The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-11-08
@x@x@*W#@xtD sM@*@ @w@x !
!: THE LOST FINGER !;
--s.O.o---
Y A Story Of Pioneer Life In {
Q Central America {
D* #0#ex@*oiEo OK

tarles of the Parana, on whose opposite
shore the rank grass grew ten and
twelve feet high.
The house itself had tropical char
acter; it was Spanish with
cool, shady yeranda, long, low
front, painted walls and latticed win
dows, a spacious court and fiat roof,
provided with a parapet, which gave
the whole structure the appearance of
fort. Many acres of cultivated land
showed long lines of sugar cane and
tall trees laden with bananas, in sur
prising contrast to the dark, impene-
trable mass of wild husband which in
the distance surrounded the settlement.
Sonora Diaz was one of the tropical
beauties of whom Murillo dreamed.
i am going to test your gallantry."
she said, coming out on the veranda
where sat, ''by asking you to help me
to water my flowers, for with my lame
hand it is not easy for me to lift the
heavy watering pot"
4 am at your service, but allow me
am | wrong ?-to remind you that you
promised to tell me the story of how
your hand was lamed."
Certainly. AS soon as the flowers
are watered we will have coffee on the
veranda, and you will hear all about
it,
Accordingly / was shortly afterward
slipping coffee with the little Lolita,
my hosts only daughter and my pet,
beside me, while her mother rolled a
cigarette, lighted it and began as fol
lows:
When we came here this was very
wild place, and we had to endure
number of pests. For instance, when
Lolita was baby, my husband and
his men went off one morning to work
as usual, and the child lay asleep on
a mat at the end of the room. Sudden
~ / saw on the floor the skin of
mouse, from which the whole body
had been sucked, as from an orange.
/ knew at once that snake must be
near, for they feed on mice and eat
them in this fashion, but, carefully as
l looked about me, could see no
snake, till all at once it occurred to
me that it might be under the baby's
placed her in safety. Then / lifted
softly part of the mat and there it
was-the long, Shiny, green and gold
reptile coiled up and fast asleep. All,
how / jumped! ran out into the
courtyard to call for help. Luckily
our man, Jose, was there, and he kill
ed the reptile. But as we cleared
more acres the snakes left us to hide
themselves in the forest l began to
hope our cares were ended, but they
were only just begun. Wild beasts
now first appeared on the scene.
One morning while we were at
breakfast one of our herdsmen brought
the news that our cattle, which Craze
in the tall grass on the other side of
the river, had been attacked by
jaguar that had killed one of the bulls.
The man who told us this had escaped
with his life, yet he would have scarce
ly done SO If he had not misled the
beast or had there not been fat OK
there.
A week passed without a new alarm,
and we had come to think less about
1t, when suddenly three or four Indians
rushed in to tell us how a great jaguar
had broken into their camp and killed
{. woman and one of their dogs.
When my husband heard the story,
he judged that it was the same ami
NAL that had attacked our bull, for the
Indians described it as a creature of
singular color, far lighter than any
they had seen about there, so that they
named it ''The White Death"
We all thought it high time to do
something, and my husband called his
people together to go out and hunt the
animal
l remember that morning distinctly.
They went away checrfully enough,
each man with his gun and hunting
knife, and Moro, our bloodhound, was
with them. My husband turned around
just as he entered the wood and kissed
his hand to me- Then he and his COM
panions vanished in the forest.
When | found myself with Lolita
alone in the house and thought of what
might happen if they met that terrible
wild animal, such anxiety seized me
although | never thought | could be in
danger) that | could not be contented
till had locked every door. in the
house, and then l seated myself in the
great sitting room, took Lolita on my
lap and tried to tell her a story
Suddenly l heard a scratching along
the roof, and then dull thud, as if
something heavy had fallen,
Anxious and nervous as | was, i
started up with cry, although | had
no presentiment what 1t was.
The next moment / heard just over
me a sound which could not mistake
Ia long, passionate roar-a cry that
had often heard from the woods at
night and never without feeling as IL
my heart stood still. The thought rush
ed through my mind, "Oh, heaven, the
jaguari'
shall never forget that moment
For a second | was quite rigid and
helpless, as if life had departed. and
then a thought flashed upon me. The
jaguar was not to be- kept off If be
penetrated here from the roof, for most
of the inner doorways mad only draper
les. In my dining room was a great
wooden meal chest, nearly empty and
large enough to hold six or seven per-
sons at once. IL Lolita and Icould get
there, thought l, we are saved
= al. n.