The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-20

S-ANAoa tAOobS l1dQ DeGn advancing
from another direction. Suddenly they
met, not Norberto. but a brand new die
tator, or rather, three, for Hipolito Mo-
reira. Edmonds Bastus and Col. Ale
pandrino Cir had formed a triunvirate.
Then fghting began afresh. Troops
began to move in again. And while
tnev We're in the midst of it, Manuel
Feneio, cruelty defined as a highway
man, proclaimed himself dictator,
Last year a general peace was Ear
rived at" Then there was compara-
tive quiet, although there never was
time when some kind of a revolution
was not on foot. But with the news
that the Bolivian government had
granted rights to the American syndi-
cate, all the troubles bid fair to begin
again. If there is to be any money
made down there, Bolivia, Peru and
Brazil all want it. Brazil threatens all
kinds of things now if the American
concession stands. To an extent Brazil
has the upper hand, because at present
the best way to market is over its
waterways, through its territory to the
Atlantic coast.
But Peru has a plan to get in far
ahead of them all and build a railroad
that shall tap the rich country and
carry its product to the Pacific coast
over the mountains.
~ ascertain the best route, that
nation commissioned a French engi-
neer, Albert de Lautreppe of Paris.
TO explore the country and find a road,
He led an expedition and reported that
the plan was feasible.
Now he has arrived in New York
with remarkable news. He found i'm
mense rivers spanned by wonderful
bridges make of basket work by the
natives. More remarkable than all,
he found tribes of cannibal Indians,
whose boast was that they never had
allowed white men to pass through
their country BY diplomacy and gem
erous presents he managed to win,
If not their friendship, at least suffer
ance, and he reached his objective
point after many dangers, but without
being harmed.
The CannibaI Indians.
His first experience of the savages
was after passing Mou!at Camanti.
after many days of voyaging along the
Marcapata river. One morning the
camp was alarmed by the cry, "Chun-
chos!" nd looking out of his tent he
saw tall, straight men peering at them
from the woods. They had mother-of-
pearl dishes in their nostrils and gaudy
feathers stuck through holes in their
lips and cheeks. Some of them had
they would thrust their tongues fire.
quently
They were armed with bows and ar
rows, and after De Lautreppe had
won their confidence he went hunting
with them and saw them drive their
arrows Glen through tapir, notwith-
standing the animals thick, tough
hide. The explorer says that they
could fight men in armor so hard do
they shoot with their simple arms.
He >nd them entirely without ele-
ments Of humanity. They leave their
sick and wounded without attempting
to help them. They let their dead lie
where they expire. They do not even
try to help each other when accidents
befall members of hunting parties.
The Chunchos openly and without
the least apparent thought of its hor-
ror described to him how they had
killed band of white men in rub
Der camp and eaten them in celebra-
ton of the victory.
From the land of the Chunchos
the expedition passed into the
country of. a still worse tribe,
the Huachaparis, of whom even
the Chunchos were afraid. For
days the explorers were conscious
that they were surrounded by hun
dreds, If not thousands, of the saw
ages. but they could see none, and only
the footprints and the rustling in the
underground gave them warning of
the presence of their invisible watch
ers. But at last De Lautreppe man
aged to get into communication with
them and convince them that he had
come with no inimical purpose.
He describes them as being more
horrible and ferocious in appearance
and habit than one can possibly imag-
inc. They were great men, few being
less than six feet high. They were
painted with bright red colors, their
faces being streaked Enthusiastically.
They too, had their features pierced
for feather concentrations.
De Lautreppe says that he can not
tell why they permitted his party to
cross their territory alive. 1.-THE
Chunchos," he says, told us that they
had massacred three white men in
Carabaya just before we arrived. Just
why we escaped trouble I can not ex-
plain, as they were entirely fearless,
and our firearms caused them neither
surprise nor alarm. Somehow, we had
the luck to effect peace which neither
of us broke. 1t may be that they were
convinced that we were not after their
women, which seems to be a great
cause of tribal wars there. Most tribes
are short of women, and, therefore
they raid each other frequently"
All the tribes that he found exist
solely by hunting and rove over great !
extents of territory. De Lautreppe
says that the country throughout |
shows evidences of great wealth in |
gold, and that Peru can open II nv |
building less than four hundred miles |
OF railroad, part Of which, indeed, is |
under construction.