The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-24
hidden Gordon of foes and try to reach
Formosa, on the Paraguayan boundary, TO
wills OF THE WOODS.

hidden Gordon of foes and try to reach
Formosa, on the Paraguayan boundary, TO
get help.
DEVILS OF THE WOODS.
Of these eight men nothing has been
learned to this day, with the exception
of two, who were found wandering in the
thickets, with barely strength enough left
to tell even the briefest story. They had
been hunted headlong from mile to mile.
The forests were instinct with death wher-
ever they turned Six of the fugitives were
killed before day passed
The two survivors said that they had left
the Ibarreta party in dire need. Just before
passing certain great waterfalls of the Pill
comayo river the hitherto deserted banks
of the gloomy stream suddenly were hlled
with tail men, hideously painted and armed
with huge knotted clubs and with spears
Their faces, painted coal black, with cir
cles of light blue over the cheek bones ana
three blue streaks radiating from the cor,
ner of their mouths, made them look, SAID
the fugitfves, like devils. Indeed, the Plla-
gas Indians-a friendly tribe living near
the borders-affirm that these are devils
and not men that haunt the dark, impene-
trable forests of the River of Death.
The Indians made an attack in force on
the expedition and Were beaten on only
into the cover Of the overhang1ng vegeta-
ton the banks, but they never ceased
harassing the explorers. To go ashore Tor
hope that was left when the men started
for relief was to press on slowly to IND
landing place in the open country, where
the Indians might be at a disadvantage.
The two men did not live TO reach clvlllZa-
ton, but died near where the friendly In
dian hunters had found them. These car
ried the news to Colonel Carmelo Urlarte,
who quickly formed a relief party and ad-
vanced toward the Pilcomayo. For twenty
days he marched and padded, and for all
those twenty days he had TO fight the saw
ages who attacked him from every hiding
place along the line. His Indian guides
found friends who told him that the Ibar-
led Uriate and his men to the spot where
Colonel Ibarreta, the last man to yield,
had made his final fight
The murderous Indians were members OF
the Chorotis and Orejude tribes, of whom
little is known except that they live a life
of constant warfare between themselves,
sinking their differences only when
strangers enter the country.
Uriartes spies found the graves of varf-
Gus members of the Ibarreta party and
returned with stories of touching courage
and devotion. They learned how one mem
Der of the expedition after the other had
died, either from starvation or wounds, and
how the survivors buried their comrades
and planted q rude cross on each grave
At last there were left with Ibarreta only
a single Indian and the boy. These three
worked their way on, ever suffering more
until they were quite unable to WELD either
paddle pole any more. Then they
crawled out on the bank, and while they
were DlOdO1nR on SnOre, enIlrely exhausted
the Indians stole on them and killed them
with axes, Ibarreta fighting till the last
and not yielding until he was powerless to
move.
STILL NEW VICTIMS.
And still FL Gran Chaco was to have
more victims. While Boggiano's fate was
still unknown, Captain Sirvent, a German
instructor in the Gillian army, started
with his son to enter the Chaco country
he Ha N in
a month But three passed and no sign
came from the unknown land.
Now, according to news just received in
America, Captain Rojas of the Paraguayan
army, who started from the east to search
for him. has returned TO Villa Hayes
named after President Hayes to commem-
crate his settlement of the Paraguay-Ar-
gentina boundary dispute-with the almost
positive information that this expedition
also has been destroyed. Captain Rojas
found that il had approached the vicinity
of the scene of Ibarreta's death, and there,
on the banks of the Pilcomayo river, had
perished TO prove anew that the River of
Death still defies the worlds efforts to
dispel its mystery.
In the forests, great with centuries on
centuries of unchecked growth, there is
neither sunlight nor freedom of winds or
singing of birds The waters roar sullenly.
The air is heavy with moisture. and neither
in the morning nor the afternoon does day
light find its way through the enormous
fantastic masses of the eternal forest
Gloom and gloom again-never less than
twilight In the brightest places and as
black as night in the darkest-shrouds the
path of the intruder.
A hush so great that it burdens the sense
as with physical oppression reigns hour
after hour, day after day, week after week
Like the terrifying hush before a great
storm, it rests on the land and makes it a
place OF fear. The birds fit through il
silently. Silently and like shadows the
wild beasts creep.
Only now and again is that hush of dread
broken. A terrible cry. a wall that rises
and falls and floats away awfully resounds
through the dim aisles. Then the Indians
hastily murmur incantatons-for this they
ing, in torment eternal, through the land
Of the devils Of the woods. 1t is vain for
explorers TO tell them that the cry is that
of bird fairly Well known TO science Ii
is damned soul, so they are convinced
So. too. they shudder when once in a
while sudden, tremendous cracking and
splintering echoes with startling sudden
ness through this land of foreboding 81
lence. Even white men. armored against
superstitious fear, feel their nerves start
when that silence Of the grave is broken
thus, though they believe il TO be due only
10 the sudden hurting downward of some
ancient tree. But the Indians know il 10
be otherwise 1T is the devil of the
woods. they say with trembling lips
The devil Of the woods is uprooting a
tree for club 10 hunt with tonight
And he is a well-steeled man who sur-
rounded by the unknown, surrounded nv
the terror Of his living companions. does
not. in spite of himself feel the fear Of
the Land of Mystery steal over him and
claim him for its own.
M