The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-16
U~ARPOONING A WIFE.
A Story Of Three San Dias Indians In q
SuualI In the Caribbean Sea.
From iAs New Orisons Timss-Democrdt.

Squan In the ear1DDean Set.
From the Nev Orleans Timss-Demoerot.
Every one down on the coast has heard
Of the gold in the San Bias country. Thus
far no one has ever been allowed to take
any Of 1t away-aye. not even TO prospect
! for Il. These San Bias Indians guard their
women like their gold. so closely In fact that a
| foreigner has never been allowed 10 sleep
| over night on their mainland. Even when
the United States Canal Commission wished
to run a line through that section they found
II imperative TO first make q treaty with
the chiefs. guaranteeing that no member
OF the survey should either touch a San Bias
woman or prospect for gold; the chiefs were.
! furthermore. given the sum Of SIS each.
Now, my luck had always been not only
neutral. but inclined just q bit In my faVor'
so | thought would have a ny anyway
at that i9[ hidden tsrI,,sry 1 ON i ne
coastIng sloop which was TO san 10 san b"ts
for a cars go OF eocoanuts for the Colon market
Arrived At the anchorage i went ashore
and was lucky enough 70, run UP agginst
an old Indian with whom ! had once taIkru
in Colon; lie Fsso ,nr Z cum m Of a nnftv t"S Skod %e
late. But | might a. well have tritd 70 OBTAIN
the oriein and tencts OF his rtislon az 70
the possibility OF a permit to prospect. The
@mgches." San Bias for men. treated me
well and wanted TO- trade me out OF tyFrya
ornaments Of pure gold-that gold ! ,had
made the dreary voyage In a eoast'hg sIoop
had a chance to sec these ADEPT, in their
straight steel Point .i a91d j 10 aS 6 nt'. ,i Gt esSE og
eighteen inches long, without q single barD'
willie the hUft Ia some eight feet or more.
The weight OF the haft usually counter~oalances
that of the ash, thus allowing the line TO be
d the Quarry. The San Bias are equally as
Nv trip had been for nothing. While
slipping chocolate with my old friend ! asked
Porto Belio. He said he would send his son
and nephew Will me-. The son, Santiago
was a cor1ely looking fellow. with the usual
/ mad not seen. but when they began pushing
the big canoe 20 wn the sandy beach Thought
him no more than the ordinary squat inacie
except for a pair of very Intelligent ana
With usual, Indian matter Of : fSctness.
Santiago had decided to take his wife. Ntanga,
md her little brother. MANGA was just ABOUT
the ~prettiest Indian ! had seen from Beiize
10 the mouth OF the orinoco. 50 | didn't OBJ
iect She-but who can describe the beauty
OF an Indian girl? our stereotyped EXPIRES
slons are too closely associated with our
fcrce 10 a stvie vita witch 70 are unfair iinr
Al last we were OF. Tho canoe was u
carib risged duf9G sd OF 9Si Tis l ntSod Hib Boat
but as there was every promise Of fair weather
i cortented myself. The boom Of the fore-
sail of this class Of craft Is longer than the
distance from the main 10 the foremast.
AID consequently ovrrlaps the .mainsail.
II Is good for u fair wind but very DANGEROUS
foreboon must be lifted up TO pass the main
mast. If she gybes she usually goes over
Before icing half a day in that boat It
was very evident TO me thnt Ntanga vas more
10 love with VSlanda than her husband;
and tell that they held only lonsing i9r We
little woman. bound by tribal tradition:
his eyes we're very dynamos. sending of
sparks not to be mistaken And hers were
a pair OF sp9rSing: respSITbI{y n h heIie magnets
Late in the afternoon 1t began TO look
murky of to the east ard steadily grew worse
bearing down on Us, but whether it was only a
squat or regular heavy weather could only
be coniectured, one never knows Mhat
is FUN over with. However We were pre-
pared for II. wanted one OF the sals low
er,d, but a san Bias thinks he can carry all
fairly. Finally 1t was on us, aud we were
thinking, ourselves in for nothing worse Than
was a lull aud ali the air that had been pushed
TO the westward seemed. TO have gatheTcd
and started back with the force OF a half
The for, sill PREDETERMINED for the frac-
ton Of a second of tho canoe careened over
Thank God! We were over the worst-but
-. the leech caught and the freed boom
,oa Guo ih toI ITR Ps ,i as t ropc' n'r IL parted, f Steu
ing part of the foresail in shrcds on the main
sail hoops. We we're half buried IN SURFING
rising waves. but stood a hghting chance had
not another gust. herccr than the, first If
possible. caught the weather side of the canoe
s sin inT'XX t sII,Sd on Us t gSef head 5H9 as sS. she oiut pIRDdd
at the sheet.
As came to the surface I instinctiyely
my feet as | graspcd the keel. Of the boat;
valanda was already up and the boy a natural
OF Si the Sip;.lxed cfHaft' pIsas6ins the salt water
out OF my eyes | looked for, the. others.
Ntanga came up with a bound a lew feet
away and was plainly UNCONSCIOUS IRON the
blow. The current was carrying her from
Us very swiftly, Almost az the sane instant
girl. lie went under the boat. but az ! made
ready to plunge for the fast .recedtng woman,
he rose to the surface and motioned me TO
In his hand a nsh spear was rTasped tightly.
a spot OF blood gathered on the first finger,
t fSSe' spen aq f GSSS' t by ttRhe MtVt to V 5 tRR0fitfDR1 had
been made fast on the approach OF the storm.
tbH n ss 1S S4 p sEss f fesure tossed S%i0 By tho SS
carefully to the canoe bottom. Keeping his
stealthiiy. il seemed, raised his v body
erect. Never will | forget him as he stood
each sue Of the keel, his arm poised Saioit,
watching for a sure chance 70 cast that nsh
spear q the, woman he loved As she shot
wave. her one garment swashed about her
graceful little figure by the mad waters, he
flung the implement. a wave he saw not
tossed the canoe he Ios' his footing and fen.
But never for a moment did he lose the
line. Raising himself TO a kneeling. posture
he began pulling in rapidly. hen she
rose 10 the crest OF the next wave he groaned
lGmentahly. The steel point, had missed
the little roll Of clothing and pierced her
thigh. slowly and carefully we nov dragged
her to the bottom Of the boat,
and ne We ne ensiiy rir Fl dht the s9 canoe sV snd pbs"iiedd
her out. But where was Santiago? Valnnda
simply answered. Sharks as he assisted
me to dress the wound in Ntanga's leg. And
knew why he did not wish TO- swim for bis
love. Any exultatlon he may have felt was
Countorhalanced by the modification OF
having missed his aim.
Arriving at Porto Bello these two lovers,
with savage unconventonaltiy, became man
and wife after the simple tribal custom.
The boy seemed the only mourner OF SAM