Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29

| sisted Captain Barrault in driving the
| rebels into precipitate fight.
After that Barrault was the hero of the
government forces around Bogota. His
| advice was sought on military matters, and
| In the skirmishes and battles that fol-
| lowed he and his company were always
assigned to the post of honor and greatest
| danger.
Barrault had been in the army about six
| months when he entered his seventh fight.
AS usual, ms company was in the most
posed position, but this time Il was sub
| Jected to heavier fire than any ex-
perienced heretofore. In order to prevent
what seemed certain slaughter of his men
whom he had come to regard as brave and
who, in turn, all but worshiped their an
parently invincible leader Barra,At seized
flag, got at the head of his company and
ordered charge With a cheer the men
| responded; the rest of the army followed
exctedly. Up the side of the hill rushed
the soldiers-up almost to the crest-then
| they beheld their leader falter. and the
next instant he and the flag fell In a heap
| on the battlefield. At that panic seized the
army, and it turned and fled without so
much as giving a thought for its colors or
! It's bearer.
J And SO Barrault. severely wounded by a
rifle ball became prisoner of the rebels.
| who had learned to fear him more than a
regiment of Colombian regulars.
Escapes After Six Months.
They chucked the orchid hunter into
| prison, put strong guard over him, and
| left him to get well as best he could
Eventually Barrault recovered his health
and then, one night about six months after
he had been made prisoner he neatly
knocked one of the guards over the head
slipped past the others, lodged their bull
lets and, after two days and nights of
tramping, reached the forest where grow
rare orchids.
Barrault, subssting on roots and herbs
that guides had proved TO him were good
for food patiently worked his way through
the forest until he reached a secluded viii
lage in its midst. where the revolution had
not yet stirred things up to fever heat.
Here he secured another set of guides and
tree CIim0erS-for only the natives can sue
cessfuliy scale the big trees in the tops of
which the orchids grow-and renewed his
quest for the wonderful snow-white orchid.
This orchid Barrault heard of when he
first arrived in BOgOta. Then it was that,
after a 400-mile journey by water and mule
path from the Caribbean coast. he slid off
the back of a mule before the principal hotel
in Colombias capital, and after introduce
ing himself and telling his mission, sought
the hotel keepers assistance in securing
guides.
1t was not long before the little Frenchman
was confronted with nondescript band of
indians, all anxious to become members of
| his party. OF these he engaged twenty
and was Diminishing the rest when one of
the rejected half-naked natives rushed up
and began chattering eXcitedly.
He speaks of a wonderful orchid, senor."
said the hotel keeper, "of orchid so
big'-claspfng hands and rounding arms
and as white as snow on the mountain
tops. He says he knows where it grows
he will take you to it, senior"
Three days later Barrault and his little
band of red-skinned followers, guided by
the Indian who had told of the marvelousIy
big flower turned their mules heads
toward the mountains that looked down
upon Bogota from the north. and the quest
of the wonderful snowwhite orchid had
begun
Barrault Falls Over a Precipice.
The expedition was scarcely started be-
fore its leaders first series of adventures
began.
AS the mules were winding their way
along a narrow road built on a mountain
shelf forming the edge of a 2,000-foot deep
precipice Barrault's saddle girth broke
and he unceremoniously disappeared over
the precipice's edge. He fell one hum
dred feet into the arms of a friendly tree
growing the side of the precipice. When
the frightened guides, peering cautiously
into the chasm, saw Barrault in the tree
and heard his shouts, they lowered a rope
and hauled him back to the mule path.
Then, to their surprise, they found that
their leader bore only d few unmportant
scratches as the result of his headlong tum-
BILE.
Two weeks later, as the expedition was
busily engaged in collecting the orchids
that grew on all sides, swamp fever made
it's appearance in the camp. Guide after
guide fell i'll, two died suddenly, and Bar
rault had to give up orchid hunting and
turn nurse. Finally he, too, took the fe-
YER and did the last well Indian How
they pulled through Barrault, in one of his
letters that have reached Philadelphia at
great intervals and by devious, tortuous
ways, says that he does not know. But get
well they did. And then, just as the
Frenchman once again was looking for
ward to a successful hunt the guides
every mothers son of them-robbed him
while he slept of all his possessions, includ-
ing the precious orchids, and made off
through the forest in the night.
There was nothing to do except to starve
or to get out of the forest. Barrault, guild
ed partly by the now almost oVergrown
through the underground when it had pen
etrated into the forest, painfully worked
his way out of the dense gloom and, after a
week of travel on feot and partial fast,
brought up at little mountain village.
Here he rested for a week, and then, moth
ing daunted by the i'll luck of his former
expedition, set about organizing another
with gold. furnished by Mrs. Wilson. which
he carried in belts fastened around his
body.
A Sword Fight With Six Guides
This hunt, Barrault wrote, was noted for
its even tenor and lack of excitement until
just a few days before the return trip be-
gan. Then it was that two guides and their
leader unwittingly stumbled into an army
of big, black ants. Before they could turn
about to flee the animals swarmed all over
them from head to foot. 1t was half
mile to the nearest forest stream, a half
mile covered with dense underground.
Frantcally the men clawed their way to
the water, suffering agOnieS from the bites