The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-03-09
MILADY'S ORCHID CULLED
AT COST OF LIVES.
How Beautiful "Cattleya' Specimens That Grow in Tropical
Jungles of Venezuela and Brazil Are Gathered-DeathO Often
Faced to Obtain This Slender Plant.

from the glaring inaccu.acy of the only ex.
=, listing map that even its maker had taken
merely hearsay evidence strange land.
whose dreadful dangers alone were known.
and all Tor the sake of a frail pink blossom
blooming in the wilds!
The expedition consisting at first of Mr..
Andre. Mr.. Jacobson and Mr.. Nillegente.
with five East Indians. proceeded from
Trinidad 10 Cludad Bolivar. on the Orinoco.
From there a little steamer took them 10
Tenblador. about sixty miles up the Caura.
So far civilization. though tagging sadly.
had not vet been left utterly behind. There
was even n ball going on at Temblador
when they arrived. Gallant descendants of
the old hidalgos stood around the walls OF
the little room awaiting their turns to
dance with the solitary woman present. TO
the wang Of the cuatr0.
Indian Pilots Secured.
Here Indian pilots. with much dickering
and giving OF bright trinkctS. We're secured.
and the long canoe trip fairly began. Five
hours were spent breastinE the strong cur
rSEt before the little settlement Of La Pri-
sian. the last outpost OF the civilized world.
was reached.
From here a trip was made up the Nicare
RIVER to Poo Bravo. where a month was
spent exploring the forests.
Inc deadly inrl;ria drove Mr.. Andre back
10 La trisian again. whence. a month later.
the long trip WAS begun.
The Indians. with one exception. had had
quite enough of exploring on the Nicare
Trip and ffatly refused to go on. So. with
fourteen men. in three canoes. and but a
single native guide. the expedition padded
iGrtner and further III the stream. down
Which so rev of them Were destined to come
t racS again: somewhere along the silver
primeVal forests dainty pink petals We're
nnfolding in the warm, moist air. Turing
n ns on; Iay after day of weary padding,
through and through with brilliant masses
OF NlVic mowers. now opening out into fever
the green leaves. far above. utterly shut
Out the sunlight. until at last the distant
,SarIng or the tortured waters proclaimed
Two Boats Remained.
Seventeen days it took TO make the little
portage around the falls, and the largest
noat was left To rot upon the first hill after
three days efforC. With but two boats left
they picdded doggedIy on. racked with fe1
Yer. maddened by insects. stiied with heat.
pmt ever searching the tangled shores for r
sIinpse OF these marvellous pink blossoms.
AM now strange mountains rose where. by
me map. no mountains ought TO be-tribu-
utterly to appear. They We're past the land
OF map makers. where no surveyors line
had ever been run. What strange things
might lie before. Perhaps the wondrous
city of Manoa itself. It's golden hill mir
rored in the crystal lake around II, Per
ma MAPS is, those hos headless meR: with eyes in their
These. perhaps. but certainly, they hoped.
the beautiful pink blossom OF the cattIeya,
On through the terrible gorge of Tyaima.
past the majestic mountains of Arawa.
whose inaccessible sides guard a broad pla.
teau that holds untold treasure for the
naturalist could he but reach them: over the
Arichi Rapids. until at last they camped at
the foot Of Mount Ameha. whose sheer
gray cliffs guarded safely the secrets of its
summit also.
Here they stopped. and the search for
the orchids was begun. No child's PLAY this.
The unerrfng instinct of the trained bot
anist was right. The flowers were there.
but too often they looked down. like tiny
pink stars out of an emerald armament.
rom some tall tree whose wood duIled
hopelessly the sharpest ak. No man was
rash enough to climb far. for ii was only
too probable that along the upper limbs the
iean. brown notified body of Ell Tigre."
tse fearful tiger snake. lay cunningiy coz
cealed. his beady eyes watching the coming
of his prey.
Even when. after incredible toll. the tree
fell slowly to the ground. one must be care
full that that bit of green which stirs amid
the cluster of orchid leaves Is a trick OF