The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-05-01
INDIANS AND ANIMALS.

| In "a recent Issue of the American Field
| says that journal. some curious facts
/ were related regarding the experiments
OF German scientist In the exercise Of
! hypnotic influence upon various individ-
uals OF the brute creation. That narra-
ton Is now supplemented by statements
recently made concerning "A tribe OF
strange South American Indians, whose
members are said 10 possess remarkable
powers in being able 10 tame with con-
summate ease even the widest animals
The late NJ. Van Montnaken. Belgian
explorer. obtained a collection Of photo
graphs during "A journey through the in
terror OF Peru and Brazil. These photo
graphs have been presented TO the Royal
Geographical society or Belgium by the
explorers widow. and have excited much
interest among the members OF the So
clety I'm the collection are the portraits
OF several Indians said To- be OF the Co
nibo (perhaps Cunibopiros) tribe, race
that is little known. whose home is on
the high mountains rising near one OF the
banks OF the Ucayali river I'm Peru. The
men are swarthy and OF medium size and
the women are small. lank and ugly Both
men and women paint themselves regu-
larly. putting "a coat of red on their faces
and black on their bodies. They very
rarely mlngle with white persons. and
theN clothe themselves in cotton tunics
4 at come down 60 their knees
Regarding the skill these Indians eN-
hibit in dealing with wild animals, il is
said that 'tapirs and forest boars wan
der abous their villages with the freedom
of household pets, and the shyest birds of
the tropics sleep unfettered In their huts
No animal Is as dear 90 these Indians as
the monkey, and there IS not a Conibo
alive who has not az least half dozen OF
these intelligent creatures all Of whom he
has trained to perform the most difficult
feats Yet these monkeys, and indeed,
all other trained animals are never Ger
tain that they will be allowed to i've
from one day 10 another. since It is their
owners custom to become uproariousiy
drunk on certain festive occasions. and
one OF their first impulses when I'm such I
n mood is 10 slaughter all their pets For /
tunately for the latter the blows aimed |
at them rarely hit their mark
The members Of this tribe are fond of l
the flesh Of the tortoise of that country, !
and will travel many leagues TO obtain |
the same Every year between August Is I
and September 1 these duskv Iudiaus /
an army OF tortoises. This Is the 4
season when the tortoiscs lay their eggs /
On dark night they may be heard COM
ing down the Ccayali in search Of a nest
Ing place. Thousands of them are there
and 50 closely hemmcd together that their
passage through the water il as turbulent
rs that OF a troop OF gigantic whales 10
The Indians this commotion Is q welcome !
SOUND, AMI at once they prepare Tor their
annual picnic. They may have Travelled !
lfty or even one hundred leugues before
hey got on the tortOises track They
wait patiently uutil tho noise in the river
eases and tramping IL iunumerable
eet IL heard on tho sandy banks
Then they approach the Chclonla
'tealthiy, and. themselves unseen watch
'pcrations through the gloom. First they
zee the tortoises prepare an immense
rench with their feet. next they OBJ
erve by their motions that they are lay
ng their eggs In the trench and, finally,
hey know by the renewed trampling on
he sand that the vast army has again
accd for The water. This II the moment
cor which they have been waiting. and.
ashing forward. they fsll on the prey A
irect attack they dare not venture I
sainst such q mighty host, but they
ain their ends by assailing the strag-
lers and those IN the outside ranks, All
hey have To do is 10 turn the tortoiaes
N their backs, and thousands they
erve In this way before the surprised
fmy gains the water Then iu the dawn
hey Nil their cspuyes. and for weeks
fterward they aud their families fesst
u the flesh
fe. white men have had any Inter
'prse with these strange Indians 10 Is
AID. therefore the photographs taken by
boz belgian explorer aud ne STORY re-
iuiiug thr tribe are uf rIr. interest he ,
aN'ns passed seycral weeks iu the In
ans company. Z