a scramble. We had a chato or barge, |
alongside and the way miscellaneous ar !
-'cles mixed up with all classes OF human (
~ tumbled into K was a circus There /
VAS no real danger. as the boat had solid .
1ulkheads separating the engine room +
md other sections. but the people gem
.raIly didn't stop 10 consider that. Ri
lauy they Hghtened her Prov and got Il +
- so they could stop the hole. and after
day we proceeded on our journey. II
another twenfy-fou- hours we came 70 a
BAR of sand and that stopped further pro
;ress. 50 We transferred into a barge, and .
/. little rattie-shackle boat fitted up with
: teakettIe cor boiler started 10 Tow rs
~ 10 Cuyaba. which was now about
thirty miles distant After that he'll
opened and We had reign Of confusion
lntn We got in last night taking forty
lours 10 make less than tnivty mics .
I'm nearly warn out and am glad that (
IN through. having been more than two
months enroute-
What I have seen Of Cuyaba appears
The same IS It did when 7 was last here.
The same donkeys d7zlog IN the streets.
Tipping the flies with their ears: the
same goats on the refuse heap contesed-
81 chewing tin cans-nothjug Different
Things doa't change much ia these 81
hese countries some littIe ca.ldrea